Down With Grades! Can We at Least Talk About It?

To an ever-growing extent, the very concept of grades, or the attempt to accurately quantify learning, is a lingering artifact from an increasingly extinct approach to teaching and learning. If grades are a necessary component of the larger institution of learning, then I believe it is the responsibility of the 21st Century Educator to re-imagine … Continue reading “Down With Grades! Can We at Least Talk About It?”

The 48 Hour Challenge… Building a Skill and So Much More!

This past week in our Discovery Program (Grades 9 and 10) we “disruptED” the general routine of learning with a symposium on the skill of “presentation”. It was awesome for all the reasons we imagined it would be awesome. It was also awesome for many reasons we may not have fully imagined. All of these reasons … Continue reading “The 48 Hour Challenge… Building a Skill and So Much More!”

Co-Constructing a Way of Seeing: a Shakespeare Inspired Epiphany

Recently, I had the privilege of visiting the Grade 12 higher-level English classes to guide a dramatic reading and discussion of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It’s been years – 15 was my rough estimation to the students – since I’ve interacted with this play with any amount of intimacy. What a treat, and, as is the enduring … Continue reading “Co-Constructing a Way of Seeing: a Shakespeare Inspired Epiphany”