BC Learning Pathways is an ongoing series of resources that support teachers in developing students’ literacy and numeracy skills in all learning areas. The resources demonstrate how literacy and numeracy are connected with the entire K-12 curriculum, with all forms of classroom and provincial assessment, and with student reporting. Collectively, the resources support teachers in developing students who can think critically about the world around them, communicate their ideas and information clearly and authentically, and demonstrate their personal and social competencies in a meaningful way. BC Learning Pathways support students who learn in a variety of ways, at different rates, and in different contexts. Together, the resources support teachers with planning, teaching, classroom assessment, and reporting of student learning.
BC Learning Pathways include:
- BC Learning Pathways: A Guide for Teachers
- K-12 Learning Progressions in Literacy and Numeracy
- Curricular Connections
- Teaching and Learning Stories
Though there are currently four resources available, BC Learning Pathways provides a foundation for further resource development to support literacy and numeracy learning in BC. To learn how you can provide feedback, head to our Feedback page.
Literacy and Numeracy
Literacy and Numeracy are connected with all learning areas. While Language Arts and Math teachers provide strong foundations of reading, writing, and mathematics, BC Learning Pathways provide opportunities for all teachers to develop overarching critical thinking and communication skills that support literacy and numeracy, which in turn support the curricular competencies. Students use critical thinking and communication skills when interpreting a problem or a text, connecting ideas and information, communicating ideas and information, and analyzing a strategy or thinking process. Literacy and numeracy connect the Core Competencies with the Curricular Competencies and help develop literate and numerate educated citizens who can think and communicate confidently and effectively.
Literacy is the ability to understand, critically analyze, and create a variety of communication forms, including oral, written, visual, digital, and multimedia. Literate students can make meaning from text (visual, digital, multimedia, oral etc.), and express themselves in a variety of modes; they are able to comprehend, make connections, critically analyze, as well as create texts and communicate for a variety of purposes.
Numeracy is the ability to interpret and apply mathematical understanding to solve problems in a variety of contexts and to analyze and communicate these solutions in ways relevant to the given context.
Development
BC Learning Pathways was designed by teachers for teachers. It builds on previous research and resources for classroom assessment and evaluation. However, it goes beyond student assessment: BC Learning Pathways is a set of resources that support teachers to incorporate literacy and numeracy into the classroom, implement the redesigned curriculum and identify evidence of proficient student learning through classroom assessment and for reporting.
We thank the teacher development team, made up of over 75 public and independent school teachers who developed the materials in the BC Learning Pathways. We are incredibly grateful for the time and energy they have contributed to this project.