1. Parent Information Meeting February 25, 2016

2. 1 September 2015 Curriculum Redesign

3. Schools in the province assist in the development of citizens who are: thoughtful, able to learn and to think critically, and who can communicate information from a broad knowledge base; creative, flexible, self-motivated and who have a positive self image; capable of making independent decisions; skilled and who can contribute to society generally, including the world of work; productive, who gain satisfaction through achievement and who strive for physical well being; cooperative, principled and respectful of others regardless of differences; aware of the rights and prepared to exercise the responsibilities of an individual within the family, the community, Canada, and the world. Schools in the province assist in the development of citizens who are: thoughtful, able to learn and to think critically, and who can communicate information from a broad knowledge base; creative, flexible, self-motivated and who have a positive self image; capable of making independent decisions; skilled and who can contribute to society generally, including the world of work; productive, who gain satisfaction through achievement and who strive for physical well being; cooperative, principled and respectful of others regardless of differences; aware of the rights and prepared to exercise the responsibilities of an individual within the family, the community, Canada, and the world.

5. “ If we teach our children as we did yesterday, we rob them of the future.” ~John Dewey (American Philosopher and Educator)

6. Make curriculum more flexible to better enable teachers to innovate and personalize learning. Reduce the prescriptive nature of current curricula while ensuring a solid focus on essential learning. Focus new curricula on higher order learning, giving emphasis to the key concepts and enduring understandings (big ideas) that students need to succeed in their education and their lives. Make explicit the cross-curricular competencies that support life-long learning. Respect the inherent logic and unique nature of the disciplines while supporting efforts to develop cross-curricular units. Integrate Aboriginal worldviews and knowledge. Develop assessment and evaluation programs that align with the changed emphases in curriculum Transforming a system as complex as education takes time and to do it well involves extensive ongoing consultation, thorough research and exploration of possibilities, and detailed planning.

8. “The change and transformation is really not about curriculum. It is actually about how we engage students in learning and what we do in classrooms with our students.” LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS (Nature of Learning)

10. Curriculum: Key elements Core Competencies: sets of intellectual, personal, and social and emotional proficiencies that all students need to develop in order to engage in deeper learning. 21 st century skills for all students! Big Ideas: a statement that is important to one’s understanding in an area of learning. A big idea is broad and abstract … generally timeless and is transferable to other situations ( i.e. Gr. 4 Socials - Cultures change as they become integrated into a larger society) Curricular Competencies: explicit statements of what students are expected to be able to do in a given grade and area of learning. Content and Concepts: what students should know and understand in a given area of learning at a particular grade level. They define the core knowledge (content and concepts) essential to the development of big ideas for that area of learning in that grade.

11. CORE COMPETENCIES Provincial consultation and extensive research identified these categories of core competencies that support life-long learning: Thinking Competency o Critical thinking o Creative thinking Communication Competency (oral, written, visual, digital; includes collaboration and reflection) Personal and Social Competency o Positive personal and cultural identity o Personal awareness and responsibility (includes self-regulation) o Social awareness and responsibility https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/

12. What are the new directions? What will stay the same? Increased flexibility and space for teacher innovation, student passions, and greater depth of study “Big Ideas” for each grade in each area of learning Explicit focus on competencies Support for inquiry, project-based, hands- on, and interdisciplinary approaches Aboriginal perspectives and content authentically integrated into all subjects A common framework for all areas of learning Rigorous learning standards in each area of learning A strong focus on the foundations of reading, writing and mathematics Subjects such as Math, Science, Language Arts, and Social Studies remain at the heart of every student’s education 2September 2015 Curriculum Redesign Directions

13. What’s new?What’s the same? Name change to Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies, better capturing the scope and nature of this learning Expansion of curriculum to include K–7 Curriculum organized into Foundations (K–5), Explorations (6–9), and Specializations (10–12) Framework for unified and discipline-specific curricular competencies with increased focus on design thinking Increased space for teacher innovation and recognition of emerging disciplines Valuing of applied learning Recognized disciplines — Business Education, Home Economics, Information Technology, and Technology Education Emphasis on hands-on making Combination of provincial and local curricula, industry certifications, and community connections 3September 2015 Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies

14. What’s new?What’s the same? Unified K–8 curriculum for the four disciplines — dance, drama, music, and visual art Grades 9 and 10 core and discipline-specific curriculum Grades 11 and 12 discipline-specific curriculum Artistic habits of mind serve as organizers for curricular competencies Content relating to elements, processes, skills, and techniques of all four distinct core disciplines — dance, drama, music, visual art Focus on creative and artistic processes, discipline-specific literacy and language Connections between grades to support multi-year program models Engagement of students in creative processes and dialogue 4September 2015 Arts Education

15. What’s new?What’s the same? Career Education as its own area of learning Honouring experiential learning beyond the classroom Developmentally appropriate curriculum organized in stages: Awareness and Exploration (K–5), Exploration and Experience (6–9), and Experience that focuses on transition (10–12) Curriculum will be developed in the 2015–2016 school year Value on Career Education as one of three goals of British Columbia’s education system Connection to all areas of learning Recognizes the need to personalize learning aligned with students’ varied interests and aspirations Student planning strategies 5September 2015 Career Education

16. What’s new?What’s the same? Flexibility of the new curriculum to support a wide range of modern approaches to language instruction Integrated nature of the new curriculum: there are no “stand-alone” pieces, but rather all elements are linked and interconnected Notion that culture is not just something to learn about, but is seen as a vehicle for acquiring deeper understanding of the language, of others, and of oneself Development of all of the language competencies — reading, writing, listening, speaking and interacting Use of authentic documents and tasks to support the development of communication skills Notion that acquiring French includes learning about Francophone culture Inclusion of many of the skills and competencies of the “can do” statements from the 2011 draft curriculum, which was based on the philosophies and principles in the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). These skills have been woven into the Curricular Competencies 6September 2015 Core French

17. What’s new?What’s the same? Increased focus on the importance of identity, culture, and multiple perspectives; the joy of reading and literature; and Aboriginal content, worldviews, and First Peoples Principles of Learning Content arranged under three headings: Story/text; Strategies and processes; Language features; structures; and conventions Curricular Competencies arranged under two curriculum organizers: Comprehend and Connect, Create and Communicate All six of the language arts elements — reading, listening, viewing, writing, speaking, and representing — remain inextricably interwoven The theoretical underpinning of the redesigned curriculum is constructivism, or meaning-making There is a continued focus on critical, creative, and reflective thinking 7September 2015 English Language Arts

18. What’s new?What’s the same? Foundational skills are clearly indicated in the Content for each grade Content has been further aligned to support the developmental progression of students Aboriginal perspectives are infused in the learning standards and elaborations at each grade The curriculum is designed for students to become financially literate and able to make sound financial decisions Foundational skills and processes of Mathematics remain an integral part of the Mathematics curriculum and reside in the Content and Curricular Competencies Application of foundational skills to problem solving continues to have a strong focus in the curriculum’s goal of developing well-educated citizens 8September 2015 Mathematics

19. What’s new?What’s the same? Holistic understanding of well-being by combining the learning standards and Big Ideas for Physical Education and Health Education Promoting and developing all aspects of student health and wellness, including physical, social, and mental well-being Focus on developing healthy habits in all areas of health that students will continue to practice after graduation Physical and health education as important components of British Columbia’s educational program Development of knowledge, skills, and mindsets to make informed decisions for lifelong participation in physical activities Development of the knowledge, skills, and strategies needed to make responsible and informed health and safety decisions 9September 2015 Physical and Health Education

20. What’s new?What’s the same? Introduction of skills and processes of science in Kindergarten, growing in sophistication through grade 12 Strengthened focus on ecology and environmental education for K–9 Inquiry prompts to support Big Ideas Focus on and support for place-based learning Skills and processes of science remain integral Identified areas of science (i.e., biology, chemistry, physics, and Earth/space science) 10September 2015 Science

21. What’s new?What’s the same? Increased focus on historical and geographic thinking skills Increased infusion of multiple perspectives, particularly Aboriginal, via curricular competencies and content Greater focus on depth rather than breadth Enhanced content related to the contributions and experiences of East and South Asian immigrants, including historical wrongs committed against these groups Grade-assigned topics mostly maintained Topics drawn from history, geography, civics, and economics Basic content and structure of the Social Studies discipline Development of educated, active citizens 11September 2015 Social Studies

22. “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.” ~Ghandi

29. Yong Zhao FIX THE PAST? OR INVENT THE FUTURE?