Teachers who learn together grow together. And teachers who grow together teach children in powerful ways.Thank-you to all the wonderful teachers who opened their doors for Smart Learning these past weeks. Is there a "connection gap" developing among educators?
Are teachers who are connected to global PLN's moving forward faster?"We often pontificate about the "haves" and the "have-nots" in our schools -- the unfair way that schools are funded, the ways in which some of our students are robbed of opportunity while others are awash in it.
What we don't reflect on enough is how some educators are connected to the global community, emerging trends and research, and larger conversations around reform and the direction of global education in general -- and how so many other educators are simply not tapped into that world. " http://www.edutopia.org/blog/emerging-connection-gap-mary-beth-hertzSage on the Stage vs. Guide on the Side" A good teacher knows when to act as Sage on the Stage and when to act as a Guide on the Side. Because student-centred learning can be time-consuming and messy, efficiency will sometimes argue for the Sage. When students are busy making up their own minds, the role of the teacher shifts. When questioning, problem-solving and investigation become the priority classroom activities, the teacher becomes a Guide on the Side."The WIRED Classroom Jamie McKenzie Jamie McKenzie's article The WIRED Classroom provides a list of descriptors of the role of a teacher who is a Guide on the Side while students are conducting their investigations. "... the teacher is circulating, redirecting, disciplining, questioning, assessing, guiding, directing, fascinating, validating, facilitating, moving, monitoring, challenging, motivating, watching, moderating, diagnosing, trouble-shooting, observing, encouraging, suggesting, watching, modeling and clarifying."
The teacher is on the move, checking over shoulders, asking questions and teaching mini-lessons for individuals and groups who need a particular skill. Support is customized and individualized. The Guide on the Side sets clear expectations, provides explicit directions, and keeps the learning well structured and productive.
From Now On The Educational Technology Journal The WIRED Classroom Jamie McKenzie
AISI Cycle 4 Celebrations and the beginning of Cycle 5May 9th and 10th - The Village Inn - Pigeon Lake
Heather Clifton guest speaker"If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in." R. Carson21st-Century Learning: Are We Ready?http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/newsletters/newsletterbucketcurriculumconnections/894234-442/ccmay2012_professional.html.cspInquiry LearningHow do we design a unit that meets the needs of a K-12 student audience? How do we guide their thinking without stifling the inquiry process? Don't we want students asking the big questions? After much discussion, we decided that we'll begin by identifying this driving question: How can I make a difference?http://inquiringmindsplp.blogspot.ca/2012/01/how-can-i-make-difference.html This video documents best practices in inquiry based science at MaST Community Charter School in Philadelphia. These second grade students see themselves as scientists and are already adept at applying higher level thinking skills to the scientific process. The students are fully engaged and the learning is fun. Brain Research and Learning" Three principles from brain research: emotional safety, appropriate challenges, and self constructed meaning suggest that a one-size-fits-all approach to classroom instruction teaching is ineffective for most students and harmful to some." " No two children are alike. An enriched environment for one is not necessarily enriched for another. ""So our environment, including the classroom environment, is not a neutral place. We educators are either growing dendrites or letting them wither and die. The trick is to determine what constitutes an enriched environment. " Therefore:- Not all students need to be doing the same thing at the same time. Some group work would therefore be appropriate.
- Students are not all at the same level of ability and they don't learn in the same way. It follows that different groups within the same class should be working at a variety of different levels of complexity and/or difficulty simultaneously, but at different rates.
- Students need to be actively involved in making decisions and modifications to their learning efforts.
- Students need appropriate challenges, a secure environment, an opportunity to explore ideas and have fun learning.
- Students need to learn to ask questions, think and interact verbally.
- Students need to be able to construct meaning by interacting with peers, problems, issues and with materials.
- Learning is more effective if concepts are learned in context and related to existing knowledge. Content needs to be relevant, integrating multiple aspects simultaneously.
- Peer teaching may be as valuable for the child who is "teaching" as for the "learner".
http://members.shaw.ca/priscillatheroux/brain.htmlASSESSMENTTeachers in K-6 should be looking at teacher logic and selecting EXIT outcomes in preparation for the final report card this year.
The final report card was piloted by three schools last June so it should run smoothly.Grade seven teachers have been working on outcomes for their report cards for the 2012-13 school year. All grade seven report cards will have outcomes for Language Arts and Math.
As per WRSD administrative procedure 362 Grade 7-12 teachers have the option of reporting achievement using descriptors, letter grades or percentages. Each school with grade seven students will determine whether they use descriptors, letter grades or percentages for reporting learning.
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