AREAS OF INTERVENTION

AREA II: AN INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR DEVELOPMENT, LEARNING AND SUCCESS

As integral parts of everyday community life, educational childcare centres and schools are open environments that welcome people from a wide variety of socioeconomic, cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and where people learn about life as they meet others and discover new possibilities.

This second broad area of intervention includes three major challenges associated with practices, environments, resources and infrastructures.

Challenge 4 – Quality educational and pedagogical practices

Whether all children and students achieve their full potential depends largely on the quality of the educational and pedagogical practices of those who are in closest contact with them. The latter have a decisive influence on children’s and students’ perceptions of their own competencies, expectations, appreciation of learning and teaching, and commitment to their educational paths. The more positive this perception, the better the students will develop and perform.

  • Orientation 4.1 Improve the initial and continuing training of school and educational childcare services staff
  • Orientation 4.2 Ensure the development and adoption of best educational and pedagogical practices
  • Orientation 4.3 Update methods for the evaluation of learning and ensure their integrity

Implementation

To support the implementation of quality educational and pedagogical practices, the government will:

  • take action to create a provincial institute of educational excellence based on the recommendations of a designated task force
  • adjust the frequency of the evaluation of learning so as to focus on the most important points in students’ educational path. These issues will be discussed in the process of modernizing pedagogical frameworks and evaluation procedures. 
  • establish a formal process for analyzing all possible means of enabling teachers to fully assume their key role in student success:
    • carry out a major consultation and analysis process on the valorization of the teaching profession and the professional autonomy of teachers
    • in collaboration with the school system and the university community, publish a new competencies framework for the teaching profession with a view to updating initial teacher training and professional development for teachers
    • create an annual prize to be awarded to a teacher in recognition of his or her innovative pedagogical practices
  • consult the Office des professions du Québec with a view to creating a professional order of remedial teachers

Challenge 5 – An inclusive, healthy, safe, stimulating and creative environment

For children and students, educational childcare centres and schools are living environments in which they spend several years learning important social skills on a daily basis. Since these settings have a decisive influence on their development, they must provide a social environment conducive to healthy relationships with others, together with stimulating and safe facilities and spaces and a strong cultural component.

  • Orientation 5.1 Offer a welcoming, safe and caring living environment that fosters discussion, communication and enriching personal and social relationships
  • Orientation 5.2 Offer a living environment that incorporates cultural, physical, sports, scientific and entrepreneurial activities

Implementation

To ensure an inclusive, healthy, safe, stimulating and creative environment, the government will:

  • implement the conditions needed to offer a stimulating school environment based on best practices and the most successful models
  • adopt a regulation governing the implementation of prevention activities and safety measures in schools
  • form a new culture-education alliance that extends from educational childcare to adult education
  • implement the measures contained in the Policy on Physical Activity, Sport and Recreation, in particular to have children in educational childcare centres and elementary school students engage in active activity 60 minutes a day

Challenge 6 – Quality, future-ready resources and infrastructures

Providing an environment that fosters educational success requires having full access to quality, current and user-friendly educational and pedagogical resources. Such resources help school and educational childcare services staff to fully exercise their competencies and ensure their ongoing development for the benefit of children and students. Stimulating, functional, safe and healthy living spaces also enhance interest, motivation, creativity and the desire to learn.

Implementing conditions conducive to educational success also involves ensuring that the physical and architectural environment has effective infrastructures, facilities and equipment adapted to children’s and students’ needs.

The physical environment in educational childcare centres and schools must include pleasant, welcoming, stimulating and clean living spaces conducive to the achievement of everyone’s full potential.

  • Orientation 6.1 Ensure access to quality educational and pedagogical resources and technological infrastructures and foster the optimal use of digital technologies
  • Orientation 6.2 Improve the quality of equipment, facilities and building infrastructures to ensure educational support and sustainable development

Implementation

To provide children, students and staff with access to quality, future-ready resources and infrastructures, the government will:

  • work closely with municipal and cultural organizations to optimize the use of existing infrastructures
  • launch an action plan on school infrastructures
  • invest in schools’ technological infrastructure to help make Québec a veritable digital society, accessible and focused on knowledge and skills development