Learn Everyware Courses
Distributed LearningAlberta Education provides Learn EveryWare courses for the development and delivery of distributed learning in Alberta's educational institutions. Learn EveryWare courses reflect current distributed learning philosophies and can be used at any time, in any place and at any pace. Learn EveryWare courses can be used by students in a variety of different learning environments—distance learning, classrooms, homeschooling and outreach—and the courses are available in online and print formats to best meet student needs. As well, Learn EveryWare courses can be used by Alberta educators in the development of their own lessons or in preparing for upcoming courses.New Mathematics Learn EveryWare Courses
Several new mathematics Learn EveryWare courses are now available or are in development. View details regarding these courses.

How to Obtain Learn EveryWare Courses
All online Learn EveryWare courses are available on LearnAlberta.ca (look under the T4T Courses tab). In addition to the courses for students, the site also includes teacher resources,assignments and answer keys. Teachers wishing to access teacher-restricted content will need to sign up for their own personal account on LearnAlberta.ca. Print courses are available for purchase from the Learning Resources Centre. For availability of print Learn EveryWare courses, contact the Learning Resources Centre.

Contact Information
For more information on distributed learning development, call 780–674–5350. To be connected toll-free inside Alberta, dial 310–0000.   

Inclusive Education - Assessment
http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/ieptLibrary/movieLauncher.html?movie=classroom_assessment

The move to a more inclusive education system requires us to rethink how teachers plan for student success. The new digital resource, the Inclusive Education Planning Tool, focuses on helping teachers change their instructional practice to better meet the diverse learning needs of all students. This resource offers teachers information and strategies on getting to know students, understanding the implications of medical conditions and disabilities on student learning, and identifying instructional supports students need to be successful. All of this information can be used to support and enhance a more inclusive approach to planning for student success.
More information available at http://www.education.alberta.ca/department/ipr/inclusion/capacity/planning.aspx

Design Thinking for Educators

Math Newsletters for Parents
Why is my child learning Algebra in Elementary School?
http://www.innovativelearning.ca/sec-21century/docs/math-algebra.pdf

How will mathematics be assessed
http://www.innovativelearning.ca/sec-21century/docs/math-assessment.pdf

How can I help my child look forward to math?
http://www.innovativelearning.ca/sec-21century/docs/math-attitudestoward.pdf
Math Assessment Tools for Teachers

Asking Good Questions

• Asking Questions (.doc)
• How to Create Good Questions (.ppt)

Graphic Organizers

• Anticipation/Reaction
• Concept Definition Map
• Convince Me
• Curriculum Map - No Lines
• Curriculum Map - With Lines
• Frayer Model
• Frayer Model for Young Children
• PS Graphic Organizer
• Vocabulary Cycle
• Vocabulary Wheel

January 23-27 - A Great Week for Math in our division - Please check the professional development tab for dates, times and locations.....  Please note that there is a change to Trevor Calkin's schedule

Coaches please be sure that you have registered for the AISI conference February 13th and 14th in Edmonton.
As well, be sure to let Carling know if you will be attending the supper on Monday evening at Kids in The Hall.
Does Praise Help Student Achievement?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/in-schools-self-esteem-boosting-is-losing-favor-to-rigor-finer-tuned-praise/2012/01/11/gIQAXFnF1P_story.html
A growing body of research over three decades shows that easy, unearned praise does not help students but instead interferes with significant learning opportunities. As schools look for success for all students, new buzzwords are “persistence,” “risk-taking” and “resilience” — each implying more sweat and strain than fuzzy, warm feelings.
“We used to think we could hand children self-esteem on a platter,” Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck said. “That has backfired.”
Dweck’s studies, embraced in Montgomery schools and elsewhere, have found that praising children for intelligence — “You’re so clever!” — also backfires. In study after study, children rewarded for being smart become more likely to shy away from hard assignments that might tarnish their star reputations.
But children praised for trying hard or taking risks tend to enjoy challenges and find greater success. Children also perform better in the long term when they believe that their intellect is not a birthright but something that grows and develops as they learn new things.

Bullying an issue that we all need to think about-
No Name Calling week is January 27th  - http://www.nonamecallingweek.org/cgi-bin/iowa/home.html
This site has some great book resources to use with your students - The Book Misfits by James Howe was the inspiration for No Name Calling Week.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/newsletters/newsletterbucketcurriculumconnections/893093-442/ccjan2012_nickspicks.html.csp 

ipad apps for middle school - great blog
http://www.fluency21.com/blogpost.cfm?blogID=2402

Design is a beautiful collection of tensions. There is a constant pull between thinking and doing, the collective and individual, digital and analog, problems and solutions, artistry and engineering. At the heart of this lies creativity. The same is true in teaching and learning. It takes a teacher both artistic and exacting to navigate a diverse group of young minds through an “aha” breakthrough. It seems our policies and structures are forgetting that.
http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665654/4-lessons-the-classroom-can-learn-from-the-design-studio

FNMI - new resource for teachers from Alberta learning  http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/aswt/

MATH - Games
A fun website that has a number of math millionaire games.  Topics inclued

• Division Millionaire Game
• Place Value Millionaire Game
• The Order of Operations Millionaire Game
• Algebraic Expressions Millionaire Game
• Factors Millionaire Game
• Square Roots Millionaire Game
• Millionaire Money Game
• Changing Fractions and Decimals to Percents (New)
• Multiplying Fractions Millionaire (New)
• Absolute Value Equations (New)

http://www.math-play.com/math-millionaire.html

"What screws us up most in life is the picture in our head of how it is supposed to be...."
Interesting quote - could the picture in our head be tradition and habits?

"The word coach as a noun is very sensitive to external factors such as funding and leadership decisions. However, coach, as a verb, is something all educators can do together. Educators in every role can work collaboratively, rethink roles, and support one another to keep coaching alive as they work with—or, without—a coach." - Christina Steinbacher-Reed and Elizabeth A. Powers

Being a Learner.......
http://www.connectedprincipals.com/archives/5035The energy generated when teachers take ownership of their learning can create a school culture that sparkles with collegiality, collaboration, sharing and a passion for learning. To instill such a gift will require much intentional planning along with personal follow up, but developing thinkers, problem solvers, and curious minds is ultimately worth it!

Science Blog
http://teachscience4all.wordpress.com/

Assessment - using portfolios
"For the student who always succeeded, when asked to challenge herself, to identify her areas of difficulty and seek to master them, she suddenly engaged with the learning process. There was no longer an easy Finish Line to cross that let her stop working and growing. When she had to set the goal, it became about her own effort and work: good, healthy, hard work that led to new levels of thinking. There was no easy A to slow her down or allow her to disengage."  
http://hadleyjf.wordpress.com/2012/01/08/its-about-learning/