This month, the world reacted to the news that Nelson Mandela had passed away in South Africa. The news was met with sorrow, but there was also an incredible celebration of his life. A life that was grounded in his willingness to stay true to his beliefs of equity, justice and honour.
In the late 1960's, the apartheid government in South Africa was determined to contine it's goal of keeping the white regime in control. They killed and silenced anyone who was trying to stand up to the system. Mandela, as an active leader in the African National Congress, was seen as a threat to the government and their way to silence that voice was to imprison him in the Robin Island Prison for twenty-seven years. During this time his voice was never silenced. His message of resistance to the injustice of his people grew stronger and stronger and the world heard the message and saw that he was speaking of a necessary truth. The world took up Mandela's message and pressured the government to free him from his jail. Mandela eventually became the leader of his country and broke down the apartheid system that had imprisoned him to keep him silent. Silence was never an option.
Over the last four years, Williamsburg has been exploring, learning and working to "say something" in order to make our school a better place. This past month a group of junior students believed it was necessary to support the victims of the typhoon in the Phillipines. They spent their free time at home and at lunch creating these rainbow loom bracelets which they eventually sold to the other students in our school. At the end of the week they had made $165 dollars and had said something about determination, perseverance and compassion. Our community is also actively involved in supporting social justice causes along with building our own community.
By standing up and saying something we are connecting our students to themselves, their peers, their school community and their world. By raising their voices they can become more active in what happens in their world. Our community is a strong one and it is made stronger by giving more power to each of our voices.
In the end, our goal at Williamsburg is the same as Mandela's.....Ultimately, "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." This is a great truth and to make sure we educate our students by empowering them to say something is the most important way to ensure that the spirit of Nelson Mandela lives on in each and every one of us.
Thursday 19 December 2013
Sunday 24 November 2013
Thinking And Mathematics
Over the past two years our school has been focusing our attention on how students think and learn mathematics. It has been a great opportunity for our staff and students to explore new ways to learn and new ways to In the past, and certainly when I was growing up, math was something that you learned by memorizing formulas, times tables and spent hours learning long division.
Our journey started three years ago when our junior teachers participated in a professional learning opportunity that focused on teaching through problem solving. The students were given many opportunities to solve a variety of problems and the students created their understanding through the small group work that they did to solve the problems. The teacher turned over the learning and became a listener to the thinking that was being done by the students. It was in this important shift that the student's voice had been given a more significant role in the learning process. Once the student's understanding of a concept was heard without being controlled by the teacher, there was an opportunity to hear some of the misconceptions that the students had in their understanding. Once the misconceptions were apparent, it was then the time for the teacher to work with students who had similar misconceptions and supported them as they built a better understanding.
Our learning is beginning to have a positive affect on our students achievement. Our primary students results on their final report cards, along with our Grade 3 EQAO results are very encouraging. Our struggle has been in the junior division and the increased expectation to communicate their understanding and be able to describe their thinking. This increasing requirement to explain their thinking is our next challenge. A challenge that must be met with a targeted plan.
Each year we plan our school improvement and we spend time during staff meetings and our professional learning opportunites addressing the ways that we can reach the goals that we set out in our plan. This year we have agreed that in order to address our need to increase our student's ability to communicate their thinking we believe that we need to give our students the opportunity to do this more frequently. Math research on teaching says that the most effective math program has students in small group and guided groups for half of their math time. Working in a small group on math problems and doing work in a small group with the teacher are examples of these effective strategies. Our goal is to reach this 50% level in all of our math classes.
Throughout this year we will be monitoring our progress and discussing how we can reach this goal and make our math program more successful where student voice becomes more frequently heard and our students have the opportunity to become better communicators of their thinking.
Our journey started three years ago when our junior teachers participated in a professional learning opportunity that focused on teaching through problem solving. The students were given many opportunities to solve a variety of problems and the students created their understanding through the small group work that they did to solve the problems. The teacher turned over the learning and became a listener to the thinking that was being done by the students. It was in this important shift that the student's voice had been given a more significant role in the learning process. Once the student's understanding of a concept was heard without being controlled by the teacher, there was an opportunity to hear some of the misconceptions that the students had in their understanding. Once the misconceptions were apparent, it was then the time for the teacher to work with students who had similar misconceptions and supported them as they built a better understanding.
Our learning is beginning to have a positive affect on our students achievement. Our primary students results on their final report cards, along with our Grade 3 EQAO results are very encouraging. Our struggle has been in the junior division and the increased expectation to communicate their understanding and be able to describe their thinking. This increasing requirement to explain their thinking is our next challenge. A challenge that must be met with a targeted plan.
Each year we plan our school improvement and we spend time during staff meetings and our professional learning opportunites addressing the ways that we can reach the goals that we set out in our plan. This year we have agreed that in order to address our need to increase our student's ability to communicate their thinking we believe that we need to give our students the opportunity to do this more frequently. Math research on teaching says that the most effective math program has students in small group and guided groups for half of their math time. Working in a small group on math problems and doing work in a small group with the teacher are examples of these effective strategies. Our goal is to reach this 50% level in all of our math classes.
Throughout this year we will be monitoring our progress and discussing how we can reach this goal and make our math program more successful where student voice becomes more frequently heard and our students have the opportunity to become better communicators of their thinking.
Sunday 24 February 2013
How Technology Is Changing Our School
Recently, I had the opportunity to listen to an incredibly thought provoking presentation by Will Richardson. Will is an educator who is pushing educators to reflect on how we use technology in our schools to make learning more relevant and more successful.
The presentation discussed how our world has changed because of the internet, education is changing as a result, and this period of change is filled with challenge and opportunity. The prevelance of the internet is making education more accessible and the barriers to learning are falling. Schools were created to deliver an education and with information being available everywhere on the web, Will argues that schools must continue to adapt to this changing reality. The rapidity of change leads Alvin Toffler to say that, "the illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those that cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn."
Throughout the presentation Will kept asking us to reflect on how we can use technology 'effectively'. He challenged us to question what that means. The whole presentation caused me to reflect on our school's ongoing move to technology as a tool for teaching and for learning.
Finding the balance where technology engages students and enhances learning is the place where teaching moves to a different level.
The presentation discussed how our world has changed because of the internet, education is changing as a result, and this period of change is filled with challenge and opportunity. The prevelance of the internet is making education more accessible and the barriers to learning are falling. Schools were created to deliver an education and with information being available everywhere on the web, Will argues that schools must continue to adapt to this changing reality. The rapidity of change leads Alvin Toffler to say that, "the illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those that cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn."
Throughout the presentation Will kept asking us to reflect on how we can use technology 'effectively'. He challenged us to question what that means. The whole presentation caused me to reflect on our school's ongoing move to technology as a tool for teaching and for learning.
Finding the balance where technology engages students and enhances learning is the place where teaching moves to a different level.
Saturday 18 February 2012
Welcome
I have the opportunity each and every day as a school principal to make a difference for those I serve in my community. The principalship is a complex job that presents many challenges and many incredible benefits. This blog will be a place where I can reflect and comment on the journey on which I am travelling. I look forward to sharing my thoughts and receiving feedback from those who are interested in sharing.
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