Core Competencies Student Self-Assessment & Reflection

The Ministry of Education has redesigned the curriculum. Literacy and numeracy foundations along with four core competency areas are at the centre of the redesign. Core Competencies are sets of intellectual, personal, social, and emotional proficiencies that all students need to develop to engage in deep learning and lifelong learning. Self-assessment is a valued part of the curriculum and offers all students the opportunity to gain insights about themselves, the learning process, and to take greater ownership of their learning.

The aim of the Core Competency-Self Assessment & Reflection is to provide a guide to help students over time to:

·      Gain the ability to assess their own strengths

·      Create realistic and achievable goals

·      Construct a clear path to reach their goals

·      Provide examples and evidence of their learning

·      Re-visit previous documentation of self-assessments to monitor their growth 

The Core Competencies are:
1. Thinking
The Thinking competency encompasses the knowledge, skills, and processes we associate with intellectual development. It is through their competency as thinkers that students take subject 
specific concepts and content and transform them into a new understanding. Thinking competence includes specific thinking skills, thinking about thinking, and the ability to plan, monitor, and reflect on a task.

2. Communication
The Communication competency encompasses the set of abilities that students use to exchange information, experiences, and ideas, to explore the world around them, and to understand and effectively engage in the use of digital media.

3. & 4. Personal & Social Responsibility
Awareness and Responsibility is the set of abilities that relate to students’ identity in the world, both as individuals and members of their community and society. Awareness and responsibility encompasses the abilities students need to thrive as individuals, to understand and care about themselves and others, and to find and achieve their purposes in the world.  

Competencies come into play when students are engaged in “doing” in any area of learning. This includes activities where students use thinking, collaboration, and communication to solve problems, address issues or make decisions. The goal is for learners to employ the core competencies every day in school and in life, and for the core competencies to be an integral part of learning in all curriculum areas.