This Week in Ontario Edublogs

This will be the last post in this series for 2016.  It’s been a great year of thinking and sharing from Ontario Edubloggers.  

Again, the tradition continues with some of the great reading that I’ve read recently.

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The Importance of Student Teacher Rapport

In this post, Jennifer Aston reflects on her successes as an Instructional Coach.  There’s so much good stuff there to pass along to new coaches coming on board, to existing coaches to reflect upon during their classroom times, and to the classroom teacher involved.  I really liked how Jennifer analysed the relationship that she builds with students and how challenging it can be when she visits a classroom that isn’t set up to support that.

I guess I’ve learned that one of my teaching (and perhaps even coaching) super powers is developing relationships.  I’ve grown to care about the students, teachers, coaches and administrators that I have worked with over the last 4 years.  I’m not going to lie, it’s going to be hard to leave.  But I also know that it’s time to build capacity in some other lucky teacher out there…

It sounds like she has a real wealth of skills and experience that she will take into her own classroom when her appointment as a coach ends.

I know that we all certainly wish her well wherever she goes.

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Motorcycle Ride in El Salvador, March 2016

Over the years, I’ve come to respect and admire the photography of Peter Beens.  He’s one of those people who have all kinds of patience and does miracles with cameras that I could only dream of.  I realized I was in the wrong ball park when I was with him once with my camera that was my pride and joy and he was showing me some technique.  We stumbled upon a great photo opportunity and his comment was “I wish I had my good camera with me”.  I know that my camera didn’t measure up to whatever he currently had so I could only imagine what his good camera was like.

In this post, Peter shares some wonderful images from his trip to El Salvador captured from his point of view using a GoPro Camera.

As always, he takes so many pictures and through the “keepers” adds interest in what he sees.  The whole collection shared is worth the time to enjoy.

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My Top 10 Sketchnotes in 2016

Another skill that I wish I could have is to create sketchnotes like Sylvia Duckworth can.  Hey, I even took her workshop and failed.  But she continues to amaze with her interpretations on a topic.

In this post, she shares the top “shares” of her sketchnotes from the past year.

Sadly, “Between the Ferns” didn’t make the list so I’ll include it here.

Maybe next year.

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Just Start

I’m not actually a fan of New Years’ Resolutions.  Why that day?  Usually I’m watching football and could care less about any silly resolution.

Maybe it makes sense to start on January 2?

Or, as Matthew Oldridge notes…

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Manipulatives in Secondary Math

I love this post from Heather Theijsmeijer.  Everyone who teaches mathematics is looking for that magic bullet that will put students over the top.

Working with manipulatives is big in elementary schools so why not in secondary?

Heather takes a pretty comprehensive look at Algebra Tiles and how they might fit into the secondary school curriculum.  Personally, I think it’s an important look.  If students have become reliant on manipulatives in Grade 8, it seems somehow unfair to cut them off at the knees just because they’re in a different building.  And yet, there’s still the notion that they do have to learn the concepts appropriately.

Heather asks some questions that I’m sure many would like an answer to.  If you have the answer, why not drop by her blog and share it with her.

• Physically move the manipulatives INTO my classroom (out of storage) and have them in an easily-accessible spot for everyone to get to, not out of sight in an office or tucked away in a classroom closet.
• Incorporate manipulatives purposefully into lessons – carefully choose which manipulative the students will be using and know why I’m choosing to use it. What process does it demonstrate? In what way will it help my students think/reason?
• Make manipulatives integral to the lesson itself, not just have it as an add-on to what we’re learning. 
• Challenge the students to whom math comes easily to use the manipulatives, and get them thinking outside of the memorization box. I hope this might also reduce the stigma of using manipulatives.

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Using Technology to Facilitate Hands-on Learning

At least part of the answer to Heather’s question could be answered in this post from Camille Rutherford.  The post itself is actually a sharing of a slidedeck from a presentation.

I always enjoy Camille’s presentation; my regret at the past BIT conference was only being able to sit in for a bit of her presentation.

However, as I click through the slide deck, I can hear her voice and wisdom in my head.

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An All Day Math Inquiry. Is it Possible?

I wouldn’t know where to begin to attack this provocation given to Peter Cameron’s Grade 5/6 class.

But his students did.

What follows in this rather long post is a capture of their thinking and exploring on the topic.  It’s a rather enjoyable post to read and picture students plunking away at it.  After all, where but in northern Ontario would you find experts on the topic of snow?

As you read through the post, you’ll realize that there is indeed a full day’s worth of inquiry crossing over many subject areas.

What a great experience for these students.

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I think that it’s terrific that this set of blog posts “This Week in Ontario Edublogs” leaves 2016 on such a high note.  Please take the time to click through and read/react to the wisdom shared in these posts.

If you can’t get enough, the complete series of posts is available here.