Continuous Learning for All
Steven Katz defines “learning as the process through which experience causes permanent change in knowledge or behaviour”. Learning can transform an individual's life and allow for more success at school, work, home and with their families.
Strategies
We share the articulated belief and commitment of the Ministry of Education’s PPM 159 “Collaborative Professionalism”, that all stakeholders in the system will work together to learn so as to further improve student achievement and the well being of staff and students. In order to foster a continuous learning environment:
- All principals and vice principals will be co-learning within their respective principal or vice principal networks and using the competencies of the Ontario Leadership Framework (OLF) as the foundation for their leadership learning
- Regional Supervisory Officers will support principals and vice principals' collaborative inquiry work through school visits and as co-learners at the learning networks
- All employees will be provided the opportunity to further develop their skills and abilities through professional development
- The Succession Planning Program will be formalized. This includes Performance Management, Employee Development, and Leadership Development for all staff within the AMDSB
- Through the Succession Planning Program, we will identify and invest in employees capable of advancement to key positions within AMDSB
- Conditions will be optimized for students and staff in the system to learn, by fostering the development of trusting and respectful relationships in our classrooms and schools, encouraging reflection and evidence based decision making
Indicators
- Principals and vice principals can articulate how their leadership moves support student achievement
- Principals and vice principals will identify leadership moves and reflect on the impact of the moves as they relate to the competencies of the OLF
- The Aspiring Leaders Program will be revised and relaunched in the spring of 2017
- Human Resource Services will formalize the Performance Management system for all employees within the Board
- A Leadership and Staff Development Program Calendar will be provided to staff on an annual basis outlining training available to all employees with the Board
- Elicit input and feedback related to the strategies from staff and students throughout the learning process
Progression of Skills
Collaboration - Sharing responsibility in pursuit of a common objective
Critical Thinking - Using purposeful, analytical, reflective processes in various contexts
Creativity - Developing a product, process or idea by integrating original thinking with existing knowledge
Communication - Expressing and interpreting meaning through a variety of forms
Problem Solving - Exploring a challenge for which a resolution is not obvious
The transformation of teaching and learning in AMDSB, through consolidation of effective pedagogy, leverages the opportunities that are derived from maximizing the 4Cs and P (Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, Communication and Problem Solving).
Strategies
- Two elementary (K-6) and five secondary (7-12) schools will engage in New Pedagogies for Deep Learning collaborative inquiries focused on transforming teaching and learning through the progression of AMDSB’s skills of creativity, critical thinking, communication, collaboration and problem solving. By expanding learning partnerships and learning environments within and outside of the classroom, reflecting on and implementing effective pedagogical practices and the use of technology, school teams will develop, implement, monitor and reflect on strategies that lead to more successful outcomes for students.
- Students in grades 7 to 10, and grade 11 students at 2 secondary schools, will be provided with a portable tool to support their learning.
- Teachers in the elementary and secondary panels will be supported by technology coaches, through professional learning opportunities and the use of a coaching model, to use innovative strategies to improve communication with students, to create learning spaces, and to continue to increase the engagement and use of rich tasks for students.
Indicators
- Technology coaches will follow the coaching model in all of their partnerships, and model the use of effective pedagogy while using technology.
- External researchers will monitor the implementation of a portable tools for students in senior grades to determine which technology tool best supports their learning.
- External researchers will continue to monitor the impact of changes in assessment and pedagogy for teachers of students from grades 7 through 11.
- Student voice will provide additional evidence as to how students are using technological tools at school and how they feel their learning could be improved through the use of a tool.
Accelerated Growth in Literacy and Numeracy
K-6 and K-8 school goals will focus on identifying and supporting student learning needs in numeracy and 7-12 and 9-12 school goals will focus on identifying and supporting student learning needs in literacy.
School staff will identify group(s) of students who represent the targeted area of need, will implement evidence-based responsive practices and then reflect on the impact of the practice on those targeted group(s) of students.
Strategies
Numeracy:
- Each School Improvement team will develop, implement and monitor a responsive school learning plan that is derived from the identified urgent student learning need.
- Elementary administrators and Math Lead teachers will engage in professional learning facilitated by Dr. Marian Small with foci on leading learning and numeracy content.
- Teachers of Junior and Intermediate mathematics will be given the opportunity to deepen their understanding of effective math instruction through subsidized Additional Qualification courses, Summer Institutes and other professional learning sessions.
- Teachers of grade 9 Applied mathematics in five secondary schools will participate in networked learning opportunities connected to enhanced understanding of responsive practices in the teaching and learning of mathematics.
- Teachers of grade 8 and grade 9 and 10 Applied mathematics and administrators in four secondary schools will participate in cross-panel networked learning hubs which will focus on identifying targeted student learning needs, applying evidence based practice and reflecting on the impact of the practice for the target students.
Literacy:
- Each School Improvement team will develop, implement and monitor a responsive school learning plan that is derived from the identified urgent student learning need.
- Every secondary school will administer an OSSLT practice test to all grade 9 students in the fall and spring and cross-panel, cross-discipline teams of teachers will moderate the completed tests. School teams will use this formative data to inform their school literacy goal.
- Secondary administrators and Literacy Lead teachers will engage in professional learning regarding leading learning in developing literacy skills across the curriculum.
- In three secondary schools, cross panel school teams will utilize the Collaborative inquiry cycle to identify, implement and monitor gap closing strategies for target student groups.
Indicators
Numeracy:
- We will see a 5% increase in the percentages of students rising to standard between administrations of EQAO. Therefore, 19% of students who were unsuccessful on 2014 Primary EQAO math assessment will rise to standard on the 2017 Junior EQAO math assessment. And 47% of students who were unsuccessful on 2014 Junior EQAO math assessment will rise to standard on the 2017 Grade 9 EQAO math assessment.
Literacy:
- We will see a 5% increase in the percentages of students rising to standard between administrations of EQAO. Therefore, 65% of the students who were unsuccessful on the 2013 Junior EQAO Reading and/or Writing assessment will rise to standard on the 2017 OSSLT.