Guided Customized Learning is an alternative learning approach that provides an opportunity to students and parents that is better suited to the changing nature of students, curriculum and society. St. Joseph High School is the only high school in Edmonton that offers the GCL model and is the only GCL International Baccalaureate Programme in the world.
The GCL model is a way of learning for students which enables them to ‘take charge’ of their education in a partnership role with their parents and teachers. As a result, the students learn to become more independent, responsible and goal-oriented in their studies and personal lives. To be successful in the GCL model, students need to demonstrate proficiencies in the following areas: strong reading skills; strong organizational skills; strong communication skills; goal-setting skills.
Our faculties objective is to help all students gain the essential skills required to be a self-directed learner upon graduation from our school. Although St. Joseph Catholic High School is classified as a self-directed school, the method of instruction is based on a Guided Customized Learning (GCL) Program.
In a Guided Customized Learning Program, students develop the essential skills required to build effective working relationships with their peers and faculty. At St. Joseph, the following methods have been put in place to ensure that students become self directed learners:
- Teacher Advisor (TA) Every student is assigned a TA that monitors their progress daily. Course Advisors are in constant contact with the TA, collaborating on how to best support each student. The TA helps the student plan their school day during morning and afternoon check-in. Students follow the schedule that has been approved by their TA.
- Personalized Scheduling Students have scheduled seminars that they must attend. When not in a seminar, students work in the various learning floors and/or laboratories where they work individually, collaboratively, or have one-to-one instruction at guided help desks with subject area teachers.
- Customized Learning Experiences Workshops offered during Guided Customized Learning blocks are created by Course Advisors based on the current needs of the students in their class. Students are encouraged to attend these workshops as a way of gaining an understanding of course material.
- Authentic Assessment To prepare for seminars, students must access Google Classrooms and Moodle resources provided by the Course Advisors. When it is time for assessment, the Course Advisor will authorize a student’s electronic test slip when the student has shown competency in the course outcomes. This is often completed during one-to-one meetings at the guided help desk. Students are given opportunities to challenge selected assessments to gain a full understanding of the curriculum.
It is our belief that parental involvement is crucial to the success of a student’s time at St. Joseph Catholic High School; therefore, there is open communication between Teacher Advisors, Course Advisors and parents/guardians. Communication between TA, CA, parent and student is supported by:
- phone calls, emails or interviews that take place minimally once per month
- quarterly report cards called Performance Reviews that are sent home
- course advisors consistently communicating with home regarding student progress through our in-house messaging system (QMS)
- PowerSchool access that provides students and parents with real time information regarding grades and progress
- both Teacher Advisors and Course Advisors are available to all families should there be questions or concerns related to student progress
The Guided Customized Learning Program has yielded countless success stories of students transitioning to the post secondary experience. Alumni from our school repeatedly comment on how well this experience has advantaged them as they transitioned to the university/college environment where being a self-directed learner is an expectation.
Guided Customized Learning is an alternative learning approach that provides an opportunity to students and parents that is better suited to the changing nature of students, curriculum and society. St. Joseph High School is the only high school in Edmonton that offers the GCL model and is the only GCL International Baccalaureate Programme in the world.
The GCL model is a way of learning for students which enables them to ‘take charge’ of their education in a partnership role with their parents and teachers. As a result, the students learn to become more independent, responsible and goal-oriented in their studies and personal lives. To be successful in the GCL model, students need to demonstrate proficiencies in the following areas: strong reading skills; strong organizational skills; strong communication skills; goal-setting skills.
Our faculties objective is to help all students gain the essential skills required to be a self-directed learner upon graduation from our school. Although St. Joseph Catholic High School is classified as a self-directed school, the method of instruction is based on a Guided Customized Learning (GCL) Program.
In a Guided Customized Learning Program, students develop the essential skills required to build effective working relationships with their peers and faculty. At St. Joseph, the following methods have been put in place to ensure that students become self directed learners:
- Teacher Advisor (TA) Every student is assigned a TA that monitors their progress daily. Course Advisors are in constant contact with the TA, collaborating on how to best support each student. The TA helps the student plan their school day during morning and afternoon check-in. Students follow the schedule that has been approved by their TA.
- Personalized Scheduling Students have scheduled seminars that they must attend. When not in a seminar, students work in the various learning floors and/or laboratories where they work individually, collaboratively, or have one-to-one instruction at guided help desks with subject area teachers.
- Customized Learning Experiences Workshops offered during Guided Customized Learning blocks are created by Course Advisors based on the current needs of the students in their class. Students are encouraged to attend these workshops as a way of gaining an understanding of course material.
- Authentic Assessment To prepare for seminars, students must access Google Classrooms and Moodle resources provided by the Course Advisors. When it is time for assessment, the Course Advisor will authorize a student’s electronic test slip when the student has shown competency in the course outcomes. This is often completed during one-to-one meetings at the guided help desk. Students are given opportunities to challenge selected assessments to gain a full understanding of the curriculum.
It is our belief that parental involvement is crucial to the success of a student’s time at St. Joseph Catholic High School; therefore, there is open communication between Teacher Advisors, Course Advisors and parents/guardians. Communication between TA, CA, parent and student is supported by:
- phone calls, emails or interviews that take place minimally once per month
- quarterly report cards called Performance Reviews that are sent home
- course advisors consistently communicating with home regarding student progress through our in-house messaging system (QMS)
- PowerSchool access that provides students and parents with real time information regarding grades and progress
- both Teacher Advisors and Course Advisors are available to all families should there be questions or concerns related to student progress
The Guided Customized Learning Program has yielded countless success stories of students transitioning to the post secondary experience. Alumni from our school repeatedly comment on how well this experience has advantaged them as they transitioned to the university/college environment where being a self-directed learner is an expectation.
Our faculties objective is to help all students gain the essential skills required to be a self-directed learner upon graduation from our school.
How does GCL work?
The GCL model is a way of learning for students which enables them to ‘take charge’ of their education in a partnership role with their parents and teachers. As a result, the students learn to become more independent, responsible and goal-oriented in their studies and personal lives. To be successful in the GCL model, students need to demonstrate proficiencies in the following areas: strong reading skills; strong organizational skills; strong communication skills; goal-setting skills.
Students are assigned to a course with a Course Advisor (Teacher). The course will run during part of the school week with scheduled in-class seminars. At this time, the students and course advisors all work together to work on curricular outcomes.
Part of the week students are then assigned to time on a Learning Floor. The Learning Floor is a special area of the school where students can work independently on achieving their curricular outcomes. This is where students can demonstrate their planning skills as they are responsible for setting the time in which they work on their courses.
Students who require to do a exams can schedule the exam in our Testing Center during the Floor time.
This independence allows student to take control of their learning throughout the day and over the course of the semester.
Who is eligible to register in a GCL course?
Students who demonstrate the following qualities are ideal candidates for a GCL course:
- strong reading skills
- strong organizational skills
- strong communication skills
- goal-setting skills
Students must be able to successfully manage their time. St. Joseph has many GCL courses available in many of our learning streams. This includes the -1, -2 and -3 programs but is not available for our K&E -4 programs.
Courses are subject to enrollment so not all courses are available each year.
Students who are in Grades 10-12 and have successfully been accepted at St. Joseph are eligible to register for GCL courses.
Students in Grades 13 and 14 are not recommended to take a GCL course especially if that student is coming from a traditional learning environment. Considering that attendance is also required in a GCL course, it is not recommended for students interested in coming to the school for part of the day.
Adult students and students outside of St. Joseph High School are ineligible to register for a TCL course.
Is attendance required in a GCL class and on the Learning Floors?
Absolutely. A student in any of our modalities is still mandated to meet a course's instructional minutes. This means that a student's time on the Learning Floor or the Testing Centre is still part of their overall scheduled course.
Can I bring a device to a GCL course?
St. Joseph High School a device friendly school environment. If a student wishes to bring their own student owned device for use in a GCL course, they are free to do so.
Please be aware of the recent provincial requirements for cell phones in classrooms. St. Joseph High School has committed to providing a school environment that focused on learning in the classroom and therefore the use of any student owned devices will be used for learning and not for activities that are not related to achieving the learning outcomes.
How do I communicate with my child's teacher?
Once a student has been registered in a GCL course, you will have access to the teacher's email via PowerSchool. You can contact the teacher via the email link that is provided to you.
Additionally, you can always contact the school at 780-426-2010 and request a callback.
Please be aware that teachers are in class most of the day and may be unable to return your call or email until the next business day. We strive to return calls within a 24-48 hour time frame.
Can I drop a GCL class or change into a TCL class?
No. Students are not eligible to drop a GCL course after the initial timetable changes. This is due to the fact that we may not have another scheduled TCL class in the same time slot, where a student may have availability or even in the same semester. In some cases, dropping a course may require a student to complete more courses in the long run or may require that they have to be removed from a different course to facilitate the move to a TCL course. Our advice to most students will be that they complete the course for that semester in GCL and move to TCL courses for the next semester or year.
Prior to any drop of a course, a student must meet with the appropriate Link Administrator (Assistant Principal) to discuss the situation.
Students who are in Grades 13 and 14 may be eligible to drop a course depending on their educational plan
Do GCL classes have exams, diplomas or other finals?
Regular assessments are part of the GCL program and must be done in the Testing Center at a time which the student and teacher select.
Depending on the course that is taken, many of our GCL courses do have a final exam which is scheduled to be written at the school at the end of the semester.
Provincial diploma exam schedules are set by the Province of Alberta and we cannot accommodate re-scheduling of the exam.
We've scheduled a holiday or we need to leave the area during the course. Can I get extra homework and do my studies online?
While we understand that there is educational value to visiting other places around the globe, we cannot accommodate an educational plan for a student who has registered for a GCL program. Students can meet with the CA to discuss what materials they will be missing and what they can do to keep up so that when they return they are not far behind but we cannot expect our CAs to provide alternative programming to accommodate a family holiday or due to being in a different location.
If there is a need to take our online program offering, please see our Modular Digital Learning Program or contact the Link Administrator for more information.
How do I register for a GCL course?
Students in Grades 10-12 and were accepted at St. Joseph will have already been registered for their courses.
If you are a new student and would like to apply to attend St. Joseph and need to register for a course, please check out our Event Calendar for the dates which you can visit the school to register for the appropriate courses.
If you have any further questions, please contact the school at 780-426-2010.