Author: kmowat

Mindset

kmowat Group 1 ,

I admit I can be resistant to change. I fear the unknown and feel uneasy when pushed out of my comfort zone. And yet, when I reflect on the proudest, most memorable moments of my life, they have been when I’ve been the most scared, exhilarated or challenged. I wouldn’t trade being an exchange student in Sweden, or facing the joys and uncertainties of parenthood, learning to downhill ski or zip-line, or facing and overcoming the challenges of hearing loss and tinnitus for anything. These experiences have shaped who I’ve become and remind me I can be strong and discover new realms of capability. The latest challenge is training for my first half marathon. So why am I resisting something as simple as starting a Twitter account?

Typically I need time to listen, process and prepare before I speak. I reflect, I write, I ask questions and clarify. I’m not used to blurting things out (my inner monologue is a constant source of amusement, however), and I wonder if I’ll have anything significant to add to the conversation. I understand the need to connect through social media and the importance of sharing a wealth of ideas and experience. I guess, with my need to lessen the “noise”, I just want to know I will find what is meaningful and relevant for me on such a busy, social stage.

I am currently reflecting on the characteristics of the innovator’s mindset (from George Couros’ book) and asking myself whether I would want to be a learner in my own classroom. Have I established a safe and nourishing learning environment where students feel free to make mistakes, take risks and experience the joyful abandon of “messy” learning? I am blessed with a group of learners who demonstrate every day that they can adapt to changes and be resilient and push through challenges to deeper levels of understanding and wonder. It’s not always easy, but if I expect this growth mindset from them, surely I can do the same.

I feel I am being pushed as a learner this year through professional development opportunities and my school’s professional learning community and primary vertical team. I am opening my mind to ideas for innovative teaching, taking risks by experimenting with documentation walls that chart student and teacher learning and reflection, and excited (and slightly terrified) at exploring the endless possibilities of the genius hour as a school staff and with my own Grade 3 class.

Here’s to the adventure of growth and learning ahead!

 

Kristen Robbins

Grade 3 Teacher

Grosvenor School

Reflection on Innovative Practices

kmowat Group 1

As I reflect on innovative teaching, I think back to the in-service I attended in January involving “21st century learning with Johnny Wells”. It was after this in-service that I recognized the importance of giving students the opportunity to work in small teams to accomplish a task. These “instant challenges” inspire creative and critical thinking, promote team-building, problem solving, risk-taking, and allow students to be project managers, to persevere when faced with a problem, and build self-confidence. These are all skills that students will need to have when they become adults and are ready to enter the workforce.

Finding the time to do instant challenges in my classroom is a challenge for me. However, I do think that I have been teaching students these skills through some extra-curricular clubs that I have offered over the years. In Lego Mindstorms Club, students work in partners to build robots out of Lego and then use computer software to program their robots to move around an object, move through a maze, sense colour, light, and sound, and hit objects, etc.

In Geocaching Club, students work in teams to follow coordinates that eventually lead them to a “treasure”. I have also done this activity as a field trip last year with our Geography Club. Students were divided into 4 teams and were provided with walkie-talkies which they used to communicate with other teams to let them know that they found the geocaches. It was like the “Amazing Race” and was team-building at its finest!

Lastly, I have used Minecraft Edu. in the classroom and offered it as a club. In the classroom, I had my students create a digital world of a novel that we were studying. After choosing an area of the map to focus on, students had to break into small groups and assign tasks to one another and build their structures using materials that would have been used in the story. In the Minecraft Club, students had the opportunity to work in groups and accomplish tasks that I gave them.

I enjoy doing the above mentioned clubs because I have a genuine interest in them. I think that is important because students need to see the teacher’s enthusiasm in order to buy in. However, there are always new ideas for using innovative teaching in the classroom that I am open to trying. I definitely want to try some instant challenges with my students before the year ends, and I have some in mind. Now that it is a little less busy, it might be a good time to try something new.

Michael Conklin

Carpathia School

Cluster Group 1996

Innovation and Mathematics

kmowat Group 1 ,

After attending our session with George Couros I began to wonder … what is innovative when it comes to mathematics education? Now before I say anything else, I’d like to say that I do not see myself as a perfect example of an innovative math teacher. However, I do know myself to be a person who is genuinely interested in learning math and learning about teaching math. And as George has said in his book, “[i]f we want to create a culture of innovation, we must first focus on furthering our own learning and growth.” After participating in the workshop, reading parts of George’s book, some online research, and becoming the proud-owner of a Twitter handle (Colleen H2 btw ;)) here are my thoughts thus far … What is innovative when it comes to mathematics education . . .

Embracing an inquiry approach

In other words, students are actively involved in coming up with, investigating, and   solving real-life mathematics problems. In my online travels I came across a great website for inspiration for real-life problems: www.mathalicious.com.

Building upon strengths

As George suggests, we should help students find what they love and create learning experiences which develop their strengths. I think it would be really neat to ask the students where the math is in whatever it is they love. For example, if you love biking, where is the math in biking? If you love youtube, where is the math in youtube? I think this could lead to some neat ideas/innovations.

Building connections

Students could connect with experts who use math in their fields and industries and learn from them. I’m excited for our classroom to begin building more connections using Twitter and blogging!

Looking very forward to what George so nicely phrased as this “opportunity to create something better for our students.” Thanks for reading and happy learning everyone!

Colleen Heuchert-Hammell

Montrose School

Cluster 1996

Innovation: Ups and Downs

kmowat Group 1 ,

 

I left our first session with George Couros with a lot on my mind about becoming more media savvy and being more innovative in my teaching practice.  Although I am comfortable with smart boards, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram, I had never Tweeted, nor used Google Drive, bit.do or blogged. After some thought, I established a twitter account. I followed a few people and wrote a couple of tweets. A few days later, much to my surprise, Twitter had locked my account! I reset my password and I could now access it, however I could not tweet, nor follow more people. I tried solving this problem using a variety of ways, all without success. I obviously couldn’t tweet about it, so I finally decided to open a different account. Thankfully, I am up and running now.

Despite my frustrations with Twitter, and as a result of George’s inspiration to use Google Maps instead of the traditional paper pencil mapping, I established a Google Drive Account for my grade 4 class. I decided to do the first lesson as an evaluation lesson for my administrator. It was taking a risk, as so many things can go wrong in a lab and with the network system. I tried something I had never done before and did it in front of my boss! My intent was on creating an electronic map for Nunavut, adding points of interest, adding markers, photos and text. My students do not have their own accounts therefor I added maps for each of them under our class account. The results were amazing! There were a few troubleshooting incidents, but they picked up on it very quickly and within no time, were able to work independently. They even asked if they could access it at home and continue working! My students were motivated and thirsty for knowledge.

Being innovative isn’t always easy and may result in failure. Determination, perseverance and the will to succeed needs to be present. Innovative teaching requires personal reflection, patience and time. For me, sometimes it requires working outside my comfort zone and thinking outside the box. I want to part of a bigger network of teachers that will inspire and challenge me. I am ready to continue this journey, move forward and embrace innovation in my practice.

Simone Constant

J.B. Mitchell School

Cluster 1996

Evolving Mindset

kmowat Group 1 ,

 

Since our first session with George Couros I have been quite inspired by his notion of “The Innovator’s Mindset.” I love the overall message and have found myself sharing it with colleagues, friends and family members over the last few weeks. I particularly like the analogy he gave about learning to play the piano.

“With a ‘fixed mindset,’ the learner doesn’t believe he or she has the ability to play the piano. With a ‘growth mindset,’ the learner believes that, with hard work and practice, the opportunity to play the piano is within the realm of his or her ability…The ‘innovator’s mindset’ takes the growth mindset a step further by focusing on using one’s ability to learn to play the piano to create music.”

George Couros

This got me thinking about my own mindset and beliefs with respect to technology. To be honest, I am probably hovering around “growth mindset” at best. I am excited about the opportunity to move forward and become more innovative. These sessions will give me the perfect springboard, but as I start to jump in, I am finding the move towards innovation is very overwhelming. There is so much information and not enough hours in the day to take it all in. This is particularly true with respect to social media.

At a recent family gathering I couldn’t help but notice that almost everyone present, regardless of age, was attached to a device of one kind or another for most of the evening. I find this troubling because on one hand, the internet and social media allow us to connect with others around the world, but in doing so, I am feeling that they are sometimes taking our time away from the people closest to us.

I definitely see the value in using Twitter to connect with others and enrich our learning. In speaking to others who are using Twitter in the classroom (and yes, I have spoken to them in person about it) I am beginning to see that it is opening up a whole new world of experiences. I will just have to find a way to pace myself so I don’t feel the need to be available online 24/7. In the coming weeks, I am looking forward to using Twitter in my grade 1/2 classroom to enhance my students’ learning along with my own. The ability to share, connect and network with others is very exciting. I may not be ready to compose my own music yet, but I am definitely inspired!

 

Bonnie Buchalter

Rockwood School

Cluster 1996

 

 

BLOG POST #1

kmowat Group 1 ,

 

I left the first session with George Couros excited but also saturated with information. I have been thinking about what this means for me in the context of my classroom and here are a few of my thoughts.

  1. Literacy as communication.

I knew that literacy was part of communication but it made me really examine how we communicate in our world today. I thought about how to integrate what we traditionally do with the technology of today. This is important and I feel we need to bridge this gap in a meaningful way for students. How can this be done without spending an entire day on technology or an entire day not using technology? Finding the balance is important.

  1. Using social media in the classroom.

How am I going to do this? I want it to be in a meaningful and authentic fashion, using it in a way that allows the children to develop questioning skills. I would like to use this media as a catalyst for a better world and facilitate change. When children use technology at home, they are not using in person one on one interactions with others because of computers, tablets and games. Sometimes students misunderstand each other and are having a harder time communicating face to face and using social skills appropriately. I believe part of my job is to marry the two worlds so students can be appropriate on social media, use technology and also understand how to interact with others appropriately within our classroom and our community.

I have set up a twitter account and I am looking forward to using a classroom Instagram account as well in the next several weeks. This session has made me think about using social media in my classroom as a tool for the students to help and inspire others and to be inspired, within their community and connections around the world.

Maria Pochailo

J.B. Mitchell School

Cluster 1996

 

Time is the Enemy

kmowat Group 1

So I have been avoiding writing this blog, as I struggle to come up with what to actually write about. I have been finding this whole process challenging, and having just read the chapter “Less is More” in George Couros’ The Innovator’s Mindset, I can put more into words why this is a struggle for me. There is just no time. There are other limitations as well, but most of the struggles could be solved with more time in a day. The things I want more time for: More time to explore deeply with my students whatever it is they want to explore. More time to let them create to show their learning. More time to celebrate our creations. More time for me to spend with my family and enjoy exploring and creating with my own two small children.

Things I struggle to find enough time for: teaching the basics, teaching the curriculum, teaching all the extra initiatives, teaching kindness and empathy and moral intelligence, teaching self-regulation skills, teaching conflict management skills, teaching English to those students that speak none, planning for an EA, teaching a dance and a song for a spring concert… the list goes on. As teachers we are pulled in so many different directions. I would love less to be more, I would love less to be enough, but it’s not. This job we do is hard. This job we do is so very important, that some days the enormity of our task is overwhelming. I get that the role of a teacher is changing. I get that relationships are the most important part, I see it every day. A classroom needs to be filled with some level of love and compassion to get to a place where we can all take risks and learn together. I get that technology needs to be a part of learning. But I don’t yet get how, how to make it not about being that dreaded $1000 pencil. For example, I like the idea of kids typing their own blogs and keeping electronic journals, but they don’t know how to type. I get that I’m supposed to then teach them how to type but where is the time for that in and amongst all these other priorities? I have access to a computer lab once a cycle.

I’m trying. I’m using ipads to teach research skills, I’m using ipads for google translate, I’m using ipads to attempt dictation for kids who just can’t write. We learn from videos, we use youTube, we use RazKids. But all of those things are only using technology in an adaptive way. And that’s hard enough to manage! How do I possibly get to a transformative way on a consistent basis? I’m trying to innovate ways to sustain kids attention, to keep kids engaged. But in a world where attention spans seem to be getting shorter, our job becomes tougher still. I’m especially trying to teach kids to self-regulate, because as more and more kids struggle with controlling their bodies inside and out, they are not set up to learn much of anything else. But there is only so much time in the day.

Time really is the enemy.

 

Lenore Hewitt   Rockwood School   Cluster 1996

ITLL Reflections

kmowat Group 1 ,

After spending time reflecting on our first session with George Couros I realize I need to step out of my comfort zone and try to be more innovative with my grade 2 students. We are currently doing an inquiry project about Canada and they’ve got all kinds of questions they’d like to answer. As we do our research I’m modeling ways to share our learning. There are many apps that lend themselves to sharing our learning in meaningful ways. In past years we’ve used Book Creator to publish electronic books. We’ve also used Explain Everything to share our learning. I think it is time for us to find an authentic audience to share our learning with… a classroom blog would be a logical next step. I’m hoping that in the future sessions we can explore starting a blog and encourage families to comment about our learning.

J. McKiel

Carpathia School

Cluster group 1996

Characteristics of an Innovative Educator

kmowat Group 1 ,

Innovative teaching is extremely important as it will allow educators to meet the needs of a new generation of student. Innovative teaching will help students reach their full potential.

Characteristics of an Innovative Educator include:

  • Are able to REFLECT: can determine what is best for the students they are working with. An innovative educator is always looking at what went right and what went wrong.

 

  • Are CREATIVE: an innovative educator is always trying to make something better so that they can engage and motivate students in their classroom.

 

  • SHARING: an innovative educator is always collaborating and sharing with other educators. This includes sharing successes in the classroom. An innovative educator works with their colleagues and is always exploring new ideas and topics (e.g. will Twitter work in their classroom? etc.) An innovative educator may belong to a variety of organizations in order that they may network and share what they have learned (e.g. science organization, sustainability club, photograph club, are members of a variety of committees with professional organizations etc.).

 

  • OPPORTUNITIES: an innovative educator constantly provides a variety of opportunities for students (e.g. i) encourages students to build robots in science, ii) encourages students to enter spaghetti bridge building competitions, iii) provides a variety of options to complete projects using videos, pictures etc.)

 

  • Are always LEARNING: an innovative educator is always striving to learn new ways of teaching. This may involve learning new software by taking a variety of courses (e.g. Excel, Adobe Premiere Elements, Photoshop etc.)

 

  • STUDENT VOICE: An innovative educator allows for student engagement and success by listening to and learning from students. Innovative teachers also provides the students, with a variety of ways to share their ideas with other students.

 

John Danko/Bheesham Dabie

Argyle Alternative High School

Cluster Group:  1996

 

ITLL Refections

kmowat Group 1 ,

Following the first session with George I felt I was given several ideas which I can integrate into my classroom.  The session with George caused me to examine my current teaching practices and ask myself how innovative my own teaching is.  While I do believe I demonstrate innovation in my teaching, I think there is always room for improvement.

In the weeks following our first session I worked to integrate my new knowledge into my classroom and use Twitter to share and learn from other educators across the globe.  The first activity I tried with my class was using a Google form to collect data on favourite colours, sports, etc..  From the data we collected we created graphs.  What was interesting to note was the level of engagement from almost all learners.  I decided I would also challenge myself to learn and use a new app with my students.  I decided to use the ShowMe app, which allows students to record their voice, take pictures, and draw on the screen to explain their thinking.  We used this for a lesson on position, they were asked to take pictures around the room and describe the position of different objects.  After using it once in the area of science, I would most definitely use it again in other subject areas.  ALL students were engaged in this activity.  What was most interesting is the students who typically resist with paper and pencil tasks were eager to share ideas with their group and to demonstrate their learning on the iPad.

As someone who regularly works to integrate technology into my teaching, I do not find the results of my classroom engagement level surprising.  However, I do think there is an interesting connection to the resistance of some students to paper and pencil activities, and the resistance of some adults to the use of technology.  The students in my classroom were born after the introduction of the iPhone.  Many of them have grown up with these devices in their hands and it would be my guess that some feel much more comfortable using these devices than they do writing with a paper and pencil.  When we think about moving from pockets of innovation to a culture of innovation, I believe this is one of the barriers we face.

I believe that Twitter is one example of a method of moving from pockets of innovation to a culture of innovation.  Prior to the first session with George, I used Twitter, however it was mostly to collect information on daily events and sports.  As I began to review my use of Twitter and changed my focus to my own learning beyond the walls of my classroom and school, I was able to gain great, innovative ideas without leaving the couch.  Creating these innovative learning communities for teachers is an important step in a shift to a culture of innovation, and ultimately an important step in engaging all students in 2016.

I am looking forward to future sessions as I continue to work to build my own knowledge and in turn help my colleagues.

Colin Donato

Robert H. Smith