The unpredictability of the future is what education is to prepare children for. Children have extraordinary talents that are ruthlessly squandered in school. Creativity is as important as literacy. - Sir Ken Robinson
We are grateful for the work our AISI contact teachers and administrators are doing to move the knowledge we have gained from our AISI work into action.
This is a list of the shared actions that are taking place in our schools.....
- whole school SmartLearning sequences
- side by side teaching
- distribution of leadership
- modelling by teachers for teachers
- cross- grade development of inquiry projects
- review of school structures
- instructional rounds within schools
- pyramid of intervention practices
- words their way implementation
- data collection
- construction of common assessments and exemplars
- building community
- professional learning as part of everyone’s day - a way of being
- sharing of action research questions and results
- blending of strategies from the three cohorts
Math - Engaging our learners - Where are we heading in this handbasket?http://engagingourlearners.blogspot.ca/"I'm not opposed to memorizing facts. Somewhere along the line, I've memorized the various spells in Harry Potter, the positions on a football field, and the lyrics to my favorite songs. I've memorized lines from conversations, verses from the Bible, and "facts" regarding Social Constructivism, Social Constructionism and Social Connectivism. I never crammed for a test. I never wrote out the facts in isolation under the watchful gaze of a teacher with a timer.
I learned these things through immersion, critical thinking, context and play."
( From a Blog post written by John Spencer:
http://www.educationrethink.com/2012/05/memorizing-math-facts.html?m=1 )
A Whole Child Deserves a Whole Teacher
Habit of Mind for Teachers
http://www.wholechildeducation.org/blog/a-whole-child-deserves-a-whole-teacher
What is the likelihood that . . .
- they will persevere through disappointment and challenge in their teaching, spending additional time consulting others and reviewing and revising their decisions when hoped-for results have not occurred? Persisting
- in the process of teaching and concentrating on the responses of an individual student, they use an eagle view of the classroom to monitor the entire class? Metacognition (Thinking about Thinking)
- faced with stubborn problems, they can perceive them flexibly from various perspectives of the disappointed mother, the ambitious father, or the anxious child? Thinking Flexibly
- they will take disappointments in stride and ask themselves how they can cope with and learn from these rather than blaming others? Remaining Open to Continuous Learning
- they will insist on high-quality performance from themselves and their students and accept nothing less? Striving for Accuracy and Precision
- they will regard teaching as a collaborative pursuit, engaging with others in applying systemic solutions to persistent problems? Thinking Interdependently
Arthur L. Costa
Education’s new Mental Health Matters web pages www.education.alberta.ca/mentalhealthmatters - lesson experiences designed to support administrators and teachers in helping children and youth feel comfortable talking about mental health and well-being, reduce barriers in the classroom and contribute to the welcoming, caring, respectful and safe learning environment that all students need to succeed.
Seven Essential Principles of Innovative Learninghttp://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/02/7-essential-principles-of-innovative-learning/
