A journey towards 21 st Century Learning The first steps…

In December of 2010, the Premier’s Technology Council (PTC) released a plan for education as we continue into the 21 st Century. The government’s plan is not recommending that the existing system be torn apart but it must transform if it is to prepare students to be successful in our rapidly changing world. The PTC has asked the question, “if there were no pre-existing conditions, what would the changed system look like and how would it be structured?” Not an easy question to answer. However, Dover Bay has taken on this challenge, and we are in the process of developing a plan to address the needs of our students.

Step 1: In Sept the Dover Bay administration team recognized the need to develop a model for 21 st Century Learning at Dover Bay

Step 2: In October 2012, 7 teachers and one administrator made a trip to High Tech High in San Diego, California to experience first hand Project Based Learning as we move towards 21 st Century Learning.

*Students are active *Students are engaged *Students take ownership of their work *Positive relationships - Peer 2 Peer - Student 2 Teacher *Peer involvement

We asked ourselves: *"Would I want my own children to have the opportunity to learn through a project based learning environment?“

It was such a fabulous learning opportunity and 21 st Century Learning is taking form worldwide. So much so that teachers from Canada, Singapore, USA, Spain and Holland were present at High Tech High.Holland

Step 3: The HTH team presented their learning to the staff of Dover Bay and a 21 st Century Learning Team was created.

This team then created our vision statement: Dover Bay will develop and implement a 21st century learning model designed to meet each students unique needs through an interdisciplinary, collaborative, project-based and community connected personalized learning system.

Our 21 st Century team developed different groups. One group was to collect data from students. Step 4:

“If we teach today as we taught yesterday we rob our children of tomorrow!”

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE STUDENT SURVEY Select the phrase(s) that best describe how you prefer to acquire knowledge:

I believe working with community members would enhance my learning. I like exploring a topic and going wherever it takes me.

Would Project Based Learning make you more interested in going to school? I like exploring a topic and going wherever it takes me.

Would you rather problem solve real life situations or learn from a textbook? Do you like discussing your ideas with other students?

Do you remember more when you are working in a small group, as opposed to working by yourself? Do you think you would get a better grade with Project Based Learning?

Step 5: Another group visited the Flight Program at Seycove Secondary School in Deep Cove.

Step 6: The 21 st Century Learning team invited staff from the Energetic Learning Campus (ELC) to Dover to share their PBL model.

Energetic Learning Campus

4 questions exercise Imagine you have a child whom you love and care deeply about and they are entering kindergarten this year. Now consider the following: 1.What will the world be like in approximately 20 years from now when your child has left school and is out in the world? 2.What skills will your child need to be successful in this world you have imagined twenty years from now? 3.Now think about your own life and the times when you were really learning, so much and so deeply, that you would call these the “peak learning experiences” of your life. What were the conditions that made your high performance learning experiences so powerful? 4.What would learning be like if it were designed around your answers to the first three questions?

Step 7: Design a model for 21 st Century Learning that works for Dover Bay.

Pilot the Odyssey Program and PE/CAPP program in Sept Step 8:

Step 9: Implement our model in September, 2014

And 21 st Century Learning has already begun at Dover Bay Secondary School Remember this?