Effective lesson planning begins with a rich and meaningful critical question which provokes layers of thinking, reflection, and the often weave in more than one subject area. Questions should be framed in thinking about 21st century competencies. Be sure to include student voice in deciding on topics and creating the question. Rich questions require cross-curricular exploration, and again link the competencies (Ontario) of making connections and transferring knowledge and skills to familiar and unfamiliar contexts.
Think of lesson/unit/course planning as an xy axis. The learning is the intersection of both. The competencies are the student's developing global learning skills or abilities, and the expectations are the subject specific concepts and skills being studied.
In CB learning honours the fact that subjects interact with each other, that they have relationships. If, as mentioned earlier, a competency is to make connections and transfer knowledge, understanding and skills not only in familiar contexts but also unfamiliar contexts, then teachers not only must be well-versed in curricula but they should also teache students what the expectations are by working with the students turn the expectations into child-friendly language. Education, and learning goals, ought to be transparent, and educators should seek to take the mystery of school.
Pedagogical Documentation is a mindset for both educators and their students, that learning should continuously be documented in order to see starting points, growth and development, and identify areas for re-focus and re-learning. While once seen as owned by the educator, it is now recognized that if learners adopt the mindset of documenting their learning, then they own the learning, not the educator. In CBE this thinking is important, as education moves from time in class to competency, and from happiness with a 52% to the need to be proficient.
The power of the test is overshadowed by a demonstration of the evolution of learning. The test becomes merely a point along the journey.
This video from Crosstown High is an excellent video demonstrating how in CBE an important 21st Century issue (Refugees and Immigrants) becomes the basis for Project Based Learning and cross-curricular studies. The video also flows into further examination of cross-curricular studies in using math competencies to create 3D rockets.
The simple answer is yes, expectations are competencies, in that we expect students to master course/subject expectations to not only gain a credit, but also be proficient in the subject matter rather than merely 'passing'. However, many schools, districts and even provinces have gone further to identify their own competencies. In British Columbia, the core competencies are Communication, Thinking (critical and creative), and Personal Social (positive and personal cultural identity, personal awareness and responsibility, and social responsibility). In Ontario, the Achievement Chart defines areas of competency, as does the front matter of each subject curriculum document. Documents often delineate 'Big Ideas and processes to be mastered.
For more information, visit CBE & the Ontario Curriculum.
Pedagogical Documentation is a mindset for both educators and their students, that learning should continuously be documented in order to see starting points, growth and development, and identify areas for re-focus and re-learning. While once seen as owned by the educator, it is now recognized that if learners adopt the mindset of documenting their learning, then they own the learning, not the educator. In CBE this thinking is important, as education moves from time in class to competency, and from happiness with a 52% to the need to be proficient.
The power of the test is overshadowed by a demonstration of the evolution of learning. The test becomes merely a point along the journey.
Check out the pamphlet in the first column for amplification of the concept,.
Competencies should be demonstrated in authentic situations. Being able to write a test does not establish that a student can select a correct math strategy from his/her toolbox to apply in any given situation/context, familiar or unfamiliar. However, as referenced in the Crosstown High video, project based learning creates those very experiences that contextualize and make important competencies in various subject areas.
In the article in Column 1, Jay McTighe identifies the parameters of Rich Performance Tasks,.