Sharing Learning Targets and Creating a Common Language of Core Competency

SCSBC has developed two sets of Core Competency and Facet posters and a form for students to use to track their own Core Competency development. These tools are intended to support teachers’ intentional development of understanding through building a common language with their students. Purposeful engagement and explicit consideration of each of the Core Competency facets will improve students’ abilities to engage in self-assessment of the Core Competencies.

As teachers and students become more familiar with the various aspects and progressions inherent to each of the Core Competency areas, the process of self-assessment will feel more natural. Teachers are encouraged to introduce and intentionally facilitate dialogue centred on how students might recognize evidence of core competency development; giving specific considerations and language to what observable artefacts might look like within the context of that class and its content engagement.

Consider the following ways you might use the Core Competency facet posters:

  • Display the Core Competency poster on the wall for ongoing reference.
  • Teacher and students discuss the meaning and implications of the Core Competency facet(s) selected for intentional noticing, naming, and nurturing.
  • Students help articulate what meeting the learning target will look like. Articulations will often begin with the words “I can.”
  • Learning targets are Competency focused, not content focused. Content is a medium through which competencies are developed.

These two sets of posters will help teachers facilitate understanding of what evidence looks like in each of the Core Competency facet areas. These files for the posters can be found in the SCSBC Member Portal School Administration area.

C-T-PS-Core-Competency-Learning-Target-Posters.pdf

– to print on 11 x 17 paper

This set of 6 posters show the Core Competency with all associated facet areas on a single poster. A teacher may employ these posters as an aggregate collection of competency “I can” statements or may choose to use them while introducing students to the competency areas.

C-T-PS-Core-Competency-Learning-Target-Posters-individual-facets.pdf
– to print on 11 x 17 paper

This set of 20 posters shows a single facet on each poster. A teacher can select a particular facet for intentional focus. These posters might serve as a space for collecting hand-written or sticky-note class-created “I can” statements.

Core Competency Tracking Form for Students
– to be used as electronic fillable or print version for handwritten responses
This form is to be used to empower students as owners of reflection and self-assessment of Core Competency. Through the use of Learning Targets or “I can” statements in class, teachers provide this form to students in order to assist them in organizing and collating a record of their learning and development. A student could use a single form or create one for each unit, each type of Core Competency, or in a new way we have not anticipated.

Teachers are encouraged to refer to the competency targets often as a function of noticing, naming, and nurturing competency development.

  • Greg Gerber, SCSBC Director of Learning
  • Darren Spyksma, SCSBC Director of Learning

Engage Your Planning with Core Competency as the Starting Point