I has the pleasure of speaking about the UN's Global Goals during a recent Highr Webinar. Here I explained how I use them in design class, and how you can use them too!
"In the run-up to #WorldSDGDay on September 25th, this webinar explores how crucial components of learning - empathy, design, play, and stories - can be interwoven with our teaching of the SDGs to help students understand the world they live in, and how they have the potential to be change makers."
You can watch a recording of the webinar here:
I have a three part workshop coming up soon, "Building Student Empathy & Perspectives", which will focus on the important of an empathy based classroom! I want my students to be successful, but I also want them to make a positive impact on the world! Empathy and perspective taking can help this happen!
The session will happen over three Sundays, starting on October 4th. Each session will be two hours along.
Aims of the workshop:
The Participant will be able to:
Here's a video sneak peak:
In yesterday's staff meeting we used the 'evaluating our IDU plans'. I put together a Google Doc version, where you can add if you are 'beginning/developing, using, or sharing' for each section. I also made a version, with Google Sheets, for evaluating general/subject plans. Please let me know which is better - the Google Doc version or the Google Sheets version. Make a copy by going to 'File' (below the document title, not on the top left of your screen, then select 'make a copy')
I really like this document, and it really helped me to see the areas that need improvements. I know that I am good at the 'inquiry' section of the unit, but maybe not always good at documenting everything in the 'action' section. I tend to have long, rolling google slides presentations, which has the learning process in (which students also see), so I upload those to our units. I also need to be better at documenting differentiation. I also know that the units make sense to me, but using these evaluating tools makes me more conscious of how much my unit would make sense to someone else. For example, this year I am only teaching Grade 6, so hopefully my Grade 7 and 8 units last year make sense. I'll also be on maternity leave soon, (you all remember how ill I was at the start of the year...I thought I had Covid...but turns out...baby!) so I need my units to be strong for those taking over.
My school recently moved towards having e-portfolios. This is great as it will help our teachers to dedicate more time to student reflection.
I put together together three presentations to help. The first two are designed to be used in the homeroom, and have students reflect on the Approaches to Learning (AtLs) or IB Learner Profile (IBLP) attributes they have shown recently. They can then select work as evidence, or possible find a photograph to match. The third presentation is aimed at teachers to use at the end of the unit. They can make a copy and add in key information about the unit, such as the statement of inquiry or global context, and use this to guide student reflection. If making a copy of the template, I recommend just selecting a few elements to reflect on, instead of the whole thing!
Our school, like many others, has chosen to have students stay pretty much in one classroom all day, and have teachers come to them. Students will split for language acquisition, but they will still only be in rooms that their grade use. (For example, we have two grade 6 homerooms, but we have an extra room, for when they break into their language classes). This is a big change from previous years, and instead of teachers being responsible for the classroom, the students can now take the lead! They can choose how they want their room to look and will also be responsible for maintaining that.
We have some time in their first few days of school to work on homeroom agreements, but we are also giving all classes, in Grades 6-10, a 60 or 90 minute slot to work on decorating their homerooms. We'll also build in some time throughout the year for them to make updates!
Here's the presentation we will use. Feel free to use it with your students too.
This is another resource I thought I had shared, but I can't find it on my blog...so I think this is the first time I am sharing it!
One of the things I had planned for my Grade 6 and 7s was a genius hour/passion project, to complete over a few weeks, in their advisory and core classes. This was before the lockdown, so it never happened, but I am hoping we will use it again next year.
It's very simple, it includes some goal setting, and reflection, including reflecting on AtL skills used.
Feel free to use this in your schools.
I made this guide a while ago and will be using it with my students this year.
It goes through each strand, showing the objectives and different levels, and also has a space for them to write reflections and also gives them ideas for process journal articles. While I don't think it is wise for students to write their reports as they go, (as it is supposed to be reflective), by filling in this doc as they go, they can use it to help them write their final report.
Personal Project Complete Guide
I've set the link, so anyone can comment - so please give me suggestions or ideas for improving it. As always, feel free to make your own copy and use it with your students - go to 'File' (below the document title) then select 'Make a Copy'.