I created this video in the same way I created Instructional Coach, via Garage Band, iMovie, and with my own photos and videos. This time I did not rap, and for this we are truly grateful. This video tells the story of my son’s Geranium adequately. What I did not put into the text was […]
You might wonder if these two words, network and community, are not synonyms. People, together, the way they are supposed to be. Am I right? I am reading Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto (buy it), and Gatto is getting under my skin. At a scant 120 pages, some of which are postscripts, you […]
Once upon a time, Cheryl Bissonette (RLC’s Assistant Head of School) had a vision for what she called an end-of-semester ‘personalized week.’ Her exact words may very well have been: “What if we set up exam week so that students have a mix of required items, such as presentations and exams, and options such as […]
Now that I am back to blogging it seems that at some points during my day I am thinking through ideas for several blog posts at a time if I let my brain ‘flow.’ My recent thoughts for posts surround topics such as: Christmas feelings and what to do about them; How failing forward looks […]
We ran our first real lab today. I decided within the first block, a spare period for me, that it was time and that they were ready. “Ready for what,” you ask? Ready to handle acidic (hydrochloric acid) and basic (sodium hydroxide) substances with enough care and professionalism so as not require a trip to […]
having the opportunity to connect with other Ontario educators and hearing about their triumphs and struggles. Now I know they are not so different from my own. I had more time to compare teaching notes by chatting face-to-face with other Ontario educators. Everyone is concentrating on writing. if it is possible to have a face-to-face […]
Rosseau Lake College recently hosted Senior School Alumni Mentor Day during which Grade 11 and 12 students had the opportunity to work on their Discovery Days project pitches with the guidance and support of alumni, board, and community members. I supervised afternoon sessions during which I had the pleasure of meeting Kim Aitken, founder of Aitken […]
Step 1: Back when we were all riding high on the good vibes of our first face-to-face encounter I was sure that the urgent needs of the learners in my charge boiled down to skills development: problem solving, resiliency, and making connections. The inability of students to troubleshoot problems with their own computers stood large […]
What does it mean to reflect? It can be difficult to articulate what exactly it means, and thus even more difficult for students to understand what a teacher might be asking for when they say, “Please write a reflection about your cell biology project.” I have asked my students to reflect many times over the […]