I just witnessed the beginnings of students in a Grade 1/2 class really wanting to find an answer to their question on spiders. After a brainstorming session, students chose the question they were most interested in and off they went to find the answer.
A student in Grade 1 came back to the office to find me because she wanted to show me a Youtube clip of a spider eating a bug. She was very excited as to what she saw. So to were the rest of the students, as they poured through books, iPads and Youtube. They were genuinely excited about looking for their own answers and discovering other interesting facts along the way. Best part was, they did it on their own!
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It's great to keep those connections with old schools and colleagues. You just never know when it will come in handy. Even for something as simple as a student desk.
Well this time it has. I remember as a newbie Admin working with a child in Kindergarten that required a lot of support. It was new to all of us actually. Trying all kinds of furniture and contraptions that would allow this new K a chance to learn. A desk was made by a T's husband and it was just the thing. Now I've got it and it's going to be perfect. Great start to this K's opportunity for a better learning experience. After reading and seeing others do the daily blog - Delta's 180 Days of Learning - Leadership with Purpose - as a couple of examples; I decided to do something similar.
Not sure how many days I plan on writing (reason I didn't give it a fancy title like 30 Days of Learning), but I will be doing my best to make it daily. My focus is strictly on my school and any way to better student learning and their experiences. Of course other posts will surface on specific ideas I've read or witnessed that I will continue to comment on. Hopefully something will resonate with you and make say Mmmmmm.... Yes the 'R' word is making a come back in my educational life as it once did in '96 (UBC Education). Reflection! I would like to think I'm reflecting on not what I'm learning, but more of what I'm seeing in my school and how it's affecting student learning and the way teachers are teaching.
So I'm embarking on a daily log (blog I guess) of things that come up at my school, things I've been reading, or the odd idea that strikes me as somewhat interesting. Feel free to comment and thanks for reading. What a way to end the week! Our annual Terry Fox Walk.
Although the actually day that many of the schools in the Lower Mainland get together and celebrate the life of Terry Fox and contribute to finding a cure for cancer has come and gone, we still carried on with the tradition. It wasn't exactly as planned thanks to the weather, but we came up with an idea that was still fun and meaningful. Students and staff walked (some still ran) around our long hallways and gym while dance music played throughout the halls. It was awesome! Our first coming together as a school community. Can't wait for the next one. Although this link to Daniel Pink's Ted talk on "The puzzle of motivation" is a few years old, it's still worth a look - this being the beginning of a new school year and all.
http://on.ted.com/q084q It came to me via the book I'm reading by Don Wettrick - Pure Genius: Building a Culture of Innovation and Taking 20% Time to the Next Level. Now his talk is aimed at the business world, but it still can be applied to our education system. So I asked myself this question, How can I give my staff 20% time? Mmmmmm..... Stay tuned! (Wheels of creativity spinning in my head) Wow! Like that first wave of jet lag after a long, long journey. You get off that plane, you're excited to be at your destination; maybe explore a little or hit the beach. But when you get back to your hotel room and sit or lay down - it hits. I'm exhausted!
That's what the first full day felt like after seeing so many perma-grins on students and staff faces when they finally met each other for the beginning of a new year. Some "ooh's and awes" rang out as some didn't get the class or group of friends they wanted, but with the push to work together in cross grades - friends aren't really that far away. Now the real fun begins (and real work). I started my staff off with this quote from Don Wettrick ~ "In my classroom, I literally work for the students, and they bring value to the class. My job is to help them achieve their goals, rather than have the students work for me. I'm here to help facilitate learning, help manage projects, and make connections." Can't wait! The first day of school is always an exciting time! This year in particular as all parties: admin, students and staff have been away from the noisy halls, classrooms and lunchrooms for a little longer than expected.
Now we are back! For many, this time of the year is typically a slow climb up the mountain, with lots of peaks and valleys along the way. This September, however, in BC schools, is like going on the thrill ride of your life. You can't wait to get on and are super excited; you know what to expect by what you see, but don't really know until you're on the ride itself. That feeling of climbing to the top, looking over the edge for a fraction of a second and away you go. Screaming! Although you may end up fearing it and wondering when will it be over, you secretly want to go again because of the rush it provides. Happy first day of school BC and let's hope the thrill ride is an everyday experience for your staff and students. Now that the launch of our first ever Genius Hour is under way, students had the night to begin coming up with ideas with the goal of Friday to have their write up complete.
Today was a chance to clear up some questions that many of the students had about some of their ideas. Some of the comments noticed during the class discussion were: "This is hard." "What if I invent something and then I look on-line and it's already been done?" "Can I create a new piece of art or painting?" Students were then given their initial planning page and began writing down their ideas. Watching them do this, I came up with this analogy - It's like winning a gift card to your favourite store and not knowing what to buy when you actually go to shop. Many of the students agreed with me. Hard to choose. Lots of stumped looks on their faces; heads on their desk; classic thinking look of head to the sky. Those that are able to get a first draft done are going over their project with the teacher to clarify what it is they will actually do. Will that work? Has it been done before? How will it be displayed or presented? Students are really getting excited about their ideas. "I've got my idea!" Lots to think about before Friday's deadline and the Final proposal. Next up - Day 3 My goal of introducing an Innovation Week or Genius Hour has finally come to my school. I am very excited to see how this takes shape with the students and staff of Area B (Grade 4 & 5's). Grade 6/7 to come later. Over the next two weeks, I will attempt to capture the sights and sounds of our first ever Genius Hour at MacCorkindale. Back in the Fall, I presented to staff the idea of a week where students could create anything they wanted; something they were passionate about; something that students could really sink their teeth into. My staff looked at the articles, videos and examples from other schools and were willing to give it a look. After some professional time together and more pep talk/encouragement from me, it looks like it's a go. Several months later, the time has now come for the students to explore their own Genius Hour in the coming weeks. The official launch took place in Area B in the afternoon. After showing a couple of videos to the students to help them understand what they were about to embark on, students began brainstorming for ideas. About a third of the class were very excited and got right down to coming up with an idea; another third came up with lots, but not fully focused on one yet; the final third were lost and had no idea. Next up, Day 2 - Brainstorming continued |
About Me
I am the Provincial Coordinator for SET-BC. I'm passionate about inspiring others to be creative, curious, inclusive, collaborative and current in their learning Archives
July 2020
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