Core module: Horizons of Hope

How do we lead and design learning that matters to the lives learners live?

Aims

• Learners will understand the changing nature/identity of Catholic schools in today's society
• Learners will understand :
  • their community is unique and the needs of their learners are broad
  • the importance of relationship in influencing the learning of all
  • the relationship between curriculum, assessment and pedagogy

Intended Outcomes

By the end of this module, participants will have considered:

• How are we responding to today's context in light of our Catholic identity?
• How do we lead for the enactment of curriculum, assessment and pedagogy in a Catholic school?

Learning Experience 1 - Horizons of Hope connect, extend, challenge

Read the Horizons of Hope vision and context and consider how you lead the learning of others: How does this connect to my work? How does this extend on my work? How does this challenge me in my work?

The following resource supports the activity: Leading learning of others Please download for your team to work on.

Reflect on your team google+ community. After you have posted, make connections between your reflection and those of your team members. What do you see as consistent amongst the team? What stands out as differences? How can you attend to these?

Learning Experience 2 - Unpacking the Horizons of Hope strategy statements

• In small groups, learners will work together on one of the strategy foundation statements:
  • Assessment in a Catholic School
  • Curriculum in a Catholic School
  • Pedagogy in a Catholic school
• The small group will choose one of the elements contained within the statement and write their own definition, without having first read the statements definition of that chosen element.
• Once learners have completed their definition they will read the foundation statement and compare and contrast their definition of the element with that of the foundation statement.
• In their own words, the small group will then complete the following stem: 'If this (element) is present in our school, we will see...'
• Small groups will then share in the whole group.
  • E.g. Assessment in a Catholic School Foundation Statement. Element: Relational. Learners may articulate what they expect to see under the 'Relational' element in the Assessment statement.
• Learners may give examples as to what this may look like when it is working well in a school context. Learners will then compare to the original statement and explore further.

Reflection - Respond to a simple rubric addressing the definition created, and the sentence stem completed for the element they choose. For example:

1. Your definition of the element :

a. Was general in nature

b. Contained some similarities to the foundation statement

c. Showed strong similarities to the foundation statement and articulated the intent of the statement

2. Your statement about school practice:

a. Was general in nature

b. Showed connections between the foundation statement and teaching and learning

c. Connected the research to practice and contained ideas about implementation

Adapted from Assessment for Teaching - Patrick Griffin

Learning Experience 3 - Circle of Viewpoints Protocol

Undertake a deeper reading of the Horizons of Hope documents using a different lens of various stakeholders within their communities. This routine will allow teachers to uncover and see possible misconceptions among stakeholders.

Reflection - reflect on your google community how you see the different stakeholders in your community responding to Horizons of Hope.