Happy Spring - Have a great break!


“If you don’t like something change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it.” — Mary Engelbreit

We are all Leaders
Direct the Rider, Motivate the Elephant, and Shape the Path
http://sourcesofinsight.com/direct-the-rider-motivate-the-elephant-and-shape-the-path/


Through A Different Lens
Through A Different Lens is a teacher led project sponsored by the Vancouver Foundation. This project involves teachers from grades 1-12 who are focusing on alternative methods of instruction and assessment to help all students succeed.
http://differentlensblog.blogspot.com/

Math
http://realteachingmeansreallearning.blogspot.ca/p/open-ended-math-projects-and-lessons.html
Truly innovative approaches to teaching and assessing math concepts
http://blog.mrmeyer.com/?p=13364
Creative approaches to math education from a high school math teacher who is working on curriculum design.
Musing Mathematically
The blog of high school math teacher Nat Banting.  "Thoughts concerning the teaching and learning of mathematics".  Awesome and thought-provoking ideas!


If School Is Not Relevant
Powerful article that questions our entire approach to education. Imagine:  "If schools saw their worth not in how many kids got accepted to college, but in how many kids went on to live meaningful and engaged lives and who would point back to their school years as the point of relevancy that was the foundation of it all."


Teachers Observing Teachers: Instructional Rounds
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/instructional-rounds-ells-observations-elena-aguilar

Math
Carmen Wedman recommends that you have a look at this resource on Discovery Education.
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/brainboosters/

Assessment
Myron Dueck will be in our division on March 20th and 21st working with teachers and administrators on assessment.
http://myrondueck.wordpress.com/

Students Don’t Fall Behind (without deadlines) click on orange lettering to get to the blog
Literacy in the Digital Age
http://www.schrockguide.net/literacy-in-the-digital-age.html

Great TED talk on assessment............

AAC FALL CONFERENCE 2012 – SAVE THE DATE!

In an effort to avoid conflicts with other major conferences, the AAC Fall Conference will be held earlier this year. Leadership Day will be Thursday, September 27 with Main Conference scheduled for Friday, September 28 and Saturday, September 29. We will be using a new online registration program this year. Watch for the launch on the AAC website within the next couple of weeks.



THE NEW AAC KEY VISUAL
The newly designed AAC Key Visual is now easily accessible from the AAC home page. It can be accessed as a PDF file (8.5 X 11) or can be ordered as a laminated poster (12 X 18). The French translation is nearing completion and will be available soon. 
http://www.aac.ab.ca/resources/Visuals/KeyVisualrev2012.pdf



AAC PROFESSIONAL LEARNING MODULES
The materials in the professional learning module section of the website have been reorganized around the new Key Visual. This section is still under construction, so please check back often to see the new materials that are available. 
http://www.aac.ab.ca/ProfessionalLearningModules.html

NEW MATHEMATICS ASSESSMENT MATERIALS
Grade 3 Mathematics – The T-Shirt Order 
NEW materials added include combined grade support (gr. 2/3/4) and student exemplars (movie file)
http://www.aac.ab.ca/EMMH3_TShirtOrder.html

Grade 3 Mathematics – Buying Books 
NEW assessment task for AAC members (user name and password required to access)
http://www.aac.ab.ca/EMMH3_BuyingBooks.html

Grade 6 Mathematics – The Frozen Yogurt Sale
NEW materials added include samples of student work and 4 movie files
http://www.aac.ab.ca/EMMH6_YogurtSale.html

Grade 6 Mathematics – The Tiled Floor 
NEW assessment task for AAC members (user name and password required to access)
http://www.aac.ab.ca/EMMH6_TiledFloor.html

Grade 9 Mathematics – The Job Offer
NEW materials added include adaptations for K & E students 
http://www.aac.ab.ca/JHMH9_TheJobOffer.html

We know that teaching IS rocket science: complicated, collaborative, and capable of taking our students to places yet to be explored.
Robert John Meehan

Social Studies Resource
Excellence in Action: New Digital Teaching Social Studies Resource for Grade 10
Excellence in Action, a new digital teaching resource for Grade 10 teachers, in now available on
LearnAlberta.ca in English at www.learnalberta.ca/content/ssaoe10/index.html and in French at
www.learnalberta.ca/content/esaoe10/index_fr.html . Grade 10 teachers can use this resource to encourage
students to explore the contributions of members of the Alberta Order of Excellence as models of active and
responsible citizens. Students then develop a personal response to how they might take action to address global
issues and demonstrate critical and creative thinking by designing a multimedia presentation to encourage
others to take beneficial action. This resource is the last of three resources created in partnership with the
Alberta Order of Excellence.

Mathematics 20-1, 20-2 and 20-3 Learn EveryWare Courses Available!
All modules of Mathematics 20-1, 20-2 and 20-3 are now available on LearnAlberta.ca. Teacher versions of the
courses also are available and include downloadable formats for Moodle and Desire2Learn. Keyword search:
Mathematics 20 Learn EveryWare.
Post-secondary Acceptance
The University of Alberta and the University of Calgary will be accepting Mathematics 30-2 as an entrance
requirement for their Nursing programs.
The Alberta Learning Information Service website at www.alis.alberta.ca/ec/ep/aas/ta/mathreq.html contains
the most recent information regarding mathematics requirements at post-secondary institutions in Alberta.

First Nations, Métis and Inuit Digital Resource
Together: First Nations, Métis and Inuit Perspectives in Curriculum Digital Resource for Educators
As a follow up to the posting of the new digital resource, Walking Together, First Nations, Métis and Inuit
Perspectives in Curriculum, available at www.learnalberta.ca/content/aswt/ ,
Learning Coaches
Check out the video and information on Learning Coaches and Inclusive education at this site...
http://www.education.alberta.ca/department/ipr/inclusion/capacity/learning.aspxActivate prior knowledge - make connections, ask questions;

Education Symposium Work done by teachers and administrators.......

The professional learning that we have been doing in WildRose is all connected.
In order to show the connection between our three cohorts we asked administrators and teachers to look at the learning that is emphasized in each cohort and then find the similarities between the cohorts.

Individual elements that focus on learning
SMART LEARNING

• Feedback;
• Real and purposeful learning; students collaborate; made accountable
• Authentic tasks;
• Reflection important and knowing what the next steps are
• More time for formative and summative assessment
• Application and reinforcement of skills
• Brain research - active involvement - movement, talking, imaging,listening

Top 3:

1. Learning is organized according to tasks not content;
2. Learning Rounds are essential for modeling lessons; connecting and collaborating;
3. Knowing your outcomes (essential in all three cohorts);

ASSESSMENT
Students more involved;
Teachers and students understand outcomes;
Multiple ways of showing their learning and understanding
Informative feedback;
Teacher as coach and facilitator;
Teachers move to collaborative commitment;
Knowing audience and purpose of assessment;
Students are involved in both learning and assessment; develop criteria
Multiple feedback loops;
On going;
Top 3
1. must know outcomes and involve students in building criteria
2. understand purpose of assessment - formative or summative?
3. feedback needs to be effective

INQUIRY
Meaningful products lead to authentic learning;
feedback and reflection lead to engagement;
Collaborative
Deeper understanding;
Set criteria with students - feedback loop
Engagement
real-life experiences;
inspires confidence building;
diverse resources
Top 3

1. authentic tasks
2. outcomes with criteria - narrowing of outcomes and cross-curricular connections
3. builds confidence

Common elements of our three professional learning cohorts as well as Universal Design for Learning.

Teachers as designers of learning, scaffold learning through:

• knowing outcomes and building criteria together
• collaboration between students, students and teachers and teachers
• effective feedback provided by peers and teachers - feedback loop is closed
• building confidence of learners
• increasing student engagement
• reflecting on learning
• goal setting for learning
• tasks that are real and purposeful
• multiple ways of showing understanding
• using current brain research on active learning

This past year Wild Rose School Division also focused some professional learning in the area of Math for grades 4,5,6,7,8,9. The data that we have from provincial achievement tests over the past 5 years indicates that we have a severe deficit in the area of Math learning. It is therefore our responsibility to improve the work we are doing in Math.

We also had participants tell us what they wanted us to do less of, keep the same and do more of, in terms of professional learning. This information will be shared with administrators at the next administrator's meeting.

12 Things Kids Want from Their Teachers   (click on orange words to get the link)
Whether you are a teacher, parent, relative, boss, or fellow community member, each of us has a chance to make a positive and impactful difference in a child’s life.

Permission to Play, Please?        (click on the orange words to get the link)
When we treat play as seriously as it deserves, we feel the joy that’s in the creative spirit. It’s the things we play with and the people who help us play that make a difference in our lives.
-Fred Rogers-

Check out this new resource.....  a good one to share in your school newsletter
http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/mychildslearning/kindergarten_earlyliteracy.html
 Parents can now access a new, easy to use online tool that will allow them to get information about what their child is learning and how their child might be assessed for every subject and grade level at school.
This online tool is one of many ways in which we are engaging with parents about their child’s education,” said Thomas Lukaszuk, Minister of Education. “In addition to course and subject matter, parents can also use the tool to explore online learning materials to help their child with their studies.”

Change teaching by Changing Grading
http://www.brianbennett.org/blog/change-teaching-by-changing-grading/ "Student engagement is proportional to their investment in the class. We can complain that all students and parents seem to care about these days is the number next to their name. Try to work on encouraging investment by letting go of the habit or drive to be in total control of those grades. As students feel more empowered, they will become more engaged in their learning."

Education Symposium
Administrators and teachers are gathering at Goldeye on March 1 and 2 to:

• review our three professional learning cohorts
• reflect on how the cohorts are inter-related
• discuss the importance of building leadership capacity
• discuss professional growth plans.