Boundary Park »

At Boundary Park, the staff recognize that each student is a unique individual with a variety of skills, interests, needs and strengths. We celebrate and include all of our learners.  Staff encourage inclusiveness, respectful interactions and promote social and emotional well-being, academic growth and physical development.  This year, we are using an Inquiry Model to analyze and focus our planning to create a School Plan that meets the needs of our students.

Teachers were asked to describe the learners at Boundary Park. They said our learners:

• come from a variety of backgrounds
• enjoy hands-on, interactive learning
• are excited about learning, curious and engaged
• have many life experiences
• are kind, accepting of differences and respectful
• are enthusiastic, willing learners, capable and responsible
• invite each other into learning and play

Students were also asked. They said,

• I get help when I get stuck in a subject like Language Arts.
• I use comments in my work to tell me what I need to work on or what I am doing good on.
• I like using technology.
• I overcome challenges and surpass my goals that I have set for myself. When I fall I get back up again.
• I always ask for help.
• I like to learn about real life things.
• I ask for tips on my work so my work gets better.

While we celebrate the gains and achievements of our learners, we note that there are areas requiring further growth.  As we continue to encourage our students to be active participants in their learning, we notice that our learners still need explicit instruction to take more ownership of their learning.

Staff is committed to a safe and caring culture where relationships and collaboration are valued and where stakeholders work together on various school initiatives. This year, staff have noted that students still require explicit instruction and encouragement to take more ownership of their learning. We have seen students become more willing to reflect on their progress and self-assess their learning. Yet, teachers want our students to think deeper about where they are in their learning. Teachers state that students still require significant direction on what to do next to fully realize the learning standards.

Evidence, supporting this hypothesis was drawn from a wide variety of structures used to gather information on what we know about our learners including but not limited to Formative Assessment, Summative Assessment, teacher observations, school wide initiatives such as Netting Meetings, Noisy Reading, School Based Team meetings, School Wide Writes, School Wide Reads, and Benchmarks.

With this in mind, the staff at Boundary Park are designing learning that is student -centered, inquiry focused, engaging, and focused around real-world experiences. It is evident to us as a team, that formative assessment is a valuable area to focus on in order to increase student ownership of their learning. As a staff, we recognize the impact on student success and engagement when students take ownership of their learning. We feel that actively engaging our students in their own learning through Formative Assessment, guides learners to better outcomes by providing feedback that continually informs the learner, the teacher, and the learning itself.

Why is taking ownership of learning important for our learners?

When a child takes ownership of their learning they seem more engaged, more responsible, more resourceful and happier. Learners who take ownership of their learning seem to take more interest in what they are learning, how they are learning and where they are learning. Learners may become better able to organize their belongings, be more motivated and self-regulate. At times, it seems that students realize the learning standards deeper and faster when they take ownership of their learning.

Therefore, knowing what we know about our learners,  the teachers wonder:

How can we encourage students to take more ownership of their learning across the curriculum?

“I CAN” statements are used to help students engage in the process of self-assessment.

Central to formative assessment, co-constructed criteria help our learners understand “what good looks like”

Students who engage in regular self-reflection and assessment develop a stronger awareness of themselves as learners.

This year, we have noted that students require explicit instruction, scaffolded support and encouragement to take more ownership of their learning. We have seen students become more willing to reflect on their progress and self-assess their learning. Yet, teachers want our students to think deeper about where they are in their learning. Teachers also state that students still require significant direction on what to do next to fully realize the learning standards.

Therefore, knowing what we know about our learners, the teachers wonder:

How can we encourage students to take more ownership of their learning across the curriculum?

This year, we will continue  to participate in professional learning in the area of  Formative Assessment. 

Some of the things we are considering include:

1. Participating in Assessment Sessions led by the district. Share learning with staff.

2. Supporting ongoing professional teacher-directed learning.

3. Creating and participating in structures that allow for collaboration. Eg. Grade group meeting, primary and intermediate meetings, Tuesday Tech Cafe

4. Continuing to encourage and celebrate innovative practices in our school.

We understand that assessment and instruction are interconnected. By keeping learners at the centre of their learning and designing opportunities that allow students to construct their learning through engagement, active exploration, inquiry based, co-operative and service learning we hope students take more ownership  for their own learning.

The following represents structures that can be implemented to increase student ownership. We will continue to explore the benefits of:

• Focussing on quality reflections,  authentic  self and peer assessments
• Providing descriptive feedback showing strengths and areas for improvement
• Using rubrics, pre-assesments and performance standards
• Setting clear and specific criteria (teacher driven criteria and student generated criteria)
• Setting learning intentions so students know what they are to learn (I can… statements)
• Setting SMART goals
• Giving students choice in studying what they are interested in
• Encouraging students to pose questions that matter to them and provide the tools, space and time for students to pursue the answers
• Using these central questions to identify the student’s current ability and the necessary steps for reaching the learning standards
  • What am I learning? Where am I at in my learning?
  • Where do I need to go in my learning?
  • How do I get there?