Back to Blogging & Transforming the Classroom Environment

I have set a goal to blog at least once a week about what has captured my imagination this school year.  I would like a record of what I see, try and do this year.  Here we go.

2015-2016
I will be the Literacy Support Teacher for 2 periods this year.  I am also teaching the First Nations, Métis and Inuit Studies classes at my school (NBE 3U and NDW 4M).  My new challenge is a year long GLE/ENG 1L class that I am teaching with my friend Daniella.  I have ideas for all three classes and these ideas will be the focus of my blog posts in the coming weeks.  I am also trying to finish the longest Master's Degree in Education in history (at least it feels like it to me).

My focus today will be changing and improving my classroom environment.  I spoke to my Principal in June about getting a few half circle tables and drew up a few diagrams.  I also spoke to another professional partner in crime, Melissa, about changing the classroom environment up.

My friend Daniella found this video and it is exactly what I had in mind.  She and I are going to try and scare up the resources to do this.  I NEED a genius bar with whiteboards at the back of my classroom.  I have been tossing around the idea of getting whiteboard walls for a while and now I see that it must be done!  This transformation is awesome.

Check out the video:

We will be contacting http://thethirdteacherplus.com/ to see if we can connect with them.  I smell a new TLLP (Teacher Learning and Leadership Program).

Well, that wasn't so hard.  Now, to keep it up.

TLLP 2013-2014

My friend Daniella and I have decided to try for another TLLP grant.  We are interested in using graphic texts like graphic novels and comic books in the High School classroom.

The idea of using more graphic texts has been floating around in my mind for a couple of years.  I love graphic novels and comics.  Daniella's son loves them as well.  What really made me see the potential of using graphic novels was an incident that happened in my grade 10 Applied class a few weeks ago.  We read every day at the beginning of class and I have a student who was a pretty reluctant reader.  Then, I gave him Amulet, a graphic novel by Kazu Kibuishi.  He cannot put it down.  He is on Book 4 now.  I think this might be the way to get more students engaged in class.

I have read a bit about teaching using comic but we need time and money to get the project going.  Enter the Teacher Learning and Leadership Program through the Ministry of Education.  I am excited about it.  We have asked for both digital and print texts and some iPad Minis to deliver the digital portion.  I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Finishing our TLLP project

We have just finished our Teacher Learning and Leadership Program Project. It is a program through the Ministry of Education. Some colleagues and I did a project called "Equal is Not the Same: DI and the Middle Learner. The purpose of the project was to form a PLC to explore the use of DI to improve the engagement and involvement of the middle learner at Holy Names Catholic High School in Windsor, Ontario. I have added links to our TLLP blog and website to the sidebar. Take a look.