Week 2 Vision(s) for Education – planning with the end in mind

Please read the guiding questions below BEFORE viewing the one video and reading the two documents.

Ontario’s Well-Being Strategy for Education http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/about/Wellbeing2.html#review (watch the Well-Being in Ontario video)

Achieving Excellence: A Renewed Vision for Education in Ontario http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/about/excellent.html

Teachers’ vision for teaching and learning in Canada’s public schools July 2012

https://www.edcan.ca/wp-content/uploads/cea-2012-aspirations.pdf

1. Upon reading the title of the Ministry of Education document, what did you think the renewed vision might entail? Why?

The renewed version may focus more on physical, mental health, aboriginal culture, more usage of technology and environmental education since the older policy documents or curriculum are not fully included on how students can cope with stress and resilient when facing challenges or stress.

2. BEFORE reading the document, how do YOU envision “achieving excellence” in education?

Create an inclusion, UDL learning, safe environment with focusing on students and teachers mental, emotional and physical health. A holistic school that connect all the subjects and as human beings with environment. Great connection between all classmates, teacher, parents and communities. Understand all the curriculum knowledge, include curriculum of mental health, aboriginal, world culture and different policies that allow students to learn freely and more choices of different ways of learning.

Provide positive learning environment, set high expectations on learning goals, build caring relationship with students, corporate building class norm with students, build a corporate relationship between students and teaching students resilient, create different learning opportunities such as e-learning or internships that allow students to learn outside of classroom, students will also have technology fluency and creating new way of critical thinking skills. Understand student's strength those can achieve excellence in education.

3. How does the Ministry of Education describe the “achieving excellence”?

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/about/renewedVision.pdf

Children in grades 3 and 6 met provincial standards in literacy and numeracy. That number has grown significantly, from 54 to 71 per cent. 83 per cent of students are graduating instead of 68 per cent. That means there are an additional 138,000 high school graduates in Ontario because of the education reforms of the past 10 years. Elementary students participating in English as a Second Language programs now perform almost as well as the general student population.

Achievement also means raising expectations for valuable, higher-order skills like critical thinking, communication, innovation, creativity, collaboration and entrepreneurship.

The renewed vision for education includes the valuable insights and contributions of many individuals and organizations, including representatives from the education, business, research and innovation, not-for-profit, municipal, multicultural, French language and Aboriginal communities.

Achieving Excellence builds on the education system's three current priorities: increasing student achievement, closing gaps in student achievement and increasing public confidence in publicly funded education

What would it look like/sound like?

Each classroom will have students will have increasing achievement, no gaps in between boys and girls achievement

• Each classroom will have required technology, UDL and infrastructure that serve needs of all communities

• Technologies that address the learning needs of all students

• partner with TVO and TFO that has online resources for students, educators and parents

• Flexibility and ownership for students allow them to choose e-learning or learning outside of school

• Integrated family support programs such as Ontario Early Years Centres, Parenting and Family Literacy Centres, Child Care/Family Resource Centres with a common look and feel.

• Expanded new learning opportunities, including the Specialist High Skills Major program and the Dual Credit program.

• Increased training in innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship for Specialist High Skills Majors students.

• Expanding opportunities for K–12 students to explore the relevance of math, science and technology to their future pathways.

• Promoting visual and performing arts, in developing critical and creative thinking skills that support success in school and in life.

• Parents and guardians are welcomed, respected and valued by the school community as partners in their children’s education.

• Expanded learning opportunities outside school that include community-based, civic, humanitarian, scientific and artistic activities, as well as cross-cultural and international experiences.

• Different models of learning, such as project-based learning or learning across multiple subject areas.

• 85 per cent five-year high school graduation rate and a 75 per cent success rate on elementary EQAO assessments, with a particular focus on mathematics.

• 84 percent four-year graduation rate

• Had well-being strategies that include inclusive, equity education, healthy, safe and accepting school and positive mental health of students, teachers and all communities.

4. How does your vision of achieving excellence compare with the Ministry’s renewed vision for education in Ontario?

It's very similar except I didn't think about closing the gap between student's achievement and increasing public confidence in public education which is important thinking in how to bring up the expectations on all the students.

5. Now read the research document that reports on teachers’ aspirations for teaching.

https://www.edcan.ca/wp-content/uploads/cea-2012-aspirations.pdf

6. What surprised you about the research findings?

There is often a noticeable difference between the teacher they aspire to be and the teacher that they feel they are required to be.

Nearly half of teacher respondents they only occasionally have opportunities to teach as they aspire to teach (and 9% indicated that they rarely or never have the opportunity to do so), and 48% of teachers indicated that they are only occasionally able to be creative in their teaching (with 6% of teachers indicating rarely or never)

More experienced teacher strongly agrees that the personal attribute of willingness to take risks and knowledge of subject/pedagogy was important for aspirational teaching was important for aspirational teaching compare to teacher with less than 5 years experiences.

What resonated with your own experience thus far in your teacher education journey?

The corporate model of education being pushed on teachers is killing their passion and creativity. Because passion and creativity are the cornerstones of responsive teaching. Advocacy for teachers’ professional autonomy is equivalent to advocacy for students; passionate, creative, engaged teachers are what is best for students

Teachers want professional development that is relevant to their needs and they also want time to be able to put into practice what they have learned.

Provincial restrictive expectations for student preparation for standardized tests is THE most limiting factor. Test scores are the driving force in education.

I have been teaching violin for about 20 years and a lot of the students just prepare RCM exam instead learning good foundation students miss a lot of different learning opportunities and taking time to learn which is very similar to test score are the driving force in education.

7. How do the two documents align (or not)? Why?

Those documents does not align

• Technology:

Ministry: Each classroom will have required technology, UDL and infrastructure that serve needs of all communities

Teacher's aspire for teaching: Access to current technological resources as well as training to support teachers in effectively and creatively integrating new technologies into their daily practice emerged as another theme.

• Expectations

Ministry:

Teacher's aspire for teaching: Teachers also expressed that they can feel overwhelmed with the growing number of curriculum expectations they are required to meet, and how this can crowd out creativity and innovation in the classroom.

• Policy development:

Ministry:

Teacher's aspire for teaching: Teachers should have more say in the development of policies that they are expected to implement in the classroom! Right now too many policies and initiatives are being developed by ideologically driven gurus and consultants who have little or negligible classroom experience.

align:

• Visionary, responsive, and democratic leadership is needed to support teachers

• In the teaching to which I aspire, principals will be actively engaged in instructional leadership rather than spending the bulk of their time as building managers.

• Trusting and mutually supportive relationships are key dimensions of the teaching/learning dynamic

• Schools exist within and not apart from the larger community

• Flexibility is key when designing the policies and infrastructure that govern teachers’ work

• A variety of material, intellectual, and human resources are critical supports to teachers

Kindergarten observation note