Curriculum Framework

Enable learners to take risks and make mistakes as part of the learning process

The holistic curriculum Pedagogies value Safe and Positive Spaces for Learning, Experiential Learning, Play and Inquiry-Based Learning, and Holding Each Learner in the Highest Regard. All of these approaches centre around the creation of safe spaces in which learners can explore, take risks, and make mistakes while following appropriate safety protocols in skilled trades, science labs, and other school environments. This view highlights the value of testing ideas and approaches as central to the learning process, reduces fear of failure, and shifts the emphasis towards reflection, rethinking, and revision of methods to encourage deeper learning and understanding (Feldman, 2024).

Wabanaki Principles of Learning connection:

• Learning involves the need to recognize each other’s experiences as valid.
• Learning supports the well-being of the self, the family, the community, the land, and the ancestors.
• Learning involves actualizing one’s passions through identity exploration.

Enacted in Practice

Educators focus on classroom culture early and often, working with learners to create classroom norms that support and celebrate learners as they take risks and make mistakes. Educators provide rich, meaningful tasks at the beginning of the learning process so that learners understand the goals they hope to achieve and how their learning will culminate. Educators provide success criteria that reflect core learning goals, particularly competencies of reasoning, reflection, and iterative thinking. Learners understand that these criteria reflect learning expectations in the curriculum.

Learners have multiple opportunities to demonstrate their learning, and educators value the learning process in addition to any final product or performance. Educators foster trusting relationships with learners and encourage risk-taking on an ongoing basis.

Within a trusting relationship, learners and educators understandmistakes as learning opportunities and demonstrate a growth-oriented approach to learning. Learners feel safe in their learning and are personally motivated to accept guidance from others. Learners test and revise their responses as part of an iterative thinking process that deepens their understanding.

Educators provide opportunities for learners to play central roles in the assessment process. Learners and educators take time to talk openly and honestly about the fairness, validity, reliability, value, and accessibility of evaluations. Educators communicate clear learning goals to learners prior to instruction and assessment (Brookhart, 2013). The dialogue between educators and learners is thoughtful, reflective, focused to evoke and explore understanding, and conducted so all learners have opportunity to think and express ideas (Black & Wiliam, 1998). Through these discussions, the educator and learner understand that the purpose of the assessment is to accurately reflect learning that is aligned to the curriculum.

Learners practise perseverance in the learning cycle through taking learning risks, making mistakes, and applying feedback to inform next steps as part of Experiential Learning. Learners balance social, emotional, academic, exploration, oral language development, and physical well-being as part of Play and Inquiry-Based Learning.

In practice, this:

• looks like trials, prototyping, experimentation; multimodal approaches to topics; making thinking visible.
• sounds like active and interactive classrooms; thinking aloud; learners asking questions; educators sharing mistakes in their own learning process.
• feels like psychological safety for learners and educators; space and time to reflect on learning and thinking processes.