Professional Learning Day Plan – April 17, 2026

The following is a brief description of our planned professional learning work for the 2025-2026 school year.  This work is organized around our district’s four collective goals:

• All students shall read, write, and communicate at grade level in both languages of instruction.
• All students shall be at grade level in numeracy.
• All students and staff will feel safe, cared for, and engaged in learning.
• All students shall graduate from high school.

School staff will monitor the impact of their work from August on, and on subsequent professional learning days, in achieving these goals.

Cognitive science offers a lot of insight into how the brain learns, and these findings can be directly applied to classroom teaching. Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary study of how the mind works—how people think, learn, remember, and solve problems. It combines insights from psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, philosophy, artificial intelligence, and education.

At its core, it looks at:

• How we process information (attention, perception, memory)
• How knowledge is represented in the mind (schemas, mental models)
• How we apply thinking and problem-solving strategies
• How learning can be improved by understanding brain mechanisms

Literacy

• Teachers will learn to apply Cognitive Load Theory strategies such as graphic organizers and worked examples to improve student comprehension and retention.
• In addition, we will work on Explicit teaching.
• Staff will collaborate on expected learning outcomes and refine practices across subject areas.

Numeracy

• Numeracy teachers will learn to apply Cognitive Load Theory strategies to strengthen number sense and align with the holistic curriculum.
• Numeracy teachers are participating in a yearlong research study with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education on how spatial learning positively impacts mathematics skills and knowledge.

Safe, Cared For, and Engaged

• Practical arts teachers will design learning activities that celebrate culture and heritage, building inclusivity.

Graduation

• Staff will work on strengthening instruction, greater engagement, and inclusive practices, which will prepare more students for long-term success and graduation.

April 17th Sessions

• Non-S.T.E.A.M. staff and educational assistants continued work through high-yield, brain-based teaching strategies that impact on student learning and address the cognitive load of learning. By doing so we are supporting students and the transfer of knowledge from working memory to long-term memory. 
• S.T.E.A.M. specific content learning on how to spatialize curricula to improve long term memory across multiple subject areas. The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education will lead professional development for school staff. We will prioritize several evidence-based learning strategies to implement within our subject areas.