Explanation of Core Competencies

Core Competencies

This assignment asks you to seriously reflect on your growth as a learner.  What are your strengths?  Where are you in your learning?  What proof do you have?  Where are you going?  What are your learning goals?

The core competencies are sets of intellectual, personal, social and emotional proficiencies that all students need to develop in order to engage in deep and life-long learning.  They have been identified and categorized as follows:

Communication

The communication competency encompasses the set of abilities that students use to impart and exchange information, experiences, and ideas to explore the world around them and to understand and effectively engage in the use of digital media.  The following profile illustrates four interrelated abilities that are involved in effective communication.  

Consider each of these abilities.  Is there one that stands out to you?  Do you see an ability here where you feel you can demonstrate strength or growth?

Communication: Sample "I" Statements

These are the"I can" statements for the four inter-related abilities within the Communications competency. "I" statements indicate that a student can demonstrate proficiency in that ability. 

Which ones can you do?  Pick out a couple of them now.

Communication Question Prompts

Consider the following questions as you reflect on your abilities in Communication.  You can choose to use just one to guide your self-assessment in this area.  

1.  Describe a form of communication you are proud of?  What would you like others to notice about it?

2.  Describe ways that you contribute to discussion.

3.  Explain what you do when you disagree with someone in your group.  How did you learn this strategy?

4.  Describe how you share ideas and questions.

Thinking

The thinking competency encompasses the knowledge, skills and processes we associate with intellectual development and is demonstrated through:

• creative thinking

• critical thinking

The following profiles illustrate six interrelated abilities that are involved in creative and critical thinking.

Consider each of these abilities.  Is there one that stands out to you?  Do you see an ability here where you feel you can demonstrate strength or growth?

Creative Thinking: Sample I Statements

These are the "I can" statements for the three inter-related abilities within the Creative Thinking component of the Thinking competency. "I" statements indicate that a student can demonstrate proficiency in that ability.  Which ones can you do?  Pick out a couple of them now.

Critical Thinking: Sample I Statements

These are the "I can" statements for the three inter-related abilities within the Critical Thinking component of the Thinking competency. "I" statements indicate that a student can demonstrate proficiency in that ability.  

Which ones can you do?  Pick out a couple of them now.

Thinking Question Prompts

Consider the following questions as you reflect on your abilities in Thinking.  You can choose to use just one to guide your self-assessment in this area.  

Creative Thinking

1. What strategies do you use when you want to generate ideas?  How do you develop ideas?

2. Talk about something you designed.  If you did it all over again, what adjustments would you make?

Critical Thinking

1. Describe a problem that you solved.  What choices did you make that made a difference to the outcome of the problem?

2. What strategies do you use to determine the truth about what you're reading on a social media site?

3. When you are curious, how do you find answers?

Personal and Social

The personal and social competency includes

• positive personal & cultural identity

• personal awareness & responsibility

• social responsibility

The following profiles illustrate nine interrelated abilities that are involved in the personal and social competency.

Consider each of these abilities.  Is there one that stands out to you?  Do you see an ability here where you feel you can demonstrate strength or growth?

Personal Awareness and Responsibility I Statements

These are the "I can" statements for the three inter-related abilities within the Personal Awareness and Responsibility component of the Personal and Social competency. "I" statements indicate that a student can demonstrate proficiency in that ability.  

Which ones can you do?  Pick out a couple of them now.

Positive Personal and Cultural Identity I statements

These are the "I can" statements for the three inter-related abilities within the Positive Personal and Cultural Identity component of the Personal and Social competency. "I" statements indicate that a student can demonstrate proficiency in that ability.  

Which ones can you do?  Pick out a couple of them now.

Social Responsibility I Statements

These are the "I can" statements for the four inter-related abilities within the Social Responsibility component of the Personal and Social competency. "I" statements indicate that a student can demonstrate proficiency in that ability.  

Which ones can you do?  Pick out a couple of them now.

Personal and Social Question Prompts

Consider the following questions as you reflect on your abilities in Personal and Social development.  You can choose to use just one to guide your self-assessment in this area.  

Personal and Cultural Identity

1. What are you good at?
2. Describe something you really liked in the work you did.  What made it special for you?
3. How have your experiences, family history, heritage and/or peer helped shape who you are today?
4. How do you make good decisions?  What influences your decisions?
5. What makes you unique?

Personal Awareness and Responsibility

1. How are you progressing as a learner?  How can you use your strengths to improve?
2. Describe a time you stood up for something you believed in.  How did you express yourself?  What motivated you?  Did you need help?
3. Talk about a time that you made some good choices that contributed to your well-being.
4. When I am having trouble with something, I…
5. I can keep myself healthy by…

Social Responsibility

1. Describe some of the ways you have collaborated with others in…?
2. How have you strengthened your relationships with others this year?
3. Describe how your actions have helped make your classroom, school, home, community or the natural environment a better place.
4. What does fair look like, and how do you make that happen?
5. Describe a time you used kind words and actions to encourage or help others.