When this picture came across my feed this morning I got really giddy and excited as we have been talking about authentic math for a while now. I am sorry I am not able to find the source. I will keep looking.. So, this morning I would just like to share a few examples […]
Catchy title right? I could have gone with a list: “5 Reasons to Throw Out Grades” and I would have met a commenter suggesting “5 Reasons to Continue Giving Grades”. Sometimes we must remember that blog posts offer a perspective. One perspective from an infinite set. And here is my perspective… I’m not sure what […]
In this post I would like to provide a lesson based on patterning, spatial awareness and computational thinking using Minecraft. From the Ontario curriculum for grade 8: determine a term, given its term number, in a linear pattern that is represented by a graph or an algebraic equation; make connections between solving equations and determining […]
I recently read “The engaged student vs. the compliant student” by @justintarte which got me thinking. Why is it always one or the other? Why is it compliance vs. curiosity or grades vs. no grades or engaged vs. disengaged or student choice vs. dictation or fixed vs. growth mindset as if pedagogy in education is so black […]
Culture, culture, culture! On Linda Cliatt-Wayman’s first day as principal at a failing high school in North Philadelphia, she was determined to lay down the law. But she soon realized the job was more complex than she thought. With palpable passion, she shares the three principles that helped her turn around three schools labeled “low-performing […]
We recently conducted an LKDSB Youth Talk for intermediate students to share their voices. It was modelled after TEDx and we had a great turn out of students, teachers and parents. Stay tuned for it on youtube. One talk stood out to me and has me thinking again. I just read Is our job as […]
Myria Mallette (@MmeM27) is one of our French teachers who is busy learning, teaching and coding alongside her students. Recently she engaged a grade 8 student into creating this Zelda recreation to teach directions en francais. When I saw it, my jaw dropped with richness of Geometry (and little taste of algebra). After all, […]
Coding allows students to create content, not just consume it. Coding empowers students and give them tools to express themselves in really cool ways. Coding teaches storytelling with games and animations. Coding is a place for students to take risks and fail safely. Coding is inclusive and builds self-confidence Coding supports many principles of […]
1) “Spelling Test One” – In this type of assessment, students are given a bank of words and told a select few will make it into the formal dictation. Students memorize and retain as many of the words as they can in hopes are getting a good grade. Pros: Spelling Test One is easy […]
CanConnectEd was not your typical edtech conference. Of course there were sessions on tools, apps and such. But the big idea around the “connected” conference was, well, the idea of being connected. Thank you @mraspinall because I learned something for the 1st time today. #CanConnect15 very validating. — Alanna King (@banana29) May 7, 2015 […]
Grade nine was the year I stopped going to the library with my class. Not because I was protesting or anything but because the library was no longer an event – much like the computer lab. Instead, both facilities were resources, available on demand. If I needed the internet, it was there. If I […]
In this article I would like to dissect the Math curriculum here in Ontario and focus on the process of mathematics. From the Ontario curriculum document: Problem Solving Problem solving is central to learning mathematics. By learning to solve problems and by learning through problem solving, students are given numerous opportunities to connect mathematical […]
Melissa Dann (@meld70) is a prep teacher in Melbourne Australia who has begun exploring the concepts of coding with her five year old students. Yesterday she sent me the email below. As she reflects on her own practice, I applaud her confidence in considering a blog post – way to take a risk! As such, I […]
I am a transparent teacher. I am a transparent learner. I tweet a lot. I’ve heard every joke about me tweeting all day, living on twitter etc. and I’m OK with it. Better yet, I am great with it. It is a wealth of information, ideas, best practices and honest admissions of risk taking and […]
Yesterday was the second annual TEDxCK event (Chatham Kent). This year’s theme was”food for thought.” We had farmers, musicians, authors, teachers and even students in the building sharing big ideas. If I had to summarize the day into a few words, I would call it change and innovation. Regardless of your profession or industry, people […]
Student A loves school. Student A thrives on the challenge of a test. Student A studies three nights ahead of every exam. Student A is driven by marks and grades. Student A is good at “playing school”. School comes quite naturally to student A. Student A wants to be told what to do to get […]
This weekend I had the fortunate opportunity to attend and present at the ETFO ICT Conference in Toronto. The #etfot4t conference doesn’t start until 10:30 and the room is getting full already! #ETFO members eager to learn! pic.twitter.com/533rW3Q9ju — Jerry DeQuetteville (@jdeq) April 17, 2015 Learning with 180+ colleagues! Excited! #etfot4t pic.twitter.com/17kzNngZW4 — Mrs. Mott’s […]
As I gear up to present student work at ETFO’s ICT Conference in Toronto, I’d like to share some ideas: 1. Coding allows for students to learn across math strands instead of in isolation. 2. Coding is a place for students to fail safely. 3. Coding allows students to take risks and solve problems. 4. […]
Although this was an Art task, our Art teacher (@MrsPDU) allowed my students to code their fractal piece. Check out the Geometry expectations this also covered, besides the Art component. Grade 8 – Students Will: demonstrate an understanding of the geometric properties of quadrilaterals and circles and the applications of geometric properties in the real […]
Here we are. I hardly believe I am writing this at our last group TLLP session. It seems like just yesterday when we were applying. I still remember when my colleague, and now good friend, Nicole (@BeuckelareNic) approached me to be a part of this project. If you are new to TLLP – the Teacher […]
I had the fortunate opportunity to present at this weekend’s Google Summit in Kitchener. My session was the usual – pedagogy, assessment, making and coding. I call it “the usual” but it is never delivered the same twice. This time around I even added four new slides thirty minutes before I was up. You can […]
Edmettle is a project I have been working on for a few months now to support our Learning Skills and Work Habits here in Ontario. There has been a lot of talk around gamification in my world as of late so I thought I would share an example method of gamifying your classroom using Edmettle. […]
I have always wondered why learning stops at the end of a unit. Let me be more specific. When following a framework or guide, we group strands into timeframes. For example, three weeks will be spent on probability in math or this month we are writing narratives. Where I really struggle with this is early […]
For all the kids who grow up in a small town and think they don’t stand a chance. You do. I was once that kid.