Sometimes the smallest change can make a huge difference, especially in education. Things such as greeting students individually upon arrival at school can set the tone for the entire day. Small changes in habitual behaviours can improve communication and relationships with students. Over the last few months I’ve been reading the work of Michael Bungay […]
Students as Teachers
What is the purpose of a bulletin board?
When you walk into a classroom what is the first thing you see? Decorated bulletin boards? Looking at bulletin boards often reflect what is happening in a classroom. Bulletin boards often show teachers’ focus on particular curriculum and what students are doing in the classroom. But what do bulletin boards say about teachers’ practices or […]
Holiday drama shows
Last month I posted about an opportunity for a halloween drama task where students used their short stories to make them come to life in our classroom. I wrote about the success of it and the interest amongst all the students in grade eight. So of course when the holidays rolled around again, I posed […]
Create Success in Intermediate Math through Play….
“What are you doing in Math today?” the VP inquires of my grade 5,6,7 and 8 students. “We’re playing games.” “You’re playing games?” “Yes, we always play in math.” The assessments gathered from these classes provide me insight of where everyone is in their learning. My experience with assessments are that individual conversations to understand […]
Why Coding is Important Part One
I consider myself a fairly techie teacher. However, until recently I hadn’t really tried my hand at coding or robotics. Well, I had, but I had lost interest as I quickly felt as though I was out of my depth. So, I did what I always do when I really want to learn something about […]
Digital Breakouts
Escape Rooms have been all the rage as of late. Over the past couple of years, I’ve learned about and used breakouts in my classroom to engage students and as a tool in assessment for and assessment as learning. Essentially, it’s a Google Slides presentation or a Google Site where there are links to different […]
Student leadership
As the basketball season is coming to a close for certain age groups, it is nice to reflect on all the individuals that help things run so smoothly. Students from the past and present come together to help make things work. My grade nines came to help ref/scorekeep and some grade eights helped to ref […]
Collaboration Amongst The Grades
Have you ever asked kindergarten students what bugs them? Well, we were on a mission to do just that and I’m pretty amazed by what they have come up with! Over the years, my students and I have had the opportunity to work with younger students for Reading Buddies. And while it’s always great to […]
Designated time a.k.a Genius Hour
#PinDropQuiet It’s quiet in my classroom right now. A little too quiet. Did my students just have the most boring lesson ever? I don’t hear snoring. Did they all eat turkey for lunch? Not today. Are the students all out of the room during prep? Nope. They are all here and engaged in something called Genius Hour. Here’s […]