Passports to Learning
A passport is a valuable document that shares and communicates important information about a person. It facilitates for smooth and positive movement between places and experiences. A passport is something that gives one the right or privilege of passage, entry, or acceptance: it is key, provides a path, route, or avenue for learning.
The purpose of a passport to learning is to help to provide all of the above for a student to support their educational journey.
What is it? How is it created?
It is a document that is created in collaboration with the student, classroom teacher, special education resource teacher, and curriculum support teacher. It is informed by interviews with the student, observation in the classroom, current and previous assessments, as well as, the student’s individual educational plan.
Who is it for? What is it's purpose?
Students - To better understand themselves as learners, their strengths and needs, and use the information to guide their choices.
It also hopes to be a tool that can help students advocate for their learning needs. Specific strategies that have proven successful, especially with regards to technological tools, may be included.
Teachers - To provide a quick profile of the student, their learning strengths and needs, important classroom strategies for this student’s success, effective ways to truly assess the student’s thinking and learning, as well as, environmental considerations.
Parents - To provide an understanding of their child and their learning strengths and needs.
Why?
Developing and using an individual student profile provides educators and students with the opportunity to:
- consider how to use and build on the student’s strengths;
- consider ways of motivating the student and supporting his or her learning in a particular subject by drawing on strengths that the student has demonstrated in other subjects, prior knowledge in various subjects, learning style or preference, and interests outside school;
- develop specifically targeted assessment and instruction for the student;
- consider how the student would benefit from particular groupings of students for different kinds of activities;
- foresee the need for, and plan for the use of, particular supports and accommodations, appropriate media and technologies, and particular forms and modes of instructional and assessment activities, tools, and resources.
Individual student profiles can point the way to greater precision and personalization in instruction and assessment.
- Informed by:
Prater, M, et al., (2014) Teaching Students With Learning Disability to Self-Advocate for Accommodations. Intervention in School and Clinic. Vol. 49(5) 298-305
Ontario. Ministry of Education. (2013). Learning for All. Toronto: Author. Available at:
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/speced/LearningforAll2013.pdf
Ontario. Ministry of Education. (2013). Creating Pathways for Success. Toronto: Author. Available at:
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/policy/cps/CreatingPathwaysSuccess.pdf