PUBLIC
an
REPORT TO
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND WELL-BEING,
CATHOLIC EDUCATION AND HUMAN
RESOURCES COMMITTEE
21ST CENTURY LEARNING
FIVE-YEAR PLAN
Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still;
teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.
Proverbs 9:9
Created, Draft
First Tabling
May 20, 2013
May 30, 2013
Review
Approval
Implementation
L. DiMarco – Superintendent of 21st Century Learning and Academic ICT
P. Aguiar – Program Coordinator of 21st Century Learning and Academic ICT
M. Wetzel – Program Coordinator of eLearning
RECOMMENDATION REPORT
A. Gauthier
Associate Director of Academic Affairs
A. Sangiorgio
Associate Director of Planning and Facilities
S. Pessione
Associate Director of Business Services,
Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
Bruce Rodrigues
Director of Education
A.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
At the request of Trustees staff developed a five-year plan that provides direction for effective
instruction and learning for staff, students and their families in the 21st century.
B.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this report is to provide a framework for educators and students of the TCDSB to
further develop 21st century learning skills and effectively use technologies for learning.
Rationale is provided below:
1. The TCDSB has always had a responsibility to prepare our students for life and work. While one
might argue that the school environment in which we educate our students has not
fundamentally changed over the past century, the environment in which our students will live
and work has dramatically changed in the past few decades. This dramatic change is largely due
to rapidly increasing advancements in technology, which are affecting how we all work and
socialize.
2. The education system in Ontario was originally created to prepare our students for an
agricultural or industrial society. Today, students must be prepared to succeed in a knowledge
economy that demands fostering the skills of Communication, Collaboration, Creativity and
Critical Thinking.
3. The Catholic values articulated in the TCDSB Multi-Year Strategic Plan support the belief ‘that
the 21st century fluencies of digital literacy, creativity, innovation and collaboration are
essential’ for our students.
4. Richard Riley, former United States Secretary of Education, observes, “We are currently
preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist…using technologies that haven’t yet been
invented…in order to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.” Our students
need to be life-long learners with the skills necessary to adapt and prosper in this new economic
reality.
5. To meet this 21st Century Challenge, the TCDSB acknowledges that change is necessary at all
levels and this five-year plan provides a framework for affecting this change. It recognizes that
while the ability to use technology effectively is important, even more critical is our students
ability to think and discern critically, communicate deeply, collaborate effectively and act
creatively that will provide a pathway for our students’ and communities’ success in an
increasingly changing world.
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C.
BACKGROUND
A vibrant movement is in play to retune the instruments of education for a rising band of digital learners
and to sync up learning to the new rhythms of the 21st century.
(21st Century Learning: Learning for Life in Our Times by Bernie Trilling and Charles Fadel)
1. In the past few years there has been an abundance of academic focus on the skills and
competencies that will be required of today’s students as they move into the world of work and
how to address their learning needs for our 21st century world.
2. Nationally and internationally there are many organizations that have been formed or are
focusing their work on 21st Learning Fluencies. Some examples: p21-Partnership for 21st Century
Skills, C21 Canada, International Society for Technological Education, Canadian Association of
School Administrators, Microsoft Partners in Learning, The Learning Partnership.
3. The TCDSB has directed our efforts to improving infrastructure and increasing access to
technology for our students. In recent years any centrally purchased technology has been
accompanied by curriculum focussed teacher professional development.
4. While the ability to effectively use technology for learning is important, the 21st Century Learner
requires a broader range of skills, which are necessary for success in the future. These skills
include: collaboration, real world problem solving and innovation, knowledge construction,
skilled communication and the ability to self-regulate. There is a need to explore how teaching
and learning can evolve to more implicitly integrate these skills into the classroom. There is also
a need to involve all stakeholders in understanding these changes.
5. On January 20, 2012, TCDSB offered a Symposium for Principals and Program Coordinators to
introduce 21st century learning concepts. The keynote address outlined the need to change, the
need for a common language when addressing this topic and recognition that school leaders
must be aware of how society is using technology. The symposium included an introduction to
social media, how students are using social media and how leaders could use Twitter to
communicate and positively brand their school community. The afternoon session included a
workshop on collaborative structures with Bruce Wellman (funded by the Ministry of Education
Leadership Development Branch).
6. In July 2012, a Superintendent of 21st Century Learning and Academic Information &
Communication Technology was appointed. The department was formed by reassigning staff
from the former AICT and eLearning portfolios.
7. In the summer of 2012, Project NeXt was created. With change happening so quickly, we are
preparing our students, the NeXt generation, for a future in which there are many unknowns.
The X in neXt is highlighted and represents the mathematical variable X – the unknown. We do
not know what lies ahead but we must prepare them to have flexible, adaptable skills when they
graduate. This was a summer writing project that developed a foundation on which the work of
the TCDSB21C department could be formed. Project NeXt recognized that understanding our
starting point is critical as we attempt to achieve our goals. Project NeXt examines many of our
current practices and begins to build a framework that promotes the 21st century fluencies
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through a Catholic lens. It aligns the Ontario Catholic Schools Graduate Expectations with the
4Cs of 21st century learning in the form of an ibook (available for free on iTunes). A sculpture:
The NeXt Desk was built from traditional school desks to illustrate the need for desks to be
interconnected – it challenges the traditional classroom. A spectrum of comfort (continuum)
was adopted in order to frame the conversations – allowing people to assess where they are
with regards to 21st century learning (the continuum used is based on the Technology
Integration Matrix of the Florida Center For Instructional Technology At The University Of South
Florida: entry, adoption, adaptation, infusion and transformation)
8. In the spirit of ‘transforming the world through witness, faith, innovation and action’, the TCDSB
seeks to inform and transform learning, discerning, teaching, and leading through the
development of four key 21st Century Learning Skills: Collaboration, Communication, Critical
Thinking and Creativity. These four skills are essential for our NeXt Students and we have chosen
to focus on these 4 Cs as the overarching skills that act as the basis on which we explain the
need to adapt our practices. Catholicity is integral in the development of the NeXt student and
as such the Ontario Catholic Schools Graduate Expectations are woven into the fabric of the 4Cs.
We are connecting 1st Century AD wisdom with 21st Century skills. For example, to be a
discerning believer would mean that one is able to communicate deeply with others, self and
God; or to be a caring family member would mean that one is able to collaborate meaningfully.
9. In September 2012, TCDSB21C continued the work of ‘changing the conversation’ from one
focused solely on technology to one focussed on the learning skills necessary for the 21 Century,
by focusing on The NeXt Admin. TCDSB21C provided conversation starters for all Principals for
each month leading up to December 7th board-wide professional development day. At
Principals meetings throughout the year, emphasis was placed on leading the system in
understanding 21C. The use of Desire2Learn’s eCommunity was illustrated as a method for
professional collaboration. At every Vice Principals meeting, TCDSB21C offered PD that would
demonstrate tools VPs could be using in their work to model the use of technology.
10. On December 7, 2012, TCDSB21C facilitated a board-wide professional development day. The
cost for delivering this PD Day was under $8 per teacher. The day was planned to introduce to
the system why 21st century learning must be embraced. The day included a live conference for
650 teachers from all of the TCDSB schools. The live conference included keynote addresses by
internationally acclaimed speakers, Ian Jukes and Will Richardson, and breakout sessions on
various topics in 21C. In addition to the live conference, the opening and keynote addresses
were live streamed to all schools and the CEC, enabling over 8000 people to participate in the
professional development. Principals were provided with an outline of topics to frame their
local afternoon sessions. The system was invited to provide feedback, almost 900 responses
were received and they were very positive.
11. In January - April 2013 work began to introduce the system to how 21st century learning can be
implemented. Based on the work of Innovative Teaching and Learning Research (ITL), TCDSB21C
introduced The NeXt Lesson: 21st Century Learning Design. The NeXt Lesson is based on 6
Competencies that are key elements of 21st Century Learning Design. The TCDSB has integrated
the Ontario Catholic Schools Graduate Expectations into the 6 Competencies. The NeXt Lesson
is a self-reflection tool for teachers, articulated through 6 rubrics (one for each competency)
that can be used with existing learning activities to determine how to move them further along
the Project NeXt Spectrum of Comfort. The 6 Competencies can be seen in Appendix A.
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Workshops were delivered to all Superintendents and all School and Curriculum Leaders.
[Funded through 21st Century Pilots for System Learning, co-sponsored by the Ministry and the
Council of Ontario Directors of Education (CODE)]
12. The 4Cs serve the purpose of providing a theoretical construct at a system level for
understanding 21st Century Learning. The rubrics of the 6 Competencies of the NeXt Lesson, on
the other hand, provide teachers and students with a practical, detailed approach to
incorporating the 4Cs into teaching and learning. If you think of the 4Cs as being a world map
providing an overview of 21st Century Learning skills then the rubrics of the 6 competencies
would be like a city map providing the details of applying the skills to teaching and learning.
13. In April 2013, TCDSB21C began focus on the NeXt teacher. Workshops on the NeXt Lesson: 21st
Century Learning Design were delivered to approximately 360 Secondary School Department
Heads, 80 Elementary Teachers and 20 Secondary Teachers. [Funded through 21st Century
Pilots for System Learning, co-sponsored by the Ministry and the Council of Ontario Directors of
Education (CODE)]
14. This report has been compiled as per best practices in teaching and learning and at the request
of the Board at the January 2013 Student Achievement and Well-Being Committee Meeting.
D.
EVIDENCE/RESEARCH
1. Message Of The Holy Father
:
Benedict XVI, For Th
‘The new digital technologies are, indeed, bringing about fundamental shifts in
patterns of communication and human relationships. These changes are particularly
evident among those young people who have grown up with the new technologies and
are at home in a digital world that often seems quite foreign to those of us who, as
adults, have had to learn to understand and appreciate the opportunities it has to offer
for communications…I would like to conclude this message by addressing myself, in
particular, to young Catholic believers: to encourage them to bring the witness of their
faith to the digital world…I ask you to introduce into the culture of this new
environment of communications and information technology the values on which you
have built your lives… human hearts are yearning for a world where love endures,
where gifts are shared, where unity is built, where freedom finds meaning in truth, and
where identity is found in respectful communion. Our faith can respond to these
expectations: may you become its heralds!’
We have a responsibility as a Board to educate students for the world in which they live through a
deep understanding of the Christian context. The role of the teacher is ever important as our
students learn to discern all of the digital content in which they are immersed. The role of the
Catholic teacher is critical ensuring that students understand gospel values and integrate them into
all of their communication, critical thinking, creativity and collaboration.
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2. Report from the Canadian Council of Chief Executives: Competing in the 21st Century Skills Race. July
2012:
The skills of the 21st century include the ability to reason in innovative and creative
ways, to collaborate and communicate using new and emerging technologies, to adapt
rapidly, to solve problems and take calculated risks, and to continue learning
throughout one’s lifetime. If we believe that these are the skills most needed for
individuals and nations to succeed in the 21st century, we must ask ourselves whether
our present educational institutions are the best vehicles for nurturing these skills, or
whether new arrangements and methods are required...If existing institutions are to
continue as the principal means of skills development, what reforms are required to
ensure that graduates are ready for the world they will enter?”
This report acknowledges the need to rethink education in light of a changing world economy.
Educational institutions like the TCDSB must consider innovative approaches for nurturing the skills
required to be successful in the 21st century so that students who graduate from our system will
have not only met the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations, but will possess
competencies in the areas of collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creativity.
3. In 2008 the US Bureau of Labour Statistics indicated that students can expect to have more than
eleven (11) different jobs between the ages of 18-42. In order to address this reality students
require 21st century learning skills that can be applied to a host of work environments.
4. As part of Microsoft’s commitment to education transformation, its’ Partners in Learning
Program Division initiated the Innovative Teaching and Learning (ITL) Research project to contribute
information and policy insights on where and how effective education transformation is taking place
around the world.
ITL Research is a multiyear global research program designed to investigate the factors
that promote the transformation of teaching practices and the impact those changes
have on students’ learning outcomes across a broad range of country contexts.
21st Century Learning Design, is a global professional development program for
teachers and schools to develop more innovative pedagogies that develop students’
skills for the 21st Century. The program is sponsored globally by Microsoft Partners in
Learning and is supported in each country by a network of education partners. 21st
Century Learning Design is based on the way ITL Research studies and measures
innovative teaching practices. 21st Century Learning Design asks teachers and school
leaders to:
• Analyze and 'code' learning activities to see how deeply they integrate 21st
century skills
• Collaborate in designing new learning activities that provide deeper 21st
century skills development
• Examine the impact of these learning activities on students' work
• Use ICT as part of the process
Please refer to www.itlresearch.com for a full description of the program.
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5. The Creative Commons licence of ITL, allowed the TCDSB to adapt ITL’s 21st Century Learning Design
Rubrics so as to infuse the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations and to incorporate the
TCDSB21C Project NeXt’s spectrum of comfort into “TCDSB21 NeXt Lesson: 21st Century Learning
Design”.
6. During the 2012-2013 academic year the TCDSB was involved in 21st Century Pilots for System
Learning, co-sponsored by the Ministry and the Council of Ontario Directors of Education (CODE).
Through this project the TCDSB piloted and adapted version of ITL’s Learning Design Rubric as a tool
for teacher self-reflection.
E.
ACTION PLAN
E.#1 The Vision
VISION
PRINCIPLES
GOALS
Teaching
‘21st
Century fluencies
of digital literacy,
creativity,
innovation
and
collaboration are
essential’ for the
future success of
our
students.
(adapted from the
TCDSB Multi-Year
Strategic Plan)
In order to adequately prepare
the NeXt Student for the
demands and opportunities of
our modern world, 21st Century
fluencies need to be embedded
in the learning experience. In
order to achieve this all TCDSB
leaders, educators and parents
must be involved.
For details see Appendix A.
The NeXt Student is at the centre of all
that we do in the TCDSB in teaching and
learning.
Appendix A outlines a five-year, threephase plan for addressing 21st Century
Learning Skills:
Phase One – The NeXt Administrator
(2012-2016)
Phase Two – The NeXt Teacher (20132016)
Phase Three – The NeXt Parent (20142016)
The TCDSB will continue to
invest in technology aimed at
enabling and supporting the 21st
Century Learning.
•
•
•
•
•
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Monitor and upgrade current network
infrastructure as necessary to meet the
growing demands of 21st Century
learning.
Unless otherwise required, invest in
mobile technology, instead of desktops
to promote flexible and collaborative
learning environments.
Continue to install WiFi in all of our
school buildings and portables.
Lease vs. Buy to maximize impact of
limited funds in a more timely way, to
increase
technology
available
to
students, and to stay current.
Promote the use of Bring Your Own
Device (BYOD) to leverage technology
VISION
PRINCIPLES
GOALS
•
•
•
that students bring to school for
educational purposes and to promote
good digital citizenship.
Promote the use of the appropriate
technology for the appropriate learning
task
Continue to attach directed
professional
development
to
relevant investments in classroom
technology.
Continue to monitor and investigate
new technologies and their impact
on student learning.
E.#2 The Non-monetary Components
CATEGORY
DESCRIPTION
Culture Shift
Change the conversation on 21st Century Learning from a primary
focus on technology to one of competencies that can be enabled and
supported by pertinent and responsible decisions regarding the use of
and investment in technology.
• Align with existing Student Success Learning Network (SSLN)
structure so as to support job-embedded professional development
with staff and school communities.
• Provide digital and online resources to assist schools to serve the
needs of 21st Century students.
• Continue to develop and promote the reflective tool of the NeXt
Lesson through collaboration with TCDSB educators and other
educators throughout the world.
• Within Secondary Schools continue to work with Department
Leaders using the NeXt Lesson.
• Facilitate a greater level of collaboration between the various
Curriculum Departments to develop a clear and cohesive
curriculum-based model of 21st Century teaching and learning.
• Align with MYSP to support the areas of:
o Living Our Catholic Values
o Foster Student Achievement and Well Being
o Inspiring and Motivating Employees
o Providing Stewardship of Resources
o Strengthening Public Confidence
• The structure of this five-year plan acknowledges the need to
involve all of our stakeholders in the support of our students and
Professional Learning
Horizontal Alignment
Stakeholder Involvement
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CATEGORY
DESCRIPTION
•
21st Century Learning
Continue to engage all Administrators, Teachers and Parents
through consultation and feedback to determine needs and the
supports appropriate for their needs.
E.#3 The Investment Requirements
SUBJECT
STRATEGY
Curriculum
Professional Development will continue to be offered through the
21C&AICT department and other curriculum areas. Professional
Development will focus on the 6 competencies of the NeXt Lesson.
Embedded within IT plan of the TCDSB. Continue to employ the
technologies that are available.
All central resource staff are receiving training in the NeXt Lesson
and it will be integrated into the work of all curriculum
departments within the TCDSB.
Professional Development budget requirements will be integrated
into the existing Professional Learning budget. We will continue to
apply for any additional funding offered through the Ministry of
Education/CODE.
Capital / Infrastructure
Human Resources
Budget
IT Priorities already identified through the budget process are
integrated into this five-year plan. As such, supporting the IT
requirements of this plan is estimated to require a minimum of
$500 000 annually for the duration of this plan. This would enable
students in schools to have increased access to current
technology. Along with the Bring Your Own Device Plan, increased
provision of technology to the system will also address equity
issues.
The 6 competencies of the NeXt Lesson are infused with the
Ontario Catholic Schools Graduate Expectations.
Catholic Values Lens
F.
IMPACT ANALYSIS
Option
Congruence
with MYSP
Legal
Compliance
Catholic Lens
Affordability
#1
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
G.
METRICS AND ACCOUNTABILITY
1.
2.
Increased awareness of 21st Century learning competencies as measured by teacher surveys.
Continued modelling by Senior Staff and System Leaders.
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3.
4.
5.
Surveys of teachers with regard to their utilization of 21st Century Learning Design.
Include in existing student surveys questions about 21st Century skills.
The Director of Education, supported by the Superintendent of 21st Century Learning and
Academic ICT, is accountable for the plan.
An annual progress report will be provided for trustees at the Student Achievement and WellBeing, Catholic Education and Human Resources Committee.
6.
H.
I.
IMPLEMENTATION,
STRATEGIC
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PLAN
COMMUNICATIONS
AND
•
A detailed plan for 2013-2014 will be made available in September 2013. It will be available on
the internet on the TCDSB 21C & AICT page of the TCDSB website.
•
The implementation of this Five-Year Communications Plan will feature traditional modalities
and current uses of social media. As with all comprehensive communications plans of this
duration, the Communications team will ensure built-in flexibility to leverage the new media
platforms expected to emerge as industry trends within this time frame.
•
All materials (communications and curriculum-based) created by TCDSB staff and utilized in the
delivery of all aspects of the plan will be covered under a Creative Commons license so that they
can be shared and adapted by others.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
That the Board approve the TCDSB five-year Plan for 21st century learning in Appendix A.
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