A terrible thing happened a few weeks ago and it has taken me awhile to sort out how I feel. As part of cost-cutting measures made necessary by budgetary constraints to the school district, ten helping teachers lost their positions, five of them from the IML (Information Media Literacy) department. This means the complete elimination of this department, and a move away from supporting teachers and teacher-librarians as they attempt to update their practice, embrace inquiry learning and use technology effectively and purposefully in their classrooms. I don't get it.
In the past year alone, our school district has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars providing technology, resources, professional development and support to teachers, students and schools working towards innovative and effective learning. More money has gone towards the creation of learning commons in many of our school. At the heart of this movement are +Kevin Amboe, +Shelagh Lim, +Orwell Kowalyshyn, +Lisa Domeier and Sarah Guilmant-Smith. They are the public face of educational reform......and they walk the walk. Surrey is the proud owner of a Twitter hashtag and iTunes U account that is widely respected throughout North America. Surrey teachers publish and share and innovate and collaborate and on and on and on. This team of educators are our cheerleaders, mentors and the ones that push us onto the public stage. They make us better than we are. We cannot afford to lose the good ones.
It has taken over ten years for us early adapters to see shifts in the educational landscape to the point that 21st century learning is becoming widespread and necessary. Even the new BC Ed curriculum stresses the obvious:
One of the core tenets of the BC Education Plan is that there will be
increased emphasis on the teaching of 21st century competencies like
creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, digital literacy,
emotional literacy, interpersonal skills, and collaboration. Many people
want assurance though, that this doesn’t come at the expense of
foundational skills.
And now, what? There is evidence that professional development makes an incredible difference to the effectiveness of teachers. The loss of these helping teachers is going to mean, at best, a significant slowdown in the acquisition of essential skills by students and teachers alike. One of my biggest fears hinges on knowing that without significant changes in teacher pedagogy, tech integration is ineffective. I fear that three years from now, someone in charge will look at the expensive technology deployed in 2013 - 2014, realize it had little impact on student achievement and decide tech integration wasn't worth it after all. They will embrace instead the standardized test. They will ignore what I know is true - that tech integration needs creative teaching, risk-taking and courage to work. That students can be engaged and connected and achieve and create and learn. That all students can be included. That knowledge is at every students' fingertips. That... as Albert Einstein reminds us......creativity is intelligence having fun. That hurts my spirit.
Showing posts with label teacher engagement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teacher engagement. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Around and Around We Go
I am so dismayed by the events taking place in the education sector in British Columbia. For those people who haven't noticed, once again the BCTF and the provincial government are poised to agree to disagree and the result is walkouts and lockouts. It is a no-win situation for everyone affected - teachers, parents, students.
There are a lot of issues worth discussing - class size and composition, the recent court win by the BCTF that is once more under appeal, the downloading of capital costs and seismic upgradings to the districts, the loss of librarian and counselling positions, new curriculum changes, questions around assessment, how to meet the needs of the increasing number of special needs students, how to fund field trips and presenters when we can't ask parents for money...............and more.
I have heard parents commenting on how dirty the schools have become and how overwhelmed the teachers seem to be. And I have had parents tell me how lazy teachers are. There is a chasm between the stakeholders that I don't believe can be breached. Instead of focusing on what really matters, there is finger-pointing and name-calling. It is bewildering to me.
One thing I do not understand is where is the press? Where are the journalists and where is the "respected" media willing to sift through the rhetoric and actually report the facts. I recently saw a news item on the cancellation of Vancouver School Board's string program - a video of children with their instruments trying hard to convince the public they should still support funding their program. The fact is that many, many programs have already been cut. Library programs, learning support programs, counselling programs, early literacy programs - the list goes on and on. Where is the public discussion? If we, as a society, are fine with these cuts, why would we care about a strings program?
Immigration and refugee policy is set by government, but it is teachers who deal with the lack of prior schooling and the trauma. It is teachers who teach the children English and social skills. Who funds this support because there is very little of it? And the impact on our most at-risk students is significant. (To learn more, read this article about the impact of privatization on low-income students.)
The truth is that the only programs that have not been cut are ones guaranteed in the teacher contract... AND that is why teachers continue to fight for reduced class sizes and library, counselling and learning support. These guarantees became part of the teacher's contract in the 1990s when teachers agreed to zero wage increases in exchange for better student support.
I heard about people circulating an email about the BCTF in which they mock the practice of thanking our First Nations for the use of their traditional lands. Why is this the most important part of the conversation? Why ridicule anyone for being polite and respectful, irregardless of your own beliefs. This is the crux of the problem. We focus on the superficial issues and miss out on what really matters - the educational experience of our children.
I think that the government needs to be honest with the public and admit that they can't or won't continue to fund public education at the level to which we expect. Their proposal of a two-tier wage for new hires, no significant raise, a threatened sanction for not doing recess supervision and their avowal that they cannot afford classroom compositions that are manageable, all suggest the government is looking to pinch their pennies to limit the education costs. That is a no-brainer. They have their position and they are committed to it, but I suspect they know there would be limited public support if they had a frank and honest dialogue with the public over their endgame (I suspect privatization and teachers replaced by untrained staff).
I believe in sustainability and I think that if we can no longer afford public education in its' present form, then we should start to have public discourse on what needs to change. (Read the about the government's position on the affordability of teacher's demands.) Do we need to change our funding priorities, change our curriculum, charge a fee to parents, change the way we deliver education? (To learn more about how educational funding is siphoned off read this article by +David Truss) These discussions need to be help publicly not behind closed doors in Victoria.
I think they need to acknowledge the teachers are doing the best they can with the resources available and admit that they are still entitled to be respected. There is a lack of support for the needs of the teaching profession that need to be addressed. Why send your child to school all day to a teacher you rage against and disparage at home? Teachers are a pivotal part of any child's journey. Recent studies carried out in the United States show that there is a significant disparity between the salaries of teachers from the U.S. and teachers from countries where students are ranked by PISA as high-performing. Canada and British Columbia possess one of these high-performing educational systems. Higher wages ensure that candidates for teacher training and positions are plentiful and that only the "best" candidates are chosen. Countries with lower wages, such as the United States, have difficulty attracting effective candidates. In many places, if ineffective and incompetent teachers were fired there would be no possibility of replacing them due to the low wages and difficult working conditions. Strong candidates can find other work. The morale of the story.......you get what you pay for.
I think the public feels free to criticize teachers because they believe the school system is the same as it was when they were working their way through it. It isn't. It really, really isn't. Teachers work in an environment where their only audience is children. I think parents should actively volunteer in their child's class. Maybe Premiers and Education Ministers should too.
I think that the stress of doing the job, fundraising, defending, planning and fighting over resources is driving teachers away from the classroom.
I think that is sad.
There are a lot of issues worth discussing - class size and composition, the recent court win by the BCTF that is once more under appeal, the downloading of capital costs and seismic upgradings to the districts, the loss of librarian and counselling positions, new curriculum changes, questions around assessment, how to meet the needs of the increasing number of special needs students, how to fund field trips and presenters when we can't ask parents for money...............and more.
I have heard parents commenting on how dirty the schools have become and how overwhelmed the teachers seem to be. And I have had parents tell me how lazy teachers are. There is a chasm between the stakeholders that I don't believe can be breached. Instead of focusing on what really matters, there is finger-pointing and name-calling. It is bewildering to me.
One thing I do not understand is where is the press? Where are the journalists and where is the "respected" media willing to sift through the rhetoric and actually report the facts. I recently saw a news item on the cancellation of Vancouver School Board's string program - a video of children with their instruments trying hard to convince the public they should still support funding their program. The fact is that many, many programs have already been cut. Library programs, learning support programs, counselling programs, early literacy programs - the list goes on and on. Where is the public discussion? If we, as a society, are fine with these cuts, why would we care about a strings program?
Immigration and refugee policy is set by government, but it is teachers who deal with the lack of prior schooling and the trauma. It is teachers who teach the children English and social skills. Who funds this support because there is very little of it? And the impact on our most at-risk students is significant. (To learn more, read this article about the impact of privatization on low-income students.)
The truth is that the only programs that have not been cut are ones guaranteed in the teacher contract... AND that is why teachers continue to fight for reduced class sizes and library, counselling and learning support. These guarantees became part of the teacher's contract in the 1990s when teachers agreed to zero wage increases in exchange for better student support.
I heard about people circulating an email about the BCTF in which they mock the practice of thanking our First Nations for the use of their traditional lands. Why is this the most important part of the conversation? Why ridicule anyone for being polite and respectful, irregardless of your own beliefs. This is the crux of the problem. We focus on the superficial issues and miss out on what really matters - the educational experience of our children.
I think that the government needs to be honest with the public and admit that they can't or won't continue to fund public education at the level to which we expect. Their proposal of a two-tier wage for new hires, no significant raise, a threatened sanction for not doing recess supervision and their avowal that they cannot afford classroom compositions that are manageable, all suggest the government is looking to pinch their pennies to limit the education costs. That is a no-brainer. They have their position and they are committed to it, but I suspect they know there would be limited public support if they had a frank and honest dialogue with the public over their endgame (I suspect privatization and teachers replaced by untrained staff).
I believe in sustainability and I think that if we can no longer afford public education in its' present form, then we should start to have public discourse on what needs to change. (Read the about the government's position on the affordability of teacher's demands.) Do we need to change our funding priorities, change our curriculum, charge a fee to parents, change the way we deliver education? (To learn more about how educational funding is siphoned off read this article by +David Truss) These discussions need to be help publicly not behind closed doors in Victoria.
I think they need to acknowledge the teachers are doing the best they can with the resources available and admit that they are still entitled to be respected. There is a lack of support for the needs of the teaching profession that need to be addressed. Why send your child to school all day to a teacher you rage against and disparage at home? Teachers are a pivotal part of any child's journey. Recent studies carried out in the United States show that there is a significant disparity between the salaries of teachers from the U.S. and teachers from countries where students are ranked by PISA as high-performing. Canada and British Columbia possess one of these high-performing educational systems. Higher wages ensure that candidates for teacher training and positions are plentiful and that only the "best" candidates are chosen. Countries with lower wages, such as the United States, have difficulty attracting effective candidates. In many places, if ineffective and incompetent teachers were fired there would be no possibility of replacing them due to the low wages and difficult working conditions. Strong candidates can find other work. The morale of the story.......you get what you pay for.
I think the public feels free to criticize teachers because they believe the school system is the same as it was when they were working their way through it. It isn't. It really, really isn't. Teachers work in an environment where their only audience is children. I think parents should actively volunteer in their child's class. Maybe Premiers and Education Ministers should too.
I think that the stress of doing the job, fundraising, defending, planning and fighting over resources is driving teachers away from the classroom.
I think that is sad.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
What Attending the Apple Institute Has Taught Me About Engaging Educators
What Attending the Apple Institute Has Taught Me About Engaged Educators
It has been a few weeks since I returned from the North American ADE 2013 Institute in Austin, Texas, and it is about time for me to reflect on the entire, breath-taking experience.
Many of the ADEs have already posted their own thoughts. One good example comes from Kyle Pearce who is a new ADE from Ontario, Canada. He has shared both his application video and his reflections on attending his first institute. The highlight for him (and others) was the opportunity to connect with other like-minded educators with a shared vision for teaching. This theme runs through many other postings. Courtney Pepe, an ADE from New Jersey shared her Top 10 List and Kristi Meeuws, another new ADE from South Carolina, reflects on the shared experience. Daniel Whitt and Beth Sanders from Youth Culture Converts captured the energy of many ADEs attending the conference.
The Institute is a non-stop affair. As Troy Bagwell writes - We Were on Fire. In just four days, I attended many world-class sessions and had not only the best professional learning in my career but possible the best educational experience of my life. The presenters ranged from those who are world-renowned (Bill Frakes, Rebecca Stockey and Nancy Duarte) to those enthusiastic experts such as Bea Cantor (download and read her book on macro photography). There is no describing the energy and enthusiasm filling the room and every single educator there actively seeks out opportunities to learn, write, engage, network, debate, comfort and support a team of 400. And they commit to creating content throughout their summer holidays. It is amazing because it so rarely happens in other settings. And that is what I have been pondering these last few weeks - what makes this group and this institute so unique?
First - The educators at these events are told they are valued - that what they are doing matters and is special and meaningful for students. This is reinforced throughout the week - ADEs showcase their work and share their best moments. Given the current climate in British Columbia and other North American districts, teacher appreciation has become anything but the norm. It is amazing how being accepted and acknowledged energized everyone in the room.
Second - The content offered is meaningful and world-class. It is not dumbed-down and it goes beyond the basics. If you need to catch up to what is happening after a session, there are people ready to help. In Austin, impromptu sessions were held well into the evenings - run by "ordinary teachers" with something to share. Do you want to know how an app works or have a question about lighting while taking photographs - there is someone standing beside you to help.
Third - There is a common goal. It is unwritten but omnipresent - ADEs are aiming for an enriched, meaningful, interactive, high-level thinking educational experience for their students. There is ongoing questioning of our own practice and it is OK to get help if you need it. ADEs are goal-oriented and driven to create best practice. This group consensus doesn't happen as often as it should in schools, and that is really too bad as that closed door mentality robs all teachers of opportunities for mentorship and team collaboration.
Fourth - Failure is celebrated. Why? Because someone took a risk, shared their ideas and everyone thought that was great.
Fifth - ADEs make a commitment to create content - they read, they research, they document, they assess and they write it up and share it with others. They are not passive and they do more than curate ideas.
Sixth - ADEs blog. They tweet. They photograph. They are artists and musicians. They are life long learners and they are enthusiastic about what they do. Their actions are public and I think that is a good thing when you consider that often the only people watching a teacher work are children. ADEs know what they are doing is valuable and they want the world to know that they are actively working on finding the best path for students ALL THE TIME.
Friday, July 5, 2013
My One Best Thing - ADE North American Institute July 2013
My One Best Thing - ADE North American Institute July 2013
I am still trying to catch up with all the postings and preparation sent out by Apple and the ADEs attending the North American Institute in July.
So far ADES have had the opportunity to:
• submit a 1 minute video of a student or colleague talking about their most meaningful ah-ha moments
• sign up for a 1 in 3 session - Apple will give you three minutes to talk about your practice while they video tape you
• experience an ADE Institute iTunes course
• sign up for a photo walk of Austin on Sunday the 14th prior to the start of the institute (signed up and ready to go)
AND....
submit a posting on your One Best Thing.
This One Best Thing is proving to be a real challenge for me for a couple of reasons. Unlike the 1-in-3 session, this part of the process isn't voluntary and I have to be honest with myself - I am not really that good at self-promotion (I fear being seen as a braggart). How do I take credit for things that are often collaborative? The truth is that I do drive my own practice and often expect the rest of the school to accommodate me, but the real joy for me is working with a motivated team. How do I narrow down what I am doing? The things I do best have become intertwined into a single entity - it has been a long time since I looked at the various chunks and tried to rate them.
I am a generalist - a classroom teacher who has to be an expert in all subject areas.
As such, the challenges that face me, like many other teachers, are many: teaching curriculum, engaging students, working with at-risk boys, supporting my colleagues’ professional development, advocating for change at the school and district level, writing grant applications, begging and borrowing what resources I can to support my students, organizing whole school community events, creating and publishing lesson ideas and helping to support (hopefully) a change in the direction of the school.
This past fall, I started work in a school where, in the past, not much attention has been paid to using technology to support learning. There were no real resources. Not much buy-in from staff, students and parents. No real interest in inquiry. But this is changing and there has been a significant shift in the direction the school has taken. Think the influx of 70 iPads in the past few months for a start. I am so excited for this change and so grateful that I have a chance to be a part of such a shift.
I have been struggling to narrow down my One Best Thing. I think I have strengths (and weaknesses) in many areas - so how to decide. Part of the challenge in deciding is the knowledge that this One Best Thing will be the basis of my project when I am in Austin. I don't think I want to do project work on integrating technology into my classroom practice. Although I think I am good at it, I have been doing this for years and I want to explore other topics I am not so experienced with.
Currently, my passions are supporting other teachers as they try to change their practice AND creating a school-wide environment to support student learning. So I will go with that. My One Best Thing for the summer institute is.....supporting teacher engagement and change at the school level. .....although I want to explore assessment options and expanding the learning community as well.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
On My Way to Austin - The First Steps - ADE North American Institute July 2013
On My Way to Austin - The First Steps - ADE North American Institute
July 2013
In February of 2008 I was welcomed into the Apple Distinguished Educator Family. Off to Quebec I went and had what was certainly the best Professional Development Experience of my life. Sessions with a Pulitzer Prize Winning photographer, a photo hunt in a blizzard, my first bobsled run and a chance to meet and work with some amazing Canadian educators.....yes Shelagh, Kevin, Colin, Dean and Mott, I mean you.
Fast forward to July 2013 and I am headed for Austin, Texas for a North American ADE Institute. ADEs from Canada, the United States and Mexico will be there. Many people ask what it means to be an ADE and the explanation I give is always simplistic and lacking detail since you kind of have to be there. So, I am going to try to document the process and share the excitement. (Mom, this is for you.)
First step was the invitation to apply. Attendance at the Institute is not a given. For me, the application process included updating my monthly journals (where I document my activities as an authour, advocate and ambassador), creating a video of what is happening with my students and filling out an online application. The application was due by January 1st and then I waited until the end of February to find out who the new ADEs Class of 2013 were and whether I was accepted to go - and I was!!!
The next step was filling out the forms for hotel and ground transportation, indicate what potential workshops I was interested in attending or facilitating, complete an ethics compliance form and get approved by my District Superintendent.
Then the planning emails started to arrive. A teaser video from Maxx Judd, Worldwide ADE Program Manager for Apple sets out the shape of the week. There will be a session with another Pulitzer Prize Winning photographer, share-out sessions with noted experts in the field, chances to create content with support from an amazing group of experts in the field and opportunities to network with some amazing people. An online collaborative space was set up to facilitate planning and discussion. The ADEs have been encouraged to post and contribute to various forums and project pages. We have also been invited to sign up to contribute and share our story of transformational learning. And since this is Apple, the organizers have created a iTunes U course to guide us through our week.
My goal for the next few weeks? I have been out of school for only two days and I am behind in my Basecamp postings and contributions - I need to catch up (and I will). ADE enthusiasm is always contagious.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Andrew Solomon: Love, no matter what (TEDMED Video)
This is an incredibly moving and insightful talk about loving exceptional people.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Getting Smarter About Science - Inquiry-Based Science Curriculum
Getting Smarter About Science - Inquiry-Based Science Curriculum
Smarter Science is a framework for instruction and learning and has been designed to create and support the process of scientific discovery and exploration in the classroom. It is a fantastic resource for classroom teachers and science specialists and beats anything I had learned about teaching the subject during teacher training (or in any workshops or Pro-D since).
The framework has many options and levels, and can be used from K to 12. Students can control or substitute variables to create their own experiments, which allows them to explore questions arising from previous learning. Using this framework brought meaning to what I routinely try to teach. Clearly, I emerged from high school and university science courses without any deep understanding of the processes of science or the richness of the whole experience of scientific discovery. Thankfully, it is never too late to learn.
The Smarter Science website has a number of resources. In particular, I found the Steps to Inquiry, the PEOE (Predict, Explain, Observe, Explain) Steps and the Inquiry Cards to be a valuable tool (and now an essential one) in my classroom. Not sure what the framework is or how to use it? They have their own YouTube Channel to offer support And there is a Question Matrix to help guide students towards deeper, critical thinking type questions.
Inquiries I have carried out include Energy Balls, Rice Rabbits, UV Beads and the very popular Instant Snow. Student reaction? An actual thank you from a 13 year old boy for a Science lesson. There are some Professional Development Opportunities being offered in the summer that would be worthwhile for anyone teaching Science.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Exploring, Inquiring, Sharing, Communicating....5 Activities for Inquiry
"In fact, one of the saddest but most common conditions in elementary school computer labs (when they exist in the developing world), is the children are being trained to use Word, Excel and PowerPoint. I consider that criminal, because children should be making things, communicating, exploring, sharing,not running office automation tools."
---Nicholas Negroponte, Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab
---Nicholas Negroponte, Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab
5 Inquiry Activities
click on the link to download this book from iBooks
Use inquiry to determine your running speed.....explore non-Newtonian substances....find photos that demonstrate mathematical concepts.....These are some of the 5 lesson card activities included in this package. Resources are also included.
These activities could be tweaked and used with students of all ages. Explain Everything can be used with any subject area or grade level - think Kindergarten students explaining their patterns with a picture, audio or diagrams. Use the wide variety of iPad apps to challenge students to answer a challenge question or use QR code generators to create a photo hunt suitable to all grade levels. I can attest that my students loved all these experiences.
Updates include QR codes to support the Photo Hunt and a resource list for teachers.
These activities could be tweaked and used with students of all ages. Explain Everything can be used with any subject area or grade level - think Kindergarten students explaining their patterns with a picture, audio or diagrams. Use the wide variety of iPad apps to challenge students to answer a challenge question or use QR code generators to create a photo hunt suitable to all grade levels. I can attest that my students loved all these experiences.
Updates include QR codes to support the Photo Hunt and a resource list for teachers.
(This collection includes three previously published activities....I have decided to publish in 5 activity chunks and am calling this Volume 1).
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Apps that Will Promote Students' Creativity - 21st Century Learning
It is not enough to hand an iPad to a student and call it digital learning. 21st century learning is not about replacing worksheets with digital versions. We need to create opportunities for 21st century learning and create learners who use technology to create content and develop their critical thinking skills.
....and check back regularly for updates
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Do It For the Kids
Over the last few years I have heard teachers and stakeholders in the educational system state repeatedly state that despite criticism, despite opposing viewpoints, despite cutbacks, despite politics and despite evidence to the contrary, they are doing it for the kids.
What are we in fact doing for them? Are we updating our pedagogy? Are we acknowledging that students no longer need the same educational experiences that we ourselves had? Have we replaced out-of-date resources? Have we ensured that we are nurturing 21st century learners - learners who use technology to create content and develop their critical thinking skills?
The BCTF and the provincial government have gone back and forth over the need to reinstate the specialist teaching positions lost in the past decade. I would argue that simply refilling those positions is not enough. We need to look at what programs are working in what districts and direct resources to try and replicate those successes where there is need. It is not enough to declare that students should bring their own device to school, when infrastructure is not consistently in place that can support it. And we need tech facilitators (IML specialists) in schools.....educators who can support both teachers and students as the curriculum shifts to inquiry based learning and tech supported learning.
It concerns me that the decision makers are political creatures. They may have students' best interests at heart but they are also politically minded and ambitious. Teachers are the stake-holders who are most supported and most reviled in this process and part of the problem is that most of what we do is seen only by children.
Private schools such as York House and St. George's get this. They support teachers with equipment, facilitators and infrastructure. This is what makes private schools so desirable to parents and such an enriched experience for their students. Teachers at these schools blog, tweet and email. They communicate. They make their programs transparent and are supported in this process. Parents are involved. Alumni fundraise and mentor their successors. They are a learning community.
If we really are doing this for the kids, all the stakeholders in the education community need to do the same. Parents, politicians, teachers, alumni, district staff all need to take a good look at the system and shift it towards something that can work at least until the 23rd century.
What are we in fact doing for them? Are we updating our pedagogy? Are we acknowledging that students no longer need the same educational experiences that we ourselves had? Have we replaced out-of-date resources? Have we ensured that we are nurturing 21st century learners - learners who use technology to create content and develop their critical thinking skills?
The BCTF and the provincial government have gone back and forth over the need to reinstate the specialist teaching positions lost in the past decade. I would argue that simply refilling those positions is not enough. We need to look at what programs are working in what districts and direct resources to try and replicate those successes where there is need. It is not enough to declare that students should bring their own device to school, when infrastructure is not consistently in place that can support it. And we need tech facilitators (IML specialists) in schools.....educators who can support both teachers and students as the curriculum shifts to inquiry based learning and tech supported learning.
It concerns me that the decision makers are political creatures. They may have students' best interests at heart but they are also politically minded and ambitious. Teachers are the stake-holders who are most supported and most reviled in this process and part of the problem is that most of what we do is seen only by children.
Private schools such as York House and St. George's get this. They support teachers with equipment, facilitators and infrastructure. This is what makes private schools so desirable to parents and such an enriched experience for their students. Teachers at these schools blog, tweet and email. They communicate. They make their programs transparent and are supported in this process. Parents are involved. Alumni fundraise and mentor their successors. They are a learning community.
If we really are doing this for the kids, all the stakeholders in the education community need to do the same. Parents, politicians, teachers, alumni, district staff all need to take a good look at the system and shift it towards something that can work at least until the 23rd century.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
3 iPad activities for Students
I love working with students and creating lessons that challenge their thinking. These three iPad activities for students are classroom tested and will engage your students. They have been updated with QR Codes for a Primary Math Photo Hunt and Resources for the Effective Use of the iPad. These activities could be tweaked and used with students of all ages. Explain Everything can be used with any subject area or grade level - think Kindergarten students explaining their patterns with a picture, audio or diagrams. Use the wide variety of iPad apps to challenge students to answer a challenge question or use QR code generators to create a photo hunt suitable to all grade levels. I can attest that my students loved all these experiences.
I have added some information about, and links to, apps that can support mathematical and scientific measurement. They could be used as tools for these activities or as extension activities.
I have added some information about, and links to, apps that can support mathematical and scientific measurement. They could be used as tools for these activities or as extension activities.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Math and Technology Event Rocks the School
A few nights ago, Creekside Elementary School held their first annual Math and Technology Event. It was intended to introduce most of the students (and teachers) to activities they hadn't had a chance to experience before. Centres were set up around the school. There was a math playground station in the gym, a chess station, art activities, QR code hunts, problem solving, estimation stations and more.
It was a tremendous amount of work but so worth it. Students embraced the opportunity to participate in hands-on exploration and open-ended math and technology activities. Grade One and Two students who had only used an iPad to play checkers on, were searching for QR codes and taking photos of patterns they could find around them.
We opened the school up to our students and their families for the evening, hoping they would return with their parents and share their experience. Our school has not had as much success as we would hope in engaging the extended learning community. We have approximately 360 students, and the turnout in the evening of between 250 and 300 people exceeded our expectations. Students wanted to come back and do even more math and "late night learning". And the next morning, the number of parents at our Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) was much greater than ever before. The most meaningful part for me? When a Grade One boy who had already left with his family came back into the school to tell me he had fun and thank you. Yup, definitely.
I have included the QR codes for our Primary Math Photo Hunt along with a list of the tasks. Your iPad or other device will need a QR Reader app installed (they are free). I hope you have as much fun with them as we did.
It was a tremendous amount of work but so worth it. Students embraced the opportunity to participate in hands-on exploration and open-ended math and technology activities. Grade One and Two students who had only used an iPad to play checkers on, were searching for QR codes and taking photos of patterns they could find around them.
We opened the school up to our students and their families for the evening, hoping they would return with their parents and share their experience. Our school has not had as much success as we would hope in engaging the extended learning community. We have approximately 360 students, and the turnout in the evening of between 250 and 300 people exceeded our expectations. Students wanted to come back and do even more math and "late night learning". And the next morning, the number of parents at our Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) was much greater than ever before. The most meaningful part for me? When a Grade One boy who had already left with his family came back into the school to tell me he had fun and thank you. Yup, definitely.
I have included the QR codes for our Primary Math Photo Hunt along with a list of the tasks. Your iPad or other device will need a QR Reader app installed (they are free). I hope you have as much fun with them as we did.
 |
| List of QR Code Meanings |
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Majority of B.C. teachers vote in favour of contract agreement
Out of B.C.'s 40,000 public school teachers, 21,044 cast ballots. Ultimately 75.3 per cent ratified the agreement. Let’s do the math :-)
21,044 out of 40,00 = only 52.61% of teachers actually voted
75.3% of 21,0441 = 15,846 voted in favour
So only 39.6% of BC Teachers actually voted in favour of the contract agreement
------I wonder if the teachers who didn’t vote for ratification will feel obligated to participate in the agreement.......no concessions and better benefits :-)
via Majority of B.C. teachers vote in favour of contract agreement
21,044 out of 40,00 = only 52.61% of teachers actually voted
75.3% of 21,0441 = 15,846 voted in favour
So only 39.6% of BC Teachers actually voted in favour of the contract agreement
------I wonder if the teachers who didn’t vote for ratification will feel obligated to participate in the agreement.......no concessions and better benefits :-)
via Majority of B.C. teachers vote in favour of contract agreement
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Job Action 2012
On Monday March 6th, a three day teacher walkout will start and I will be on the picket (or leaflet) line outside my school instead of inside my classroom teaching my students. Our staff has voted to work bell to bell after the strike - no extracurricular activities and no field trips. The educational sector has become dangerously unstable in British Columbia.
Some background:
In 2002, the provincial government legislated away class-size and composition guarantees. Last year, the Supreme Court of British Columbia ruled that this action was unconstitutional because teachers were not consulted and had no input into their working conditions. They had until April 1st, 2012 to resolve this issue. Proposed legislation that is being introduced includes the following: teachers will be prohibited from bargaining class size, average class size, staffing levels, ratios or caseloads for two years, with this prohibition lifted at the end of the school year in 2013, a month after the next provincial election. Even the existing provisions of Bill 33 are being totally erased, with the consent and consult requirements in Grades 4–12 gone. Superintendents, principals, and even the minister can decide which classes may exceed 30 students.
Some thoughts:
I believe the provincial government is aware that the teaching/classroom conditions are untenable. They know that the cuts that deleted many jobs for special education teachers, increased class sizes and no restrictions on the number of special needs students allowed in each classroom will make the job even more difficult for teachers to deliver a quality education for their students. Maybe there really is no more money for funding (and I am not talking about pay raises for teachers here). I don't know. But if the end game here is to beat the teachers into submission with threats of loss of seniority why make an already bad situation worse? Teachers are necessary to make the system work....and especially a system that is badly in need of fixing.
It is the demoralization of teachers that has me the most concerned.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Shifting Paradigm in Education
Here is a thought provoking video - do we need to make changes? Probably.
thanks to Ed Smith for the video
thanks to Ed Smith for the video
Sunday, February 13, 2011
What is the point?
According to Elliot W. Eisner (who is a God) “We have inadvertently designed a system in which being good at what you do as a teacher is not formally rewarded, while being poor at what you do is seldom corrected nor penalized.”
While I agree that being a good teacher is not rewarded (other by one's own sense of worth), I wonder why instead of being rewarded, good teachers are vilified and even bullied by administration, government and the press.
The whole FSA issue is a good example - government sees teachers reluctance to administer the tests as fear or laziness, administration rarely speaks up about the lack of worth in evaluating the performance of teachers and schools in communities where issues of poverty are not addressed and the press gleefully prints the Fraser Institutes rankings of schools in British Columbia with little critical thinking about the validity of these rankings UNTIL NOW. What has changed? It is the perfect score that the Fraser Institute awarded to a Bountiful elementary/secondary school. Read the article and let me know what you think.
More on this topic of vilifying those educational stake holders with the least power later.............
Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Perfect+score+Bountiful+school+discredits+rankings/4264011/story.html#ixzz1DtEqPTR1
Just a note - it took me almost 30 minutes to get all of my students signed on - and the earliest finisher was eight minutes into the test - I am guessing we won't do as well as Bountiful - and FYI, I worked hard to get them signed on.
While I agree that being a good teacher is not rewarded (other by one's own sense of worth), I wonder why instead of being rewarded, good teachers are vilified and even bullied by administration, government and the press.
The whole FSA issue is a good example - government sees teachers reluctance to administer the tests as fear or laziness, administration rarely speaks up about the lack of worth in evaluating the performance of teachers and schools in communities where issues of poverty are not addressed and the press gleefully prints the Fraser Institutes rankings of schools in British Columbia with little critical thinking about the validity of these rankings UNTIL NOW. What has changed? It is the perfect score that the Fraser Institute awarded to a Bountiful elementary/secondary school. Read the article and let me know what you think.
More on this topic of vilifying those educational stake holders with the least power later.............
Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Perfect+score+Bountiful+school+discredits+rankings/4264011/story.html#ixzz1DtEqPTR1
Just a note - it took me almost 30 minutes to get all of my students signed on - and the earliest finisher was eight minutes into the test - I am guessing we won't do as well as Bountiful - and FYI, I worked hard to get them signed on.
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