Thoughts and reflections on teaching and learning – Cohort 21 Member Blog
Written by Garth Nichols
I came across this great article in Edutopia about Creating a Culture of Can. I was reading it with an eye to creating a culture of blogging, and thought that the article could inform and support the approach that I have adopted. I’ve started getting the lead-advisers into the role of blogging. I’ve provided over […]
Written by Garth Nichols
Last night, taking part in a professional development forum, I came across tools and dispositions necessary for success in the 21st Century. One that really struck a cord for me is that “students must learn the strategies and importance of embracing change while in the midst of change, and be flexible” and that during the […]
Written by Garth Nichols
Thanks to Justin for pointing me to this great resource on Blogging Scope and Sequence. It has given me a lot of food for thought in terms of how to stretch blogging across the curriculum, and how to best create standards and goals for each grade level to work towards. What I would like to […]
Written by Garth Nichols
My action plan will center around creating a culture of blogging, and effective leadership. At Greenwood College School, all teachers are expected to engage in on-going professional development and assessment. I have established these two areas as areas that I can work on to enhance my contribution to the learning community. What I will […]
Written by Garth Nichols
Yesterday’s Cohort 21 F2F session provided a lot of time for putting faces to names, for putting names to schools, and ideas to be flushed out more completely. A few things struck me: 1) When the cohort held the unconference session in the afternoon (examining the role of technology in collecting data for and of […]
Written by Garth Nichols
Susan Davis writing for “Getting Smart” begins her blog post on “Teaching Authentic Writing in a Socially Mediated World” with this idea: “…I don’t know where to start. You see, I’ve completely bought into the idea that what we teach our students should be authentic, that is, tangible and real in ways that are meaningful and purposeful for […]
Written by Garth Nichols
It is November 11th, and it is the day of stories. Stories from what our students might consider ancient history, stories from textbooks and primary documents; stories told from black and white movies or sincere, frightened faces, and hard working bodies in the bodies in the trenches. How well can students connect to these stories? […]
Written by Garth Nichols
This first report card is always a bit of a wake-up call for students and teachers alike. It’s a time to reflect on the work that has been done, the learning that is happening in the classroom, and as such, it serves as a launching pad for the rest of the year. Using the concept […]
Written by Garth Nichols
With the myriad of social media tools, teachers must be very careful with the one(s) that they invest themselves in, and especially what they ask their students to invest in as well. This past week Diigo was hacked and its services were down. Many of us are already using Diigo, and I’ve been using it […]
Written by Garth Nichols
Well, it’s almost lunch, and we’ve already accomplished so much (just check my Twitter Feed!). I’ve gotten to know a lot about the people that I’ll be learning with throughout the rest of this year. I’m sensing that there is a little bit of Vygotsky’s ZPD anxiety around blogging, what it is and how to […]