Critical Competencies … Ministerial Order… Not so scary after all!

By Keltie Thompson, Edmonton Public Schools

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Critical Competencies … Ministerial Order… I had heard of them at a staff meeting but I did not really know what they were all about or how they would affect my teaching, my planning, my students. If I had to admit it, I was maybe afraid of them. Afraid of not knowing what they were, afraid of using them, or, using them wrong, afraid that they were ‘extra work.’  My administrator suggested I take part in the Ministerial Order PD supported by the ERLC, focusing on the Critical Competencies in education. I jumped at the chance to broaden my awareness and skills set and pass that on to my students and my colleagues.

We jumped right in the first morning of the PD and looked at the Ministerial Order. Not so scary after all. We had great discussion surrounding the competencies, realizing that many of us and our colleagues are doing these already. Whew! I began to look at this not as extra, but as something I am already incorporating. Not so scary after all.

Through the PD, we were provided with the time to create a project that highlighted and purposely inserted the competencies set out in the Ministerial Order. The project I created for my students was science based, full of inquiry and experimentation, as science should be. It was also open ended in how they were able to provide me with evidence that they learned about the properties of air. I highlighted for my students, and we talked about, some key vocabulary taken from the competencies: engaged thinkers, collaboration, evaluating and reflecting. Then the students set to work on their inquiry task involving properties of air because I was not just focusing on their understanding of science objectives but, also on their skills involving the competencies.

So, I guess if someone was to walk in my classroom and see a freckle- faced, red headed girl inside a garbage bag, only her head sticking out, with a vacuum cleaner stuck inside the bag, sucking out the air, they may have wondered what was going on and if everyone was okay. They may have wondered how this was using the Ministerial Order or how this was demonstrating competencies. My students learned a lot that day, not just about science but also about themselves as learners. They are beginning to reflect on which competencies they are good at and which ones they may want to get better at.

As I teacher, I saw what I had hoped to see and more. They were engaged problems solvers, they tested, evaluated, redesigned and tested again. They gathered information from their background knowledge, the internet, books and each other. I saw different students working together and groups giving other groups feedback on what they saw as they took on the challenge. I saw my students ask questions to take their learning further. This was theirs and they owned it.

So, now, at our next staff meeting, when the Ministerial Order and the Critical Competencies are brought up, I can share my story.  It’s about doing what’s best for kids…not so scary after all.

 

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