Day 142 – Pam Taylor, Grade 1/2 Teacher (Aylesbury Public School)

Pam Taylor, Grade ½ teacher at Aylesbury P.S., Brampton

The Messiness of Inquiry Based Learning

The journey into Inquiry based learning, or IBL is never easy. There is a proverbial “leap of faith” when you let go of traditional teaching, and IBL doesn’t happen overnight. There is a lot of learning (for both teacher and students) and a lot of trust and modeling for everyone involved.

I taught for 3 years in Full Day Kindergarten where play based learning is what we strive to implement each and every day. When I moved to a primary split, I thought, “I’ll just do what I did in K.” Well, it backfired. “Inquiry time” became “play time”, which became “seek and destroy manipulatives and wreak havoc on the teacher” time. So, we scaled back. I took some cues from some professional reading, and we focused our energy a little differently. There was more focused reading, more focused writing, and our inquiry topics were based on our Social Studies and Science curriculums. Over time, we have gradually moved to more of an inquiry based learning classroom where the students are learning more about their own topics of interest. Is it perfect? Not in any way, shape or form. Are my students learning? You bet they are. Are they better for it? I can’t answer that.

I know that they are better questioners and seek out information with more purpose. I know that they are collaborators who are willing to learn from each other and ask questions of each other. I know that they are kind to each other and that they work hard each day. So I have learned to trust in the messiness of IBL. And that’s what I have learned today.

Day 127 – Kathryn Lagerquist, FDK Teacher (Brisdale Public School)

What I Learned Today!

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From February 9, 2016, today I learned about community and to never underestimate the abilities of young children.

While checking Twitter, I ran across this tweet:

next centre in FDK is a post office.Please write us a letter. How far around the world can we reach?@Lacrosseschools pic.twitter.com/bEYbscr9pF

— Mrs. Parry (@MrsELizaParry) January 20, 2016

This reminded me of a great book called, “The Jolly Postman”.  My students have always loved it because it contains actual envelopes and a variety of letters within the story.

I read the book to our students and construction began on their own post office.  I sent Mrs. Parry a tweet about it:

https://twitter.com/katlager/status/693985382099197952

She asked for our mailing address and today we received a letter from them!

The students were so excited that they decided to write back to Mrs. Parry’s class. This was a great opportunity to have students involved in the writing process.  They came up with the ideas and took turns writing it with some guidance.  I was impressed with their ability to work together and was so proud of how they helped each other to form the words.

 

We often talk about the “global community” and although Brampton and Chatham are not that far apart, this collaboration between our two classes would not have been possible if we had not connected through Twitter.

This got me thinking of all of the other opportunities waiting out there for us.  We could connect with other students around the world.  Imagine how much our students would learn!

The possibilities are endless…
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Kathryn is a Kindergarten Teacher at Brisdale P.S.
She loves her family, her students and learning new things.
@KatLager

Day 121 – Jennifer Brown, Teacher-Librarian (Castle Oaks PS)

What I Learned Today!

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Name: Jennifer

What do I do? Teacher Librarian and ESL/ISSP Teacher

What do I love? my family, reading, writing, laughing

A Few Magical Days

Originally blogged at http://mrsjbrown1975.edublogs.org/2016/03/23/a-few-magical-days/

A few weeks ago I posted about our school’s plan to inspire a “maker” culture with our staff and students.  The addition of makerspaces to public libraries and school library learning commons is spreading rapidly throughout the library community.

Yet I struggled with excitement and doubt.  My excitement seemed obvious – the chance to offer hands on experiences for students that were not directly connected to the curriculum or in need of constant evaluation.  My doubt may have been less obvious but growing in strength – creeping each time I tried to explain the maker movement to others, my growing concern that the term “maker” might place pressure on students to complete projects rather than foster thinking, creativity and problem-solving, and the unsettling feeling that the whole thing might be a trendy bust!

This week I have faced both my joyful anticipation and nagging fear head on.  Our approach to gathering student voice in planning a long term makerspace was to run an exploration event with a wide variety of experiences for every class to visit.  Over a 4 day period each class has approximately 80 minutes to play, explore, and create.  Graffiti walls, pictures and video evidence in addition to conversations and observations are being used to gather information to guide future planning.

We have only had 2 days so far and I cannot even begin to tell you what an amazing experience it has been! Students spanning a wide age range (K to grade 7) have passed through our library learning commons and tech lounge doors with open hearts and minds.  Together with their educators they have played, explored and created.  Moreover, they have taken risks, collaborated, asked questions, encouraged each other, taken on leadership roles, demonstrated respect for peers, staff and materials… a list that could go on and on! The best part for our school vision is that they have consistently asked for more.

The best part for me is that I have the privilege of seeing, yet again, that placing our trust in children of all ages to learn and inquire through play and experience is the most powerful tool an educator can use.

Day 113 – Victor Kass, Health and PE Teacher (Louise Arbour SS)

What did you learn today?

Victor Kass is a Health and Physical Education Teacher at Louise Arbour Secondary School.  He loves his family, living an active, happy, and healthy life, 21st century teaching and learning, building community connections, and fuelling my students’ passions for being active and healthy 1 day at a time.

After a very busy January with exams and report cards followed by the start of a new semester this month, it’s about time I did some reflection and wrote a new blog post.  I was inspired to do this one by another teacher in my school board, Phil Young, who is coordinating a blogging series called Project 188.  The goal of this is to have more voices heard from our schools.  Be sure to check out the website and follow the project hashtag on twitter, #peel21st188.

What did you learn today?  That is the key question.  In order to answer it, I looked to my Grade 9 Physical Education class, which was learning the key steps involved in completing a successful lay-up in basketball this afternoon.  During the lesson, we progressed from shooting directly under the basket to a full lead up with dribbling from a distance away.  At key moments, I stopped the class to ask questions, such as:

– At which part of the backboard should you aim for?

– What is the best way to hold the ball?

– What leg should you jump off?

Partway through the lesson, we co-created a list of key points:

 

 After our discussion, students practiced the task in pairs.  One of the baskets had an “instant replay” station that consisted of an iPad app called BAM (Bust a Move) video delay Airplayed to a flatscreen TV.  Here, students could practice their lay-ups and then walk over to the TV to obtain instant feedback on their performance (NOTE: A delay time of 7 seconds was ideal).  When they were doing this, I stressed that they refer to the key points we had discussed and ask themselves if they were achieving them.

At the conclusion of the class, students were given an Exit Ticket that asked them What they learned.  These were some of the more interesting responses!

 

I especially like the honesty of the student who said he didn’t learn anything today because he already knew how to do a lay-up.  I appreciate a child who is not afraid to speak his/her mind.  Why?  Because these are the kinds of comments that challenge me and, when I’m challenged, I am able to continue improving as a teacher.

So, what did I learn today?  I learned that no matter where we start or where we find ourselves, we always have room to improve.

Day 107 – Phil Young, Teacher (Countryside Village Public School)

What I Learned Today!

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#peelSPARK…ignite talks….some amazing things being done by some amazing members of the Peel Family.  Tonight was an opportunity for staff from around Peel to join together for an evening of inspiration.  From talks about #growthmindset to #mindfulness and even the power of #Minecraft in the classroom our speakers shared in just 5 minutes what has SPARKed them this year.  The talks were fast, inspiring, and even humorous but all spoke of the power of sharing, collaborating and connecting with colleagues.

The #peelSPARK Ignite talks.

Day 89 – Colleen Hartman, Core French (Eagle Plains PS)

What I learned this week

An Entry from September 2015

Colleren Hartman is a Core French teacher at Eagle Plains Public School grade four and five.  On Twitter @MmeHibou40 and @core_ep

Sunday afternoon I was busy planning my week ahead when my son came over and asked if I could help him with his math homework and yes I pulled the “Can you go ask your Dad”.  As I sat at the dining room table I could hear the conversation between father and son”

“Dad, can you help me with my math.   I don’t understand the question.”

“Sure, show me the question.”

Dad read the question over carefully and after a few moments replied

“I don’t understand what is being asked either”

My son grew frustrated and mom/teacher stepped in.

Now lucky for my son he has a mom who is teacher and was able to help him by rephrasing the question and finding some manipulatives to assist and that got me to thinking, what about all the students who may not be as fortunate to have the help my son had, how would those students be feeling about themselves, how would the parents like my husband be feeling about themselves.  

Homework has been the subject of many twitter discussions (e.g., What is the purpose?  Who benefits) and reflecting on my families recent experiences with homework, tears, frustration and exhaustion I think we need to consider the impact homework has on family life. Is homework a necessary part of learning.

Day 85 – Arwen, Student (The Valleys Sr. PS)

Maker Club Blog

Hi, I’m Arwen and I’m a grade 6 student at The Valleys Snr Public School in Mississauga. Here at the Maker Club we do a bunch of different activities. Whether it is physical construction or a coding activity, we make it! At the Maker Club you can make whatever you want, the sky’s the limit. When we started, most of us didn’t know how to do these things but now, thanks to our teachers, we can do these things on our own! (And maybe teach them for a change) “Soon, coding will be taught like how you are being taught French.” – M. Mulcaster (TL @valleysvipers)

We are doing, incredible, things like Scratch, Flash Animation, Roblox, Spheros and much more!

 

We are also doing sewing, beading, knitting/crochet and anything else you can do with your hands!

For our complete story visit: https://storify.com/the_mulc/the-valleys-snr-ps-makerspace-story-2015-16

Day 83 – Rob Ridley, Coordinator (Field Centres)

I had a teaching colleague come up to me this week and say, “it must be nice to work outdoors – the solitude would be welcomed”. The funny thing is the more time you spend outdoors teaching the more you see that solitude perhaps is not the right word.

Frustrated? Step outside. A new perspective on that math lesson? Step outside. Writer’s block? Step outside. (as I did for this post, formulating the concept on an early morning run).

In fact I’d argue that the outdoors is almost an organic, solar powered Maker Space.  I have promoted the fact often that the outdoors is in fact the perfect space and atmosphere for collaboration. Forget desks in a row, forget “pods” – Students need the permission to move to work with others which many the educator finds easier to grant in an outdoor setting.

Connections abound when outdoors – for faculty as well as students. Trust me, sitting in the staff room and discussing a project will no doubt get you through the agenda – but you have the potential of having a much deeper connection by walking side by side down a pathway discussing the vision you work towards.

Perhaps it’s not solitude we crave outdoors but a sense of place and being part of something.

Rob Ridley is the Field Centres Coordinator for the Peel District School Board. He and his staff offer one day and over night field trips at the four Board operated Field Centres and also are available to come to your school for community based environmental education lessons. To book an in-school visit, please contact him via board email or twitter.

Check out the Field Centres YouTube Channel and our SharePoint site 

Day 81 – Amit Mehrotra, English Teacher (Mayfield Secondary)

What Did You Learn Today

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Amit Mehrotra is a high school English teacher at Mayfield Secondary School in Caledon who loves learning and exploring technology.

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This year I have really been trying to embrace a student centred classroom where I assume the role of co-learner and, to borrow a phrase from Catlin Tucker, the architect of learning. Today in class, I tried something new with my kids: we co-created a presentation that was centred around a learning goal.

I placed students in groups, and watched them collaborate to come up with ideas about what should be in the presentation. I used Google Forms to survey the students after they presented their ideas to the class, and then they voted on what they felt was the best method to use. I was amazed as I walked around listening to the conversations students were having: they were all on task and, more importantly, they were all learning.

What I learned from all this is that if you give students a chance to own their learning, and allow them to take leadership with it, they will achieve amazing feats. They are more willing to learn than many teachers give them credit for, and when we assume the role of the architects of learning, students can take the role of chief learners.

I asked one of my students to respond to this activity as well, and here’s what she had to say:

Today in class I took my learning into my own hands, by actively participating  in the collaborative construction of our new English assignment. My name is Dayle, and I’m a grade twelve student in Mr. Mehrotra’s university English class. I’m a student who isn’t usually asked to write these sorts of extra assignments, but my teacher, maybe foolishly or maybe because he saw my enthusiasm and participation in today’s class, chose me for the task and I was happy to comply.

Throughout my four years in high school, never have I been given an opportunity as the one I received in today’s class.  It was a successful experiment; I think our class developed a lot more than just an English assignment. We not only gained an appreciation for the work that goes into formulating our assignments, but we also created an effective, equitable environment where ideas were heard and problems were solved. Letting students create their own assignment allows for a plethora of creative and innovative ideas that break away from the proverbial PowerPoints that we’ve all become so accustomed to. Our end result is an eccentric hybrid of the class’ ideas taking the structure of an acrostic poem.

I’m excited to move forward with these presentations and watch a small idea transform into five unique presentations. I have never had my opinions engaged by a teacher or administrator as much as I did in class today.  This is a creative way to stir class involvement. I hope to see this tactic become more prevalent in our schooling.

Check out my other posts on my blog: http://mramitmehrotra.blogspot.ca/

 

Day 6: Pam Taylor, FDK Teacher (Countryside Village PS)

Pam Taylor is a FDK Teacher at Countryside Village Public School.

Reblogged from: http://mindfulauthenticity.blogspot.ca/2015/09/so.html

So…… after many months of humming and hawing, thinking of excuses and generally avoiding this, I have decided to start writing. I’m still working on the exact purpose of this blog. There are a few different reasons that I have been thinking about, in no particular order:

1) In order to stop all of these thoughts from rolling around in my head and interfering with my dreams and sleep habits, I can write them down and have them for others to ponder as well;

2) It will keep me accountable to myself and to my profession;

3) It will help me to engage in more professional dialogue with colleagues around the province and around the globe;

4) It scares the living bejeezers out of me and I am told repeatedly that I need to step out of my comfort zone.

5) My friend and colleague Tina (misszita.wordpress.com) issued a challenge entitled      “The #20hourproject” and it sounded to me like she was calling me out to try something new.

A word about the name/title of the blog – somewhere in my trolling/perusal of the Twitterverse, I came across the term “mindful authenticity”.  Those 2 words sparked something in me that had me thinking. So I looked up the definitions of both words:

Mindful – paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgementally

Authenticity – truthfulness of origins, attributions, commitments, sincerity and intentions.

I put the two definitions together and came up with this:

Mindful authenticity – Paying attention in the present moment to the truthfulness of origins, sincerity and intentions in a non-judgemental way.

This definition speaks to me and the way that I teach in my classroom. Each and every day, I want to pay attention, in the present moment, with each child, to his or her origins, sincerity and intentions in play, without judgement.  Easier said than done, I know, but not a bad goal to strive towards either. Posted in my classroom is the question,

“Why this learning, for this child, at this time, in this way?” 

I try to be cognizant of this question when I interact with my students and look at ways to help them become successful.

So, here it is. I am not guaranteeing any mind-blowing, earth shattering knowledge. I’m just writing what’s on my mind and sharing interesting things that I come across that relate to Inquiry based learning, Kindergarten, Reggio-inspired learning or things that I think are kind of neat.

Thanks for checking this out!

Mindfully yours,
Pam