Professional Learning Goals

We explored the concept of deeper learning to enhance student engagement not only in fashion classes, but also in family studies/social sciences classes as a whole. Teachers from  four separate school boards shared their knowledge and resources to learn about 21st-century competencies and how they can be incorporated into deeper learning opportunities for students.

Activities and Resources

• Three face-to-face team meetings
• Each member met with an deeper learning/inquiry expert from their school board
• Fullan, M. and Langworthy, M. (2014). A Rich Seam: How New Pedagogies Find Deeper Learning
• Gini-Newman, G. and Case, R. (2015). Creating Thinking Classrooms: Leading Educational Change for a 21st Century World. Vancouver, BC: The Critical Thinking Consortium.
• Koechlin, C. and Zwaan, S. (2006). Q Tasks: How to empower students to ask questions and care about answers. Markham, ON: Pembroke.
• Kozak, S. and Elliott, S. (2014). Connecting the Dots: Key Strategies that Transform Learning for Environmental Education, Citizenship and Sustainability. North York, ON: Learning for a Sustainable Future.
• McTighe, J. and Wiggins, G. (2013). Essential Questions: Opening Doors to Student Understanding. Alexandria, Virginia, USA: ASCD.
• Ritchhart, R., Church, M. and Morrison, K. (2011). Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for all Learners. San Francisco, California, USA: Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Imprint.
• Watt, J. and Colyer, J. (2014). IQ: A Practical Guide to Inquiry-Based Learning. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.
• Phase 1 Towards Defining 21st Century Competencies for Ontario: 21st Century Competencies Foundation Document for Discussion Winter 2016 www.edugains.ca/…/About21stCentury/21CL_21stCenturyCompetencies.pdf
• The 7 Principles of Learning https://www.oecd.org/edu/ceri/50300814.pdf

Unexpected Challenges

One challenge that was also positive was that team members were from different school boards as different school boards use different terminology and have different practices. Coming together to work on the project and have it be useful for all was a challenge.

There was tension between current practices and a desire to move to newer pedagogical approaches. Although the team members embrace this learning, we acknowledge that we may meet some resistance as we share with other colleagues.

Enhancing Student Learning and Development

Student learning is enhanced by engaging in deeper learning projects. Students develop 21st-century skills while successfully meeting the fashion curriculum expectations from the newly revised Social Sciences and Humanities Curriculum document.  

Sharing

Our learning will be shared through OTF (online, webinar) and through the Ontario Family Studies Educator’s Association’s website. The project was shared at the Canadian Symposium for Home Economics/Family Studies teachers in February 2017. Workshops for social science teachers will be offered at the OFSHEEA Annual Fall Conference, “Explore the Possibilities” on October 21, 2017. Each team member will make plans to share the resource document within their school board.

Project Evaluation

The team thoroughly enjoyed the collaboration and dialogue as new resources were discovered and shared. We recognize the shift in pedagogy and enthusiastically embrace new teaching practices that better meet the needs of present-day students. More time to explore, collaborate and complete action research would have been useful.