What are core competencies? The core competencies along with literacy and numeracy foundations and essential content and concepts are at the centre of the redesign of curriculum and assessment. Core competencies are sets of intellectual, personal, and social and emotional proficiencies that all students need to develop in order to engage in deep learning and life-long learning. Through provincial consultation, three core competencies were identified.
Core competencies are evident in every area of learning; however, they manifest themselves uniquely in each discipline. In the current drafts of the redesigned curricula, competencies are embedded and evident within the learning standards. Competencies come into play when students are engaged in “doing” in any area of learning. This includes activities where students use thinking, collaboration, and communication to solve problems, address issues, or make decisions. The ultimate goal is for learners to employ the core competencies every day in school and in life, and for the core competencies to be an integral part of the learning in all curriculum areas.
What are the 3 core competencies?
Communication -The communication competency encompasses the set of abilities that students use to impart and exchange information, experiences and ideas, to explore the world around them, and to understand and effectively engage in the use of digital media. Communication Competency Profiles
Creative & Critical Thinking - The thinking competency encompasses the knowledge, skills and processes we associate with intellectual development. It is through their competency as thinkers that students take subject-specific concepts and content and transform them into a new understanding. Thinking competence includes specific thinking skills as well as habits of mind, and metacognitive awareness. Creative Competency Profiles Critical Competency Profiles
So what does this all mean for grade 5 students at Davidson Road Elementary? For starters, this approach to student learning allows our students to achieve their academic and social goals in a far more organic and authentic manner than simply trying to check off tasks on a long list, before the end of the year.
Through FreshGrade, students will have the opportunity to communicate their learning and achievements as they happen, regardless of which subject they're working in, or whether or not it occurred during structured independent work time, in class. On your child's FreshGrade portfolio, you will find three categories, labeled as you see the three core competencies above; within those, you will find each of the various competencies that a student is expected to accomplish throughout the school year. These individual competencies are translated into what we call, "student-speak," meaning students spend the time discussing, understanding, translating, and describing the actual goals for their learning, putting ownership on their individual learning.
How does this translate into effective communication of your child's learning at school? Well let's take a look at the third category, Social Responsibility; under that category, it is expected that students will demonstrate their understanding of the importance of contributing to the community and caring for the community around them. Here is how it is exactly written in the new B.C. curriculum:
Students develop awareness and take responsibility for their social, physical, and natural environments by working independently and collaboratively for the benefit of others, communities, and the environment.
With all of that in mind, each fall/winter here at Davidson Road Elementary, along with typical curricular activities, grade 5 students organize and run a food drive operation delivering hundreds of pounds of food to our local food bank. This in itself is actually achieving (more than) one of the expected competencies and can very easily be displayed on FreshGrade as evidence.
Below you will find the 3 categories along with the individual competencies that students will work toward achieving throughout the school year.
Communication
1. Connect and Engage with others (to share and develop ideas) Students engage in informal and structured conversations where they listen, contribute, develop understanding and relationships, learn to consider diverse perspectives, and build consensus. Examples include literature circles, book clubs, blogs, and small group discussions/decision making/informal debating.
2. Acquire, interpret, and present information (includes inquiries) Students inquire into topics that interest them, and topics related to their school studies. They present for many purposes and audiences; their work often features media and technology. Examples include “show and tell,” explaining a concept, sharing a Power Point presentation about a research/inquiry topic, and creating a video proposal.
3. Collaborate to plan, carry out, and review constructions and activities Students work together to accomplish goals, either face to face, or through digital media. Examples include planning a construction, inquiry or performance, solving a problem, conducting an inquiry, and working together on community projects.
4. Explain/recount and reflect on experiences and accomplishments Students tell about their experiences—especially their learning experiences—and reflect, and share what they learned. Examples include presentations of learning, self-assessment, and receiving/offering feedback.
Creative & Critical Thinking
1. Analyzing and Critiquing information from different views. Students learn to analyze and make judgments about a work, a position, a process, a performance, or another product or act. They consider purpose, focus on evidence, and use criteria (explicit or implicit) to draw conclusions and make defensible judgments or assessments. They consider a variety of perspectives. Some opportunities for analysis and critique are formal tasks; others are informal, ongoing activities (e.g., assessing a plan they are developing to solve a problem). Students often analyze and critique their own work as a key part of their learning.
2. Novelty and value Students get creative ideas that are both novel and have value. There are degrees of novelty—an idea may be new to that student or it may be new to their peers; it may be novel for their age group, or it may be novel to a larger community. It may be new in a particular context or absolutely new. The idea or product may also have value in a variety of ways and contexts—it may be fun, it may provide a sense of accomplishment, it may solve a naturally occurring problem, it may be a form of self-expression, it may provide a new perspective that influences how people think about something or the actions people take. An idea can have an impact on the individual student, classmates, a larger group of peers, in one’s community, or on a global level.
3. Develop and designing ideas Students apply critical thinking to create or transform products, methods, performances, and representations in response to problems, events, issues, and needs. They work with clear purpose and consider the potential users or audience of their work. They explore possibilities, develop and refine plans, monitor their progress, and adjust their procedures in the light of criteria and feedback. They can determine the extent to which they have met their goals.
4. Question and investigating ideas Students learn to engage in an inquiry and investigation where they identify and explore questions or challenges related to key issues or problematic situations in their studies, their lives, their communities, and the media. They develop and refine questions; create and carry out plans; gather, interpret, and synthesize information and evidence; and draw reasoned conclusions. Some critical thinking activities focus on one part of the process, such as questioning, while others may involve a complex inquiry into a local or global issue.
Personal and Social
1. Positive personal and cultural identity A positive personal and cultural identity is the awareness, understanding, and appreciation of all the facets that contribute to a healthy sense of oneself. It includes awareness and understanding of one’s family background, heritage(s), language(s), beliefs, and perspectives in a pluralistic society. Students who have a positive personal and cultural identity value their personal and cultural narratives, and understand how these shape their identity. Supported by a sense of self-worth, self-awareness, and positive identity, students become confident individuals who take satisfaction in who they are, and what they can do to contribute to their own well-being and to the well-being of their family, community, and society. Relationships and cultural contexts, Personal values and choice, Personal strengths
2. Personal awareness and responsibility Personal awareness and responsibility includes the skills, strategies, and dispositions that help students to stay healthy and active, set goals, monitor progress, regulate emotions, respect their own rights and the rights of others, manage stress, and persevere in difficult situations. Students who demonstrate personal awareness and responsibility demonstrate self-respect and express a sense of personal well-being. Self-determination, Self-regulation, Well-being
3. Social responsibility Social responsibility involves the ability and disposition to consider the interdependence of people with each other and the natural environment; to contribute positively to one’s family, community, society, and the environment; to resolve problems peacefully; to empathize with others and appreciate their perspectives; and to create and maintain healthy relationships. Contributing to and caring about the community, Solving problems, Valuing diversity, Building relationships