This Week in Ontario Edublogs

Please take some time to enjoy these wonderful posts from Ontario Edubloggers. You’ll be glad you did!

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Getting Ready for Destreaming

• Edugals – @EduGals
• https://edugals.com/getting-ready-for-destreaming-e081/

These are the show notes for podcast 81 from the EduGals. Before I get to them, a big acknowledgement needs to go out to appreciate their podcasting efforts. They’re now two years into their efforts putting out interesting content regularly. That’s pretty impressive when you consider they both have full time jobs.

I was drawn in by the title. As all know, Mathematics was destreamed for Grade 9 this year and Science comes next this fall. That’s four months in the future.

I was disappointed that they didn’t have insights and specific things to deal with with the new curriculum. Truthfully, it’s not their fault; the curriculum hasn’t been released yet. At this point, it’s just speculation about what might be coming. In the podcast and the show notes, they do talk about some of the best of breed techniques that will go far to supporting people in these new classrooms. It’s not just science; it’s good stuff to apply everywhere.

I thought there was huge value in the list of people and resources to reach out to so that you’re not starting from square one in the fall.

With COVID, we haven’t had much discussion about these topics so I was really pleased to read and listen to the podcast. They are doing their best to stay on top of things. Join them.

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Attention and Focus in the Classroom

• Jennifer Casa-Todd – @JCasaTodd
• https://jcasatodd.com/attention-and-focus-in-the-classroom/

It was awesome to see Jennifer back at the keyboard. As she notes in the post, there have been other things that have been keeping her off her game. I hope that melting snow and more sunlight can really help out.

What I think is so powerful is that Jennifer doesn’t lecture us about focus and attention but rather shares her personal observations about her own classroom. Your mileage may vary.

She identifies what’s happening when students aren’t paying attention and what’s happening when they are and shares strategies that she’s using to have more success with the latter.

I found that it’s a reminder that the most important person in the room is the teacher who does her best to set the stage for quality learning situations.

I like to think that we’re all thoughtful and reflective but I’ve always maintained that you take it to the next level when you share it publically. There’s just something so powerful about putting your reflections into words and sharing htem, hoping that you get feedback and make yourself better by doing so.

There’s your challenge to read her post and connect with Jennifer.

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Food Or No Food? Re-Thinking Our Fairy Bakery.

• Aviva Dunsiger – @avivaloca
• https://adunsiger.com/2022/04/02/food-or-no-food-re-thinking-our-fairy-bakery/

If I had to relive my kindergarten years, I think I’d want to be in Paula and Aviva’s class. Not only do they set the stage for innovative play, but they do it thoughtfully considering all kinds of external things.

Into the discussion this time around, Aviva brings in the concept of fasting which has impacts on students and classrooms and can’t be ignored. Even though they have no students celebrating Ramadan, it is forefront in her mind as she embarks on this unit.

The centre for this discussion is the “Fairy Bakery” which includes a provocation dealing with doughnuts and she had pictures of Krispy Kremes. Is there such a thing in Ontario at this time? I know that there was one store in Windsor a while back but it’s now closed. And, after further checking, there are still a few in Ontario – https://krispykreme.ca/find-a-store/

That side diversion took me away from Aviva’s post for a bit but I did come back. In typical Aviva fashion, there are lots of pictures of this activity and a great deal of her thinking that will inspire you as well.

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…and in this corner

• Will Gourley – @WillGourley
• https://heartandart.ca/and-in-this-corner/

Writing on the ETFO Heart and Art blog, Will shares some of his thinking about how the lifting of the mask mandate has affected his school. It must be satisfying to see that most of his students continue to wear masks.

Sadly, we’re not getting official figures from the Provincial Government. I suppose the political thought is ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Yet, all that you have to do is turn on the evening news and you’ll find out that there are other ways of testing and reporting numbers in the province and these reports tell us that the numbers are not good.

The removal of required masking, limited cohorting, mandatory hand sanitizing protocols, and social distancing have not provided me with the peace of mind that the return of such “freedoms” pretends to promise.

I’ll admit that I truly was hoping that things would return more to normal two weeks after the March Break but it doesn’t seem to be happening with the speed that would make one feel comfortable.

I’m betting that Will speaks for so many teachers that go into that situation every day. At least in the Public School system.

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PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

• Vera Teschow – @schlagzeug_usw
• http://www.verateschow.ca/blog/philsophy-of-education

Vera’s post took me back to my days at the Faculty of Education where we spent time drafting out own philosophies based upon years as a student and a couple of weeks out practice teaching. We were experts. Not.

We were told that it was a personal thing and would drive up professionally. So, I did some sort of naive gesture and tucked it away in a binder. I think we all develop our own philosophies and they will evolve over time. I will admit that I used to turn to it in preparation for a new school year or an interview. I found that it did indeed ground me.

I felt for Vera as she said that she was asked about her philosophy during an interview. I could just see myself stuttering ‘ba ba ba ba’.

The experience inspired her to revisit things and she shares it with this blog post. The nice thing about blogging is that you can also include comics!

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Outdoor Education – Resource Guide, 2022

• TDSB Professional Library -@ProfLibraryTDSB
• https://professionallibrarytdsb.wordpress.com/2022/03/28/outdoor-education-resource-guide-2022/

Just in time for some exciting outdoor education possbilities.

If the snow would ever just give up, there are amazing things to be seen and smelled outside as spring comes in. It’s my favourite time of year.

For TDSB educators, this post automatically takes them to resources that are collected and that’s a good thing for them. For others, maybe check to see if your district has licensed them or make a suggestion that they go ahead and do so.

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The 500 – #323 – Ghost In The Machine – The Police

• Marc Hodgkinson – @Mr_H_Teacher
• https://the50-20.blogspot.com/2022/04/the-500-323-ghost-in-machine-police.html

I’m a big fan of these top 500 albums blog posts that appear on Marc’s blog. He’s taking me to places that I hadn’t though about for a while and I truly appreciate that.

This post was a big different – Marc didn’t write it but one of his students, Austin, did.

What would a student know about Ghost in the Machine?

I made the connection to his observation immediately. I hadn’t thought of that computer game for a long time but Austin’s insight clicked.

This brought a smile …

My age at release: Mr. Hodgkinson was 16, I wasn’t born

Just because you were late to the game doesn’t mean that you can’t do a review and I thought that Austin did a great job. What a writing inspiration!

I wonder … would other teachers let students post to their blog?

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Please take the time to click through and enjoy these posts and then follow these folks on Twitter.

• Edugals – @EduGals
• Jennifer Casa-Todd – @JCasaTodd
• Aviva Dunsiger – @avivaloca
• Will Gourley – @WillGourley
• Vera Teschow – @schlagzeug_usw
• TDSB Professional Library -@ProfLibraryTDSB
• Marc Hodgkinson – @Mr_H_Teacher

This week’s voicEd show…