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Education Transformation: Curriculum Redesign: March 2nd, 2015
Education Transformation: Curriculum Redesign: March 2nd, 2015
Education Transformation: Curriculum Redesign: March 2nd, 2015
Transformation:
Curriculum
Redesign
March 2nd, 2015
The Challenge
We enjoy a strong, stable system, but need a
more nimble and flexible one to meet the needs
of 21st century learners
Systemdesigned for an earlier century can’t
always meet the challenges students face – both
now and in the future
World has changed and continues to change,
so the way we educate students needs to
continually adapt
The Educated Citizen
• 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.
Guiding principles
CONCEPT-BASED, COMPETENCY-DRIVEN CURRICULUM…
• Communication Competency
(oral, written, visual, digital; includes collaboration and reflection)
Feedback Methods:
• Curriculum e-form
• SD Focussed reviews, 16 Schools/Districts
• Emails from individuals and organizations
• Competency e-form
What were positive features of the
curriculum redesign?
Overall Direction:
These changes are long overdue. The biggest strength is, by shortening
that enormous list of learning outcomes, we can now focus on thinking
and learning and the big ideas. Now there is some flexibility to help us
better personalize learning and to find ways to use areas of student
interest to facilitate learning. [OF133]
Overall I like the redesigned curriculum format. The essential ideas are
well laid out and explained. The big ideas give the teacher an
opportunity and freedom to work within the concepts and have a
degree of autonomy. [OF599]
Curriculum Elements:
The most popular features of the renewed curriculum are
the elements, with big ideas leading in popularity
“Absolutely love the big ideas. The big ideas really allow
for understanding by backwards design. The concepts
and content are also nicely organized and allow for
clear and concrete outcomes that students will
understand.” [OF434]
the framework
place-based focus
greater flexibility
Greater clarity
I STRONGLY urge a specific focus on environmental literacy through
the entire curriculum and in every grade. The proposed draft either has
removed attention on environmental education or has worded it in
such an embedded way that it is not apparent. (OF189)
We feel there has been a shift towards introducing concepts that are too
abstract for our young students at the cost of removing content, which is very
meaningful/concrete/interesting to young students and allows for lots of hands-
on, discovery-based teaching. (DF269)
Science K-9 Revision
Commitments
Better represent environmental understanding in
the curriculum