Page 18 - Creating Pathways to Success

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CREATING PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS
3.4
Gathering Evidence of Learning in Education and Career/Life Planning
The experiences students have as they actively develop answers to the four key inquiry questions allow them to gather information about themselves and their opportunities; consider feedback from their teachers, parents, and peers; make decisions and set goals; and develop plans for achieving their goals. As students document and reflect on their experiences and learning, discuss what they are learning, and weigh their options for next steps, their competence in education and career/life planning grows. The “All About Me” portfolio in Kindergarten to Grade 6 and the Individual Pathways Plan (IPP) in Grades 7 to 12 provide a structure for, and serve as a record of, this learning process. Students capture evidence related to the four areas of learning for their portfolio or IPP in all their subjects or courses at school and in various endeavours and activities at home and in the community.
A process must be in place at every school to support students in documenting their learning in education and career/life planning in a portfolio or IPP. This process must include the opportunity for students to review and share evidence of their learning with their teacher(s) and, where possible, their parents at least twice a year.
Both the portfolio and the IPP could inform parent interviews and student-led conferences at which students share and reflect on their learning. Both these tools can also help students manage key transitions (see Chapter 4).
The portfolio and IPP also serve as a vehicle through which students can provide valuable feedback about the kinds of school experiences and learning activities that have been most helpful to them in acquiring knowledge and skills in education and career/life planning. This feedback can be considered a source of student opinion – the “student voice” – with respect to the effectiveness of the program, and should be taken into account in evaluations of the school’s education and career/life planning program (see section 6.5).
Teachers should bear in mind that the information a student shares from his or her portfolio or IPP can provide them with additional insight into the student’s par- ticular learning strengths, needs, interests, and aspirations. This understanding can inform the teacher’s work in developing the student profile and/or the class profile, as described in Learning for All: A Guide to Effective Assessment and Instruction for All Students, Kindergarten to Grade 12; Draft Version, 2011 (http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/ eng/general/elemsec/speced/LearningforAll2011.pdf).
A Note about Confidentiality: The issue of confidentiality of the information transmitted between a teacher or guidance teacher/counsellor and a student is governed by several pieces of legislation in addition to professional codes of conduct. Personal information collected by the teacher or counsellor is governed by freedom of information legislation.