[Update: See more on the topic of Embracing Change in my May 19/2014 post on Leading Change.] I’m working on my Spotlight Presentation for Connect 2014: Canada’s Learning and Technology Conference. Here is my presentation description: Shifting Education – Embracing the Transformation A quick 3-part journey into my ‘Shifting’ series of blog posts that looks […]
Category: Inquiry Hub
Renaissance Revival
A couple weeks ago, I received an invite to a ‘Renaissance Fair‘ at a neighbouring Middle School. It was an honour to be invited, since the reason for the invite was that they based the fair on the model Don Gordon wrote about in the paper I linked to above. It was an even greater […]
Training and Coaching
I’m at my daughter’s synchronized swimming Provincials. She just finished her combo routine and there is over an hour wait for her Team routine. Having trained for water polo just one pool bulkhead away from National level synchronized swimmers, I’ve always had high regard for their athleticism. With my daughter training 22+ hours a week […]
Students Talk about Learning at Inquiry Hub
I’d like to thank Barbara Bray and Kathleen McClaskey at PersonalizeLearning.com for inviting some our our Inquiry Hub students to present in a Webinar. I asked for their permission to share their post here and again want to thank them for allowing me to do so. I hope you enjoy the presentation and would love to […]
What Did You Learn at School Today – Parent Presentation
Here is the ‘Parent’ version of my #RSCON presentation: Shifting Learning – What Did You Learn at School Today? I did this presentation just a couple days before the Reform Symposium and it really is similar… Shorter, and with questions at the end geared more to parents than teachers, but essentially the same presentation. You […]
Shifting Learning – Presentation for RSCON4
Shifting Learning – What Did You Learn At School Today? We hear a lot these days about project based learning, inquiry based learning, etc… What does that mean? What does it look like when schools shift away from “drill and kill” learning towards big ideas, questions, and “no right answer” kind of learning? And what […]
Learning and Failure
Failure can be very unproductive. It can stem from a lack of effort, resources, support, knowledge, and reflection. Failure can also be an amazing tool for learning, and perhaps one that every student should experience before graduation. Stephen Whiffin, who conceptualized the Inquiry Hub, suggested that every student should have ‘My Epic Failure’ as […]
A framework for inquiry
On Monday at the Inquiry Hub, when students come to school this Points of Inquiry image is going to be in all classrooms and learning spaces. Here is where the image comes from: The Points of Inquiry – A Framework for Information Literacy and the 21st-Century Learner – BCTLA. In year two at the iHub, […]
Perpetual Beta
A while back, I wrote that best practice is still just practice. Teaching is a practice. We practice teaching. We have an obligation to do our best, but that will ultimately change as we… practice. If we want to apply ‘best practice’ to teaching, then we need to look at ourselves as role model learners. […]
Looking Back
It’s just after 6am on my last day of work before summer, and I’m in a Starbucks having a coffee. I had to drop my daughter to her synchronized swimming practice and decided to just wake up a little early and head to school. Only after getting my coffee did I realize that the school […]