Day 4: Pathfinder — Know the Learner Behind the Student
Updated: 14 hours ago
A SMART WAY to Build Relationships, Encourage Self-Awareness, and Connect Home and School
Welcome back to SWAY Canada — A SMART WAY to Learn, Earn, and Play!
In Lesson 1, we learned how WAY Cards can help teachers remember names and organize fair participation.
In Lesson 2, we explored how a teacher's words and actions can influence a student's confidence.
In Lesson 3, we watched my Grade 5 students demonstrate the WAY Game.
Now we're going to explore one of the most important questions in teaching:
How well do you really know your students?
You may know their names, grades, and classroom behaviour.
But do you know what interests them? What they're proud of? What they find difficult? What motivates them? What goals they have?
A student is much more than a mark on a report card.
That's why I created Pathfinder Student Learning Profiles.
What Is Pathfinder?
Pathfinder is a structured student profile that encourages students to think about who they are as learners and individuals.
It gives teachers an opportunity to understand their students beyond test scores and classroom observations.
It can also help parents and caregivers get more involved in learning conversations.
Pathfinder has three main purposes:
1. Self-Awareness
Students reflect on their strengths, interests, experiences, and goals.
2. Relationships
Teachers can use appropriate information to begin conversations, recognize individual strengths, and build trust.
3. Home–School Communication
Students, parents, and teachers can use Pathfinder to discuss learning, celebrate progress, and identify areas where support may be helpful.
Pathfinder also has a fourth application: with appropriate permission and student choice, selected information can become clues for the WAY Game.
But first, we need to get to know the learner.
Here's a Microsoft Word Pathfinder Class Set of 30.
Why Is Pathfinder Important?
As a student, I struggled with reading, spelling, mathematics, and concentration.
I knew what it felt like to be judged by my difficulties rather than recognized for my strengths.
Those experiences influenced how I approached teaching.
I wanted to know what students could do, what they enjoyed, and what might help them become more confident.
Pathfinder grew from that belief.
Before you can respond effectively to individual differences, you need opportunities to understand them.
No single questionnaire can tell you everything about a student. Students change, and relationships take time.
But Pathfinder can begin an important conversation.
Focus Questions
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to answer:
What is Pathfinder, and how can it help teachers understand students?
How can students use Pathfinder to reflect on their strengths and goals?
How can Pathfinder support communication between home and school?
How can selected Pathfinder information be used appropriately in the WAY Game?
What responsibilities do teachers have when collecting and protecting student information?
Your Pathfinder Learning Activity
Step 1 — Explore the Pathfinder Resources
Begin by looking at the front and back of the Pathfinder Student Learning Profile.
Watch the two introductory videos:
Pathfinder — A First Look
Pathfinder — Home and School Applications
[Keep the existing Pathfinder videos here.]
Look at the questions and consider how students might respond.
Which questions could help you understand your students better?
Which questions might require additional explanation, adaptation, or an opportunity to pass?
Step 2 — Prepare Your Class
Download the Pathfinder template and review it before distributing copies.
Consider your students' ages and needs.
Explain why you're inviting students to complete Pathfinder and how their information will be used.
Follow school policies for collecting student information, notifying parents or caregivers, obtaining consent, taking photographs, storing information, and sharing it.
Students should understand that we will not read private answers aloud or use them in games without appropriate permission.
[Keep the Pathfinder template and class-set downloads here.]
Step 3 — Introduce Self-Awareness
Before completing Pathfinder, discuss the meaning of self-awareness.
Ask students:
What are some things you're good at?
What is something you're proud of?
What would you like to improve?
What helps you learn?
Why might different students approach the same task differently?
Explain that everyone has strengths and challenges.
Pathfinder isn't meant to help each student better understand themselves or to compare or label students.
It's to help each student better understand themselves and help the teacher respond to their needs.
Step 4 — Complete Pathfinder Gradually
You don't need to finish everything in one sitting.
Set aside appropriate classroom time and allow students to reflect.
Some students may prefer to write, draw, or discuss their responses with an adult.
Provide reasonable accommodations and alternatives.
Invite students to revisit their answers as they grow and change.
Where appropriate, Pathfinder can become a record of progress rather than a one-time questionnaire.
Step 5 — Connect Home and School
With the required permissions and safeguards, invite parents or caregivers to participate in a Pathfinder conversation.
They may notice strengths, interests, and needs that are less visible at school.
Students may also discover that adults see qualities in them that they haven't recognized themselves.
Use the conversation to celebrate progress and identify useful goals.
Pathfinder should encourage cooperation, not become another source of pressure for families.
[Keep the existing Pathfinder parent permission letter here, after reviewing and updating it.]
Pathfinder and the WAY Game
Once students understand Pathfinder, you can introduce another application.
Pathfinder can help students get to know one another through the WAY Game.
Two activities from my classroom were Student of the Day and finding the Mystery Kid as an outcome of the WAY Game.
Student of the Day
Student of the Day was designed to give students opportunities to be recognized and appreciated, but more importantly to collect information
Students learned about one another by asking questions, listening carefully, and remembering details.
In my classroom, WAY Cards helped organize participation and keep track of whose turn it was.
For a beginning teacher, I suggest starting with a simple version:
Invite a willing student to be Student of the Day.
Allow the student to choose several school-appropriate facts or interests to share.
Use WAY Cards to select classmates to ask respectful questions.
Give the featured student the option to answer or pass.
Encourage classmates to recognize the student's strengths and contributions.
Ensure everyone who wants a turn has an equitable opportunity over time.
No student should be required to reveal personal information or become the centre of attention against their wishes.
The purpose is simple:
Help students see and appreciate one another as individuals.
Mystery Kid
The Mystery Kid adds an element of mystery and strategy to the WAY Game.
A student was selected as the Mystery Kid randomly with WAY Cards. They are not told.
As teams won WAY Game activities, they earned clues and tried to identify the Mystery Kid.
The clues were found in Pathfinder and may have been revealed during Student of the Day sessions.
For today's classrooms, I recommend using only clues specifically approved for sharing.
For example, a student might choose to share a favourite hobby, sport, book, or activity.
Avoid clues involving sensitive personal information, family circumstances, health, learning difficulties, or anything that might embarrass or identify a student in an unwanted way.
A student should be able to decline participation without penalty.
You could even introduce the game using a fictional Mystery Kid before involving real students. {AI's idea, not mine.}
Start Small: Your First Pathfinder Experiment
You don't need to introduce Pathfinder, Student of the Day, Mystery Kid, and all seven WAY Games at once.
Try this first:
Ask students to identify three strengths, two interests, and one learning goal.
Let students choose what they are comfortable sharing.
Use the responses to begin conversations and plan a classroom activity that draws on their interests.
Then reflect:
Did I learn something useful about my students?
Did students learn something about themselves?
Did the activity help me recognize strengths I hadn't noticed?
What could I do differently next time?
When you're comfortable, explore the full Pathfinder profile.
How Does Pathfinder Help Teachers?
Pathfinder may help teachers:
Begin meaningful conversations with students.
Recognize interests and strengths that aren't obvious in academic work.
Encourage student reflection and goal-setting.
Identify opportunities for appropriate instructional support.
Improve conversations with parents and caregivers.
Plan more inclusive classroom activities.
Build a classroom culture of respect and understanding.
It isn't a diagnostic assessment or a substitute for professional evaluation.
Its greatest value is as a starting point for understanding and supporting the individual learner.
A Word from Your Guest Teacher
After 33 years in the classroom, one thing remains clear to me:
Students want to be known for who they are, not simply what they can or cannot do.
I remember how much it meant when a teacher recognized something I did well.
I also remember how it felt when another teacher passed over me without giving me a chance. Those memories helped shape my approach to teaching.
Pathfinder is one way to put that lesson into practice. Take your time. Listen carefully. Respect what students choose to share. And remember that building relationships is a continuing process.
Your Challenge
Explore the Pathfinder resources.
Then ask yourself:
What do I need to know about my students to help them feel understood, respected, and capable of learning?
Choose one simple Pathfinder activity to try.
You don't have to do everything.
Start small. Build trust. Grow together.
What's Next?
Continue exploring how Pathfinder supports the WAY Game, or move on to the next SWAY lesson when you're ready.
Brian McCarthy
Retired Teacher and Founder, SWAY Canada
Learn to Play — Play to Learn.
Stop Video, Explain, Continue
Brian's Pathfinder Game Card
The 7 Games of WAY on PowerPoint
Pick a Game - Pick a Number & Play
Pathfinder was created and has evolved and will continue to evolve with your input. Teachers are asked to Differentiate or customize instruction for students. How do you customize learning for a student you know nothing about? Why should a student work hard for a teacher if there are no connections made? Teachers need to create an atmosphere where mystery and imagination meet skills and discipline. A safe place to learn begins with Pathfinder.
Student of the Day - The First Draft is entered into ChatGPT
Improve the following text, conventions, punctuation, order and structure, and make the tone light and friendly. Create an interesting hook-line for the title.
Pathfinder, the WAY Game, and Student of the Day
One of Pathfinder’s many uses is Student of the Day. Students thrive when they get to know one another as unique individuals; bullying is reduced. Pathfinder and Student of the Day are tied into the WAY Game; you see, we’ve taken Pathfinder's content and transformed them into clues for the WAY Game.
The WAY Game is like an Icebreaker Activity that runs all year, building relationships along the way. Students are encouraged to mentor one another, compete for WAY Game prizes and give and receive student Game Card creations on a weekly basis.
The object of the game is to discover the secret identity of the Mystery Kid, a randomly selected student who is chosen with WAY Cards. Students must win clues from the Mystery Kid’s Pathfinder to win the game.
Pathfinder Clues are on Notebook software, or Pathfinder Clue Cards can be printed and bound. Insert student headshot pictures on Pathfinder. Students make three copies of Pathfinder: one for the student, another for mom and dad or primary caregiver, and the third is a teacher’s copy. It must be stressed that this is confidential information that must be secured in a student’s binder. Trust and respect people to use Pathfinder as it was intended – for good.
Student of the Day
First, Parent Permission letters need to be returned, and Pathfinder Response Sheets completed. Each student in the class gets to be Student of the Day. It's - Be Kind to That Student Day; when the student's name was called, I would wheel my chair over to the student, pick them up and wheel them to the center of the room because students are special, and teachers need to show it.
WAY Cards are used to select students and track who has been Student of the Day. A student shuffles the Cards and calls out the name selected. That student may ask one question from the Student of the Day’s Pathfinder Response sheet. The student has two choices – the first is to answer the question, the second is when there is no response written, or the students wants to keep the information to themselves – they say Pass. And that’s OK.
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