Welcome to the Session

1
Welcome to the Session

• While you are waiting for the others to join the
  session, please work on the following activity

• Please read one or more of the following sections
  of the Introduction to the Revised Science and
  Technology Curriculum document
• The Nature of Science and Technology, pages 4-5
• Roles and Responsibilities, pages 7-9
• The Achievement Chart for Science and Technology,
  page 23 - 27
• and note
• Shifts and/or emphases that you notice
• Things you are glad to see
• Things you do not understand

2
The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8 Science and
Technology
Spring, 2008
3
Introductions

• Jill Snider, Education Officer, Science and
  Technology Grades 1-8
• Maureen Callan, Education Officer, Science,
  Grades 9-12
• Joanie Causarano, Education Officer. Assessment
  and Evaluation
• Paul Walsh, Education Officer, Assessment and
  Evaluation

4
GOALS

• To review the curriculum review process
• To become familiar with key changes in the 2007
  revised Science and Technology curriculum policy
  document
• To review key messages about Assessment and
  Evaluation

5
Agenda

• Curriculum Review
• Context / Process / Findings
• Areas of Change
• Introduction / Strands / Overall Expectations/
  Specific Expectations / Format

6
Role of A Policy Document

• A curriculum policy document mandates the what
  of the curriculum through the expectations
• It, along with the Guide to the Provincial Report
  Card, establish the Assessment and Evaluation
  policy - the how well of the curriculum

7
Role of A Policy Document

• It provides implementation suggestions the how
  of curriculum through the examples, sample
  guiding questions, sample problems and issues,
  and sample prompts.
• It provides a philosophical and pedagogical
  rationale in the introduction

8
Curriculum Review

• Pilot
• Social Studies, History and Geography, Canadian
  and World Studies
• Year 1
• Mathematics, Business Studies, Guidance and
  Career Education

9
Curriculum Review

• Year 2
• Kindergarten, English as a Second
  Language/English Literacy Development,
  Language/English
• Year 3
• Science and Technology, Science, Technological
  Education

10
Curriculum Review

• Year 4
• The Arts
• Year 5
• Social Sciences and Humanities, Health and
  Physical Education

11
Curriculum Review

• Year 6
• French as a Second Language, Native Languages,
  Classical and International Languages
• Year 7
• Native Studies
• Interdisciplinary Studies
• Social Studies/ History/ Geography, Canadian and
  World Studies

12
Curriculum Review Process
Year 1

• Technical Analysis
• Focus Groups
• Stakeholder consultations
• Research
• Benchmarking
• Synthesis Report Recommendations for revisions
• Summer writing

13
Curriculum Review Process
Year 2

• Feedback consultation session
• Feedback Survey
• Revisions based on feedback
• Ongoing revision consultations
• with educators

14
Curriculum Review Process
Year 3 (Year 4)

• Editing
• Fact Check, Antidiscrimination Check,
  Environmental Education Check
• Applying the draft EE standards
• Posting, Publishing and
• Distribution

15
CURRICULUM REVIEWFindings

• Strengths of the Curriculum

16
Strengths

• Common structure
• Consistent organization
• Strong relationship to the Pan-Canadian
• Inclusion of literacy and numeracy skills
• Scope/diversity, continuity and sequence of
  topics

17
Strengths

• Examples
• Skills
• Inquiry-based learning
• Relating Science and Technology to Society and
  the Environment (STSE)
• The Achievement Chart

18
Strengths

• Spiralling
• Clear and concise
• Importance of safety
• Developmentally appropriate
• Achievable

19
What You Asked For

• FORMAT

20
What You Asked For
Revise STSE expectations to enhance and emphasize
stewardship and sustainability

• STSE expectations are placed first, to set a
  context for developing related skills and
  conceptual knowledge.
• They focus on developing realistic perceptions
  about the connections between science,
  technology, society and the environment.

21
What You Asked For
Revise STSE expectations to enhance and emphasize
stewardship and sustainability

• Empower students to propose and/or take action
  on environmental issues
• Flexible enough to enable a local emphasis and
  promote student engagement.

22
What You Asked For
Re-organize expectations by grade

• Strands and topics are now organized by grade.

23
What You Asked For

• Strands and Topics

24
What You Asked For
Reduce content

• Number of strands has been reduced to 4 from 5.
• Number of topics per grade has been reduced to 4
  from 5.
• Result is approximately a 20 reduction in
  content.

25
What You Asked For
Improve developmental appropriateness

• Grade 8 Optics now in grade 10.
• Concepts have been carefully mapped out through
  the grades to ensure development appropriateness
  and reduction in overlap (e.g., Human Body
  Systems (Grade 5)---Cells (Grade 8) ---Tissues,
  Organs, and Systems (Grade 10)

26
What You Asked For

• Overall Expectations

27
What You Asked For
Align OEs, SEs, and Achievement Chart

• The overall expectations are numbered to provide
  clear links to the specific expectations.
• Clusters of SEs are labelled to make alignment
  to achievement chart clearer

28
What You Asked For

• Fundamental Concepts
• Big Ideas

29
What You Asked For
Incorporate Fundamental Concepts

• The fundamental concepts that are addressed in
  the curricula for science
• and technology in Grades 1 to 8 and for science
  in Grades 9 to 12 are matter, energy, systems and
  interactions, structure and function,
  sustainability and stewardship, and change and
  continuity.

30
What You Asked For
Link Fundamental Concepts to Overalls

• Big ideas define which aspects of the fundamental
  concepts should be addressed at each grade.
• The big ideas are linked to the overall
  expectations.
• The overall expectations are numbered to provide
  clear links to the specific expectations.

31
What You Asked For

• Specific Expectations

32
What You Asked For
Reduce content

• Lessen the amount of content through reduction of
  specific expectations
• Removed a strand/topic per grade
• Remaining expectations addressed in greater depth
  for greater understanding

33
What You Asked For
Eliminate overlap, redundancy, ambiguity

• Specifics are more precise, concise, and easily
  understood

34
What You Asked For

• Update and add examples

• Provide a clearer picture of the depth of
  learning and level of complexity of the
  expectation.
• Examples are more relevant and current
• Sample issues, questions, problems, and prompts.

35
What You Asked For
Eliminate overlap, redundancy, ambiguityhowever
.

• Some need to be repeated in context to
  reinforce the development of skills of
  scientific inquiry, technological problem
  solving and communication.

36
What You Asked For

• Skills

37
What You Asked For
Add or enhance sections to improve knowledge and
understanding of teachers

• Clear articulation of the Investigation skills
  scientific inquiry/experimentation, scientific
  inquiry/research, and technological problem
  solving.

38
What You Asked For
Create skills continua to help teachers know the
depth and breadth of the skills

• Continua for scientific inquiry/ experimentation
  skills, scientific inquiry /research skills, and
  technological problem solving skills

39
What You Asked For

• Introduction

40
What You Asked For
Add or enhance sections to improve knowledge and
understanding of teachers

• Clear articulation of the nature of science and
  technology.
• Clear articulation of what scientific and
  technological literacy look like.

41
What You Asked For
Enhance topic chart

• Two topics charts now show how topics are
  developed through elementary and into secondary
  in science and technological education.
• Change in order of strands
• Change in names of strands

42
What You Asked For
Add or enhance sections to improve knowledge and
understanding of teachers

• Sections on developing critical thinking,
  critical literacy, literacy and numeracy through
  science and technology

43
What You Asked For
Safety

• Addressed more prominently in the Introduction.
• Addressed in overviews for topics.
• Specific expectation in each topic.
• Safety addressed in the achievement chart

44
What You Asked For
Add or enhance sections to improve knowledge and
understanding of teachers

• Enhanced sections on Role of Parents/Guardians,
  Students, Teachers, Principals, Community Members

45
What You Asked For
Add or enhance sections to improve knowledge and
understanding of teachers

• Expanded glossary, more terms, clearer
  explanations.

46
What You Asked For

• Assessment and Evaluation

47
What You Asked For

• Achievement Chart

48
What You Asked For

• Rename Thinking category to Thinking and
  Investigation

• Thinking and Investigation to more closely
  reflect the unique skills in science and
  technology

49
What You Asked For
Safety

• Safety addressed in the achievement chart

50
What You Asked For
Application

• Transfer of knowledge and skills (e.g., ..) to
  unfamiliar contexts