Presentation for Parkland School Division Staff as we started our 2013-14 school year. Staff Engagement is one of our School Division's priority areas.
13. I will remember (my team) for the wonderful
people they are. (They are) the kind of people
who support you no matter what.
- Craig Letendre
Grade 6 Teacher
14. The mentorship I received this year provided the
necessary feedback loops and direction to ensure I could
confidently implement the strategies and methods in the
future.
- Dale Johnston
Grade 5 Teacher
15. I’ve learned about collaboration, engagement,
critical thinking, inquiry and innovation. I’ve
been guided and encouraged by amazing
mentors; I’ve grown in terms of student
questioning and making learning authentic;
and most recently, sharing my professional
experiences and thoughts with others through
blogging and twitter. I’m excited to take what
I’ve learned, personally and professionally, and
share it with the world.
16. Condition #4
See Ourselves as
LEARNERS
• Curious
• Questionin
g
• Risk Taker
• Feedback
• Reflection
• Growth
18. I like to know what we are doing tomorrow, this
week, and this month. This was the first time
where I didn’t know. I let my student’s interests
drive them; I held off teaching a poetry/song lyric
unit in Language Arts to let my students explore,
and I am not regretting any moment of it.
- Kathy Kennedy
Grade 8 Teacher
23. Appendix - School Act
Ministerial Order (#001/2013)
Student Learning Whereas an Engaged Thinker
knows how to think critically &
creatively and make discoveries
through inquiry, reflection,
exploration, experimentation and
trial & error...uses technology to
learn, innovate, collaborate,
communicate and discover; has
developed a wide range of
competencies...
Notas del editor
So....HOW do we get in Flow - bring passion, purpose to our work, contribute meaningfully to our teams and engage in mastering something we are interested in?
We do this by creating the same kind of learning culture for our adult learners as we do for our students. I came across this tweet that I wanted to share with you - I agree with it to the extent that there are certain conditions that our formal leaders can set up in our schools that allow for engaged learning to take place - like common planning time among colleagues; support for us to learn and opportunities for us to contribute to the decision making process; however, for the most part, I believe that creating conditions for engaged learning among teachers and all adults who work with and for our students is a shared responsibility. I believe there is a set of conditions that we all need to help create in our schools in order to be an engaged learning community...
First...condition...the foundation for everything else, is relationships. To become a true community of learners we need to trust each other - so we can have open, honest conversations with each other about doing what’s best for our kids. We need to create a safe place to take risks that are good for our kids and to try new ways of doing things. We need to surround ourselves with people who lift us up and support us when we need it - we need to be there to do the same for others. People need to feel a sense of belonging and a sense that their unique contributions matter - that the organization is stronger thanks to the different talents and gifts that each person brings.