Category Archives: Growing Success
#InnovatorsMindset
I’m in the midst of reading The Innovator’s Mindset because I’m taking part in OSSEMOOC’s Book Club (and because I was very curious about the book anyway!). This week, we are supposed to be responding to a specific question, but I got sidetracked … Continue reading
I Want to Make You Mad.
Today, I told my students that I hoped they struggled with our exercises. I want them to be uncomfortable with these lessons. I want them to be frustrated. If it’s too easy to “succeed”, then we’ve missed the point. If … Continue reading
What Are We Thinking?
When Melissa Purtee published her post, “Choice in Student Reflection” yesterday, a lightbulb appeared above my head. I also wondered why I hadn’t blogged about this idea earlier. That’s the great thing about working with people I admire; their work pushes … Continue reading
#LearningIsLike… ?
What is it like to learn? Do you remember? Has it been a while, or are you in the midst of learning? How can you describe it? My students and I are beginning to explore this topic, as … Continue reading
Syria Crisis
The following text has been shared from one of my students’ blog posts. Her observations and reflections convey the importance of providing independence in our learning environments. I am proud to share her thinking on my blog, and must commend her … Continue reading
Art is a Verb
That moment when your mind begins to connect the dots, when the world makes sense in a new way, you experience an epiphany! …and then you find out that someone else thought of it too. My mind is so active when it creates … Continue reading
The Power of Encouragement
Encouragement means more than you know. If things come easy to you, you may not be aware of its power. But, if you have ever struggled with learning anything, encouragement can mean the difference between giving up and giving it … Continue reading
Who’s The Teacher?
Last week, I decided to bring my guitar to class. I had hoped to share what I was learning with my students, but the demonstration developed into something much richer than I had expected. Our class teaching our art teacher … Continue reading
What is My Role?
This morning, I read Nicki Morden-Cormier’s post about applying the ‘C4L’, a.k.a. conditions for learning. She reflected on our school board’s Learning Leadership Team meeting last week, and I was glad to re-live the experience through a different lens; one that … Continue reading
A Model of Thinking
The Arts Curriculum for Ontario has provided educators with two models of thinking that are very helpful for teachers and students. If we use these models as a foundation on which we build our understanding of course concepts, our learning can … Continue reading