I am very fortunate to work in a great district, and that I am beginning to establish a larger PLN week by week. The conversation started off with a middle school teacher in my district, Carlan Gallello, asking why are we still grading at the elementary and middle and evolved into a discussion which included myself, a principal, Heidi Hass Gable, my district's DPAC president as well as a principal from a nearby district, Chris Wejr. This is obviously just the start of a conversation, but it is one that needs to occur.
Why are we still grading grades 4-8 in BC? If the role of a teacher is to teach, and the role of the report card is to report on a child's progress, how do percentages and letter grades meet the criteria? A progress report should be anecdotal and explaining how the child is progressing. Using performance standards or something akin, would give a much clearer picture to the parents about how their child is doing, what their strengths in each academic area are as well as the areas that they need support for or to focus more on. Whether the students are an A, B, C+, C, C- student, each student will still have areas to focus on. It would be pretty rare that a student would be entirely in the exceeding category for everything. IF we are using differentiated instruction, adapting curriculum and work to meet their needs, are grades giving a clear picture?
If everything is percentages, then it would likely mean that everything is a summative assessment. It is, in my personal opinion, an ineffective way of communicating a child's progress.When I used to do my math marks by pure percentages, my students became focussed on percentages and test scores, rarely on areas that they needed to develop. I remember there were two boys who were highly competitive who were within a few decimals points of a percentage of each other, in the high 90%. Their first reaction was to whip out the calculator, calculate their percentages, ask about the weighting, and compare. They would then go into their files, recheck the scores and check with me what the overall average was now. The number became the area of attention and not the work. As I look back on it I wonder how I could have been so ignorant. How can the value of a number have more importance than the work itself? Why was the conversation not more focussed on how they could improve, what were their areas of success or comparing previous assignments to see if they had addressed some of the areas needing attention? I was sending the wrong message.
For those who believe in the power of Twitter and would like to demonstrate it to others, you can follow the thread below. Start at the bottom.
bandlady Carlan Gallello
@
@MrWejr @HHG @remi_collins @datruss Definitely begins with
dialogue between all levels. Someone has to start it, though
22 minutes ago
https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/
MrWejr Chris Wejr
@
@bandlady @HHG @remi_collins @datruss we all know what is
needed but struggle where to start within current structures
23 minutes ago
https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/
bandlady Carlan Gallello
@
@HHG @remi_collins @datruss In agreement there; give me
time to finish LTT, reports, and concert prep and I'm in; it's time
for this convo
25 minutes ago
https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/
bandlady Carlan Gallello
@
@MrWejr @HHG @datruss @remi_collins It's time for these
conversations and time for change :)
26 minutes ago
https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/
HHG Heidi Hass Gable
@
@MrWejr @bandlady @datruss @remi_collins Dude - we'll talk
with you anytime!! :)
27 minutes ago
https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/
MrWejr Chris Wejr
@
@HHG @bandlady @datruss @remi_collins into the
conversation I mean... Quite happy at my school! ;-)
27 minutes ago
https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/
MrWejr Chris Wejr
@
@HHG @bandlady @datruss @remi_collins jealous of the
conversations happening in SD43! I want in!
28 minutes ago
https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/
HHG Heidi Hass Gable
@
@bandlady @remi_collins @datruss No, Remi's right - Mo first,
then TG. And other pres'
34 minutes ago
https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/
bandlady Carlan Gallello
@
@HHG @remi_collins @datruss Could be; I don't know much
about them
42 minutes ago
https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/
HHG Heidi Hass Gable
@
@remi_collins @bandlady @datruss There's the Student
Achievement Advisory Committee - would be a good place to
ask question maybe?
51 minutes ago
https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/
bandlady Carlan Gallello
@
@remi_collins @HHG @datruss HHG's perfect for that since
DPAC pres; I'd certainly be willing as well
51 minutes ago
https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/
bandlady Carlan Gallello
@
@HHG @remi_collins @datruss Remi, you're an
administrator...1st steps? District's all over formative assessment
right now; perfect chance
53 minutes ago
https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/
HHG Heidi Hass Gable
@
@bandlady @remi_collins @datruss Sounds good to me!
55 minutes ago
https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/
bandlady Carlan Gallello
@
@HHG @remi_collins @datruss For sure, but I'm thinking baby
steps. Like @remi_collins idea of talking to Maureen as well
56 minutes ago
https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/
HHG Heidi Hass Gable
@
@remi_collins @bandlady @datruss Whether he's Minister of Ed
or Premier - isn't either a person you want to influence?
58 minutes ago
https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/
HHG Heidi Hass Gable
@
@remi_collins @bandlady @datruss Oops - I already asked
what he thinks! :) But yes, we should discuss as District - just
curious!
59 minutes ago
https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/
HHG Heidi Hass Gable
@
@bandlady @remi_collins @datruss Well, our Minister of Ed
wants feedback - why don't we ask? #justsaying
1 hour ago
https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/
bandlady Carlan Gallello
@
@remi_collins @HHG @datruss If we were able to shift
reporting to progressive style,I would be in favour of reporting
after every key unit
1 hour ago
https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/
HHG Heidi Hass Gable
@
@remi_collins @bandlady Put clear assessment language
together with how 2 help kids move 2 next level & parents
wouldn't be hard 2 convince!
1 hour ago
https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/
bandlady Carlan Gallello
@
@HHG @remi_collins I think it needs to be all the way to grade
9, since percentages aren't supposed to be used until grade
10#justsaying
1 hour ago
https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/
bandlady Carlan Gallello
@HHG @remi_collins @datruss Will we have this dialogue
before I retire?The kids understand it, why not the adults ie
MINISTRY! Can we pilot?
1 hour ago
https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/
HHG Heidi Hass Gable
@
@remi_collins @bandlady Don't forget that Gr 4 and 5 has to
stop using letters too! I'll help! #justsaying
1 hour ago
https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/
bandlady Carlan Gallello
@
@remi_collins I know; so why aren't we changing and using the
performance standard language? Shouldn't we be
consistent?#justsaying
1 hour ago Favorite Retweet Reply
@bandladyCarlan Gallello
@remi_collins I know; so why aren't we changing and using the
performance standard language? Shouldn't we be
consistent? #justsaying
1 hour ago via TweetDeck Favorite Retweet Reply
HHG Heidi Hass Gable
Have I mentioned that I love my District?? Most amazing people
ever! #SD43rocks
58 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply
HHG Heidi Hass Gable
@
@remi_collins @bandlady @datruss There's the Student
Achievement Advisory Committee - would be a good place to
ask question maybe?
1 hour ago
https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/
HHG Heidi Hass Gable
@
@bandlady @remi_collins @datruss Sounds good to me!
1 hour ago
https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/
HHG Heidi Hass Gable
@
@remi_collins @bandlady @datruss Whether he's Minister of Ed
or Premier - isn't either a person you want to influence?
1 hour ago
https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/
HHG Heidi Hass Gable
@
@remi_collins @bandlady @datruss Oops - I already asked
what he thinks! :) But yes, we should discuss as District - just
curious!
replies ↓
remi_collins Remi Collins
@bandlady absolutely, going to take a lot of work and discussion,
much dialogue with PAC and parents, will take time#justsaying
1 hour ago
https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/
HHG Heidi Hass Gable
@bandlady Or why not "holy cow!" "Ready for the next step" and
"working on it" - or some variation of those?? #justsaying
1 hour ago
1 hour ago Favorite Retweet Reply
bandlady Carlan Gallello
(cont from last tweet) then we could have comments on how to
improve and support learning; send home after each unit
completed#justsaying
1 hour ago
https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/
bandlady Carlan Gallello
Why do we still assign letter grades for middle school in BC
Would like to see a check
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
What should beginning teachers focus on?
We have been fortunate at my school to have been asked to welcome student teachers on a fairly regular basis. As these beginning teachers come into the school I think back to my experience and what I wanted from my sponsor teacher and what the different principals where I did my practicums did for me. I enjoy going into the classroom and observing them. I love the passion, energy and creativity that they bring into the classroom. As I watch them teach, or am one of the interviewers for the district for Teachers on Call, I think about the qualities that would make me want to recommend them or hire them. What is it that I expect to hear and that I expect to see?
How well did you get to know your kids?
Do you know what your students like? Can you look at each child and know what their favourite areas of interest are? Do you know when they might become anxious? Do you know what their triggers are? Did you take the time to get to know them? Could you tell me which students need more time to do their work because they are slow and methodical versus those who do not understand but are finished quickly? Can you tell me which ones are bored and acting out because the work lacks the challenge they need versus the ones who are frustrated and acting out because they do not understand the material? A good read is here: Bring Forth What is Within.
Assessment
If you only know how your students are doing at the end of the unit then there are some serious questions that need to be addressed. Do you actually know what formative assessment looks like? It drives me nuts in interviews when I hear that there are 3 forms of assessment, of, for and as learning, and yet when we are discussing what their teaching units look like in the classroom they seem incapable of describing what it actually looked like in the classroom. I also hear the words rubrics, self-assessment and peer assessment thrown around like candy, but again with very little substance in terms of examples.
Should we not be getting student teachers to be actively assessing on a regular basis? What kind of feedback are they giving the students? Do the parents know how to help? Do they know which areas in which the students require additional support? Do their math assessments only look like Mad Minutes, repeated drill and kill sheets with no real problem solving, no math journalling? How can you know what your students actually know or do not know if there are only drill sheets being used to assess? If you do not know what I am talking about, this is a good starting point: Grade Less Assess More. How are you adapting your lessons/assignments to meet individual needs? Are you allowing their creative spirits to grow or are you constraining it? Changing Education Paradigms
Technology
How is technology being used in the classroom? Are you using powerpoint the same way my grand-parents used slides? If it is no different than listening to a boring narrative of someone standing next to the Statue of Liberty in 10 different ways then it is a $2000 waste of time. Are you using it the same way that your teachers used to use the overhead projector? Then it is a $2000 waste of time.
When I walk into the computer lab what am I going to see? Is the computer lab being used as a no-prepping block or is it being used to engage and promote learning? I have seen wikis being used at grade 2, blogging in grades 3-5. If there is more that you would like to do, do you know where to go to ask for help? Is your computer block just typing tutor/basic computer skills and using the computers as a fancy typewriter or are you using it to deepen the students' learning and bringing their learning to life? If you are more comfortable in this domain than your sponsor teacher, are you willing/able to spend time with them to help them integrate more technology into the classroom? If you are not sure what this should look like go here: Technology enabled choices, or here: Real World Editing.
Classroom management
Is your classroom management based on punishment/rewards and frequently looking at consequences? Are the students fearful of stepping out of line as in this example:soccer team? At the end of the day are you thinking of all of the kids who have sabotaged the lesson or are you reflecting on how you could have engaged them better? Are all problems based/blamed on ADHD? Do you stop and reflect when kids are focused and on-task versus when they are not? If you have noticed a pattern of behaviour, how have you modified your lessons. Have you changed up the type of activities that you are doing or do you have a few tried and true lessons that you revert to? Are you teaching the way that you were taught or are you teaching the way that wish that you had been taught? While there may students who struggle with their behaviour, the majority of students, when engaged, rarely demonstrate negative behaviour. Working Hard for Smart Teachers Makes the Whole Difference is a prime example of this. Have you created a community of learners and worked on self-regulation? Have you worked on modeling the behaviour?
Community Building
The school goes beyond the 4 walls of the classroom, it includes every adult that works in the building. In includes the teaching and non-teaching staff, the parents and the neighbourhood schools (especially the feeder schools). A vibrant school has an amazing energy to it, and this is because the kids are not just busy but actively engaged at their school and they love coming to school. There are leadership groups, sports teams, intramural activities and clubs. There are many adults involved making these activities happen, especially the teachers.
There was a time early in my teaching career when there was job action and there were no extra-curricular activities offered. The pulse of a really great school dropped remarkably and the students and staff both missed it. It really changed the climate of the school. We all understood the reasons why it was done, but we could see its impact on our students.
It is a great way to get to know the kids and a great way for the kids to get to know you as well. I loved the classroom, but I also loved being in the gym coaching volleyball and basketball, helping out with track and being involved in club activities as well. It is important to be involved in the school community, because it creates amazing opportunities for the kids, but it also a lot of fun.
Lifelong Learning
How are you furthering your learning after you have completed your teaching degree? What courses are you taking, what books are you reading? How are you reflecting on your practice? Where are you looking for answers when you are struggling? Great teachers never stop learning, never stop reading, never stop asking for help. I have my support network through Twitter is how I have worked on building my own personal learning network and learning community and blogging (also here) is a part of my regular reflection. What are you doing?
You are going to make mistakes. I remember in one of our workshops a teacher saying that the day he taught the perfect day was the day he was going to retire. I know that you are going to make mistakes, what I am really interested in, is when you make mistakes what did you learn? What did you do? What did you change? How did this inform your practice? Teaching will always be a work in progress because every class you get is different than the one before, every school you will teach at will be different than the one before. You need to keep reading, keep reflecting and keep discussing.
These are just some simple ideas that only begin to touch on the complexities of teaching and I know that there are many more elements. At the end of the day you need to ask yourself "Am I the teacher that I wished I had or loved being in his/her class or are am I the type of teacher whose class I did not enjoy because I felt he/she did not care?". Be honest with yourself.
Other Good Reads:
My 25% Pro-D
Kids do Well if They Can
The Curiosity of Children
My Role as a Teacher
Ted Talks Demystified for Teachers
How well did you get to know your kids?
Do you know what your students like? Can you look at each child and know what their favourite areas of interest are? Do you know when they might become anxious? Do you know what their triggers are? Did you take the time to get to know them? Could you tell me which students need more time to do their work because they are slow and methodical versus those who do not understand but are finished quickly? Can you tell me which ones are bored and acting out because the work lacks the challenge they need versus the ones who are frustrated and acting out because they do not understand the material? A good read is here: Bring Forth What is Within.
Assessment
If you only know how your students are doing at the end of the unit then there are some serious questions that need to be addressed. Do you actually know what formative assessment looks like? It drives me nuts in interviews when I hear that there are 3 forms of assessment, of, for and as learning, and yet when we are discussing what their teaching units look like in the classroom they seem incapable of describing what it actually looked like in the classroom. I also hear the words rubrics, self-assessment and peer assessment thrown around like candy, but again with very little substance in terms of examples.
Should we not be getting student teachers to be actively assessing on a regular basis? What kind of feedback are they giving the students? Do the parents know how to help? Do they know which areas in which the students require additional support? Do their math assessments only look like Mad Minutes, repeated drill and kill sheets with no real problem solving, no math journalling? How can you know what your students actually know or do not know if there are only drill sheets being used to assess? If you do not know what I am talking about, this is a good starting point: Grade Less Assess More. How are you adapting your lessons/assignments to meet individual needs? Are you allowing their creative spirits to grow or are you constraining it? Changing Education Paradigms
Technology
How is technology being used in the classroom? Are you using powerpoint the same way my grand-parents used slides? If it is no different than listening to a boring narrative of someone standing next to the Statue of Liberty in 10 different ways then it is a $2000 waste of time. Are you using it the same way that your teachers used to use the overhead projector? Then it is a $2000 waste of time.
When I walk into the computer lab what am I going to see? Is the computer lab being used as a no-prepping block or is it being used to engage and promote learning? I have seen wikis being used at grade 2, blogging in grades 3-5. If there is more that you would like to do, do you know where to go to ask for help? Is your computer block just typing tutor/basic computer skills and using the computers as a fancy typewriter or are you using it to deepen the students' learning and bringing their learning to life? If you are more comfortable in this domain than your sponsor teacher, are you willing/able to spend time with them to help them integrate more technology into the classroom? If you are not sure what this should look like go here: Technology enabled choices, or here: Real World Editing.
Classroom management
Is your classroom management based on punishment/rewards and frequently looking at consequences? Are the students fearful of stepping out of line as in this example:soccer team? At the end of the day are you thinking of all of the kids who have sabotaged the lesson or are you reflecting on how you could have engaged them better? Are all problems based/blamed on ADHD? Do you stop and reflect when kids are focused and on-task versus when they are not? If you have noticed a pattern of behaviour, how have you modified your lessons. Have you changed up the type of activities that you are doing or do you have a few tried and true lessons that you revert to? Are you teaching the way that you were taught or are you teaching the way that wish that you had been taught? While there may students who struggle with their behaviour, the majority of students, when engaged, rarely demonstrate negative behaviour. Working Hard for Smart Teachers Makes the Whole Difference is a prime example of this. Have you created a community of learners and worked on self-regulation? Have you worked on modeling the behaviour?
Community Building
The school goes beyond the 4 walls of the classroom, it includes every adult that works in the building. In includes the teaching and non-teaching staff, the parents and the neighbourhood schools (especially the feeder schools). A vibrant school has an amazing energy to it, and this is because the kids are not just busy but actively engaged at their school and they love coming to school. There are leadership groups, sports teams, intramural activities and clubs. There are many adults involved making these activities happen, especially the teachers.
There was a time early in my teaching career when there was job action and there were no extra-curricular activities offered. The pulse of a really great school dropped remarkably and the students and staff both missed it. It really changed the climate of the school. We all understood the reasons why it was done, but we could see its impact on our students.
It is a great way to get to know the kids and a great way for the kids to get to know you as well. I loved the classroom, but I also loved being in the gym coaching volleyball and basketball, helping out with track and being involved in club activities as well. It is important to be involved in the school community, because it creates amazing opportunities for the kids, but it also a lot of fun.
Lifelong Learning
How are you furthering your learning after you have completed your teaching degree? What courses are you taking, what books are you reading? How are you reflecting on your practice? Where are you looking for answers when you are struggling? Great teachers never stop learning, never stop reading, never stop asking for help. I have my support network through Twitter is how I have worked on building my own personal learning network and learning community and blogging (also here) is a part of my regular reflection. What are you doing?
You are going to make mistakes. I remember in one of our workshops a teacher saying that the day he taught the perfect day was the day he was going to retire. I know that you are going to make mistakes, what I am really interested in, is when you make mistakes what did you learn? What did you do? What did you change? How did this inform your practice? Teaching will always be a work in progress because every class you get is different than the one before, every school you will teach at will be different than the one before. You need to keep reading, keep reflecting and keep discussing.
These are just some simple ideas that only begin to touch on the complexities of teaching and I know that there are many more elements. At the end of the day you need to ask yourself "Am I the teacher that I wished I had or loved being in his/her class or are am I the type of teacher whose class I did not enjoy because I felt he/she did not care?". Be honest with yourself.
Other Good Reads:
My 25% Pro-D
Kids do Well if They Can
The Curiosity of Children
My Role as a Teacher
Ted Talks Demystified for Teachers
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Why do I blog?
I have been trying to figure out what made me start blogging and I am not 100% sure. I never particularly enjoyed writing at school, but perhaps that was a result of being limited in what I could write about or just some negative experiences. It was not until I started my Masters that I discovered that I actually enjoyed writing, although the deadlines were a challenge every once in a while. It was the first time that I was given license to write about something that I actually cared about or was interested in. I was reflecting on my practice, with thought and accountability for the first time since I was doing my teaching degree, and as I think of that now, there is something seriously wrong with that.
This is not to say that I was not reflecting on my teaching, but the reflections were more to do with day to day teaching in terms of what worked and what didn't work with individual lessons. I was not thinking pedagogically, I was not pushing myself to improve my practice. Eventually I started to join some learning teams and was fortunate to be a part of the numeracy task design team with some great teachers under the guidance of Peter Liljedahl from SFU, and for the first time I was really thinking about my practice as a whole and I ended up completely rethinking my teaching. The problem here was that I was only sharing my practice with a few people, and only getting feedback from people who all thought the same way, it was like we all had our own mini-cult (who all became administrators). This would have been a great time to begin blogging.
By blogging I open myself up to criticism, helpful suggestions and accountability. I know that if I am going to put ideas out there I had better be ready to back up and be prepared to defend. I have been limiting myself to topics which I am very comfortable with as I begin to wrap my head around this. I am steeling myself to begin being a model of reflective practice for my staff. If I am not willing to put myself out there and expose my practice to criticism, how can I expect those around me to do so as well? I love the ideas put forth in this following blog entry.
For the first time in a long time I am really trying to put together my thoughts coherently for others to be able to reflect on, give suggestions, thoughts and criticisms. But rather than just an instructor, faculty advisor or sponsor teacher, I am opening it up to the world. I am trying to move outside of my comfort zone, my school, my district and my province. I am hopefully going to be a model for the students in my school and my colleagues. I am getting back into the practice of writing about things that I am passionate about and trying to move my practice forward. Let the journey begin.
This is not to say that I was not reflecting on my teaching, but the reflections were more to do with day to day teaching in terms of what worked and what didn't work with individual lessons. I was not thinking pedagogically, I was not pushing myself to improve my practice. Eventually I started to join some learning teams and was fortunate to be a part of the numeracy task design team with some great teachers under the guidance of Peter Liljedahl from SFU, and for the first time I was really thinking about my practice as a whole and I ended up completely rethinking my teaching. The problem here was that I was only sharing my practice with a few people, and only getting feedback from people who all thought the same way, it was like we all had our own mini-cult (who all became administrators). This would have been a great time to begin blogging.
By blogging I open myself up to criticism, helpful suggestions and accountability. I know that if I am going to put ideas out there I had better be ready to back up and be prepared to defend. I have been limiting myself to topics which I am very comfortable with as I begin to wrap my head around this. I am steeling myself to begin being a model of reflective practice for my staff. If I am not willing to put myself out there and expose my practice to criticism, how can I expect those around me to do so as well? I love the ideas put forth in this following blog entry.
For the first time in a long time I am really trying to put together my thoughts coherently for others to be able to reflect on, give suggestions, thoughts and criticisms. But rather than just an instructor, faculty advisor or sponsor teacher, I am opening it up to the world. I am trying to move outside of my comfort zone, my school, my district and my province. I am hopefully going to be a model for the students in my school and my colleagues. I am getting back into the practice of writing about things that I am passionate about and trying to move my practice forward. Let the journey begin.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Global Collaboration Part 2
For lack of a better way of putting it, this is basically a request for some ideas, links and suggestions about the potential of Twitter. Over the past few weeks I have been trying to encourage staff, colleagues and members of the British Columbia Principals and Vice-Principals Association (BCPVPA) to use Twitter because it provides an effective communication and sharing tool. The best part of it is the fact that it is free and global. In a few weeks I will be meeting with some other members of the BCPVPA to look at effective communication between members across our province. How is it a collaborative tool? I guess there are many ways to try and explain it and Chris Kennedy in his post A Recipient in the Sharing Revolution summed it up really well. A few days after I posted this blog I came across the blog of @Nunavut_Teacher who gave a great explanation of this very point in his post The Power of Twitter: My geographic location did not stop me from meeting these Tweeters!
Much of the talk about the power of Twitter centers around PLNs. Hashtags, such as #edchat, #education and #edtech are quick entries open up potential PLNs. I am amazed at the world wide wealth of knowledge that is out there, but also the world wide wonder wonder when it comes to education. When I wrote my post about Twitter I may have had 30-40 people following me (mainly fabulous colleagues from my school district in Coquitlam, BC), none outside of North America and yet if you look at the page views of my blog below you can see the global possibilities that are there in terms of contact with the World. Last time I checked I know no one in South Korea, Russia, Japan nor South Africa and 1 person in Australia.
Today I had a brief Twitter chat about #Autism with @Grade1 @fiteach @MrWejr as @MrWejr was putting out a question about extrinsic motivation (I hear many times about using rewards 4 studnts w/ autism. I don't normally agree w/ rewards - is it diffrnt 4 stdnts w/ #autism? ) and had a number of people respond to it. None of them live in his city and I was the only one in his province, yet we all have experience with Autistic children and are able to share our experience, strategies and thoughts. It is amazing how many point of views and ideas that can be generated from the use of hashtags and PLNs. A parent from his school had arranged for a video conference on Autism and @MrWejr decided to tweet a few questions and then shared it with the staff and parents present. They were amazed at what came out of a simple tweeted question.
@MrWejr uses his PLN very effectively. Just today (a week later from the original post) he sent out another question. This question was sent out to myself, a principal in China, Alberta, Pennsylvania, and Massachusettes. 5 principals working in 3 different countries discussing the same issue. We all have different training, experience and school boards but we all work with kids. Why limit ourselves to our neighbouring schools? Are we ever going to get better at what we do by always conferring with the same people?
I am looking for examples of this. If you have written a post on this topic or are able to share an experience that directly impacted your profession as a result of putting out a question via Twitter, could you please share. I have found many great resources and fantastic articles and have my own personal experience but I am looking for other perspectives as I would like to have something more to demonstrate other than my own experience. Any contributions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Remi
Below are some examples that I have picked up from an #edchat discussion:
http://harrison.warsaw.k12.in.us/index.php/classrooms/index.php?option=com_joomlaconnect_ce&Itemid=87&task=showPage&page_id=3
http://www.globaleducationconference.com/
How do we encourage other teachers not online to begin collaborating with peers? #edchat Be role models by doing it ourselves
What are the most effective tools for international collaboration projects? #Edchat wikispaces, skype, Flasmeeting, Animoto
Doing a stu twtr discussion tonite "what is the responsibility of the student" @ 7cnt time. Invite ur stu - use #ohs2010 - #edchat
You cannot understand your own culture completely without understanding it's relationships to other cultures. #edchat
show them the benefits of collab online "work smarter, not harder" #edchat
Much of the talk about the power of Twitter centers around PLNs. Hashtags, such as #edchat, #education and #edtech are quick entries open up potential PLNs. I am amazed at the world wide wealth of knowledge that is out there, but also the world wide wonder wonder when it comes to education. When I wrote my post about Twitter I may have had 30-40 people following me (mainly fabulous colleagues from my school district in Coquitlam, BC), none outside of North America and yet if you look at the page views of my blog below you can see the global possibilities that are there in terms of contact with the World. Last time I checked I know no one in South Korea, Russia, Japan nor South Africa and 1 person in Australia.
@MrWejr uses his PLN very effectively. Just today (a week later from the original post) he sent out another question. This question was sent out to myself, a principal in China, Alberta, Pennsylvania, and Massachusettes. 5 principals working in 3 different countries discussing the same issue. We all have different training, experience and school boards but we all work with kids. Why limit ourselves to our neighbouring schools? Are we ever going to get better at what we do by always conferring with the same people?
I am looking for examples of this. If you have written a post on this topic or are able to share an experience that directly impacted your profession as a result of putting out a question via Twitter, could you please share. I have found many great resources and fantastic articles and have my own personal experience but I am looking for other perspectives as I would like to have something more to demonstrate other than my own experience. Any contributions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Remi
Below are some examples that I have picked up from an #edchat discussion:
http://harrison.warsaw.k12.in.us/index.php/classrooms/index.php?option=com_joomlaconnect_ce&Itemid=87&task=showPage&page_id=3
http://www.globaleducationconference.com/
How do we encourage other teachers not online to begin collaborating with peers? #edchat Be role models by doing it ourselves
What are the most effective tools for international collaboration projects? #Edchat wikispaces, skype, Flasmeeting, Animoto
Doing a stu twtr discussion tonite "what is the responsibility of the student" @ 7cnt time. Invite ur stu - use #ohs2010 - #edchat
You cannot understand your own culture completely without understanding it's relationships to other cultures. #edchat
show them the benefits of collab online "work smarter, not harder" #edchat
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Remembrance Day Assembly
I was struggling with how to represent the reason that we make such a point of Remembrance Day. In my post on Remembrance Day I was comparing my life to that of my grand-father. the more I thought about it, the more it seemed that this might be the message that the kids could understand in a K-5 school. Below is what I presented. Before I get to that, I also wanted to say how proud I was of our school yesterday.
It was the best assembly in terms of listening that we have experienced this year, we had a huge collaborative effort on the part of 3 French teachers to present Quand les hommes vivront d'amour which was followed up by another great performance of another class which sung Flanders Fields as it was put together by Anthony Hutchcroft. What was really cool about that performance is that our music teacher shared the link last Thursday and the teacher had it ready for our assembly a short 6 days later.
Another teacher, through KidPix, had her students represent what peace meant to them as a slideshow to show before the assembly started. We were joined by a veteran who was a tail gunner during WWII, who was brought over from the local Legion Home by a parent who works there. We also had a trumpet player who played Taps and Rouse for our assembly, which was arranged by another family. It was such a great community effort. It is our best attended assembly of the year after our year-end assembly. There were many parents and staff who felt that the message was well communicated this year.
It was the best assembly in terms of listening that we have experienced this year, we had a huge collaborative effort on the part of 3 French teachers to present Quand les hommes vivront d'amour which was followed up by another great performance of another class which sung Flanders Fields as it was put together by Anthony Hutchcroft. What was really cool about that performance is that our music teacher shared the link last Thursday and the teacher had it ready for our assembly a short 6 days later.
Another teacher, through KidPix, had her students represent what peace meant to them as a slideshow to show before the assembly started. We were joined by a veteran who was a tail gunner during WWII, who was brought over from the local Legion Home by a parent who works there. We also had a trumpet player who played Taps and Rouse for our assembly, which was arranged by another family. It was such a great community effort. It is our best attended assembly of the year after our year-end assembly. There were many parents and staff who felt that the message was well communicated this year.
Remembrance Day
There are many privileges that we are able to enjoy because of the sacrifices made by many men and women. It is difficult to explain when our lives are so different than those of our parents, grand-parents and great-grand-parents. I have struggled with how to explain something that I myself have never experienced. I thought that I would compare my life to members of my family to show you how fortunate we are and why it is important that we never forget.Me | Family |
5 years old – catching snakes is the backyard and going to the park | Dad 5 years old- practicing bombing drills where a siren would go off and he would have to know where to go in case planes would drop bombs on his city |
12 years old – going with my parents to buy clothes, having a some choice of what to buy, not being happy with what my mom would allow me to buy. Would lose clothes fairly often- just like our own lost and found, lots of clothes that kids leave behind | Uncle 12 years old- clothes, material for clothes limited, pyjamas were made from curtains and made way too big so that he could grow into it to save money and materials. Every clothing item was stitched, patched, passed down, extended. Nothing was wasted |
19 – second year of university, not sure what courses I would take, enjoyed hanging out with friends, playing soccer | Grand-father 19 – part of the French army, fighting, hoping to stay alive |
20 – 3rd year of university, trying to decide what I wanted to do career wise with my degree | Grand-father 20- captured by enemy soldiers and spent the next 5 years in a prisoner of war camp, wondering if he was going to be able to eat enough, wondering if he was going to survive |
23 – a friend of mine got married, was able to go to different stores to find her wedding dress, try on many dresses until she found the one she wanted | 23- grand-mother- wedding dresses and materials were very limited. She borrowed the wedding dresses from 3 friends, unsewed them, put together her own wedding dress, after the wedding had to take it apart again and resew her friends wedding dress exactly like they were before |
25- working, having fun with friends, playing soccer and golf, beginning to realize that I wanted to become a teacher and started planning what courses I would take, spending a lot of time with my family | Grand-father 25- war was coming to an end and the prisoners were being marched for days to come to a point where they were released to France where my grand-father for the first time in 6 years saw his mom, dad, sister and brother and other members of his family as well as my grand-mother who he would marry a few months later |
26 – Went back to university to take the courses that I was missing, able to shop at Costco and able to buy what I needed and things that I wanted,would throw away food I did not finish, go to all you can eat sushi, fish and chips (in other words eat too much and then not always feeling well because I ate too much) | 26- grand-parents had groceries rationed, only able to pick up small amounts of food. Everything was eaten, could not afford to throw any food away. Having just enough to eat, special treat if they were able to have seconds |
We live in a time where we have choices and opportunities thanks to the many men and women who have fought to protect our right to be safe, go to school and have choices of what we would like to do when we are adults. We do not have these memories because of what the many brave men and women have sacrificed for us. Canada has not had a was on its soil in over 100 years, which means that the Canadian Forces have been going overseas to help provide the peace that our nation has enjoyed for so many years. It is important that we take the time to be thankful for our veterans so that we can continue to live in peace.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Global Collaboration
Yesterday I had the opportunity to take part in the British Columbia Principal and Vice-Principal's Association (BCPVPA) Professional Development Representative training. At this meeting were representatives from all around the province, representing 42 different school districts. Towards the end of the meeting one of the members asked how could we share? Well that is a good question.
There are many ways that we could share, including a privately paid, restrictive portal that only members of the BCPVPA can access or do we do something that is wide-open? Is there a place for both? I guess it depends on what is being shared. If we are sharing ideas, collaborating on projects that would benefit many outside of our group, shouldn't we be sharing this more than we are? I understand that there can be documents that need limited disclosure, but professional development, templates and information that is beneficial to other teachers and administrators probably should not be restricted to a private portal.
The more we share, the more that is available out there, the more feedback we get on projects, documents, ideas and conundrums and therefor the more the very group we are targeting, the kids, benefits. Why limit ourselves to a select group in a select area and not open it up to the world. Blogs, Wikis and Googledocs are just a few examples that are out there. We are putting laptops and internet connections in classrooms, supposedly to open up the classroom to world, yet we seem to be restrictive is how these resources are used and how the information is shared. Its almost akin to bringing a kid to Central Park but limiting them to a 10 x 10 foot square.
I feel fortunate to have a superintendent that supports our endeavours and desire to extend beyond the curriculum, and work in a district where there are many amazing teachers on Twitter sharing their thoughts through articles, blogs and quotes. I feel fortunate that there are many great educators around, but I do not feel that we have even begun to tap into the World Wide Wealth of information. Is it a resource challenge or a way of thinking that needs to be altered? I would argue it is the latter. It is time we changed our way of thinking about how we collaborate and set the examples for out students for their benefit and ours. So, what is the next step?
I think this quote from @gcouros (http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/1364) sums it up: If administrators are truly to be leaders, we need to continuously learn and connect with others to shape ideas. We are the role models for our staff, students, and community. You should never ask something of your staff that you are not willing to do yourself.
There are many ways that we could share, including a privately paid, restrictive portal that only members of the BCPVPA can access or do we do something that is wide-open? Is there a place for both? I guess it depends on what is being shared. If we are sharing ideas, collaborating on projects that would benefit many outside of our group, shouldn't we be sharing this more than we are? I understand that there can be documents that need limited disclosure, but professional development, templates and information that is beneficial to other teachers and administrators probably should not be restricted to a private portal.
The more we share, the more that is available out there, the more feedback we get on projects, documents, ideas and conundrums and therefor the more the very group we are targeting, the kids, benefits. Why limit ourselves to a select group in a select area and not open it up to the world. Blogs, Wikis and Googledocs are just a few examples that are out there. We are putting laptops and internet connections in classrooms, supposedly to open up the classroom to world, yet we seem to be restrictive is how these resources are used and how the information is shared. Its almost akin to bringing a kid to Central Park but limiting them to a 10 x 10 foot square.
I feel fortunate to have a superintendent that supports our endeavours and desire to extend beyond the curriculum, and work in a district where there are many amazing teachers on Twitter sharing their thoughts through articles, blogs and quotes. I feel fortunate that there are many great educators around, but I do not feel that we have even begun to tap into the World Wide Wealth of information. Is it a resource challenge or a way of thinking that needs to be altered? I would argue it is the latter. It is time we changed our way of thinking about how we collaborate and set the examples for out students for their benefit and ours. So, what is the next step?
I think this quote from @gcouros (http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/1364) sums it up: If administrators are truly to be leaders, we need to continuously learn and connect with others to shape ideas. We are the role models for our staff, students, and community. You should never ask something of your staff that you are not willing to do yourself.
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