The ultimate goal of the activities in the handbook is to strengthen teaching and increase opportunities for student learning. The vehicle for achievement of this goal is the provisions for personal-professional growth that are focused on the Core Curriculum.

Introduction

Overview of the Handbook

Classroom Curriculum Connections describes a model for teacher-directed professional development in relation to Saskatchewan's Core Curriculum (Connections Model). The three personal and professional growth processes supported in the Handbook are designed to be used either individually or together.

Personal-Professional Growth Processes

  1. Curriculum Reflection
  2. Curriculum Inquiry
  3. Curriculum Networking

Each process is unique, offering teachers opportunities for different forms of learning. These include opportunities to:

  • increase their understanding of teaching/learning situations
  • expand their repertoire of instructional and assessment techniques
  • strengthen their support systems, including collegial relationships.

The ultimate goal of these activities is to strengthen teaching and increase opportunities for student learning. The relationships in the Connections Model are depicted below.

Purposes of the Handbook

  • Support personal and professional growth planning.
  • Guide self-directed implementation/renewal processes.
  • Provide quick reference tools for many professional development activities.
  • Provide processes for assessing self and context in relation to Core Curriculum.
  • Increase understanding of Core Curriculum framework and its parts.

Goal: Strengthen teaching and student learning.
Participation in Curriculum Inquiry, Reflection, or Networking will complement and coincide with what teachers are already doing, as opposed to involving them in additional responsibilities. The Connections Model

The professional development model in Classroom Curriculum Connections has been developed from relevant literature, and the experiences and advice of practicing teachers. The three personal-professional growth processes it contains have been:

  • tailored to reflect the Saskatchewan context
  • developed to support teachers' yearly program and professional growth planning.

This means that participation in Curriculum Inquiry, Reflection, or Networking will complement and coincide with what teachers are already doing, as opposed to involving them in additional responsibilities. (See the following chart, Example of One Teacher's Personal-Professional Growth Plan, which illustrates this connection between regular classroom responsibilities, professional development, and the use of processes in the Handbook.)

Each professional development process in the Handbook offers possibilities for:

  • teacher growth
  • further implementation and/or renewal of Core Curriculum
  • collegial and administrative supports.
 

The following chart shows ways that each of the professional development processes in the Connections Model has been focused. While these processes overlap to an extent, the chart shows the strongest foci within each process.
Charts that depict aspects of Core Curriculum are provided as quick reference tools to support teachers' planning and professional growth.

Connections to Core Curriculum

A major focus for teachers' instructional and professional development planning is the curricula for which teachers are responsible. As the mandated curriculum in Saskatchewan is the Core Curriculum, its Components and Initiatives are used as the source for examples of professional development targets/actions in Chapters 2-4.

Charts that depict aspects of the Core Curriculum are provided as quick references to be used by both new and experienced teachers. These charts answer common questions and are a means for teachers new to teaching, new to a particular subject area, or new to the province to obtain a background in Saskatchewan's Core Curriculum. See Chapter 1 for this summary information about the Core Curriculum, and related charts and tools useful in undertaking the three professional development processes.

The remainder of the Handbook provides the information needed to undertake Curriculum Reflection (Ch. 2), Curriculum Inquiry (Ch. 3) and Curriculum Networking (Ch. 4).

Organization of the Handbook

The Handbook is based on a developmental model of curriculum implementation where teachers move towards fuller implementation in stages, and at a pace that reflects:
· their experiences, strengths, and challenges
· the degree and quality of supports available.

The chart on the following page provides an overview of this developmental model of implementation. It is described more fully in Assessment Tool 2 (see pp. 80-81).

Use of the Handbook

Teachers may:
· choose one process to focus on each year/term
· pull out individual sections or charts as needed
· use the Handbook as a whole.

To Learn More About

· Core Curriculum, see Chapter 1, p. 6.
· Curriculum Reflection, see Chapter 2, p. 19.
· Curriculum Inquiry, see Chapter 3, p. 41.
· Curriculum Networking, see Chapter 4, p. 59.
This handbook has been developed from a model of curriculum implementation that recognizes that implementation is a developmental process, not an isolated or discrete event.