school council march 11, 2014 inspiring education curriculum redesign
TRANSCRIPT
SCHOOL COUNCIL MARCH 11, 2014
• Inspiring Education• Curriculum Redesign
WHAT IS INSPIRING ED• The initiative was started by former Premier Ed Stelmach
in 2008 who tasked then Minister Dave Hancock with creating a long term vision for educating Alberta
• A 22 member committee was to achieve three aims1. Heighten Albertans importance of education and it’s
contributions to a prosperous society and economy2. Develop a clear understanding of what it will mean to
be successfully educated in twenty years3. Create the basis for a board policy framework
describing the overall direction, principles, an long term goals from education in Alberta
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7ksQSAUkEM • The key question: What would it mean to be an educated
Alberta in 2030?
SOME THOUGHTS ON WHERE WE ARE GOING• When I think of education in 20 years, I hope
that education will have responded to children in a whole new way including their physical, emotional and spiritual well-being as well as their academic needs
• Community Conversation Edmonton
• We need to prepare kids for their future not our past
• Dr. Richard Moniusko, Deputy Superintendent of Fairview County Public Schools 2009
THE VISION
• The Three E’s for education in the 21st century
• ENGAGED THINKER– I think critically and makes discoveries; I use
technology to learn, innovate, communicate, and discover; I work with multiple perspectives and disciplines to identify problems and find the best solutions; I communicate these ideas to others; As a life-long learner, I adapt to change with an attitude of optimism and hope for the future
THE VISION
• The Three E’s for education in the 21st century
• ETHICAL CITIZEN – I build relationships on humanity, fairness
and open minded-ness; I demonstrate respect, empathy and compassion; and through teamwork, collaboration and communication I contribute fully to the community and the world
THE VISION• The Three E’s for education in the 21st
century• ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT– I create opportunities and achieve goals though
hard work, perseverance and discipline; I strive for excellence and earn success; I explore ideas and challenge the status quo; I am competitive, adaptable and resilient; and I have the confidence to take risks and make bold decisions in the face of adversity
SOME THOUGHTS ON WHERE WE ARE GOING• It has become very clear that
the paradigm that has dominated the past century of school education has to be transformed. We are not tinkering, we are creating a system that will have some fundamentally different assumptions
• Inspiring Education Online conversation
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psgjh9jFyMs
CORE VALUES
WHAT CHANGE IS NEEDED
SOME THOUGHTS ON WHERE WE ARE GOING
• We need to move away from the one size fits all and move into the individualized needs and learning styles and challenges of each individual. Each hand is different and yet we treat each other just the same
• Community Conversation Calgary
• If the classroom of 2030 looks the same as it does today, we will have failed
• Alberta Cabinet Minister
SHIFTS NEEDED IN POLICY
GUIDING PRINCIPLESLearner Centered
o Decisions should consider the needs of children and youth first and foremost when making decisions
Shared Responsibility and Accountabilityo Acknowledging that parents are the primary guides
and decision makers for children, all partners should share responsibility and accountability for shared outcomes
Engaged Communitieso Community resources should be fully engaged to
support learners, including expertise, facilities, services and learning opportunities
GUIDING PRINCIPLESInclusive, Equitable Access
o Every learner should have fair and reasonable access to educational opportunities regardless of ability, economic circumstance, location of cultural background
Responsive, Flexible Approacho Children and youth should have learning
opportunities appropriate to each learners developmental stage, including learning that is experiential, multidisciplinary, community based, and self paced
GUIDING PRINCIPLESSustainable and Efficient Use of resources
oDecision makers should identify and adopt strategies and structures that optimize financial and human resources while minimizing duplication
Innovation to Promote and Strive for Excellenceo Creativity and innovation are central to
achieving excellence in education. Learners, educators and governors must be creative, innovative and entrepreneurial to attain the highest possible standards
IMPLICATIONS FOR GOVERNANCE
CURRICULUM REDESIGN...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_-j0f7tmW0
• The next logical step is
to re-examine our current curriculum to see what needs to be modified to move forward in the spirit of inspiring education
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG1q6kt93wM
DIRECTIONS FOR FUTURE CURRICULUM
GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT
WHAT IS THE PLANNED TIMELINE FOR THIS CHANGE
DIGITAL PLATFORM AND COMMON CONSTRUCT
• Traditional text based resources will shift to those that are digitally based– Ease of access– Ease of modification– Ease of updating
• All curriculum will have similar construct– Focus on literacy and numeracy, distinct from
Language Arts/English and Math– Competencies will remain the same – Indicators will be scaffolded– 10 outcomes per subject area
THE BIG TAKE AWAYS– Focus on literacy and numeracy,
different than Language arts/English and Mathematics
– Cross curricular competencies– Project based focus– Collaborative construction of resources,
lesson and assessments– Move to more locally developed common
assessments– Digital resourcing– Competencies, indicators and
benchmarks will become new essential language and understandings
QUESTIONS