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 […]

“Chasing the A”

86% That’s an ‘A’ for us here in my district. But what does it mean? As a Math teacher I’ve boosted an 84% up two points to hand out the often elusive ‘A’, and I’ve also adamantly refused to move an 85% up to that plateau. Because to me the mark should represent a level of comprehension […]

The Capacity to Lead

Students of all ages have the capacity to lead. For a few years now I have taken a group of Grade 7 and 8 students to our feeder schools to teach the incoming Grade 5’s the “Seven Secrets of Leadership”, but really it is about so much more than that! This is from the e-mail […]

Statement of Educational Philosophy

[Originally posted May 23rd,’07] I wrote this three years ago, but recently had to make a change… As little as one year ago the second paragraph did not exist for me, and now it is placed in a position of importance. I post my Statement of Educational Philosophy now, after reading and posting a comment […]

A Giant Teaches Me About SUCCESS: a “what are your secrets to a successful life” meme

I’ve been tagged with a “what are your secrets to a successful life” meme by Kelly Christopherson. To be honest, I was dreading being tagged by a meme… I knew it was going to come eventually, but my writing process, my flow, seldom lends itself to creating lists… they are too linear for my big […]

SUCCESS(full) Presentation

success: Richard St. John (From TED) This isn’t only a presentation about what leads to success… it is also about presenting successfully. It is about how to use Powerpoint (or another presentation tool) effectively: Simple graphics, purposeful movement/animation, a single key word, effective use of bold font, a minimalist quote, good pacing, simple humour, and […]