Mobile High School
A Vision For Teaching And Learning
Shifting Emphasis From Teaching To Learning
“Every Child Learns-Every Child Succeeds”
The future of education in Mobile High School comes down to a few simple but compelling words - every child learns, every child succeeds. Surely, that is what we all want for all children - for every one of them to learn and every one of them to succeed in school, in their careers, and in life. 
Mobile High School offers an outstanding education system. In most every provincial measure Mobile students exceed the district and the province in all assessment areas from Criterion Reference Testing to Public Exams and graduation rates. We have a staff of dedicated teachers who are always open to new innovations in education. They are advocates for change who daily fulfill a collective responsibility to ensure that learning takes place for all students. They are also teachers who respond when children do not learn in order that failure does not become entrenched. This was reinforced in comments made by students and teachers during consultation surveys conducted last month. That doesn't mean, however, that we can be complacent and accept what we have as "good enough." It simply means we have a
higher platform to spring from.
Second, education is the most important investment we can make as a society. Our education system not only shapes individual students' lives, it shapes the very nature of our society. A strong and vibrant education system - a system that values each and every individual, instills positive values, and builds tolerance and respect - is critical to develop social cohesion and the kind of society we want for the future.
The third point is that it's critical to look beyond the pressing issues of today and prepare for the future, whatever that future might hold. The best approach is to ensure that the education system remains flexible, resilient and able to anticipate and adapt to what will undoubtedly be a climate of perpetual change.
Fourth, education will become even more critical to individual students, to their communities, and to our province as a whole, especially with the growing importance of skills, knowledge and ideas to the future of our society.
Finally, the most important point is that everything in the education system must start and end with children and youth. Schools are not there for teachers, for administrators or district officials. They're not there for parents, for businesses, or for governments. They're there for students. And the first and only criterion for judging the success of schools and the education system should be how well every child learns.
To achieve the vision we set for teaching and learning we believe that concerted and deliberate actions are needed in these areas:
Ready to learn - Making sure all children come to school ready to learn. That means actions are taken early, by their parents and by all the adults involved in children's lives, to ensure that all children get a positive and healthy start in their lives, and to identify and address potential problems before children come to school. It also means recognizing that when there is little evidence of home support that the school bases its assessment on work completed at school.
What students learn – We must maintain increased vigilance to ensure that course outcomes are being fairly taught and fairly assessed, and that students learn the skills, knowledge and attributes they need to succeed in learning, in the workplace, and in life. Teachers are critical to the success of students and the success of the education system. We need to ensure that they continue to be well prepared for the challenges they face and that consistent professional development activities are available throughout their careers.
The schools we need - Developing excellent schools with excellent attitudes- schools with professional teachers who have a compelling drive to improve students' outcomes, ensure they learn to the best of their abilities, and help them become confident, capable and productive individuals, prepared to pursue their goals and contribute to society. Teachers who can help students break their cycle of failure regardless of the obstacles to learning.
Success for every child - Adapting programs and providing Pathways support so that all children, children with special needs, children who are culturally, economically and emotionally disadvantaged, and children who have special gifts and talents, get every opportunity to succeed in school. For all children to learn and succeed, schools must operate as professional learning communities dedicated to constantly improving results. Students should be in classes where they are able to receive the attention they deserve. Students should have access to adequate support from teachers and other support staff, and schools should be the centre of coordinated services for students where students have access to adequate counselling, diagnostic and other specialized services necessary for them to
succeed.
Making the grade - Setting high standards and ensuring they are met through ongoing assessment, improvements in evaluation techniques, and holding students accountability by insisting that work be completed in school when students fail to provide it and by providing supplemental work where weakness is apparent. Accountability is critical. Students want to know that they are making the grade and ready for their next challenges. Parents want to know how well their children are achieving on a regular basis and in comparison with provincial standards. And the public deserves to know how well our education system is preparing young people for their futures.
Technology - Not just learning about computers or adding computers to our school but learning with technology and making sure a range of technologies is fully integrated and used as powerful tools for both teaching and learning. Technology affects virtually every aspect of our lives and it is changing how people live, how they work and how they learn. It's not enough to simply have computers in schools. Technology has to be integrated into all aspects of teaching and learning and used wisely and effectively to improve results for students.
Practice-It’s time to quit obsessing about students’ weaknesses and time to start addressing ways to help students overcome obstacles to ensure success. Instruction, practice, feedback, correction, practice. Instruction, practice, feedback, correction, practice. This is the drumbeat of most formal learning experiences which does not have to be joyless but does involve hard work. If low-performing students, or any students, are going to meet high academic standards, it will require more time and effort.
 When students fail to produce assigned work they generally fail the term or course. Half the battle of enhancing student performance is to intensify students’ work by insisting that they complete work not submitted. When students fail to understand key concepts as evidenced by low test scores it’s time to assign additional work in the form of assignments that require students to do additional work to make up for low test scores. If you fail a test you must do a makeup assignment that requires a comprehensive review of the outcomes covered. This additional work ensures that the students comes to understand the outcomes missed which is far more preferable to simply handing back a failed mark and proceeding to the next set of outcomes without any remedial work to help low achieving students find success.
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