Thoughts and reflections on teaching and learning – Cohort 21 Member Blog
Written by Garth Nichols
Thanks to @jmedved for the recommendation of “NeuroTeach“. Written by Glenn Whitman and Ian Kelleher, this is a great book that should be central to schools’ professional development library. NeuroTeach is a culmination of what we know about the brain, how we learn, what non-neural factors influence learning (hint: feelings!), and practical strategies for being […]
Written by Garth Nichols
Many of us struggle with the role of technology in the lives of our students and within the culture of our organizations, and even in our own lives. I’ve been thinking about this throughout this year, and was able to capture some of my earlier thinking in this BLOG POST of an Email conversation with @edaigle. […]
Written by Garth Nichols
I’ve been curious about what some of us have referred to as “The Cohort Effect”. Those under the Cohort Effect report changes in behaviour as it pertains to risk-taking and increases in emotion as they pertain to a sense of belonging and vulnerability. In fact, the most complete diagnosis of the Cohort Effect was witnessed […]
Written by Garth Nichols
“Just good enough” is one of those sayings that reminds me of Facebook’s “Done is better than perfect.” It’s something that is meant to tell me when I can think of something as ‘done’, or ‘complete’, or at the very least, something that I can move on from. But each of us will have a […]
Written by Garth Nichols
“This is the hope represented by Meaningful Student Involvement, that schools can move from being done to students towards being done by and with students. That’s the future of learning.” (Fletcher, 99) You would be interested in reading this book if you: * are looking to refine your understanding of, and implementation of student voice […]
Written by Garth Nichols
Where There Be Dragons can be considered the Gold Standard of experiential education. I travelled with three other colleagues to their “Rocky Mountain Seminar” to learn more about how we might begin to lean into risk and how we might deepen our ability to learn service before giving service. Nestled into the foothills of Boulder Colorado, it […]
Written by Garth Nichols
I started my homework, but couldn’t find the right words, I started my thinking, but my thinking got blurred. I thought back to Saturday, and all that I had seen and heard, And my creative soul was stirred… So instead of words, and only words on the page I’ve decided to get myself out of […]
Written by Garth Nichols
I took up this book in an effort to contribute understanding to a shared language around school transformation. This book, written by James Rickabaugh and Tony Frontier, was published in 2014, but much of what they say still has important implications to educational transformation, and the forces acting on education’s systems and structures. This book […]
Written by Garth Nichols
U2 is one of my all time favourite bands. Beautiful Day is one of their biggest hits. We are hoping that our version of “Beautiful Day” in education is just as successful in our community! This year, my school is attempting some new – we are calling them “Day 9”s. These are 4 calendared days […]
Written by Garth Nichols
If we would have new knowledge, we must get a whole world of new questions. ~ Susanne K. Langer The world’s citizens need to think and act differently. In many ways, this begins with our education system. In a recent blog by Grant Lichtman, entitled “The Problem is Not Climate Change; the Problem is Irrational […]
