The policy aims to maintain high
standards, improve student learning, and benefit students, parents, and
teachers in The Educators Academy. Successful implementation of this policy depends
on the professional judgement of educators at all levels, as well as on their
ability to work together and to build trust and confidence among parents and
students. A brief summary of some major aspects of the current assessment,
evaluation, and reporting policy, with a focus on policy relating to the
Educators Academy, is given below.
The Educators Academy’s theory of assessment and
evaluation follows the Ministry of Education's Growing Success document,
and we follow it because it is beneficial to the students. Our teachers design
assessment in such a way as to make it possible to gather and show evidence of
learning in a variety of ways to gradually release responsibility to the
students, and to give multiple and varied opportunities to reflect on learning
and receive detailed feedback.
Growing Success articulates the vision the Ministry has for
the purpose and structure of assessment and evaluation techniques. There are
seven fundamental principles that ensure best practices and procedures of assessment
and evaluation by The Educators Academy teachers. The Educators Academy’s
assessments and evaluations are,
·
are fair, transparent, and equitable for all
students;
·
support all students, including those with special
education needs, those who are learning the language of instruction (English or
French), and those who are First Nation, Métis, or Inuit;
·
are carefully planned to relate to the curriculum
expectations and learning goals and, as much as possible, to the interests,
learning styles and preferences, needs, and experiences of all students;
·
are communicated clearly to students and parents at
the beginning of the school year or course and at other appropriate points
throughout the school year or course;
·
are ongoing, varied in nature, and administered
over a period of time to provide multiple opportunities for students to
demonstrate the full range of their learning;
·
provide ongoing descriptive feedback that is clear,
specific, meaningful, and timely to support improved learning and achievement;
·
develop students’ self-assessment skills to enable
them to assess their own learning, set specific goals, and plan next steps for
their learning.
Assessment
for Learning and as Learning
Assessment is the process of
gathering information that accurately reflects how well a student is achieving
the curriculum expectations in a course. The primary purpose of assessment is
to improve student learning. Assessment for the purpose of improving student
learning is seen as both “assessment for learning” and “assessment as
learning”. As part of assessment for learning, The Educators Academy teachers
provide students with descriptive feedback and coaching for improvement. Our
teachers engage in assessment as learning by helping all students develop their
capacity to be independent, autonomous learners who are able to set individual
goals, monitor their own progress, determine next steps, and reflect on their
thinking and learning. As essential steps in assessment for learning and as
learning, our teachers:
- plan
assessment concurrently and integrate it seamlessly with instruction;
- share
learning goals and success criteria with students at the outset of
learning to ensure that students and teachers have a common and shared
understanding of these goals and criteria as learning progresses;
- gather
information about student learning before, during, and at or near the end
of a period of instruction, using a variety of assessment strategies and
tools;
- use
assessment to inform instruction, guide next steps, and help students monitor
their progress towards achieving their learning goals;
- analyse
and interpret evidence of learning;
- give
and receive specific and timely descriptive feedback about student
learning;
- help
students to develop skills of peer assessment and self-assessment.
Assessment Activities include:
- Homework
- assignments
- Discussion
- Diagnostic
tests and writing tasks
- Oral
presentations
- Tests
- Exam
Evaluation
Evaluation refers to the process
of judging the quality of student learning on the basis of established
performance standards and assigning a value to represent that quality. At The
Educators Academy, student’s achievement of the overall expectations is
evaluated on the basis of his or her achievement of related specific
expectations. The overall expectations are broad in nature, and the specific
expectations define the particular content or scope of the knowledge and skills
referred to in the overall expectations. Educators Academy uses their
professional judgement to determine which specific expectations should be used
to evaluate achievement of the overall expectations, and which ones will be
accounted for in instruction and assessment but not necessarily evaluated.
Assessment Strands:
The Educators Academy will ensure
that student’s work is assessed and/or evaluated in a balanced manner with
respect to the four categories, and that achievement of particular expectations
is considered within the appropriate categories.
Knowledge and Understanding (K/U)
Thinking and Inquiry (T/I)
Communication (C)
Application (A)
Assessment Strands
Student achievement is communicated
formally to students and parents by means of the Provincial Report Card. The
report card provides a record of the student’s achievement of the curriculum
expectations in every course, at particular points in the school year or
semester, in the form of a percentage grade. Report
cards are issued upon completion of the course. Each report card will focus on
related aspects of student achievement. The percentage grade will
represent the quality of the student’s overall achievement of the expectations
for the course and will reflect the corresponding level of achievement. The
Educators Academy will record a final grade for every course, and a credit is granted
for the course in which the student’s grade is 50% or higher.
Final Assessment and Evaluation = 100%
The teacher also
provides written comments concerning the student's strengths, areas for
improvement, and next steps (E–Excellent,
G–Good, S–Satisfactory, N–Needs Improvement).
The report card indicates whether an OSSD credit has been earned or not. Upon
completion of a course, Educators Academy sends a copy of the report card back
to the student's home school where the course is added to the ongoing list of
courses on the student's Ontario Student Transcript. The report card is also
sent to the student's home address for parents’ communication.
Evaluation Instruments/ Strategies:
Rubrics Observation
Checklist Project
Work
Peer Interviewing
Self Researching
Group Conferencing
Assessment and Evaluation:
Final Assessment and Evaluation = 100%
A Summary Description of Achievement
in Each Percentage Grade Range
and Corresponding Level of Achievement
|
Percentage Grade
Range
|
Achievement Level
|
Summary
Description
|
80-100%
|
Level 4
|
A very high to outstanding level of achievement.
Achievement is above the provincial standard.
|
70-79%
|
Level 3
|
A high level of achievement. Achievement is at the
provincial standard.
|
60-69%
|
Level 2
|
A moderate level of achievement. Achievement
is below, but approaching, the provincial standard.
|
50-59%
|
Level 1
|
A passable level of achievement. Achievement
is below the provincial standard.
|
below 50%
|
Level R
|
Insufficient achievement of curriculum
expectations. A credit will not be granted.
|
THE
ACHIEVEMENT CHART: HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION, GRADES 9–12
Categories
|
50–59%
(Level
1)
|
60–69%
(Level
2)
|
70–79%
(Level
3)
|
80–100%
(Level
4)
|
Knowledge and Understanding - Subject-specific content acquired in each course (knowledge), and
the comprehension of its meaning and significance (understanding)
|
|
The
student:
|
Knowledge of content (e.g., facts,
definitions, skills, principles and strategies, safe practices and
procedures)
|
– demonstrates limited
knowledge of content
|
–demonstrates some knowledge
of content
|
– demonstrates considerable
knowledge of content
|
– demonstrates
thorough knowledge of content
|
Understanding
of content (e.g., processes, techniques, ideas, relationships between concepts)
|
demonstrates
limited understanding of content
|
demonstrates
some understanding of content
|
demonstrates
considerable understanding of content
|
demonstrates
thorough understanding of content
|
Categories
|
50–59%
(Level
1)
|
60–69%
(Level
2)
|
70–79%
(Level
3)
|
80–100%
(Level
4)
|
Thinking – The use of critical and
creative thinking skills and/or processes
|
|
The student:
|
Use of planning skills (e.g.,
identifying the problem, formulating questions and ideas, gathering and
organizing information; developing fitness plans; selecting strategies)
|
– uses planning skills with
limited effectiveness
|
uses planning skills with some
effectiveness
|
uses planning skills with considerable
effectiveness
|
– uses
planning skills with a high degree of effectiveness
|
Use of processing skills (e.g.,
synthesizing information, evaluating risk and determining appropriate safety
measures, revising fitness goals, detecting bias)
|
uses
processing skills with limited effectiveness
|
uses
processing skills with some effectiveness
|
uses
processing
skills with
considerable
effectiveness
|
uses
processing
skills with
a
high degree
of
effectiveness
|
Use of critical/creative thinking
processes (e.g., goal setting, decision making, problem solving; analysing
movement skills, strategizing, reflecting on learning and determining steps
for improvement, critiquing)
|
uses
critical/
creative
thinking
processes
with limited
effectiveness
|
uses
critical/
creative
thinking
processes
with some
effectiveness
|
uses
critical/
creative
thinking
processes,
with considerable
effectiveness
|
uses
critical/
creative
thinking
processes
with a high degree of
effectiveness
|
Categories
|
50–59%
(Level
1)
|
60–69%
(Level
2)
|
70–79%
(Level
3)
|
80–100%
(Level
4)
|
Communication – The conveying of meaning through various forms
|
|
The student:
|
Expression and organization of ideas
and information in oral, visual and/or written forms (e.g., demonstrations,
role plays, conferences, presentations, posters, pamphlets, journals)
|
expresses and organizes ideas and
information with limited effectiveness
|
expresses and organizes ideas and
information with some effectiveness
|
expresses and organizes ideas and
information with considerable effectiveness
|
expresses and organizes ideas and
information with a high degree of effectiveness
|
Communication for different audiences (e.g.,
peers, teammates, adults) and purposes (e.g., to inform, instruct, promote)
in oral, visual, and/or written forms
|
communicates for different audiences
and purposes with limited effectiveness
|
communicates for different audiences
and purposes with some effectiveness
|
communicates for different audiences
and purposes with considerable effectiveness
|
communicates for different audiences
and purposes with a high degree of effectiveness
|
Use of health and physical education
conventions, vocabulary, and terminology (e.g., using and interpreting
signals and body language; using correct terminology to discuss parts of the
body, health-related components of fitness, phases of movement [preparation,
execution, follow-through]) in oral, visual, and/or written forms
|
uses conventions, vocabulary, and
terminology of the discipline with limited effectiveness
|
uses conventions, vocabulary, and
terminology of the discipline with some effectiveness
|
uses conventions, vocabulary, and
terminology of the discipline with considerable effectiveness
|
uses conventions, vocabulary, and
terminology of the discipline with a high degree of effectiveness
|
Categories
|
50–59%
(Level
1)
|
60–69%
(Level
2)
|
70–79%
(Level
3)
|
80–100%
(Level
4)
|
Application – The use of knowledge and skills to make connections within and
between various contexts
|
|
The student:
|
Application of knowledge and skills
(e.g., movement skills, concepts, principles, strategies; training
principles; health concepts; safe practices; personal and interpersonal
skills, including teamwork, fair play, etiquette, leadership) in familiar
contexts (e.g., physical activities, healthy living discussions)
|
applies
knowledge
and
skills in
familiar
contexts
with
limited
effectiveness
|
applies
knowledge
and
skills in
familiar
contexts
with
some
effectiveness
|
applies
knowledge
and
skills in
familiar
contexts
with
considerable
effectiveness
|
applies
knowledge
and
skills in
familiar
contexts
with a
high degree
of
effectiveness
|
Transfer of knowledge and skills to
new contexts (e.g., transfer of movement skills, strategies, and tactics from
a familiar physical activity to a new activity, transfer of planning skills
to contexts such as fitness, healthy eating, healthy sexuality)
|
transfers
knowledge and skills to new contexts with limited effectiveness
|
transfers
knowledge and skills to new contexts with some effectiveness
|
transfers
knowledge and skills to new contexts with considerable effectiveness
|
transfers
knowledge and skills to new contexts with a high degree of effectiveness
|
Making connections within and between
various contexts ((e.g., between active participation, learning in the health
and physical education program, and healthy, active living; between health
and physical education, other subjects, and personal experiences in and beyond
school)
|
makes connections within and between
various contexts with limited effectiveness
|
makes connections within and between
various contexts with some effectiveness
|
makes connections within and between
various contexts with considerable effectiveness
|
makes connections within and between various contexts
with a high degree of effectiveness
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Submission
of Assignments
All assignments should be submitted for grading on the stated due date.
Any late assignments may be subjected to a 10% penalty.
Work not submitted within 5 school days after the stated due date will be
assigned a mark of 0.
If a student is ill or away for a documented reason, all assignments must
be submitted upon return to class, unless arrangements are negotiated with the
teacher.
It is vital that the student realize the potential consequences of
incomplete work and absences, including failure to gain the cred for the
course. It is the responsibility of the student to catch up on all work missed
from being absent.
Program Planning
Considerations
Effective instruction is a key to student success. To provide effective
instruction, the Educators Academy teachers need to consider what they want
students to learn, how they will know whether students have learned it, how
they will design instruction to promote the learning, and how they will respond
to students who are not making progress.
Instructional approaches should be informed by the findings of current
research on instructional practices that have proved effective in the Educators
Academy classrooms. For example, research has provided compelling evidence
about the benefits of explicit teaching of strategies that can help students
develop a deeper understanding of concepts. Strategies such as “compare and
contrast” and the use of analogies give students opportunities to examine
concepts in ways that help them see what the concepts are and what they are
not. Although such strategies are simple to use, teaching them explicitly is
important in order to ensure that all students use them effectively.
Instruction in health and physical education at The Educators Academy, help
students acquire the knowledge, skills, and attributes they need in order to
achieve the curriculum expectations and be able to enjoy and participate in
healthy active living for years to come. In health and physical education,
instruction is effective as it motivates students and instils positive habits
of mind, such as curiosity and open-mindedness; a willingness to think,
question, challenge, and be challenged; and an awareness of the value of
listening or reading closely and communicating clearly. We believe that, all
students can be successful and that learning in health and physical education
is important and valuable for all students.
Planning Program
for Special Education Needs
The Educators Academy’s classroom
teachers are the key educators of students with special education needs. They
have a responsibility to help all students learn, and they work collaboratively
with special education teachers, where appropriate, to achieve this goal.
The Educators Academy’s classroom
teachers commit to assisting every student to prepare for living with the
highest degree of independence possible. The teachers at the academy planning
Canadian and World Studies pay particular attention to the following beliefs:
•
All students can succeed.
•
Each student has his or her own
unique patterns of learning.
•
Successful instructional practices
are founded on evidence-based research, tempered by experience.
•
Universal design and differentiated
instruction are effective and interconnected means of meeting the learning or
productivity needs of any group of students.
•
Classroom teachers are the key
educators for a student’s literacy and numeracy development.
•
Classroom teachers need the support
of the larger community to create a learning environment that supports students
with special education needs.
•
Fairness is not sameness.
At Educators Academy, students may
demonstrate a wide range of learning styles and needs. Teachers plan programs
that recognize this diversity and give students performance tasks that respect
their particular abilities so that all students can derive the greatest
possible benefit from the teaching and learning process. The use of flexible
groupings for instruction and the provision of ongoing assessment are important
elements of programs that accommodate a diversity of learning needs.
In planning health and physical
education courses for students with special education needs, our teachers begin
by examining the current achievement level of the individual student, the
strengths and learning needs of the student, and the knowledge and skills that
all students are expected to demonstrate at the end of the course, in order to
determine which of the following options is appropriate for the student:
v
no accommodations or modifications;
or
v
accommodations only; or
v
modified expectations, with the
possibility of accommodations; or
v
alternative expectations, which are
not derived from the curriculum expectations for a course and which constitute
alternative programs and/or courses.
There are three types of
accommodations:
·
Instructional accommodations are
changes in teaching strategies, including styles of presentation, methods of
organization, or use of technology and multimedia.
·
Environmental accommodations are
changes that the student may require in the classroom and/or school
environment, such as preferential seating or special lighting.
·
Assessment accommodations are
changes in assessment procedures that enable the student to demonstrate his or
her learning, such as allowing additional time to complete tests or assignments
or permitting oral responses to test questions
If the student
requires either accommodations or modified expectations, or both, The Educators
Academy will take into account these needs of exceptional students as they are
set out in the students' Individual Education Plan. Our courses offer a vast
array of opportunities for students with special educations needs to acquire
the knowledge and skills required for our evolving society. Students who use
alternative techniques for communication may find a venue to use these special
skills in these courses. There are a number of technical and learning aids that
can assist in meeting the needs of exceptional students as set out in their
Individual Education Plan.
If a student requires
“accommodations only” in French courses, assessment and evaluation of his or
her achievement will be based on the appropriate course curriculum expectations
and the achievement levels outlined in this document. The IEP box on the
student’s Provincial Report Card will not be checked, and no information on the
provision of accommodations will be included.
Program
Considerations for English Language Learners
Ontario schools have some of the
most multilingual student populations in the world. The first language of
approximately 20 per cent of the students in Ontario’s English language schools
is a language other than English. Ontario’s linguistic heritage includes
several Aboriginal languages; many African, Asian, and European languages; and
some varieties of English, such as Jamaican Creole. Many English language
learners were born in Canada and raised in families and communities in which
languages other than English were spoken, or in which the variety of English
spoken differed significantly from the English of Ontario classrooms. Other
English language learners arrive in Ontario as newcomers from other countries;
they may have experience of highly sophisticated educational systems, or they
may have come from regions where access to formal schooling was limited.
The Educators Academy course
provides a number of strategies to address the needs of ESL/ELD students. This
course is flexible in order to accommodate the needs of students who require
instruction in English as a second language or English literacy development.
The Educators Academy teachers consider it to be his or her responsibility to
help students develop their ability to use the English language properly. Appropriate
accommodations affecting the teaching, learning, and evaluation strategies in
this course are made in order to help students gain proficiency in English,
since students taking English as a second language at the secondary level have
limited time in which to develop this proficiency.
During the start of education at
The Educators Academy, English language learners receive support through one of
two distinct programs from our teachers who are specialized in meeting their
language-learning needs:
English as a Second Language (ESL)
programs are for students born in Canada or newcomers whose first language is a
language other than English, or is a variety of English significantly different
from that used for instruction in Ontario schools.
In planning programs for students
with linguistic backgrounds other than English, teachers at The Educators
Academy recognize the importance of the orientation process, understanding that
every learner needs to adjust to the new social environment and language in a unique
way and at an individual pace. For example, students who are in an early stage
of English-language acquisition go through a time during which they closely
observe the interactions and physical surroundings of their new learning
environment. Students thrive in a safe, supportive, and welcoming environment
that nurtures their self-confidence while they are receiving focused literacy
instruction. When they are ready to participate, in paired, small-group, or
whole-class activities, some students begin by using a single word or phrase to
communicate a thought, while others speak quite fluently.
Responsibility for students’
English-language development is shared by our classroom teacher, our ESL
teacher and other staff at The Educators Academy. Sometimes volunteers and
peers are helpful in supporting English language learners in the language
classroom. Teachers at The Educators Academy adapted the instructional program
in order to facilitate the success of these students in their classrooms.
Appropriate adaptations include:
·
modification of some or all of the
subject expectations so that they are challenging but attainable for the
learner at his or her present level of English proficiency, given the necessary
support from the teacher;
·
use of a variety of instructional
strategies (e.g., extensive use of visual cues, graphic organizers,
scaffolding; previewing of textbooks, pre-teaching of key vocabulary; peer
tutoring; strategic use of students’ first languages);
·
use of a variety of learning
resources (e.g., visual material, simplified text, bilingual dictionaries, and
materials that reflect cultural diversity);
·
use of assessment accommodations
(e.g., granting of extra time; use of oral interviews, demonstrations or visual
representations, or tasks requiring completion of graphic organizers or cloze
sentences instead of essay questions and other assessment tasks that depend
heavily on proficiency in English).
Environmental
Education and Health and Physical Education
Helping students
become environmentally responsible is a role assumed by The Educators Academy.
The first goal is to promote learning about environmental issues and solutions.
The second goal is to engage students in practicing and promoting environmental
stewardship in their community. The third goal stresses the importance of the
education system providing leadership by implementing and promoting responsible
environmental practices so that all stakeholders become dedicated to living
more sustainably.
The Healthy Active
Living Education courses in health and physical education offer many
opportunities for accomplishing these goals. The learning environments for
health and physical education include the school grounds, fields and trails in
the vicinity of The Educators Academy, and various other outdoor venues.
Teaching students to appreciate and respect the environment is an integral part
of being active in these spaces. Appreciating the value of fresh air and
outdoor spaces, understanding the environmental benefits of healthy practices
such as active transportation and the environmental implications of various
food choices, being aware of the impact of using trails, and understanding the
health risks associated with environmental factors such as sun exposure and air
pollution are all components of environmental education that are integrated
with learning in health and physical education. To facilitate these
connections, our health and physical education teachers are encouraged to take
students out of the classroom and into the world beyond the school to help
students observe, explore, and appreciate nature as they discover the benefits
of being active outdoors.
Good curriculum
design following the resource document - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9-12:
Environmental Education, Scope and Sequence of Expectations, 2011, will assist
The Educators Academy’s staff to weave environmental education in and out of
the course content. This ensures that the students have opportunities to
acquire the knowledge, skills, perspectives and practices needed to become an
environmentally literate citizen.
Healthy Relationships and Health and Physical Education
Helping students
become environmentally responsible is a role assumed by The Educators Academy.
The first goal is to promote learning about environmental issues and solutions.
The second goal is to engage students in practicing and promoting environmental
stewardship in their community. The third goal stresses the importance of the
education system providing leadership by implementing and promoting responsible
environmental practices so that all stakeholders become dedicated to living
more sustainably. Good curriculum design following the resource document - The
Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9-12: Environmental Education, Scope and Sequence of
Expectations, 2011, assist The Educators Academy’s staff to weave environmental
education in and out of the online course content. This ensures that the
student will have opportunities to acquire the knowledge, skills, perspectives
and practices needed to become an environmentally literate citizen.
Anti Discrimination Education
Every student is entitled to learn in a safe, caring environment, free
from violence and harassment. Students learn and achieve better in such
environments. The safe and supportive social environment at The Educators
Academy is founded on healthy relationships between all people. Healthy
relationships are based on respect, caring, empathy, trust, and dignity, and
thrive in an environment in which diversity is honoured and accepted. Healthy
relationships do not tolerate abusive, controlling, violent,
bullying/harassing, or other inappropriate behaviours. To experience themselves
as valued and connected members of an inclusive social environment, our
students are involved in healthy relationships with their peers, teachers, and
other members of The Educators Academy community.
The most effective way to enable all students to learn about healthy and
respectful relationships is through the school curriculum. The Educators
Academy teachers promote this learning in a variety of ways. For example, they
help students to develop and practise the skills they need for building healthy
relationships by giving them opportunities to apply critical-thinking and
problem solving strategies and to address issues through group discussions,
role play, case study analysis, and other means. The Educators Academy also
have a positive influence on students by modelling the behaviours, values, and
skills that are needed to develop and sustain healthy relationships, and by taking
advantage of “teachable moments” to address immediate relationship issues that
may arise among students.
Financial Literacy in Health and Physical Education
The
document A Sound Investment: Financial Literacy Education in Ontario Schools,
2010 sets out the vision that: Ontario students will have the skills and
knowledge to take responsibility for managing their personal financial
well-being with confidence, competence, and a compassionate awareness of the
world around them. Since making financial decisions has become an
increasingly complex task in the modern world, students need to have knowledge
in various areas and a wide range of skills in order to make informed decisions
about financial matters.
The Educators Academy considers it
essential that financial literacy be considered an important point of a
well-educated population. In addition to acquiring knowledge in such specific
areas as saving, spending, borrowing, and investing, students need to develop
skills in problem solving, inquiry, decision making, critical thinking, and
critical literacy related to financial and other issues.
Health and physical education is
linked to financial literacy education in a number of ways. In the Healthy
Active Living Education courses, the Healthy Living expectations provide
opportunities for the exploration of financial issues in connection with a
variety of health topics, such as considering how affordability can impact
healthy eating choices and examining the economic costs associated with
substance use. In making decisions related to achieving their personal fitness
goals, students at The Educators Academy consider financial factors such as the
affordability of different physical activity options. They also have
opportunities to examine how physical activity and sports affect and are
affected by the economy, develop consumer awareness as they consider choices
that affect their health and well-being, and consider cost-effective ways to
disseminate health promotion messages to specific target audiences. The exploration
of such issues also involves the application of the personal, interpersonal,
and critical and creative thinking skills developed in the living skills
component of the program.
Critical Thinking and Critical Literacy
Critical thinking is the process of
thinking about ideas or situations in order to understand them fully, identify
their implications, make a judgement, and/or guide decision making. Critical
thinking includes skills such as questioning, predicting, analysing,
synthesizing, examining opinions, identifying values and issues, detecting
bias, and distinguishing between alternatives. At The Educators Academy,
students are taught these skills so they become critical thinkers who can move
beyond superficial conclusions to a deeper understanding of the issues they are
examining. After this, they are also able to engage in an inquiry process in
which they explore complex and multifaceted issues, and questions for which
there may be no clear-cut answers.
Students use critical-thinking
skills in The Educators Academy’s course for health and physical education when
they assess, analyse, and/or evaluate the impact of something and when they
form an opinion about something and support that opinion with a rationale. In
order to think critically, students need to examine the opinions and values of
others, detect bias, look for implied meaning, and use the information gathered
to form a personal opinion or stance, or a personal plan of action with regard
to making a difference. In this way, students approach critical thinking in
various aspects. Some students find it helpful to discuss their thinking,
asking questions and exploring ideas. Other students may take time to observe a
situation or consider a text carefully before commenting; they prefer not to
ask questions or express their thoughts orally while they are thinking.
Literacy, Inquiry Skills and Numeracy in Health and Physical
Education
Literacy,
mathematical literacy, and inquiry/research skills are critical to students’
success in all subjects of the curriculum and in all areas of their lives.
At
The Educators Academy, many of the activities and tasks that students undertake
in the health and physical education curriculum involve the literacy skills
relating to oral, written, and visual communication. These include
researching, discussing, listening, viewing media, communicating with words and
with the body, connecting illustrations and text, role playing to create
meaning through stories, and – especially important for kinesthetic learners – communicating
through physical activity. Students, at The Educators Academy use language to
record their observations, to describe their critical analyses in both informal
and formal contexts, and to present their findings in presentations and reports
in oral, written, graphic, and multimedia forms. Understanding in health and
physical education requires the understanding and use of specialized
terminology. At The Educators Academy, for all health and physical education
programs, students are required to use appropriate and correct terminology, and
are encouraged to use language with care and precision in order to communicate
effectively.
Although
physical communication skills are an important component of health and physical
education, oral communication skills are also a key part of the development of
health and physical literacy and are essential for thinking and learning.
Through purposeful talk, students not only learn to communicate information but
also to explore and to understand ideas and concepts, identify and solve
problems, organize their experience and knowledge, and express and clarify
their thoughts, feelings, and opinions.
These
opportunities are available throughout the curriculum at the Educators Academy.
The expectations in all strands give students a chance to engage in
brainstorming, reporting, and other oral activities to identify what they know
about a new topic, discuss strategies for solving a problem, present and defend
ideas or debate issues, and offer critiques or feedback on work, skill
demonstrations, or opinions expressed by their peers.
The Role of a Library in the Health and Physical Education
The
Educators Academy’s library program can help to build and transform students’
knowledge to support lifelong learning in our information- and knowledge-based
society. The Educators Academy supports student success across the Health and
Physical Education curriculum by encouraging students to read widely, teaching
them to read for understanding and enjoyment, and helping them to improve their
research skills and to use information gathered through research effectively.
The
Educators Academy library program enables students to:
- develop a love of reading for
learning and for pleasure;
- develop literacy and research
skills using non-fiction materials;
- obtain access to programs,
resources, and integrated technologies that support all curriculum areas;
- understand and value the role
of public library systems as a resource for lifelong learning
Our
classroom teachers develop, teach, and provide students with authentic
information and research tasks that foster learning, including the ability to:
- access, select, gather,
process, critically evaluate, create, and communicate information;
- use the information obtained
to explore and investigate issues, solve problems, make decisions, build
knowledge, create personal meaning, and enrich their lives;
- communicate their findings to
different audiences, using a variety of formats and technologies;
- use information and research
with understanding, responsibility, and imagination.
The
Role of Information and Communication Technology
Information and communications technology (ICT) provides a
range of tools that can significantly extend and enrich teachers’ instructional
strategies and support student learning. ICT tools include multimedia
resources, databases, websites, digital cameras, and word-processing programs.
Tools such as these can help students to collect, organize, and sort the data
they gather and to write, edit, and present reports on their findings. ICT can
also be used to connect students to other schools, at home and abroad, and to
bring the global community into the local classroom.
The integration of information and
communications technology into the health and physical education program at The
Educators Academy represents a natural extension of the learning expectations,
as does the use of other technological devices such as pedometers and heart
rate monitors. Current technologies are useful
both as research tools and as creative media. They can use fitness apps and
digital recording devices to set and track fitness goals and monitor progress
and improvements. In addition, students use digital devices to design and
present multimedia works, to record the process of creating their dance or
movement sequences, to support the development of movement skills, to record
role-playing scenarios while practising interpersonal and decision-making
skills related to healthy relationships, and for numerous other purposes.
Although the Internet is a powerful learning tool, there are
potential risks attached to its use. All students must be made aware of issues
related to Internet privacy, safety, and responsible use, as well as of the
potential for abuse of this technology, particularly when it is used to promote
hatred. Our teachers understand that ICT tools are
valuable in their teaching practice, both for whole class instruction and for
the design of curriculum units that contain varied approaches to learning to
meet diverse student needs.
The Ontario Skills
Passport and Essential Skills
The
Ontario Skills Passport (OSP) is a free, bilingual, web-based resource that
provides teachers and students with clear descriptions of the “Essential
Skills” and work habits important in work, learning, and life. The Educators
Academy can engage students by OSP tools and resources to show how what they
learn in class can be applied in the workplace and in everyday life. The
Essential Skills identified in the OSP are:
- Reading Text
- Writing
- Document Use
- Computer Use
- Oral Communication
- Numeracy: Money Math;
Scheduling or Budgeting and Accounting; Measurement and Calculation; Data
Analysis; and Numerical Estimation
- Thinking Skills: Job Task
Planning and Organizing; Decision Making; Problem Solving; Finding Information;
and Critical Thinking
Education
and Career/Life Planning through the Health and Physical Education Curriculum
The
goals of the Kindergarten to Grade 12 education and career/life planning
program are to:
- ensure that all students
develop the knowledge and skills they need to make informed education and
career/life choices;
- provide classroom and
school-wide opportunities for this learning; and
- engage parents and the broader
community in the development, implementation, and evaluation of the program,
to support students in their learning.
The
framework of the program is a four-step inquiry process based on four questions
linked to four areas of learning: (1) knowing yourself – Who am I?; (2)
exploring opportunities – What are my opportunities?; (3) making decisions and
setting goals – Who do I want to become?; and, (4) achieving goals and making
transitions – What is my plan for achieving my goals?
Cooperative
Education and Other Forms of Experiential Learning
Planned learning experiences in the community, including job
shadowing and job twinning, field trips, work experience, and cooperative
education, provide our students with opportunities to see the relevance of
their classroom learning in a work setting, making connections between school
and work, and exploring a career of interest as they plan their pathway through
The Educators Academy. In addition, through experiential learning, students
develop the skills and work habits required in the workplace and acquire a
direct understanding of employer and workplace expectations. Experiential
learning opportunities associated with various aspects of the Health and
Physical Education curriculum help broaden students’ knowledge of employment
opportunities in a wide range of fields, including interpreting, translating,
and publishing and other media-related industries. Students who choose to take
a two-credit cooperative education program with a Health and Physical Education
course as the related course are able, through this package of courses, to meet
the Ontario Secondary School Diploma additional compulsory credit requirements
for Groups 1, 2, and 3.
Planning
Program Pathways and Programs Leading to a Specialist High Skills Major
At the Educators Academy, Health and Physical Education
courses are well suited for inclusion in Specialist High Skills Majors (SHSMs)
or in programs designed to provide pathways to particular apprenticeship,
college, university, or workplace destinations. In some SHSM programs, courses
in this curriculum can be bundled with other courses to provide the academic
knowledge and skills important to particular economic sectors and required for
success in the workplace and postsecondary education, including apprenticeship
training. Health and Physical Education course can serve as the in-school link
with cooperative education credits that provide the workplace experience
required not only for some SHSM programs but also for various program pathways
to postsecondary education, apprenticeship training, and workplace destinations.
Health and Safety in Health and Physical Education
Teachers
are responsible for ensuring the safety of students during classroom activities
and also for encouraging and motivating students to assume responsibility for
their own safety and the safety of others. Teachers should follow board safety
guidelines to ensure that students have the knowledge and skills needed for
safe participation in health and physical education activities. Safety
awareness, based on up-to-date information, common sense observation, action,
and foresight, is the key to safe programming.
At The Educators Academy, our teachers establish and support
a culture of safety-mindedness. They must consider any potential dangers,
assess those dangers, and implement control measures to protect the students
from the risks. By implementing safer instructional practices, such as using
logical teaching progressions and transitions and choosing age-appropriate and
developmentally appropriate activities, teachers can reduce risk and guard against
injury. Field trips may present additional health and safety issues that are
not encountered in in-school activities. Field trips can provide an exciting
and authentic dimension to students’ learning experiences, but they also take
The Educator Academy teachers and students out of the predictable classroom
environment and into unfamiliar settings. The Educators Academy teachers
preview and plan these activities carefully to protect students’ health and
safety.
Ethics in Health
and Physical Education
The health and physical education curriculum provides varied
opportunities for students to learn about ethical issues, explore ethical
standards, and demonstrate ethical responsibility. Students can explore how
sports and physical activity can be used to build community, and they can
consider ethical questions related to health promotion and the use of human
subjects in research.
When exploring issues related to health and physical education as part of
an inquiry process, students may need to make ethical judgements. Such
judgements may be necessary in evaluating evidence and positions on various
issues or in drawing conclusions about issues, claims, or events. The Educators
Academy teachers help students in determining the factors to consider when
making these judgements. In addition, teachers provide support and supervision
throughout the inquiry process, helping students become aware of potential
ethical concerns and of appropriate ways to address those concerns
At the Educators Academy, teachers ensure that they thoroughly address
the issue of plagiarism with students. The skill of writing in one’s own voice,
while appropriately acknowledging the work of others, must be explicitly taught
to all students in health and physical education classes. Using accepted forms
of documentation to acknowledge sources is a specific expectation within the
inquiry and skill development strand for each course in the Canadian and world
studies curriculum.
Resources:
v Text Books
v Notes
v Online Research
v Internet