By admin 
In Roman mythology it is Janus was the god of doors, gates and transitions. Janus could see in two directions and was associated with passages, beginnings and endings.
January is the month named after him in the Western calendarit is appropriate to consider how compulsory education systems in many ways need a new beginning in terms of devising broader goals for their student populations.
While students need to read, write and do math, the “back to basics” approach to promoting educational excellence is formulated by the Prussians hundreds of years agowill no longer be sufficient.
Schools and societies have experienced seismic technological, environmental, cultural and social changes. Preschool through grade 12 systems must embrace a more multifaceted vision of educational excellence that includes the promotion of both cognitive and non-cognitive skills.
These “two faces” – cognitive and non-cognitive – help students prepare for their future, not our past.
Students need a lot of support and skills to cope with major changes, including technological changes. A screen shows newly developed AI guidelines at the Ottawa Catholic School Board headquarters in Ottawa in August 2024.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Cognitive versus non-cognitive skills
Achievement in traditional subject areas such as English and French, mathematics and science has long been recognized as important to students’ cognitive skills. Many parents, teachers and policy makers are concerned about this provincial or national test results indicate deteriorating or stagnant performance in these curriculum areas.
But even the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is now quick to point out that cognitive performance is necessary but insufficient for student success. The OECD, which is the largest and most influential international test of reading, science and mathematics – the Program in International Student Assessment (PISA) – also takes into account the value of other forms of learning.
Read more:
Low PISA maths scores after the pandemic: policies must take into account both academic excellence and equality
A recent working paper published by the OECD, Beyond literacy: the increasing value of non-cognitive skillspoints out how a broad category of non-cognitive skills predict important life outcomes, such as education level, employment, income and self-reported health and life satisfaction.
Growth mindset
Non-cognitive skills, also called ‘soft skills’, include characteristics such as a ‘growth mindset’. This refers to the general belief that success is based on hard work and dedication, and is less related to innate and fixed traits.
Someone with a rapid growth mindset would agree with the statement: “Math is not easy for me, but if I do my best, I will be successful.” It is interesting that countries that have that relatively Higher levels of growth mindset also tend to perform better academically.
Emotional intelligence
Other commonly mentioned non-cognitive skills include: social-emotional learning or what is sometimes called emotional intelligence. The latter allows students to self-regulate and ultimately become more resilient in the face of adversity and changing times.
Although there are several factors that determine a child’s emotional state, Social-emotional learning can be developed in classrooms with the right supports.
Physical health and well-being
Finally, physical health and well-being is also a crucial non-cognitive asset that is often overlooked in Canadian education systems.
As our research with colleagues shows, provincial systems have paid relatively little policy attention to the development of physical health over the years first waves of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as during the recovery phase.
Sports equipment at a Toronto elementary school in January 2024.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
Granted, this disturbing trend existed well before the outbreak of COVID-19. In some ways we now face a barrier epidemic of mental and physical health in our schools without the benefit of adequate interventions.
Ideals and practices
Each province in Canada has complete autonomy in developing and implementing education policy, and in setting out the major objectives of education.
In Ontario, for example, the provincial Education Act says: “The purpose of education is to provide students with the opportunity to realize their potential and develop into highly educated, informed, caring citizens who contribute to their society.” Other provinces offer similar educational guidance that emphasizes the importance of developing students’ knowledge, skills and attitudes.
What is clear from these various legislative mandates is that provinces have seemingly subscribed to a holistic view of student development. Unfortunately, goals that align with the holistic development of students may look good on paper, but are rarely realized in practice.
For example, teacher education programs vary considerably within and between Canadian provinces and U.S. states. with limited attention to mental health certification standards, including social-emotional learning.
Fragmented approaches
Provincial approaches to assessing non-cognitive skills are also fragmented, suggesting the need for more innovative and integrated assessment systems. It’s difficult to tackle a problem without the benefits of reliable and valid data sources.
In the same way, less than half of Canadian children meeting daily physical activity requirements, despite mandatory policies in provinces such as Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. Given the close connection between obesity in children and adults A lack of attention to physical activity will have lasting negative consequences.
Also research suggests that there have been no new mental health policy developments in half of Canada’s provinces in the wake of the pandemic. It seems that provincial education systems have lagged behind targeted policy developments and implementation efforts related to non-cognitive skills.
It is clear that there is an urgent need to embrace, in concrete terms, the duality of cognitive and non-cognitive skills within our schools. Sometimes it can be good to be two-faced.