“Education is moving away from a model based on the transmission of information in one direction — from teacher to student — and towards a reciprocal model that ensures students are listened to, valued, respected for who they are, and recognized as partners in their education. Greater student involvement in their own learning and learning choices leads to greater student engagement and improved achievement.”
-Ontario Ministry of Education (2013). Learning For All: A Guide to Effective Assessment and Instruction for All Students, p.33.
“Instruction should emphasize constructivist teaching and experiential learning. Constructivist teaching, which emphasizes the role of the teacher as co-learner and facilitator, promotes authentic experiential learning and learning through inquiry, provides engagement through student-initiated work, creates a sense of community through teamwork and collaboration, and provides options to accommodate different learning styles and intelligences.”
-Ontario Ministry of Education (2015). The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 to 12: Health and Physical Education (revised), p.55.
“Educators are key to planning, designing and providing the environment and learning experiences which help adolescents in (or with) their development. Adolescents have a number of needs that support their development.
When learners feel a sense of affirmation, they feel listened to, they feel safe, accepted, and acknowledged.
When learners feel an appropriate sense of challenge they are engaged in learning that complements who they are.
When students feel they are making a contribution, they feel like they make a difference, they bring perspective, they are connected, and they help others succeed.
When learners have a sense of power and autonomy, they feel they can make choices, and they know what quality and success look like and they know how to get there.
When students feel a sense of purpose they understand what they need to do, they know they make a difference, they see significance in what they are doing, and they are absorbed in a process leading to a desired goal”.
-Ontario Ministry of Education (2016). Adolescent Literacy Guide: A Professional Learning Resource, Literacy 7–12, pages 21–22.