1. 1 Welcome to the Session While you are waiting for the others to join the session, please work on the following activity: Please read one or more of the following sections of the Introduction to the Revised Science and Technology Curriculum document: The Nature of Science and Technology, pages 4-5 Roles and Responsibilities, pages 7-9 The Achievement Chart for Science and Technology, page 23 - 27 and note: - Shifts and/or emphases that you notice - Things you are glad to see -Things you do not understand

2. 2 The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1- 8: Science and Technology Spring, 2008

3. 3  Jill Snider, Education Officer, Science and Technology Grades 1-8  Maureen Callan, Education Officer, Science, Grades 9-12  Joanie Causarano, Education Officer. Assessment and Evaluation  Paul Walsh, Education Officer, Assessment and Evaluation Introductions

4. 4 To review the curriculum review process To become familiar with key changes in the 2007 revised Science and Technology curriculum policy document To review key messages about Assessment and Evaluation GOALS

5. 5 Agenda Curriculum Review  Context / Process / Findings Areas of Change  Introduction / Strands / Overall Expectations/ Specific Expectations / Format

6. 6 Role of A Policy Document  A curriculum policy document mandates the “what” of the curriculum through the expectations  It, along with the Guide to the Provincial Report Card, establish the Assessment and Evaluation policy - the “how well” of the curriculum

7. 7 Role of A Policy Document  It provides implementation suggestions the “how” of curriculum through the examples, sample guiding questions, sample problems and issues, and sample prompts.  It provides a philosophical and pedagogical rationale in the introduction

8. 8 Curriculum Review  Pilot: Social Studies, History and Geography, Canadian and World Studies  Year 1: Mathematics, Business Studies, Guidance and Career Education

9. 9 Curriculum Review  Year 2: Kindergarten, English as a Second Language/English Literacy Development, Language/English  Year 3: Science and Technology, Science, Technological Education

10. 10 Curriculum Review  Year 4: The Arts  Year 5 Social Sciences and Humanities, Health and Physical Education

11. 11 Curriculum Review  Year 6 French as a Second Language, Native Languages, Classical and International Languages  Year 7: Native Studies Interdisciplinary Studies Social Studies/ History/ Geography, Canadian and World Studies

12. 12 Curriculum Review Process  Technical Analysis  Focus Groups  Stakeholder consultations  Research  Benchmarking  Synthesis Report – Recommendations for revisions  Summer writing Year 1

13. 13 Curriculum Review Process  Feedback consultation session  Feedback Survey  Revisions based on feedback  Ongoing revision consultations with educators Year 2

14. 14 Curriculum Review Process  Editing  Fact Check, Antidiscrimination Check, Environmental Education Check  Applying the draft EE standards  Posting, Publishing and Distribution Year 3 (Year 4)

15. 15 CURRICULUM REVIEW Findings Strengths of the Curriculum

16. 16 Strengths  Common structure  Consistent organization  Strong relationship to the Pan-Canadian  Inclusion of literacy and numeracy skills  Scope/diversity, continuity and sequence of topics

17. 17 Strengths  Examples  Skills  Inquiry-based learning  Relating Science and Technology to Society and the Environment (STSE)  The Achievement Chart

18. 18 Strengths  Spiralling  Clear and concise  Importance of safety  Developmentally appropriate  Achievable

19. 19 What You Asked For FORMAT

20. 20 What You Asked For Revise STSE expectations to enhance and emphasize stewardship and sustainability  STSE expectations are placed first, to set a context for developing related skills and conceptual knowledge.  They focus on developing realistic perceptions about the connections between science, technology, society and the environment.

21. 21 What You Asked For Revise STSE expectations to enhance and emphasize stewardship and sustainability  Empower students to propose and/or take action on environmental issues  Flexible enough to enable a local emphasis and promote student engagement.

22. 22 What You Asked For Re-organize expectations by grade  Strands and topics are now organized by grade.

23. 23 What You Asked For Strands and Topics

24. 24 What You Asked For Reduce content  Number of strands has been reduced to 4 from 5.  Number of topics per grade has been reduced to 4 from 5.  Result is approximately a 20% reduction in content.

25. 25 What You Asked For Improve developmental appropriateness  Grade 8 Optics now in grade 10.  Concepts have been carefully mapped out through the grades to ensure development appropriateness and reduction in overlap (e.g., Human Body Systems (Grade 5)---Cells (Grade 8) ---Tissues, Organs, and Systems (Grade 10)

26. 26 What You Asked For Overall Expectations

27. 27 What You Asked For Align OE’s, SE’s, and Achievement Chart  The overall expectations are numbered to provide clear links to the specific expectations.  Clusters of SE’s are labelled to make alignment to achievement chart clearer

28. 28 What You Asked For Fundamental Concepts Big Ideas

29. 29 What You Asked For Incorporate Fundamental Concepts  The fundamental concepts that are addressed in the curricula for science and technology in Grades 1 to 8 and for science in Grades 9 to 12 are matter, energy, systems and interactions, structure and function, sustainability and stewardship, and change and continuity.

30. 30 What You Asked For Link Fundamental Concepts to Overalls  Big ideas define which aspects of the fundamental concepts should be addressed at each grade.  The big ideas are linked to the overall expectations.  The overall expectations are numbered to provide clear links to the specific expectations.

31. 31 What You Asked For Specific Expectations

32. 32 What You Asked For Reduce content  Lessen the amount of content through reduction of specific expectations  Removed a strand/topic per grade  Remaining expectations addressed in greater depth for greater understanding

33. 33 What You Asked For  Specifics are more precise, concise, and easily understood Eliminate overlap, redundancy, ambiguity

34. 34 What You Asked For Update and add examples  Provide a clearer picture of the depth of learning and level of complexity of the expectation.  Examples are more relevant and current  Sample issues, questions, problems, and prompts.

35. 35 What You Asked For  Some need to be repeated in context to reinforce the development of skills of scientific inquiry, technological problem solving and communication. Eliminate overlap, redundancy, ambiguity…however….

36. 36 What You Asked For Skills

37. 37 What You Asked For  Clear articulation of the Investigation skills: scientific inquiry/experimentation, scientific inquiry/research, and technological problem solving. Add or enhance sections to improve knowledge and understanding of teachers

38. 38 What You Asked For Create skills continua to help teachers know the depth and breadth of the skills  Continua for scientific inquiry/ experimentation skills, scientific inquiry /research skills, and technological problem solving skills

39. 39 What You Asked For Introduction

40. 40 What You Asked For  Clear articulation of the nature of science and technology.  Clear articulation of what scientific and technological literacy look like. Add or enhance sections to improve knowledge and understanding of teachers

41. 41 What You Asked For Enhance topic chart  Two topics charts now show how topics are developed through elementary and into secondary in science and technological education.  Change in order of strands  Change in names of strands

42. 42 What You Asked For  Sections on developing critical thinking, critical literacy, literacy and numeracy through science and technology Add or enhance sections to improve knowledge and understanding of teachers

43. 43 What You Asked For  Addressed more prominently in the Introduction.  Addressed in overviews for topics.  Specific expectation in each topic.  Safety addressed in the achievement chart Safety

44. 44 What You Asked For  Enhanced sections on Role of Parents/Guardians, Students, Teachers, Principals, Community Members Add or enhance sections to improve knowledge and understanding of teachers

45. 45 What You Asked For  Expanded glossary, more terms, clearer explanations. Add or enhance sections to improve knowledge and understanding of teachers

46. 46 What You Asked For Assessment and Evaluation

47. 47 What You Asked For Achievement Chart

48. 48 What You Asked For Rename “Thinking” category to “Thinking and Investigation”  “Thinking and Investigation” to more closely reflect the unique skills in science and technology

49. 49 What You Asked For  Safety addressed in the achievement chart Safety

50. 50 What You Asked For  Transfer of knowledge and skills (e.g., …..) to unfamiliar contexts Application