Re-thinking learning for the 21st Century
Written by Allison Macrae
I have been on a journey to improve my teaching practice and it started with a passion regarding classroom design. The setup, design, and structure of my classroom has always felt important to me. I have scoured the internet for resources and ideas on how to make a high-school classroom look “better”. Nothing. Elementary classrooms are … Continue reading “Thinking about Design: What if our Senior classes looked like a Kindergarten room?”
Written by Allison Macrae
I have spent this year chatting with my classes about creating a space and environment that is driven by the notion that we should learn collaboratively and not competitively. I haven’t spent a lot of time talking about it, but enough that I think my students would remember the conversations. It is one of my … Continue reading “Together IS better: how do we convince them?”
Written by Allison Macrae
Teaching Empathy with the Equation of a Line I am currently working with Laurie Fraser, Character Program Director at Upper Canada College. I came to her with the goal of doing a better job of teaching Character and being intentional about actually planning it into my lessons. We realized how incredibly useful, informative and clear a … Continue reading “Building Empathy”
Written by Allison Macrae
Design Thinking and Action Plan Student Engagement How might we build an experience (curriculum / physical-environment / assessment) that optimizes engagement? To start on this journey, I need to define the essential elements of student engagement Ask the students: what engagement looks like (does this mean they are happy? How they like … Continue reading “Engagement: What does that mean?”
