C C T T PS PS PS and You!

By: Ethan Jasny (Grade 11)

How the BC curriculum can be applied to your future everyday life

People often ask their teachers, “When am I ever going to have to use this?” It is a question that has rattled many teachers (particularly those in the math department) and one that students still seek an answer to. But the question should not be about when we will have to use specific facts or processes, but rather when we will have to use the larger concepts and skills that we pick up through the learning process. These concepts and skills are best detailed in the BC’s curriculum’s Core Competencies, elements of which should be found in all academic courses. Here are the competencies:

C = Communication, one’s ability to transfer ideas, information, and experiences with others.

C = Collaboration, one’s ability to work with others towards a common goal.

T = Creative Thinking, one’s ability to generate novel and innovative solutions.

T = Critical Thinking, one’s ability to examine and reflect on experiences and information.

PS = Personal Awareness and Responsibility, one’s ability to understand oneself and take responsibility for one’s actions.

PS = Positive Personal and Cultural Identity, one’s ability to understand one’s own cultural, physical, and mental wellness.

PS = Social Awareness and Responsibility, one’s ability to understand others and help take collective responsibility.

Or, as defined in this helpful acronym: C C T T PS PS PS! Now, let’s run through a couple future scenarios where it would be helpful to use these competencies.

I am preparing for a big presentation in front of your manager and the board of directors. Let’s C C T T T PS PS PS!

C: I speak in a clear and understandable manner during the meeting.

C: I work with other members of my team to find the best solutions.

T: I decide to use a fun slideshow theme with pictures of dogs (because they are fun).

T: I decide not to use that slideshow theme.

PS: I get my parts of the project done on time.

PS: Actually, my cultural values do not allow me to work hard and stress is bad for my wellness.

PS: I get other people to do all the work.

Wow, that was easy and I’m sure the presentation turned out great. Let’s try another scenario. I get into a fight with a coworker and can’t mend the relationship. Let’s C C T T T PS PS PS!

C: I use my nicest and calmest voice to speak reasonably to the person.

C: I brainstorm ways to deal with the problem with other coworkers.

T: I decide to create a friendship mural for the other person, but this fails.

T: I use my meanest and harshest voice to criticize the person.

PS: I realize that I need to take responsibility for the broken relationship.

PS: I decide to create a Hindi friendship bracelet, using traditional threads from the mouth of the Ganges.

PS: I remember that I am not Hindi and throw out the bracelet. I get a new friend.

Amazing, conflict resolved! Finally, I am in the middle of the road and there’s a truck barrelling towards me.

C: I yell out to the truck, in a calm and considerate voice, “Stop please.”

C: I ask the truck if it wants to work on a project with me.

T: I wonder if I can jump out of the way of the truck, using cool ninja skills.

T: No, I might get hurt if I do that. Let’s think reasonably.

PS: I realize that it is my fault that the truck is coming towards me.

PS: In this brief moment before death, I finally see God. My cultural journey of discovery is complete.

PS: I give the truck a hug.