Cohort 21 | bblack | Activity

bblack wrote a new post on the site Brandon Black

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 15:42:53 -0400

PME 811 Blog Post 10 – Final Blog ReflectionMy blog has demonstrated careful engagement with existing knowledge about innovation in teaching and learning. Through exploring the various […]

bblack wrote a new post on the site Brandon Black

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 20:29:14 -0400

PME 811 Blog Post 9 – Final Glossary and ReflectionInnovation I define innovation in education as the intentional iteration of teaching practices and learning environments that responsively […]

bblack wrote a new post on the site Brandon Black

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 13:58:12 -0400

PME 811 Blog Post 8 – Professional Development ReflectionDescription of the Event The MindFit Professional Learning Workshop titled The Perfect Trap: Helping Students Break Free from Anxiety & […]

bblack wrote a new post on the site Brandon Black

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 14:14:38 -0500

PME 811 Blog Post 7 – Personal Learning NetworkPart 1: Reflection I learn about new developments, ideas, and opportunities through a variety of professional networks rather than a single […]

bblack wrote a new post on the site Brandon Black

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 16:06:27 -0500

PME 811 Blog Post 6 – Diversity and Inclusion in InnovationLeat and Whelan (2023) explore educational innovation by distinguishing between convergent and divergent pedagogies. Convergent pedagogy is […]

bblack wrote a new post on the site Brandon Black

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 16:04:40 -0500

PME 811 Blog Post 5 – Indigenous PerspectivesBall’s (2004) article focuses on the marginalization of “Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing,” critiquing Western education as a prima […]

bblack wrote a new post on the site Brandon Black

Sun, 08 Feb 2026 23:23:13 -0500

PME 811 Blog Post 3 & 4 – Philosophical Foundations of TeachingBoth Chanicka et. al. (2018) and Bourn (2021) position education as a transformative practice, albeit through slightly different lenses. The […]

bblack wrote a new post on the site Brandon Black

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 21:27:10 -0500

PME 811 Blog Post 2 – AI and Innovative TeachingIn considering innovation in education, the topic of AI could not be avoided. What’s interesting is how quickly these technologies are a […]

bblack wrote a new post on the site Brandon Black

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 20:45:43 -0500

PME 811 Blog Post 1 – Rethinking Innovation Through SatisficingSeveral years ago, I encountered the concept of satisficing through Dave Stuart Jr. at an NCTE conference. Defined as doing work sufficiently to […]

bblack posted a new activity comment

Fri, 03 Feb 2023 19:52:41 -0500

@aweldon Now that it’s been some time since the start of the year, I wonder if you’ve made time to get to those exciting projects? As one teacher said to me once, we need to ‘make’ time for things because we will never ‘find’ it. In considering what’s urgent and important, I’m curious to know how you’re ‘making’ time for those projects!

In reply to - Anne Weldon wrote a new post on the site Anne Weldon Prior to our first day at Cohort 21, I had never really thought about the difference between urgent and important. This small exercise was eye-opening and helped […]

bblack posted a new activity comment

Thu, 02 Jun 2022 18:10:48 -0400

@jbairos It’s great to see your action plan coming to fruition and the realized impact of this change on your students. I know you’ve taken the time to be thoughtful and careful about how you’ve aimed to reconsider your teaching practices; my question for you is what now? What does “going deeper” look like? How will you know once you’ve gotten…Read more

In reply to - Jennifer Bairos wrote a new post on the site Jennifer Bairos Thinking about how to authentically integrate social justice elements into a language program is a necessary, but enormous undertaking. I am gathering […]

bblack posted a new activity comment

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 11:47:40 -0500

@elee two comments that stood out in this post to me were regarding balance and implementation. You mentioned the challenge you’re having balancing being a good parent and a good teacher; likewise, you spoke to the ongoing changes that have taken place in your classroom through the implementation of PBL. I wonder if there are opportunities for…Read more

In reply to - Esther Lee wrote a new post on the site Esther Lee Ok. I’ve allowed myself 30 minutes to blog (I’ve got the timer going)! If you are like me, then the hardest part isn’t always starting, but in all the editing you […]

bblack's profile was updated

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 18:52:29 -0500

bblack posted a new activity comment

Fri, 11 Feb 2022 18:45:35 -0500

@dneville this post resonated with me; I only wish I had read it closer to its publication date. I too was struggling with passion earlier this year and I appreciate how you laid out clear steps in order to find your way back to your passion. I’m curious, what has worked and what hasn’t? For me, it’s been trusting in myself that I have my…Read more

In reply to - Danny Neville wrote a new post on the site Danny Neville In my Twitter bio, I describe myself as a passionate educator. Sadly, at the beginning of this school year I started to wonder if that was the right word to […]

bblack posted a new activity comment

Fri, 11 Feb 2022 18:45:33 -0500

@dneville I appreciated your post on gratitude, thank you! I too use Keep to stay organized; such a powerful tool when used effectively. Your comment on gratitude was important and those special moments of gratitude that can take place in education are essential. I would also suggest that those small moments of gratitude, when added up, are just…Read more

In reply to - Danny Neville wrote a new post on the site Danny Neville The Eisenhower Urgent/Important tool struck a chord with me. Since I first saw the matrix, I find I’m regularly using the concept to organize my thoughts, […]

bblack posted a new activity comment

Tue, 01 Feb 2022 14:17:11 -0500

@lwelsh Lindsay, I appreciate your dedication to Indigenous issues and the ongoing need for awareness. I had the fortune of doing a cross Canada road trip this past summer and I made a point of visiting various Indigenous monuments and past residential schools. My disappointment was not with what I saw but rather with what I didn’t see; there was…Read more

In reply to - Lindsay Welsh wrote a new post on the site Lindsay Welsh **This was meant to be published a on January 3rd… Not sure how I missed hitting the publish button! As the month of December has passed, and the new year […]

bblack posted a new activity comment

Mon, 24 Jan 2022 19:12:22 -0500

@jbairos It’s evident that inclusion and ‘to be seen’ are key elements of your teaching style. You’re actively looking at ways to be mindful of students exploring their identities and this is likely the beginning of a long yet rewarding journey. You’ve mentioned giving voice to students in this process which I think will provide you with insight…Read more

In reply to - Jennifer Bairos wrote a new post on the site Jennifer Bairos My How Might We question has already been through a few iterations this year, but I kind of feel like that’s how I know I’m doing it right. I knew […]

bblack posted a new activity comment

Mon, 24 Jan 2022 19:12:20 -0500

@jbairos You’ve really leaned into this work and have developed/ found meaningful resources that have pushed you closer to answering your HMW question. You spoke to looking for authentic ways to use this language in the classroom; I wonder if the pairing of your lesson with a short text, a news article, or something quick and digestible would…Read more

In reply to - Jennifer Bairos wrote a new post on the site Jennifer Bairos As a teacher of a gendered language, one of the urgencies in my classroom this year is creating space for gender-inclusive language. My students are […]

bblack posted a new activity comment

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 14:37:47 -0500

@jbairos This post is so relevant within education right now. You speak to the importance of positive mindsets, making time (because time won’t be found), affirming oneself, and, ultimately, saying ‘yes’. This is a nice balance to being able to say ‘no’; some things we can say ‘no’ to, but others we can not. Sometimes, we have to say ‘yes’, but if…Read more

In reply to - Jennifer Bairos wrote a new post on the site Jennifer Bairos In our first face to face session with Cohort 21 this year, we were presented with The Eisenhower Matrix. Since the single biggest pressure on […]

bblack posted a new activity comment

Tue, 18 Jan 2022 01:22:36 -0500

@jbairos I wonder if you’ve had an opportunity to circle back to this post and reflect; how receptive to the classroom decor were your students? Did this change lead to genuine or meaningful discussions within the classroom? Has it had the impact you wanted? Have you been able to implement any of the other (many others!) changes that you’ve…Read more

In reply to - Jennifer Bairos wrote a new post on the site Jennifer Bairos Like many of us, I am taking a hard, uncomfortable look at my curriculum and the resources in my classroom. What is missing? What needs to be removed? […]

bblack wrote a new post on the site Brandon Black

Mon, 17 Jan 2022 22:55:29 -0500

Think back to your favourite memories of high school; what do you see? What do you remember? Who do you remember? I suspect in those moments you’re envisioning time with friends in the cafeteria, after-school p […]

bblack posted a new activity comment

Wed, 12 Jan 2022 03:06:04 -0500

@llamont Lindsay, your goal should be a good starting point to consider your “How might we question” in the upcoming session. In doing so, feel free to reach out to Cohort members to get their insight and help you craft your question to be specific to your goals and the needs of your school.

In reply to - Lindsay Lamont wrote a new post on the site Lindsay Lamont Question 1: I joined Cohort21 for several reasons, the simplest being I’d heard good things about the PD experience and the community of educators it […]

bblack posted a new activity comment

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 17:19:09 -0400

@jpriolo Jacqui, your question is one that many teachers are facing, especially this year. What most resonated with me was your language of students as being “the cartographers of their life”; how beautifully eloquent! Essentially, I believe trust and resilience are at the core of your question; how might we trust students to make choices that…Read more

In reply to - Jacqueline Priolo wrote a new post on the site Jacqueline Priolo Question 1: During the first face to face we used the language of Urgent vs Important to help frame our discussions and thinking around the use […]

bblack posted a new activity comment

Sun, 24 Oct 2021 17:14:33 -0400

@agreig Amy, I appreciated your thoughts on the importance of relationships, particularly as we move forward into this school year. Often, relationships with colleagues and students can ‘fill our buckets’ and can thus positively impact our mental health. This means that relationships meet the criteria of both important and urgent. I’ll be…Read more

In reply to - Amy Greig wrote a new post on the site Amy Greig When I think about time spent at school, I think about it in three categories. First of all, there is the time that we devote to our relationships wi […]

bblack wrote a new post on the site Brandon Black

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 17:07:31 -0400

After coming home overwhelmed and exhausted yet again, one of countless times since the start of September, I thought to myself, “What are the biggest issues you’re currently facing as an educator?”. I refle […]

bblack wrote a new post on the site Brandon Black

Sat, 01 May 2021 00:59:05 -0400

Sitting in a crowded conference room, chairs lined row to row only a couple of inches apart, I listened to Educelebrity Dave Stuart Jr. speak about finding balance as a teacher. He referred to a term that was […]

bblack posted a new activity comment

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 15:20:10 -0500

@ahabets one day at a time! I think it’s important to remember that many educators feel this way too. Thank you for your honesty!

In reply to - Ashleigh Habets wrote a new post on the site Ashleigh Habets I have not seen my students faces this year and I remain faceless to them. These are connections that I truly miss on daily basis. Often times I am […]

bblack posted a new activity comment

Sat, 21 Nov 2020 16:45:43 -0500

@jsheppard well said! And such an important message given both our current political climates and our everyday realities.

In reply to - Jess Sheppard wrote a new post on the site Jess Sheppard Admittedly, I’ve been feeling a little lost in terms of blogging this year. It feels a bit hypocritical to write about what schools ‘should’ be doing during […]

bblack posted a new activity comment

Sat, 21 Nov 2020 13:37:13 -0500

Melissa, this a such a timely post. Not only are you aiming to imbed current student interest into your lessons but you’re also gamifying the learning in a very authentic way. I’ve actually considered using this game in one of my classes, albeit in a slightly different way. I’d be interested to chat about your experience further!

In reply to - Melissa Kurenoff wrote a new post on the site Melissa Kurenoff While online gaming doesn’t seem like something you see very often in an education environment, the most rewarding decision I have made this year so […]

bblack posted a new activity comment

Sat, 21 Nov 2020 13:33:46 -0500

@cobban Well said. You mention that you aim to be an anchor for your students, and I wonder how much the inverse is true. In many ways what anchors us is others; their anchors allow us to stay grounded and thus give us the opportunity to be anchors for others.

In reply to - Paul Cobban wrote a new post on the site Paul Cobban WARNING: This is a very long blog post (totally against common sense for what makes a blog effective, successful, and useful) and you’ll be entering the t […]

bblack posted a new activity comment

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 18:24:25 -0500

Esther, this is a great post in its honest depictions of implicit biases. Often times, we don’t know what we don’t know, and I appreciate how you ended the post with the following “a reminder to be kind to myself. Mistakes will and have been made. I will forgive myself”; too often, particularly in the media, we see depictions of people’s explicit…Read more

In reply to - Esther Lee wrote a new post on the site Esther Lee Recently, I took Harvard’s implicit bias test and found that I have “a slight automatic association for American with European American and Foreign with Asian […]

bblack posted a new activity comment

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 13:09:55 -0500

@dklein, sometimes it’s those small moments of connection that can make all the difference as educators. I’m happy to hear that you and your colleagues are aiming to ‘take care’ of each other in this small but impactful way.

In reply to - Dani Klein wrote a new post on the site Dani Klein When I first read this prompt, I sort of wanted to laugh. Going well? A more accurate question most days would be “What isn’t going terribly?” That’s why it […]

bblack posted a new activity comment

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 13:46:22 -0500

Penny, a sentence that really resonated with me in this post was “I don’t always need to have a response and that the point for me right now is to ensure open communication and dialogue.” We are constantly inundated with information from social media and other news sources, often that is highly politicized, and it can be difficult to navigate t…Read more

In reply to - Penny Senior wrote a new post on the site Penny Senior I like to talk and I like to share stories. I often think about why. Why do I want to share? Why do I want others to hear the good and the bad; the […]

bblack posted a new activity comment

Sat, 07 Nov 2020 14:46:24 -0500

Monica,
I never had the chance to meet Robert, but this post brought tears to my eyes. Your words eloquently capture the daily struggles that teachers are facing while also exemplifying the tragedy that you and your community now have to bare. The weight of your comments and sadness are felt. It’s evident that Robert’s impact on you and on the…Read more

In reply to - Monica Rand wrote a new post on the site Monica Rand I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to be writing something related to what is working for me as a teacher during a pandemic right now. Or maybe I missed the dea […]

bblack posted a new activity comment

Fri, 06 Nov 2020 12:55:23 -0500

Yes, yes, and yes, Holly! Education, at its core, has always been about connections, and this year is underscoring that fact. Think back to your favourite teachers; why did they come to mind? My guess is that it isn’t because of the course content. Your other two points tie nicely back to the first: if we lesson plan with students in mind, we can…Read more

In reply to - Holly Jepson-Fekete wrote a new post on the site Holly Jepson-Fekete To say this year has been a challenge would be an understatement. Juggling students moving from in person to remote, adapting to a whole new […]

bblack posted a new activity comment

Thu, 05 Nov 2020 15:06:20 -0500

Great sentiments, Jenn! This year more than ever we need to embrace the imperfections. That’s not to say that we should accept mediocrity, but it is to understand the circumstances that we are living in. You mentioned ‘finding a groove’ with your students, and I can bet that they are appreciative of having you as their teacher to lead them through…Read more

In reply to - Jennifer Bairos wrote a new post on the site Jennifer Bairos Throughout the summer, I saw a few variations of the tweet, “This coming September, we are all first-year teachers.” I love the sentiment behind […]

bblack posted a new activity comment

Wed, 04 Nov 2020 13:44:21 -0500

Mike, this was an open and honest post, thank you for sharing your vulnerability. I suspect that, once this school year is over, we will hear more stories such as these ones where teachers more so than ever are ‘burning the candle at both ends’. I hope your message inspires others to take a small break from the chaos and immerse themselves in…Read more

In reply to - Michael Moore wrote a new post on the site Michael Moore I was burnt out last spring. No matter what I did, work followed me everywhere I went and was always on my mind. I couldn’t escape it. I knew what I […]

bblack posted a new activity comment

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 14:36:20 -0400

Thank you, @jweening, for your kind words. Words matter, and yours have mattered to me.

In reply to - bblack wrote a new post on the site Brandon Black It’s been almost 7 months since my last blog and my last Twitter post: 7 months of what seems like perpetual loss. If you haven’t been paying attention, let me giv […]

bblack posted a new activity comment

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 14:34:49 -0400

You’re so right, @elavergne! An optimisitc perspective that shouldn’t be forgotten.

bblack posted a new activity comment

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 14:33:00 -0400

Thank you for your inspiring words @edaigle, I’ll be sure to remember that in the future if I feel as though I’m losing my way!

bblack posted a new activity comment

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 23:12:12 -0400

Great mention, Joe. Gaining the insights of other educators is essential to the development of our own practices, especially now!

In reply to - bblack wrote a new post on the site Brandon Black This 35-step overview will inform you of the daily processes that take place when teaching during a pandemic. Note that steps may vary pending your institution of […]

bblack posted a new activity comment

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 23:09:03 -0400

Thanks, @ckirsh Celeste! I couldn’t agree more, especially in these uncertain times.

bblack posted a new activity comment

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 22:53:12 -0400

Thanks, Penny. You’re right; while it’s probably not how we’d envisioned returning, we’re fortunate to be back, learning and growing, with our students.

bblack posted a new activity comment

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 22:50:59 -0400

Thanks, Justin. Hopefully others can find meaning through a similar process!

bblack posted a new activity comment

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 22:49:44 -0400

Thanks again for the push, Heather!

bblack wrote a new post on the site Brandon Black

Wed, 07 Oct 2020 13:40:43 -0400

This 35-step overview will inform you of the daily processes that take place when teaching during a pandemic. Note that steps may vary pending your institution of employment. Be aware that results, too, will vary […]

bblack wrote a new post on the site Brandon Black

Sat, 03 Oct 2020 12:15:52 -0400

It’s been almost 7 months since my last blog and my last Twitter post: 7 months of what seems like perpetual loss. If you haven’t been paying attention, let me give you a rundown of what has happened since tha […]

bblack posted a new activity comment

Tue, 03 Mar 2020 16:10:43 -0500

Sarah,
It’s evident that you are being thoughtful in engaging students with a variety of feedback methods. In doing so, hopefully you’re starting to see students appreciate and internalize the feedback that you’re providing. I’ve explored many of the strategies that you’ve listed above and would love to pick your brain at the next face-to-face to…Read more

In reply to - Sarah Endsley wrote a new post on the site Sarah Endsley This year, I identified one of my challenges being that students are not always utilizing feedback in the most effective of ways. My students shared with me […]

bblack posted a new activity comment

Tue, 03 Mar 2020 15:57:34 -0500

Thanks for the comment @lross! I actually have noticed changes to student mindsets. I never hear my students talk about grades in my class and, when we conference, it’s always about the skills and not the final result. Perhaps they know that if they ask about a certain grade, I will always respond with requiring evidence of specific skillsets? I…Read more

In reply to - bblack wrote a new post on the site Brandon Black I first heard about the idea of modelling skills for students almost a year ago on a cold Saskatoon morning in March of 2019. I was attending a Penny Kittle […]

bblack wrote a new post on the site Brandon Black

Thu, 27 Feb 2020 23:23:16 -0500

I want you to do something for me. It’ll only take three minutes, I promise. I want you to get a pen and a piece of paper. Once you’ve done so, set a timer for three minutes. Then, using the prompt below, I’d […]