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Aligned with the Program of Studies
Our resources are aligned with the provincial program of studies and designed to allow teachers to work more efficiently and, most importantly, help students progress successfully at their own pace.
Having an endless supply of resources to improve a student's performance is tantamount to having a dedicated group of teachers working full-time every day exclusively for the benefit of you and your students.
Our objective-based resources are designed by teachers for teachers. Each module lists all the objectives so that teachers can accurately record the objectives the student has mastered and identify which ones still need more practice to become proficient. Most of our student-focused worksheets come in 5 parts.
Part A The Pre-test
A pre-test is used to determine whether learners have already mastered some or all of the skills that match the program of studies for that particular topic. If they have, then they do not need as much instruction, if any, for those skills. If it becomes obvious that they lack certain skills then instruction can be focused so that the students attain those skills. When using a pre-test in this manner, a teacher is not trying to grade a student; he or she is simply trying to find the point at which instruction should start.
The pre-test helps determine which skills they may already be familiar with. However, if a teacher already knows that the learners have no clue about the topic they are teaching them, then they may not need a pretest.
Click here to see a sample of Part A
Part B Promoting Independent Learning
The Curriculum Centre believes that students need to be taught to become independent learners. Therefore, we provide activities for students to tackle the subject matter with little or no direct or immediate help from the teacher. Students are provided with the information, directions and steps needed to learn the skill or understand the concepts required without the teacher directing the learning at the front of the class or in small group settings.
The steps that are presented to the student are small and incremental. If the student reaches an impasse and has exhausted his strategies to get unstuck, the teacher, at this point, will intervene so the student does not become frustrated.
The Curriculum Centre believes that learning how to learn independently is of the utmost importance and we encourage all teachers to make this part of their regular teaching practices. There are several ways that learner training can be woven into their activities to promote more independence and help all students along the instructional continuum.
Click here to see a sample of Part B
How to promote independent learning?
Here are ten ways in which teachers can assist with this process and promote lifelong learning skills.
1. Give Choices
Teachers can provide activities for students with the opportunity to make choices. This encourages them to reflect on their interests and preferences. It will also make them start to take responsibility for learning.
2. Encourage Group Work
Group work is beneficial in that it provides learners with an opportunity to learn from each other in an active, involved way. In addition, it temporarily takes the control away from the teacher and gives it to the learners- thus encouraging independence.
3. Encourage learners to predict how well they did on tests
Before doing a test or after doing a test, students are encouraged to predict how well they will do or how well they did. This exercise makes them reflect on their strengths and weaknesses and the progress they are making. The reflective aspects of this process also help the students make an appropriate learning plan and help them see that they are responsible for their learning.
4. Use Authentic Learning Materials
Authentic learning materials are items which were not originally designed for learning purposes. They might include newspaper or magazine articles, TV, radio recordings and so on. These materials can be motivating as they connect the classroom with the outside world and make the students see that learning does not take place only in the classroom. The Curriculum Centre encourages students to bring in their authentic materials to contribute to classroom activities to make them more meaningful.
5. Involve learners in lesson planning
The Curriculum Centre provides opportunities for students to develop lessons and activities regularly. This ensures that the lesson is interesting and relevant for them. In addition, it involves the students in the learning process and allows them to reflect on their needs.
6. Encourage learners to keep learner diaries
These diaries can form a dialogue between the teacher and the learners which is mutually beneficial. It is an opportunity for teachers to see which areas students find interesting and where they might be having problems, and also it is a vehicle for students to reflect and write (or draw) honest comments about their learning.
7. Build reflection and extension into activities
Traditional classroom activities often require students to examine a text to answer factual, closed questions.
8 Encourage self and peer-editing
Before students hand in their work for marking, teachers could encourage them to check it carefully with a friend. Teachers could help them make an editing checklist which encourages students to check for errors that they frequently make.
9. Provide Activities that require higher thinking skills
Students must complete “gateway assignments” which encourage the student to demonstrate their learning successes in a meaningful way. These exercises allow students to show their understanding by producing actual work that relates to the real world of the student - an essay, a lab report, a presentation, a portfolio, a drawing, a song or some other demonstration of competency.
Gateway activities give students the chance to go deeper into their learning. It also gives them opportunities for ownership of their studies and their activities. They get to activate their minds and get to know their content more deeply.
10. Set Learning Goals
With the help of the teacher, the student should be provided the opportunity to set learning goals. Goal setting is a worthwhile exercise which encourages students to reflect and self-evaluate. The learning goals should be visited regularly and re-assessed.
Part C Importance of Practice and Formative Evaluations
Practice using newly learned skills is an essential part of learning. It is also vital in maintaining skills that were previously learned. If regular practice is not maintained, these acquired skills will rapidly deteriorate.
Practice questions help the student obtain and sustain mastery of the objective. During the practice exercises, students can focus on problematic areas by referring back to Part B to consolidate their understanding or get remedial help on items that still cause confusion. The practice questions allow teachers ample opportunity to provide corrective feedback to keep learners focused and on track.
Skills and Subskills
When students are introduced to a new objective, they are exposed to any new vocabulary and all variations of the topic. Looking at questions from different perspectives allows the student to increase his skill level and get a better grasp and understanding of the objective.
Click here to see a sample of Part C
Part D The Post Test – The Road to Success and Summative Evaluations
Post-tests are given following instruction, feedback and remediation mandated by the pre-test. The post-test confirms that the students have mastered the objectives set out for them in the beginning. Each item on a post-test should match the teacher's objectives, and the test should assess all of the objectives and any important related subskills.
Testing for Success
Success breeds success. It is counterproductive to test a student when he has not mastered the content. We already know what the results will be. Therefore, the Curriculum Centre believes that students should be allowed to take regular classroom summative tests only when they are confident that they will be successful. Of course, this requires a different approach to teaching than the one-size-fits-all style of instruction that is found in many classrooms today.
Click here to see a sample of Part D
Part E Learning Encounters the Real World – Bloom’s Taxonomy
Applying what is learned in the classroom to the real world is an important step for students and should be fostered whenever possible. At the end of most modules, students must complete “gateway assignments” which encourage the students to demonstrate their learning successes in a meaningful way. The gateway assignments allow students to show their understanding by producing a work of their choice that relates to the real world of the student - an essay, a lab report, a presentation, a portfolio, a drawing, a model, a song or some other demonstration of competency.
Click here to see a sample of Part E
