Core Competencies: Personal and Social

The Personal and Social competency is the set of abilities that relate to students' identity in the world, both as individuals and as members of their community and society. Personal and social competency encompasses what students need to thrive as individuals, to understand and care about themselves and others, and to find and achieve their purposes in the world.

The Personal and Social Core Competency has three interrelated sub-competencies:

Personal awareness and responsibility involves understanding the connections between personal and social behaviour and well-being; it encourages people to make constructive and ethical decisions and act on them.

People who are personally aware and responsible demonstrate self-respect, persevere in difficult situations, and exercise responsibility. They understand that there are consequences for their decisions and actions. A personally aware and responsible individual takes steps to ensure their well-being, sets goals and monitors progress, regulates emotions and manages stress, and recognizes and advocates for their own rights.

Positive personal and cultural identity involves the awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the factors that contribute to a healthy sense of oneself; it includes knowledge of one’s family background, heritage(s), language(s), beliefs, and perspectives in a pluralistic society.

People who have a positive personal and cultural identity value their personal and cultural narratives and understand how these shape their identity. They exhibit a sense of self-worth, self-awareness, and positive identity to become confident individuals who take satisfaction in who they are and what they can do. They contribute to their own well-being and to the well-being of their family, community, and society.

Social awareness and responsibility involves the awareness, understanding, and appreciation of connections among people, including between people and the natural environment. Social Awareness and Responsibility focuses on interacting with others and the natural world in respectful and caring ways.

People who are socially aware and responsible contribute to the well-being of their social and physical environments. They support the development of welcoming and inclusive communities, where people feel safe and have a sense of belonging.

A socially aware and responsible individual contributes positively to their family, community, and environment; empathizes with others and appreciates their perspectives; resolves problems peacefully; and develops and sustains healthy relationships.

I can initiate actions that bring me joy and satisfaction and recognize that I play a role in my well-being.

I can seek out experiences that make me feel happy and proud.

I can express my wants and needs and celebrate my efforts and accomplishments.

I have some strategies that help me recognize and manage my feelings and emotions.

I recognize and can explain my role in learning activities and explorations, and I can give some evidence of my learning.

I can describe how some specific choices can affect my well-being and participate in activities that support my well-being.

I can make choices that help me meet my wants and needs and increase my feelings of well-being. I take responsibility for my actions.

I can take action toward meeting my own wants and needs and finding joy and satisfaction, and work toward a goal or solving a problem.

I can use strategies that increase my feeling of well-being and help me manage my feelings and emotions.

I can connect my actions with both positive and negative consequences and try to make adjustments; I accept feedback.

I make decisions about my activities and take some responsibility for my physical and emotional well-being.

I can recognize my strengths and take responsibility for using strategies to focus, manage stress, and accomplish my goals. 

I advocate for myself and my ideas; I accept myself.

I am willing to engage with ideas or information that is challenging for me.

I can be focused and determined.

I can set realistic goals, use strategies to accomplish them, and persevere with challenging tasks.

I can tell when I am becoming angry, upset, or frustrated, and I have strategies to calm myself.

I can make choices that benefit my well-being and keep me safe in the communities I belong to.

I recognize my value and advocate for my rights. I take responsibility for my choices, my actions, and my achievements.

I have valuable ideas to share.

I am willing to explore controversial issues, and I can imagine and work toward change in myself and in the world.

I can set priorities; implement, monitor, and adjust a plan; and assess the results.

I take responsibility for my learning, seeking help as I need it.

I use strategies for working toward a healthy and balanced lifestyle, for dealing with emotional challenges, and for finding peace in stressful times.

I know how to find the social support I need.

I recognize my value and advocate for my rights. I take responsibility for my choices, my actions, and my achievements.

I have valuable ideas to share. I am willing to explore controversial issues, and I can imagine and work toward change in myself and in the world.

I can set priorities; implement, monitor, and adjust a plan; and assess the results.

I take responsibility for my learning, seeking help as I need it.

I use strategies for working toward a healthy and balanced lifestyle, for dealing with emotional challenges, and for finding peace in stressful times.

I know how to find the social support I need.

I am aware of myself as different from others.

I know my name.

I am aware of some of my family and/or caregiver relationships.

I am aware of different aspects of myself. I can identity people, places, and things that are important to me.

With some help, I can identify some of my attributes.

I can identify objects or images that represent things that are important to me and explain what I like and dislike.

I can describe my family, home, and/or community (people and/or place).

I can describe different aspects of my identity.

I can identify my individual characteristics and explain what interests me.

I can describe different groups that I belong to.

I have pride in who I am. I understand that I am a part of larger communities.

I can describe and demonstrate pride in my positive qualities, characteristics, and/or skills.

I can explain why I make specific choices.

I am able to represent aspects of my cultural contexts (such as family, communities, school, peer groups) through words and/or images, and describe some ways that I participate in, or am connected to, a community.

I understand that my identity is influenced by many aspects of my life. I am aware that my values shape my choices and contribute to making me a unique individual.

I understand that my characteristics, qualities, strengths, and challenges make me unique and are an important part of the communities I belong to (including people and places).

I understand that what I value influences the choices I make and how I present myself in various contexts (including online).

I can explain how I am able to use my strengths to contribute in my home and/or communities.

I can identify how my life experiences have contributed to who I am; I recognize the continuous and evolving nature of my identity.

I can identify ways in which my strengths can help me meet challenges, and how my challenges can be opportunities for growth.

I understand that I will continue to develop new skills, abilities, and strengths.

I can describe how aspects of my life experiences, family history, background, and where I live (or have lived) have influenced my values and choices.

I understand that my learning is continuous, my concept of self and identity will continue to evolve, and my life experiences may lead me to identify with new communities of people and/or place.

I can be aware of others and my surroundings.

I like to be with my family and friends.

I can help and be kind.

I can tell when someone is sad or angry and try to make them feel better.

I am aware that other people can be different from me.

In familiar settings, I can interact with others and my surroundings respectfully.

I can build relationships and work and play cooperatively.

I can participate in activities to care for and improve my social and physical surroundings.

I use materials respectfully.

I can solve some problems myself and ask for help when I need it.

I listen to others’ ideas and concerns.

I can be part of a group and invite others to join.

I can identify when something is unfair to me or to others.

I can interact with others and the environment respectfully and thoughtfully.

I can build and sustain relationships and share my feelings.

I contribute to group activities that make my classroom, school, community, or natural world a better place.

I can identify different perspectives on an issue, clarify problems, consider alternatives, and evaluate strategies.

I can demonstrate respectful and inclusive behaviour with people I know.

I can explain why something is fair or unfair.

I can take purposeful action to support others and the environment.

I can build relationships and be a thoughtful and supportive friend.

I can identify ways my actions and the actions of others affect my community and the natural environment.

I look for ways to make my classroom, school, community, or natural world a better place and identify small things I can do that could make a difference.

I demonstrate respectful and inclusive behaviour in a variety of settings, and I recognize that everyone has something to offer.

I can take purposeful action to support others and the environment.

I can build relationships and be a thoughtful and supportive friend.

I can identify ways my actions and the actions of others affect my community and the natural environment.

I look for ways to make my classroom, school, community, or natural world a better place and identify small things I can do that could make a difference.

I demonstrate respectful and inclusive behaviour in a variety of settings, and I recognize that everyone has something to offer.

I can initiate positive, sustainable change for others and the environment.

I build and sustain positive relationships with diverse people, including people from different generations.

I show empathy for others and adjust my behaviour to accommodate their needs.

I advocate and take thoughtful actions to influence positive, sustainable change in my communities and in the natural world.

I can analyze complex social or environmental issues from multiple perspectives and understand how I am situated in types of privilege.

I act to support diversity and defend human rights and can identify how diversity is beneficial for the communities I belong to.