Shared by Georgia Wells
Children of the Earth School
Cluster 1996
Shared by Georgia Wells
Children of the Earth School
Cluster 1996
After my time with George in March I was able to reflect on my practice as an educator. I read the second chapter and was drawn to the points about having empathy for our students in how they learn best. “Do the learning experiences you create mimic the type of learning you expect to engage in?” (p.39) “Is there a better way?” (p. 42) Since the beginning of the school year I have really been pushing myself to change my math practice to create more hands on learning. Not just hands on learning in terms of having math materials on shelves but allowing the students to make their own discoveries around a main topic. I have been allowing groups of students to visit a math centre based around a question posted i.e. “What can you discover about capacity?” I had various containers, paper, pencils and materials such as water, beans and cotton balls laid out for them to discover with. During this time I would have the others students working independently while I could listen to the conversations that were going on at the math centre and record what I was hearing. At the end of math I would invite some of those students to share what they discovered at the math centre that day with the rest of the class. The student’s were so engaged in their conversations and were excited to share what they discovered with the class.
I think I am moving in the right direction in terms of the innovator’s mindset. I want my students to have more than just worksheet experiences in math and sitting at the carpet and me telling them how to solve math facts. If I go back to decision that made me change my practice, it probably was from my own experience as a new mom, what would I want from my own daughter’s early years teacher? A teacher who believed in play based learning with hands on experiences or a teacher who was old fashioned in her teaching style? The first one would appeal to me more as a mom. I’m excited to see what else I can come up with for my math practice in the classroom. I’m sure George’s book and the conversations we will have during these sessions will inspire me with more ideas.
Shannon McMurtry
Grade 1 Teacher
Grosvenor School
Cluster 1996
As posted on The Meaning of Meraki- blog by Shauna Cornwell
In my previous post, I outlined the initiative my school division is currently involved in; Innovative Teaching and Learning with George Couros. As the lead on this project, I have been lucky enough to take part in each session. George regularly refers to the “8 Things to Look for in Today’s Classroom”. He also references this document as something to aim for in “8 Things to Look for in Today’s Professional Learning”. It struck me just how many of these concepts George does hit the mark on in his sessions. What also became apparent is the potential impact asking our Innovative Teaching and Learning Leaders(ITLL’s) to blog about their experiences could be. Voice, choice, time for reflection, connected learning, critical thinking…blogging is a powerful tool for sharing, collaborating, and moving forward.
As I reflect on the ten days George has spent with us in WSD so far, many big ideas, thoughts and reflections continuously resonate for me. Taking part in so many days facilitated by George Couros is truly a gift. Many of my takeaways are more reaffirming than novel, and very much reflective of many of my strong beliefs as an educator. Others are big, powerful ideas George has brought forth that so ring true for me and I keep coming back to.
So, if I am asking others to blog about their experiences in the work we are doing around innovation, it seems only logical that I too should share my own. Here a few of my own reflections, based on our sessions, summarized below…