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Background
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Catholic Central, St. Mary’s, Palliser Regional
Schools
4 things from this session
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Explain what the flexibility project was/is
Give examples of how it looks in practice
Encourage you to think about the structure of our
educational system
Encourage you to think about how you can change
the structure in your context
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CEU system – has been in place since
approximately 1906
1 credit = 25 hours of face to face instruction
2009 a new initiative waived the time
requirement for 13 schools
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My involvement with the “flexibility project”
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Catholic Central – initially not overly interested
Meeting in Olds changed my perspective
If a student needed extra help, would they be able to
get that help within the structure of your timetable?
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At St. Mary’s we started to question the way
learning was structured in our school.
We know that all students learn at different rates.
So why do we structure schools so that all students are
expected to spend the same amount of time in class?
 Time vs. Learning
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We know that each learner is unique.
So why do we structure schools so there are limited
opportunities for one on one instruction?
 Standardization vs. Personalization
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Two key goals
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Ensure students can get additional help when
necessary
Ensure students have opportunities to be meaningful
partners in the educational process
Examples
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Flexible dismissal
Intervention program
Flex Fridays
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Teachers have the
freedom to dismiss
students at any time
during a class (they do not
have to wait for the bell!)
Teachers set learning
objectives, when students
have met the objectives at
an appropriate level they
can leave the class
Picture used with
permission from Holy
Spirit
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Twice a week for 44
minutes all grades stop
learning new content and
take part in our
intervention program.
Grade 6- 8 Intervention –
Literacy, Numeracy,
Student Initiated Projects
Grade 9 – 11 Intervention
– One on One or SelfDirected
Exam Prep
Picture used with
permission from Holy
Spirit
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No bells, no master timetable
Teachers create a Google document detailing what
they will be doing at various times during the day
Students use that document to create their own
timetable for the day
In some cases students are mandated to meet with
teachers
In some cases classes are mandated to meet with
teachers
In some cases students decide what they want to
do
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Teacher
Activity
Time
Location
Who will attend?
Doolittle
Science Review for
Monday’s UBS3 Quiz
Science Assignment
Completion Time
Science 9A - catch up
on missed work
9:00 - 9:30
Rm. 10
9A & 9B (optional)
Vienneau
Meditation for
relaxation
9:00-9:45
Rm 7
Open to all students
Makarchuk
Band Playing test
9:00 - 11:00
Band Rm.
All Senior Band
students MUST
complete at some time
during the morning
Vornbrock
Math 9B Quiz 5.13
Improvement
9:30 - 10:15
Rm 4
(Mandatory)
Optional for any other
9B to improve quiz
5.13 mark
Meier
Quiz on Surface Area
Circle Geometry Test
Review
Meier
Science 9A Quiz
9:30 - 10:15
Rm 10
All 9As - mandatory
BGH
Badminton
Tournament
9:30-10:00
Gym
Anyone
Vienneau
English help
9:45-10:15
Rm 7
Open to all students
but mandatory for:
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Very promising results
Over 95% positive comments in open ended
questions
Improvement in every academic category in
TTFM surveys
30% increase in intellectual engagement
Teachers covering more material in less time
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I think it’s had a good impact on me. I know I
can stay back if I need extra help. Grade 10
student
I think it has a positive impact on my
learning because I can have some time to
myself to finish up an assignment or have a
quick snack to keep me and my brain going.
Grade 8
Very positive because you have a chance to do
your homework or help a friend. Grade 6
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I looovvveeeee it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It allows us to be
our own teacher for a day and to express what
we really love!
I love he flexible Fridays. I like it because it is a
day I can relax and still get caught up on school
work that I missed or got behind on. It also
helps me because I can ask a teacher for help a
pretty much get a one on one learning with just
me and the teacher.
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The flexibility program in our school has been
a really positive impact on my learning. It gives
students more time and gives us chance to
redeem ourselves from homework and
assignments that we need to do, and gives us
the ability to decide on what class to study and
work for a longer time.
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flex Fridays help to keep me on track in classes
I fall behind in, flexible dismissal is a good
incentive for me to get my work done properly
and on time, exam prep helped to give me
some peace of mind coming up to my diplomas
because it gave me some knowledge about
what it was going to be like.
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
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Peter Senge
Education is full of structures that have a
powerful impact on learning and teaching
At times these structures impede rather than
enhance learning
We need to be aware of them

PD Friday - 30 kids for 67 minutes Monday…..
 personalization & learning or standardization &
compliance?
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How do bell times limit learning and teaching?
How does curriculum limit learning and
teaching?
How does dividing learning into subjects (e.g.
math & social studies) limit learning and
teaching?
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3 Key Components:
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Powerful Questions
Core Ideas
Implementation
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Why do we…. ? & What if…. ?
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Why do we have all students sit through classes for
the same length of time? What if we dismissed
students based on learning rather than an arbitrary
bell time?
Why do we have a master timetable? What if
students and teachers made their own timetable?
What changes would you make if all you had
to worry about was student learning?
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Intervention – one on one, small group help
Students as meaningful partners in the
educational process – flex Friday/Flex
dismissal
Palliser - Safe and caring, literacy, assessment
for learning
What do you want to change in your school?
What are the areas of greatest need?
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Short-circuit the defensive reaction
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Collaboration
Autonomy
Conserve and change
Keeping kids on track
A simple yet powerful message
Students are your best sales people
Who do you need help from to change the
educational structures in your context?
What changes can you make right away to start the
process?
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
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Teachers taking risks
Math 10-3/ 20-3 /
Science 14 / 24
Assessment
Cross-curricular
Photo used with
permission from Holy
Spirit
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
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Our current
educational system is
like a large passenger
ship.
It’s an amazing
structure
But… it only skims
the surface
And students are
often passengers
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
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We envision a
structure that is more
like a school of fish.
Fluid, Dynamic &
Adaptable
Interdependent
Fully immersed
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Start the change process or accelerate it
Questions
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
Mike Nightingale
Phone- (403) 328 – 4111
E-mail- [email protected]
Twitter- @mdnightingale
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