Minister On Education Reform, Signature Schools
“With Signature Schools set to open in September 2022, much work has transpired to ensure that students have an educational experience that prepares them for their future and connects them with industry and their community,” Minister of Education Diallo Rabain said in the House of Assembly.
The Minister said, “Since our last update, the Signature School Transformation Teams have developed blueprints for how our Signature Schools should look and feel to meet young people’s needs better.
“In September 2022, our Senior Schools will open as Signature Schools for the first time. Last summer, we announced that the Berkeley Institute would offer Health and Social Care along with Financial and Insurance Services as their two Signature Learning Programmes and CedarBridge Academy will offer Trades and Professions along with Science, Technology, Engineering and Math [STEM] as their Signature Learning Programmes.
“Last week the learning tracks under these programmes were released, and they are as follows:
“Signature Learning Programmes are truly on the way for September 2022. I am looking forward to the collaborative work set to take place in the next few months that will see our S1 students enter their programs truly excited about what they will learn and experience on their educational journey.”
The Minister’s full statement follows below:
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to update this House and the listening public on the amazing and exciting work that is taking place in education reform, specifically the work of Learning First. With Signature Schools set to open in September 2022, much work has transpired to ensure that students have an educational experience that prepares them for their future and connects them with industry and their community.
Mr. Speaker, Since our last update, the Signature School Transformation Teams have developed blueprints for how our Signature Schools should look and feel to meet young people’s needs better. This has focused on what is taught in the classroom and how young people are taught, and how we recognise what young people know and can do.
The environment that we create within the schools is critical to student success. We most certainly want our students to meet curriculum standards but just as important, we want students to be able to thrive in the world that exists beyond our school walls. That desire underpins all of our work.
Mr. Speaker, It is common knowledge that teachers are the single most significant inschool influence on outcomes for young people. Students’ relationships with teachers can reverberate in their lives for years. Enhancing how these relationships are built and managed has been a focus of the last several months. We understand that if students feel comfortable with their teachers, their learning outcomes improve.
Learning outcomes have traditionally been understood from the end of year assessments. More recently, parents have been able to follow what students are learning as they are learning a topic. The ability to assess what students know at the moment, and how we guarantee that students graduate from the Bermuda Public School System with all the required learning and additional certifications, have been drilled into over the last few months.
Mr. Speaker, At the beginning of January, we welcomed additional primary and middle school educators into the School Transformation Team to participate in two intensive and rapid working sessions called sprints which are intensive and rapid working sessions for teachers. They focused on designing the learning experiences available to students to help them make informed and confident choices about their Signatures. The first sprint focused on mapping the ’3Es’: the points when primary school students will be exposed to, explore and experience elements of the Signature Learning Programmes.
An essential outcome of this work will be that students, from an early age, will have their aspirations stretched about what’s possible beyond school. Students will begin to identify their skills, their passions and their interests. We are moving beyond simply nurses and doctors to allied health professionals, medical technologists and more. The current M3 students are engaged in this process as we speak in preparation for the registration process for Signature Schools opening later this month.
Mr. Speaker, The second sprint focused on designing a taster programme that all M2/3 students will participate in. The taster programme will provide students with a closer look at each of the signatures. As they enter S1, senior schools will greet students who are excited, motivated, and prepared for signature learning. We want our students to know the actual careers that exist in Bermuda for them to consider so they can make informed choices.
Frameworks for real-world learning, taster programme toolkits, digital portfolios, maps, storyboards and schedules are currently in development to support bringing these essential and ambitious approaches to life.
Mr. Speaker, This has been the work of education reform during the past few months. I will now share about the work we are currently doing.
At this time, we are continuing the work of the almost 50 amazing teachers, school leaders, community members and industry partners who have volunteered their time to create a detailed curriculum for the four confirmed Signature Learning Programs for our Senior Schools. Simultaneously to creating the curriculum, the groundwork is being laid to ensure that when students complete their education, they have certified credentials in their Signature area. Credentials recognised by industry AND internationally recognised will enable our students to enter universities both here and overseas, fully confident that what they know is comparable to their peers from other countries.
Mr. Speaker, Please permit me to remind this Honourable House and the listening public what a Signature Learning Program is. A Signature Learning Programme is a range of learning opportunities that enable students to develop the skills, knowledge and relationships to follow their passions, build on their talents and achieve their career and further education aspirations.
This is achieved by having students participate in relevant academic topics, practical skills training, individual and group projects focused on real-world issues and challenges, internships, and meaningful work placements. All of this will take place with effective guidance on careers and further education.
As I said previously Mr. Speaker, in September 2022, our Senior Schools will open as Signature Schools for the first time. Last summer, we announced that the Berkeley Institute would offer Health and Social Care along with Financial and Insurance Services as their two Signature Learning Programmes and CedarBridge Academy will offer Trades and Professions along with Science, Technology, Engineering and Math [STEM] as their Signature Learning Programmes.
Mr. Speaker Last week the learning tracks under these programmes were released, and they are as follows:
Mr. Speaker, We are acutely focused on developing a clear picture of what is required to transition to these new models of schooling and learning. We are looking at what staffing requirements each school may have, teacher professional learning requirements to ensure our teachers are competent and confident to deliver the new Signature Learning Programmes, the learning environments that are most conducive and the partnerships necessary to ensure young people have access to relevant and real-world learning experiences and opportunities in community and industry organisations. We are busy with education reform, and that is not all.
Mr. Speaker, We have repeatedly said that we will measure as many times as we need to make our first cut for education reform. To make informed decisions, we have utilised research from around the world and the experiences of our homegrown educators. It is crucial to review existing programmes, policies and procedures. We must know if there are programmes that are barriers to, hinder or distract from the transformational work we are doing so they can be removed to create the space required for our transformational work.
Mr. Speaker, The work past and present I have described sounds and is herculean. The efforts and dedication of the team are deserving of so much praise. I cannot say enough about the teachers, leaders, community members, business and industry partners, Department and Ministry officers and the young people themselves who have given and are giving their time and energy to transform our educational system into a world-class institution. Their efforts will genuinely transform education in Bermuda and the island as a whole.
There is still much work to be done, and if my words today have inspired anyone in the community to get involved Mr. Speaker, please permit me to let the community know we are always and still seeking partners to help us continue to design, develop and ultimately deliver these amazing, future-focused signature learning experiences to Bermuda’s young people. We have had unbelievable buy-in from the public, but there is still room at the table for more. We welcome everyone, whether it is a small business, a social enterprise, a government agency or a large international company; if you are interested in the success of all young Bermudians, we would love to hear from you.
Mr. Speaker, Signature Learning Programmes are truly on the way for September 2022. I am looking forward to the collaborative work set to take place in the next few months that will see our S1 students enter their programs truly excited about what they will learn and experience on their educational journey.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
