Wednesday, 19 October 2016

INDIGENOUS EDUCATION

TRUTH RECONCILIATION REPORT

What does it mean to you?

In my discussions with my education students,  on diversity in Canada, I have discovered many do not know what it is all about.

As teachers we should know what the Truth and Reconciliation Report says are the next steps for educators.

Look at this excellent article and what Canadians are saying are their feelings on what
they can do to help bring our nation together to build a bright future fall all.

Check out Ivana Yellowback's comments in this report by CBC. She is a student at the University of Winnipeg, who talks about OUR indigenous nations and the friendship treaties that were made with Canada.  She hopes education talks about them and that Canada, as an "honourable nation keeps our promises and that respect".

Look at this CBC report that came out, October 19th, 2016.

Click here for:  What does reconciliation mean to you??


Other Related articles :


Click here for: Reconciliation Report: 94 Calls for Action ( See EDUCATION) ; 94 Calls For Action


Click here for CBC report and slide show: Sad Statistics 


Also posted under the Aboriginal Curriculum Tab above.

See more there!!

Monday, 17 October 2016

GLOBAL AUDIENCE PROJECT

CONNECT YOUR CLASS TO THE WORLD

Have a look at this new site to engage your students in International Education opportunities.

Share a project!

Be an audience!

Browse a database of work!

Thanks to Sylvia Duckworth for sharing!

Click Here to go to the site!!!! Global Education project

Also posted to Technology tab above.
See more tech articles posted there.

Tuesday, 20 September 2016

GROWTH MINDSET THINKERS

For the 21st Century, we need to develop teachers and students that

 have a "Growth Mindset"!

What is that? 

Find out by watching this great video posted on the Ontario Ministry of Education web page.

Click Here: Growth Mindset

 (Also posted to Webcasts and PD)

Monday, 19 September 2016

SMART PHONES IN THE CLASSROOM

This is an excellent article that looks at how Smart Phones and other
technology can be implemented and used effectively in the classroom.

Read this article and reflect on your pedagogical position.

Click Here: Smart Phones In The Classroom

Sunday, 11 September 2016

TRIBES STRATEGIES AND ENERGIZERS!!!

When you start your year, do not forget to set up your classroom climate with researched based 
Tribes Strategies, (Phillips, 2011).  

Gail Phillips has completed research for her Ph.D. in Toronto and has found Tribes to be an effective strategy that makes a measurable difference in developing effective classrooms that are conducive to learning.  

The Tribes Learning Community Web Page is found at: Tribes.com

Here is a connection that is an amazing resource of: Learning Tasks and Energizers

This NEXT connection takes you to TRIBES and an overview of the Program. Tribes Overview!

At the bottom of the entry is the very important learning  task called Life Maps.  Life Maps!

Tribes is an effective strategy for new and seasoned teachers and administrators.

See the classroom management tab above for more information. 

;-)


Monday, 22 August 2016

Tragically Hip - An Incredible Study In Pop Culture

Brock Prof Says The Tragically Hip Brought Canada Together 

CBC broadcasts the Hip Concert live and with no commercials.
The first time that has been done since the 1972 Hockey summit series with the Russians.

Read more about this incredible event by clicking the link below.


Click Here For The Article

Sunday, 10 April 2016

9 Elephants In The Classroom

By Will Richardson


FUTURE DIRECTIONS - BIG QUESTIONS 

OUTSTANDING ARTICLE

One of the best articles I have read on these issues outlined below:
 Posted April 10/16,  by Zoe Branigan Pipe Facebook Enrichment Page.

I wonder if there is a ministry of education, anywhere around the world, that has addressed these elephants in the classroom.

I worked at a school in the 90's that due to the principal leadership did address these issues. But when he left the elephants returned.

Educational leaders and philosophers have been talking about these changes for decades. (Fullan, Kohn, Freire, Sir Ken Robinson, ) .

Ministers of Education, Directors of program at the Ministry, Directors of Education in Boards, (along with you Zoe, and George Couros and forward thinking educators) need to develop an Inquiry to change what we are doing or we are always going to get what we have gotten in the past.

Factory model classrooms, and curriculum are not the way of the future. Zoe Branigan-Pipe, the classroom environment you are developing should be in every classroom in Ontario.

Why isn't it? What do we do about it?

Mark

THE NINE ELEPHANTS: 
1.  Most knowledge we teach is forgotten after the test. What really needs to be taught?

2. How do we make schools engaging? Handing a student an iPad is not good enough.

3. How do we structure the physical environment of factory model schools for 21st Century teaching and learning?....and universities and colleges ?

4. We need to assess what matters. What actually matters? We need to stop training students for exams that computers can pass.

5.  Learning is being destroyed by administering grades.  Look at Kohn's research on what Grades do to learning.  See my Blogs Assessment Tab above.

6.  What should the 21st Century Curriculum look like?  We are not there yet.

7.  We know that separating learning into discrete subjects and time blocks is not the best way to prepare kids for the real world.Why are we doing it?  Even age groupings are not wise.  I had a grade 2 student who could beat every intermediate student in chess. What do we learn from that?

8.   We know the system of education as currently constructed is not adequately preparing kids for what follows if and when they graduate.  Look at Ontario's Math scores.  We better look at what we are doing to remedy that beyond add 20 minutes a day to that old fashioned Math block!

9. And finally, we know that learning that sticks is usually learned informally, that explicit knowledge accounts for very little of our success in most professions.


Click Here for Article:  http://willrichardson.com/9-elephants-classroom-unsettle-us/ http://willrichardson.com/9-elephants-classroom-unsettle-us/

This article is also visible under this Web Pages Blog tab.

Friday, 8 April 2016

ONTARIO CONNECTED EDUCATORS

Ontario School and System Leaders Edtech MOOC

This is an incredibly informative site where you can check blogs of many educators through Ontario.
It is a massive resource for Edtech learning.

Developed by Donna Fry
Provincial Lead for Leading Technology Enabled Learning & Teaching

Scroll down the right side of her web page for 50 educator blog sites.

Click Here: Ontario Connected Educators  

This is also posted under my favourites on this web page and under blogs that inspire


Donna Says:
So with #OSSEMOOC, we are trying to build capacity and promote connections.
We need to create a sustainable learning environment in Ontario that promotes self-directed learning for education leaders, and...
  • considers all learning preferences
  • allows for all levels of readiness
  • provides numerous entry points
  • is flexible
  • allows choice
  • respects limitations of time
  • supports a variety of learner interests
  • promotes the development of connections and connected learning
Check out her site!
You will come back to it time and time again!
Mark

Monday, 4 April 2016

Multiple Intelligence and Learning Styles 

A great article on Howard Gardner's work on Multiple Intelligence and the difference between that and Learning styles.  

 Check out this great article
Click here: Multiple Intelligences: What Does the Research Say?
eduTopia: April 4/16 

Thursday, 3 March 2016

Marks and Grades

How useful are they anyway?
Here is an article by Alfie Kohn who indicates his research shows marks and percentage grades do not promote learning.

There are other ways to assess work, provide feedback and promote learning in the 21st Century.
Read and reflect on his message. 



Kohn, A., (2011, November). The case against grades. Educational Leadership. Retrieved