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 aims 1.Heighten Albertans importance of education and it’s contributions to a prosperous society and economy 2.Develop a clear understanding of what it will mean to be successfully educated in twenty years 3.Create the basis for a board policy framework describing the overall direction, principles, an long term goals from education in Alberta 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 21 st 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 21 st 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 21 st 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 /watch?v=psgjh9jFyMs /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 PRINCIPLES Learner Centered o Decisions should consider the needs of children and youth first and foremost when making decisions Shared Responsibility and Accountability o Acknowledging that parents are the primary guides and decision makers for children, all partners should share responsibility and accountability for shared outcomes Engaged Communities o Community resources should be fully engaged to support learners, including expertise, facilities, services and learning opportunities

GUIDING PRINCIPLES Inclusive, 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 Approach o 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 PRINCIPLES Sustainable and Efficient Use of resources o Decision makers should identify and adopt strategies and structures that optimize financial and human resources while minimizing duplication Innovation to Promote and Strive for Excellence o 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 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 watch?v=kG1q6kt93wM 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