Writer's+Corner


 * 2011 Writer's Goals, Outcomes and Messages **

Some important thoughts as we learn and work together over the next few months...

'Good questions work on us, we don't work on them. They are not a project to be completed but a doorway opening onto greater depth of understanding, actions that will take us into being more fully alive’. Peter Block

“Teachers don’t need any more canned programs or word-for-word scripts to “teacher-proof” their instruction." Cris Tovani, p.121

“... what teachers need is not rigid lesson plans but frameworks of key ideas that will enable them to maintain “flow” towards learning goals whilst adapting the lesson to take account of pupils’ ongoing struggles or leaps forward in understanding.” p. 10 ARG, 2009

**TEACHER'S TOOLS-** to contextual images/clips of teachers in action i.e. showing what instruction looks, sounds, and feels like...

This template is a framework which puts together many aspects of best practice in the MY classroom, and supports the implementation of Manitoba curricula.

__Sources:__ Transforming Middle Years Education in Mantioba, McTighe, Success for All Learners, Assessment for Learning...

**Focused Observation Form** to document assessment for learning over time and within the context of teaching and learning.


 * GLOSSARY of terms used in the MY e-Handbook **


 * March 24, 2011 **

** GOAL: ** Develop and enhance the MY electronic website/handbook for educators and parents. ** OUTCOMES: ** 
 * Share revisions to parent information site. [See Joan1111]
 * Gather and contextualize classroom learning and teaching expereinces for the e-MY Handbook.


 * February 28-March1, 2011 **


 * GOAL: ** Develop and enhance the MY electronic website/handbook for educators and parents.
 * OUTCOMES: **
 * Clarify and revise parent information site.
 * Gather and contextualize classroom learning and teaching practices, and parent information, for the e-MY Handbook.


 * January 13, 2011 **
 * GOAL: ** Gather and contextualize classroom learning and teaching practices, and parent information, for the e-MY Handbook.
 * OUTCOMES: **
 * Construct an awareness of the MY project and current status of website.
 * Develop a clearer understanding of contextualizing classroom practice for the website.
 * Draft and share an action plan for content development at February meeting.

**Contextualizing** your classroom practice- showing learners and teachers in action in alignment to Mb Ed curricula and learning outcomes. Please use the following template to contextualize your examples of instructional practices and students engaged in thinking and wondering. I look forward to guiding you through this process and gaining further insights from this process for our electronic handbook.

**June 4, 2010**

o Code and update team content to wiki_Members 2009-2010. o Finalize classroom content to show learning and teaching processes (student engagement, learning teaching processes, explicit strategic instruction...) rather than product- ‘how-to’ rather than what. o Reflect on practice to contribute to reflective "voices",... o Participate in an Author's Circle through the eyes of the classroom teacher. **TEAM CONTENT May 31, 2010**

** May 21, 2010 ** o Review status and content of the web site. o Polish team members’ classroom content to show learning and teaching processes (student engagement, explicit strategic instruction) rather than product- ‘how-to’ rather than what. o Explore FAQs, reflective "voices",... o Other...  **Filming/Recording** for May or June meetings to capture the voices of educators' reflections. In following up on our April 30 meeting, Val is arranging to have some of our team members reflective voices captured for our Handbook. Some guiding questons to facilitate this process may be: What was your/your school’s goal? i.e. ”Our/ the goal was to....” What were some of your observations? Or, what did you notice...? What were some of the responses by the students, colleagues, parents...? How do you think your goal was accomplished/not accomplished? What would you want to consider or do differently if you were to replicate this experience, or, share is with other educators?
 * What was the experience, celebration, ... ? i.e. “The enactment of the Plains of Abraham was ... “

**Glossary Terms: Block / Flexible Timetabling** Mb Ed Is this appropriate for MY school structures?

**5. Flexible Timetabling**

Flexible timetabling involves banking time. It allows teachers occasionally to timetable larger chunks of time for specific subject or thematic activities instead of using many shorter periods over the span of a week/cycle/month. Keep in mind, however, that in PE it is better to have regular periods timetabled rather than sporadic ones since it is essential for students to be active daily or on a regular basis to achieve health benefits and to develop movement skills. One flexible timetable model creates an occasional extra half or full day for a subject. For example, language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies could use the scheduled HE time as a trade-off for a full day of healthoutcome activity. Occasionally scheduling special days is another variation of flexible timetabling and a way to augment regular timetabled time. — For PE-related outcomes, these could be planned learning experiences as part of such events as swimming days, skating days, tabloid days, dance festivals, Wellness Wednesdays, mini-Olympics, outdoor winter carnival, or ski trips. For HE-related outcomes, these could be planned learning experiences as part of such events as monthly health-theme days. — These days could feature a morning, afternoon, or all-day event/activity. This timetable alteration makes it possible to fulfill time allotment expectations, address subject-area learning outcomes, and provide extended periods of time for learning activity that doesn’t fit into a regularly scheduled period. For example, if 120 minutes of PE per cycle were timetabled and an additional 30 minutes were needed to meet the mandated time of 150 minutes per cycle, then during every six-cycle period, a three-hour or half-day event could be scheduled.

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Timetabling

6. Occasional Block Timetabling

Occasional block timetabling allows large student groups (grade grouping) to take a segment of time (a half day or an unscheduled double period in the timetable) to explore a special activity that aligns with the curriculum. This process is similar to flexible timetabling, but this block of time may involve other grade groupings or the whole school. Some examples of options are a rock climbing session on a portable climbing wall brought to the school a half-day session at a ski hill or golf course a double period watching a play on bullying or on the use and abuse of substances a clinic or presentation by a sport organization a double period on safety by a visiting paramedic team from the local fire hall

View an EXAMPLE of contextualizing a learning teaching experience based on our May 5, 2009 task to explore through an inquiry stance, our understanding of //WORKSHOP//.

View a practice TASK for contextualizing Building Learning Relationships at the outset of the school year.

A Guide to Contextualizing Classroom Images, Clips, Video ...


 * TEAM MEETING OUTCOMES: October 21 and 22; November 30; January 15, 2010; February 22, 2010; March 22;**


 * c **


 * MEMO TO ALL- **
 * December 2, 2009** I have taken the liberty to entre your wikis at Notify Me, hoping that this will inform me of the activity happening so that I can work more efficiently in providing feedback and moving forward with the development of your content for the web. Please let me know if this is problematic to you. For an overview of your content development (in progress) check- [[file:TeamCONTENT26.01.docx]]


 * January 26, 2010**
 * Please take a moment to reflect on my reflections (Y-Chart) following our January meeting. What observations, questions, and wonderings did you leave with?
 * I will be unplugged for the most-part between February 2-18th; and I will work diligently with you on the weekend of the 20th and 21st!


 * February 22, 2010 Team Meeting**

My **outcomes** for this workshop are: o facilitate a ‘//Book Talk’//- elicit current Manitoba congruent resources for Middle Years educators. o re-visit the //Contextualizing Process//- focus on targeting SLOs. o re-visit the //PATH// and //Glossary// to identify gaps in classroom content. o conference with team members’ to show classroom content, learning and teaching processes (student engagement, explicit strategic instruction), rather than product- ‘how-to’ rather than what.

AND, what are your thoughts on continua? Are any of you using continua in your classrooms? Please review the attachment for further discussion when we meet.