“Self-regulation is a system for dealing with stress.”
A few of my takeaways:
Some recommended resources
The following resources were shared at a Nov 23rd workshop for VSB TOCs.
Finding Joy in Every Assignment
Via Bruno Vernier:
The next Moodle Meetup for VSB teachers will be at Killarney on Thursday Dec 1 at 3:30pm in the library.
There are two agendas for the meeting:
- for newbies: a quick introduction to moodle to get your first course started
- for others: bring all your moodle questions and challenges.
Killarney Secondary is located at: 6454 Killarney Street, Vancouver, B.C.
Teachers interested in technology integration are invited to come play in the Digitally Yours Sandbox. It is time and space for you to be supported as you collaborate on your tech-based projects (school-based or inter-school). All levels of expertise are welcome.
An excerpt from How to Plan Effective Lessons, an article by Ellen Ullman in the October 2011 Education Update from ASCD.
Four key strategies for planning an effective lesson:
I found this a helpful reminder as I often found, in the busyness & rush of the school day, that I didn’t plan these intentionally in my lessons.
Additional resources (from the end of the article)
Professional Learning – Newsletter #1
There many things that influence student learning. Some influences have a large positive effect, some have a small positive effect, some have a negative effect and some have no effect.
Some influences can be changed and some cannot. Of the influences that can be changed, some are easier and some are harder. Some require less work and some require more work. Some are inexpensive and some are costly.
Ideally we want to do the things that have the biggest positive effect, are the easiest to do, and require a manageable amount of effort.
Teachers make a huge difference.
What we do matters.
The following came out a Twitter chat I had this morning when I checked in on the #21CLBanff twitter stream.
I will update with some of the thread but here is my last contribution to the chat today #sohesays
For me the piece below speaks to what happens in the class room between the teachers and the students. It’s about equipping students with the habits & tools to make inferences, generate powerful questions, pursue a line of inquiry (versus researching), and basically dealing with a world that is ambiguous and doesn’t always come with “correct answers”.
“… the skills students need in the 21st century are not new… What’s actually new is the extent to which changes in our economy and the whorl mean that our collective success depends on having such skills…”
“This distinction between skills that are novel and skills that must be taught more intentionally & effectively ought to lead policy makers to different education reforms than they are now considering.”
“If the skills were indeed new, then perhaps we would need a radical overhaul of how we think about content and curriculum. But if the issue is, instead, that schools need to be more deliberate about teaching critical thinking, collaboration, and problem solving to all students, then the remedies are more obvious, although still intensely challenging.”
— Rotherham & Willingham “21st Century Skills” Not New, But a Worthy Challenge” American Educator, Spring 2010
Via Roland Case, August 2011
How English Teachers Survive Their First Early Years
Challenges facing a newer English teacher are similar to, but not the same as other teachers. The English teacher is responsible for improving the students’ reading and writing skills more so than any other teacher.
This workshop will introduce some strategies to help you in this regard:
Attendees of the initial session will have input in deciding which of the above topics they would like to go into more deeply for subsequent sessions.
Date: Wednesday November 9th, 2011
Time: 4:00 to 5:30
Location: John Oliver Learning Commons (across from the Main Office)
Registration: Email Jacob Martens at jmartens@vsb.bc.ca or phone 778 228 1997
Blogging Sandbox for VSB Teachers (free)
For all teachers regardless of whether they are new to blogging, fledgling bloggers, or experienced bloggers. There will be a short presentation on why a teacher would want to blog, blogging guidelines for teachers, and how to start blogging. The rest of the session will be “sandbox time” to start a blog or work on an existing blog. Come with questions and, if possible, bring a partner.
Examples of VSB teacher blogs can be found at: https://renomyclass.wordpress.com/
Date: Wednesday October 26th, 2011
Time: 4:00 to 5:30
Location: John Oliver Learning Commons (across from the Main Office)
Registration: Email jmartens@vsb.bc.ca
Renovating My Classroom 