Last week I experienced some different PD. I registered for workshop at the Teacher Training Commons at Sherwood School. Here I was, thinking this was going to be a simple little project of building a bee box and a way to learn more about tools and procedures in the shop.

It turned out to be much more - a design thinking project that would take place in both the construction room and foods room. We split into two interest groups, one that would design and prepare a menu and one that would design and build.

Our group started the design process by learning more about bee issues from bee expert Elise from ABC Bees. We talked about the many issues surrounding bees in the World, North America, Alberta and even local issues in Calgary. 

Then came the brainstorm/talking/ideation stages. We talked about what we wanted, draw some ideas then chose a model to move forward with.

The building was fun! Working as a group of five was a great team building exercise. We all took different jobs, from reclaiming old wood, to cutting with a mitre saw, to learning how to use a table saw, and finally assembling.

We came out of the day experiencing inquiry at its finest. Real learning that was entwined with outdoor education/stewardship,  health, social studies, construction, design studies, foods, math, and science. How's that for interdisciplinary?


Steve Clark (@stevewclark) is a Learning Leader, Nerd and Dad. He loves life and learning in all aspects!
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Last summer we were fortunate enough to work with amazing educators and experts from other fields as we crafted worthwhile tasks to bring back to our schools. We came up with ideas and left with real enthusiasm to take risks in our teaching.

We settled on a fairly big bike project, where students would dismantle, reconstruct, and reinvent bikes and bike parts in new ways. The local community was quick to donate old and broken bikes for us to “fix”. As a result, all students have had hands-on opportunities to experience and create simple machines in new ways.

The students have made some pretty amazing connections. For example, a student had an “Ah HA!” moment while describing brakes as “friction”. Another student had a similar moment when they realized that the brake is activated through squeezing a lever. They are not just learning about simple machines - they are applying their understanding in novel, real-world ways. As experts, they want to share their learning to help others, so they will make simple machines and bike animations that show how tools and parts of bikes work.

It turns out that our learning community is so much larger than just our class, our school, and our neighborhood - we were able to tap into the expertise of educators across the CBE and across our city.  This provided us with the courage to take risks in our teaching.

Learn more about our Bike Project here:  http://evergreenlearningcommons.weebly.com/grade-4-bike-provocation.html

Learn more about Design the Shift PD here: ​http://cbecap.blogspot.ca/2016/05/in-summer-of-2016-we-will-be-offering.html 

Allison Predika and Mike MacKenzie are grade 4 teachers at Evergreen School in Area 5. They attended the Design the Shift Professional Development over the summer and seem to always been deep into one project or another.

Last week my partner teacher and I took 90+ students to Vertigo Theatre to watch a Sherlock Holmes production. Because this was my first field trip, and many student’s first time at a play, and because like every class ours has a wide variety of interest levels, I had been a little nervous about certain groups being able to stay engaged in their learning throughout the whole two-hour show.

As expected, nearing the end of the show, one or two of the boys in question were not acting out and being obnoxious, but rather, were sleeping. However, instead of me having to do anything about it, one of our lowest boys (who we’ve had difficulty getting to engage in the classroom) realized his friends were missing out on the climax of the action. He reached over and gave his friends a nudge and said “Wake up! Things are getting lit, they’re fighting with swords!”

His tone and expression were pure and excited, and I realized that he was truly being earnest. He was engaged. This student that we've had such a hard time engaging with in class, was fully in-sync with the story’s plotline and characters. I realized that his entry-point for learning was attainable, it was just significantly different from those of his peers. The abstract had to become REAL for him to become engaged in learning, and this may be the case for many others. I had always known that I must strive to acknowledge and make multiple entry-points into learning a reality, but this experience has made planning for various entry-points a more concrete reality in my teaching toolkit.


Dan Lafferty (@MrDanLafferty) first year teacher teaching grade 8 Humanities at Nose Creek School. I’m a learner, writer and literature lover, a washed up athlete, and an amateur old soul.

In October, our school made a commitment to place an emphasis on improving the literacy abilities amongst all students.  Although this seemed like a daunting task in a class of varying reading abilities, being the keener that I am, I was up for the adventure.  Bring.  It.  On!  With the support from two CBE literacy specialists, our school began to formulate a plan and that is when the idea of “Say Something” caught my attention.

Fast-forward a couple of months, lots of idea generating and countless hours of intentional book selection, today my students are fully engaged in their book clubs!  I went from a class of reluctant readers to a class of excited readers; simply by changing the way I approached the “old fashioned novel study”.  Students are grouped based on their reading abilities and their overall interest in certain books.  After twenty minutes of reading (either silently, with a designated reader or by taking turns…choice is important!), students partake in a self-guided conversation about what they have just read – with one simple rule: Say Something!  They make connections, ask questions, predict what will happen next and extend their understanding after hearing what their group members have to say.

After conferencing with one of my groups for a second time since starting, I saw huge growth in their overall comprehension and their ability to communicate.  I knew these changes were working when a student said, “For once I actually understand what is going on in the book because we talk about it and can ask questions!”


Kate Malayko (@kmalayko), second year Grade 5 Teacher at Nose Creek School, keener and tryer of new things 

Recently, I was privileged to speak with teachers at Richmond School. My presentation followed their sports day; the perfect time to learn more about physical literacy.
 
What’s physical literacy you ask? Physical literacy is about individuals developing the skills and confidence to be active for life. 

The school years are an important development period creating the foundation for future participation and greater wellness. Where are you on your physical literacy journey? It’s not just about kids.

In today’s more sedentary and risk adverse society, children require instruction, repetition and unstructured play to develop the wide variety of movement competencies that are needed to enjoy a good quality of life. 

Think of moving more often, in more ways, in more places. In-class activity breaks refresh and refocus students. Classroom activities also contribute to the children’s recommended daily minimum of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity. Or take it outside where we know kids will move more. The bonus is that research shows that by combining activity with learning, cognition is increased. 

Learning to move is just as important as the ability to read and write and ActiveForLife.com is a place to go for inspiration and resources:

• Activity ideas
• Lesson Plan Builder 
• 10 Week Modules 
• Instructional and Assessment Videos 
• @ActiveForLife and @AfLresources and Facebook

Thanks to Principal Duncan White and the impressive group of teachers at Richmond School. Thanks also to CBE’s Nadeen Halls who provided curriculum and Comprehensive School Health links. 


Lynn Jobe (@mlejobe) at ActiveforLife.com is committed to advancing the physical literacy movement in Canada. #collaboration 

Today I was working with my design group to finish sending invitations to experts that my class worked with in January. We are planning a special event to increase pride in our school. I enjoy design because it requires writing. Writing and reading are my favorite things to do and I even wanted to be an author for a little while.

​I like my role in the invitations group because my group and I represent the school and if we make the invitations nicely the experts might come to our event. I’m looking forward to what the experts reply, like if they can come or not. I’m especially excited about what Mayor Nenshi will say. We worked with him and he told my class to contact him when decided on our event, so we did! I really enjoyed the experiences that I have been able to have in Grade Five that many young kids don’t have a chance to. I love Westgate!

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​Gillian E is a student at Westgate School. She is eleven years old. She is in Grade Five and speaks Spanish.

I am a first year teacher at Louis Riel School. My goal is to find inspiration in science, and weave it into as many areas of the curriculum as possible. One unit intimidated me more than the rest. Robotics. I felt I was in way over my head. Growing up, I rarely played with lego sets, computer programs or video games,  instead preferring to dress up and stage theatre productions. I felt bewildered by the idea of students building and programming robots. How could I possibly teach this unit when I was already feeling overwhelmed with the most basic of robotic concepts?

Nonetheless, with a good deal of apprehension, and as much confidence and knowledge as I could muster, I introduced the robotics unit. I braced myself for the chaos that would surely arise and the insufficient responses I would inevitably end up giving to my students. They began to work and I waited, a knot in my stomach. To my surprise, 23 students did not rush up to me baffled and confused. Rather, as as I wandered around the classroom I sensed deep engagement. I observed in awe as each group worked together, discussed issues, resolved disagreements and navigated the computer and programming system. I began asking my little scientists questions; suddenly, I was the student and they were the teachers.

​Today I learned there is never one teacher in the classroom with 23 students. We have one tall teacher and 23 small teachers.  My students teach me everyday about curiosity, friendship, frustration, and perseverance. They take my fears and turn them into passions and we learn and build together. Welcome to grade 3/4. Class size 0, teachers 24!
    
Madeline Anderson (@msanderson7) first year grade 3 /4 teacher. Learning everyday with the guidance of my little scientists as we navigate this amazing adventure.

This year we have been exploring the question, 'Who are we as Canadians?' and have specifically looked at the construct of identity. We have studied the origin of the word and have discussed ways that our personal identities can evolve and change over time and yet some aspects continue to remain the same. This has led us to examine how the construct of identity can be extended to a broader scope to encompass Canadian identity and how places shape who we are as individuals, communities and countries.
 
We have explored our personal family history and experimented with different forms of poetry to create verses that reflect our personal identity and also our place-identity that was inspired by our family histories. We have discovered how our geographic location and the communities we are surrounded in shape our identities. 
 
Through listening to others stories of living in another place or country and then moving to Canada, we have been able to understand the many personal stories that create who we are collectively as "Canadians".  One quote that stood out to us from one of our guests was that he viewed his immigration story as a "history of hope" because although he experienced hardship and loss, his story was filled with hope and new opportunities.
 
We are looking forward to using our expert’s stories as inspiration in creating our own empathy pieces to highlight the stories of belonging and what it means to be part of our unique and diverse country.
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Margeaux Montgomery is an educator who enjoys exploring, wondering, creating and laughing with her students’ daily.

Connections deepen learning experiences; when a truly meaningful project is embarked upon, teachers and students experience authenticity through learning. Our collaboration began from a casual conversation between colleagues and has turned into an exciting end to the semester.

Our project combines four subject areas: 110 students! Inspired by the shadow boxes of artist Joseph Cornell www.josephcornellbox.com, and using original ballads written by English 20-1, Art 10 will create watercolor landscapes, Design 10 will 3D print objects, and Graphic Design 10 will create digital illustrations of the main characters and typographic visuals of the poems. Drama students will narrate the poems; recordings will be accessible on the boxes via QR codes.

The project started on Friday. Students worked collaboratively to design concepts for their boxes and will move on to work independently to create individual components. Because poetry and the creation of art is personal, students had to engage sensitively and openly. A lesson that we see coming from this project is letting go of something that is personal and allowing it to be meaningful to others without controlling what that meaning is. We will come back together for final assembly. We are excited to see how individual ideas will form the final product and the students’ response to each other's interpretations. When completed, we will set up an interactive installation.

We are so excited about the learning process that will unfold! We overheard some of the students talking: “the teachers are really excited about this project… it’s kind of adorable.”

Malynda (@mallykoup) teaches ELA & is the LL of School Culture. Passionate about building community & creating meaningful connections.

Jane’s main gig is to be an adventurer and learner of new things. On the side, full time, she teaches at Henry Wise Wood High School.

Diane is the Technology LL & Architecture & 3D Modeling teacher. Diane also runs the Architecture competition at AB Skills in Edmonton.

Jill (@Tootleootle) teaches Digital Media Arts, is the HS Success LL, an artist, a Bollywood dancer & has an adorable rabbit named Pancakes!

This year I moved into a new role teaching grade 9 math and science and I have had plenty of opportunity to make mistakes. Through my mistakes, I learn something new daily.

Today, my students had the opportunity to consult with engineers, geologists, and science specialists through the TELUS Spark Prototype Project. Over the past few months my grade 9’s have conceived, designed, built and tested their own interactive, hands-on science centre exhibits focused on electrical principles. Experts along the way have mentored not just my students but US. They have come to our classroom and worked with us in small groups and have helped us work through questions that neither the textbooks nor Google could answer. WE have engaged in creative problem solving alongside our expert mentors and OUR understanding of electrical concepts has made leaps and bounds. 

As a part of the Prototype Project, my students will share their exhibits with the public and to help set them up for success we discussed what it meant to “facilitate”. Student answers included to:
 
“make easier”
“built excitement”
“help someone understand”
“communicate”
“walk/talk someone through a problem”
“get them engaged so they try it”

Their responses struck a chord for me – it was exactly what I had been striving for this year. Today my grade 9 students taught me that I am not a teacher of numbers and concepts but a facilitator of knowledge and ideas.


Katrina Watson (@BusyBeakers) graduated from kindergarten last year to become a grade 9 math and science facilitator this year.