Learning Maps at RHSS
Over the past school year, the staff at Rick Hansen have been hard a work creating course-based Learning Maps. Learning Maps (LM) are a graphic organizer of the curricular competencies of course with key indicators of student success using the Ministry of Education’s performance standard. The map provides a critical access point for students to understand the skills necessary for success and to track their progress using the standards within the map. In essence, the student takes a demonstration of learning (a project, an assignment etc.) and applies their evidence to map highlighting their achievement. Once complete, the student can ask for peer and/ or teacher feedback on their achievement. For example, a student might have highlighted “developing” on one curricular competency and a teacher might have highlighted proficient which leads to rich conversation about what learning looks like. Students can use the course learning map throughout the year to chart their progress based on their understanding and expectations within a course. An LM provides clear evidence by tracking evidence, feedback and progress on how students has demonstrated their learning through the know, do, understand learning cycle. At Hansen, teachers have collaborated to construct the LM based on the curricular competencies of each course. The competencies are general expectations of both the big ideas and curricular goals that encompass the learning process and the skills students have developed by the end of a course. Learning Maps help inform both the teacher and more importantly, the students about their progress in a course based on evidence filtered through both formative and summative feedback. Importantly, the Learning Maps allow students to own the learning process and set their own goals while tracking their starting, mid and endpoints showcasing growth over time.