Mindful Ed

I was recently asked this following question: Can educators / do educators transfer effective literacy strategies to support student achievement in numeracy? My initial response: Of course!   However describing what this looks likes, sounds like, even feels like in the classroom is a more challenging of a task.  As described by Fiore, LeBar, & Scott-Dunne (2014) in the  4 Roles of the Numerate Learner , it begins with building relationships and cultivating a classroom community. This transcends content areas and provides the foundation for learning. Daily community circles where students have the opportunity to share their thinking and perspectives is central. Students begin to recognize that it is a safe place to share and connect. They take on the role of listener and speaker and feel their way through these roles.  In community circle, we share our triumphs and our failures, each equally celebrated knowing that we learn the most through our...

As part our final M.Ed. Capstone course entitled , Collisions, Disruptions, and Diffusions , we were presented with the challenge to facilitate a seminar based on an area of personal interest in education. Over the past 3 years, themes of technology integration and teaching through inquiry have become central in my journey, as I have aimed to link theory and practice. Through this experience I have come to the realization that assessment needs to change along with teaching practices. This same wondering came to light for my Master Class co-facilitator, Jenny Loebsack. As we began preparing, we understood that this topic would lead to some collisions, disruptions, and diffusions in our discussions. Our goal was to elicit reflection and discussion on current assessment practices, how they might enable/interfere with learning, and how we might begin rethinking these practices in light of what we know and understand about learners. As stated during our seminar by a classmate, we need to ...

In a recent M.Ed. class our topic was on conducting a peer review for scholarly writing. We discussed how important it is to set aside adequate time, ensure appropriate tone (difference between negative and constructive feedback), and going beyond the micro level issues (conventions) to macro issues (ideas, evidence, organization) when reviewing writing samples. Each of us had a very different take on what it feels like to give and receive feedback which was an interesting point of discussion. Feelings included apprehension of presenting writing/fear of judgement, lack of experience providing critiques, and insecurity offering true critical advice. This got me thinking - wouldn't all this be true for peer feedback, even with the youngest of learners? When I returned to school the next day, I took a closer look at some of the feedback grade 2 classmates had been giving each other in writing (we often offer stars and wishes for each other). I saw a lot of "Good job!", ...

As a diagnostic activity for money, I created a simple Google Form that embedded mathematical BIG IDEAS within the context of a Virtual Field trip to Toys R' Us. Questions included counting a collection of coins, adding money amount, and creating change. Google Form - Money Diagnostic The students were very much engaged in the task and were able to work through the form independently. Embedding the form directly into our D2L Blended Learning Space allowed for easy access. I have noticed that my students have become my tech learning partners - always up for trying out a new digital tool! But ... it wasn't the actual filling out of the form that was transforming (I could have easily done a similar pencil and paper assessment). The true value of using Google Forms comes in the data collected and what you can do with that data! A spreadsheet is automatically populated as students submit their form. This can be used immediately to inform practice. Within seconds, I could id...

This past week the Grade 2s continued their work preparing presentations about countries using Google Drive. What really amazed me was the ability to use the comment feature to provide immediate feedback that was relevant and purposeful for the students. As they were working, I posed questions to direct their next steps. I was not sure how this would work, so I didn't let them know ahead of time that I would be doing this. To my delight, students replied to my comments and made additions to their slides in realtime.  Afterwards, they remarked at how much it helped them "think about what's next". They also asked if they could comment on each others work!  This caused me think more about the purpose of feedback and how informal feedback such as this helps students see learning as a journey.  Here is a great read that speaks to this: Learning Dispositions blog post - from MindShift Next week, we will be sharing our work with another Grade 2 class who also used Go...

With the end of another calendar year, I have been thinking a lot about teaching 'ah ha' moments from 2013. Here are a few of my favourites.  1. Make it real and relatable! Earlier this school year, I was inspiried by a conversation with my Grade 2 students about the video game Super Mario Bros. I embedded this into our learning about number patterns and relationships. They were totally engrossed in this inquiry. The context was real to them, which made the learning meaningful. What surprised me the most was how they took this inquiry and extended it further.  After solving and proving the original question, they asked what would happen if Mario already had some coins. This led to discussions about possible tools to help solve this problem, as well as identification of patterns within the hundreds chart when skip counting from various starting points.  All possible because of meaningful engagement.  2 .   Give them tools to be successful. I a...