What an interesting glimpse at the Community of Learners and introduction to Inquiry process that Lynn Brown is spearheading at Dover Bay! First I have to say that DBHS is the feeder that took my graduating grade 7 students last year, so in three out of four blocks I had former students. I also took a quick sneak down to the locker bay during lunch to say hi (and give a few hugs) out to my big grade 8s!
When I first came in to the classroom I noticed some really awesome and intriguing words and lists on the board. Each of the Four Cs had some concrete examples underneath that explained what the C looked like, sounds like, and feels like. Lynn had the students think and report out what they had remembered when creating the Cs. So what are the Cs? Contribution (of self), Communication, Collaboration, and Commitment. These were developed by the grade 8 team at Dover Bay when they looked at 21c competencies and how they could start to incorporate them from the first days of the high school experience for SD68 students. During the second half of the first block Lynn invited me to question the students and lead a class wide discussion around how these Cs show up in other areas of our lives. We talked about how they are important in sports (football, soccer, running, dancing, horseback riding), arts (drawing/painting classes, and theatre), families, and community groups (scouts, cadets). During the second block I had the opportunity to lead the whole class time, which of course I took her up on. It was a similar class, so we walked through another round of discussions, reflections, and identification. This was so important because I really wanted the students to feel that these are not some alien ‘school only’ concepts, but they are values and characteristics that are used in every aspect of relationships and work. Third block was the PE block, and we played Volleyball with another division. Thankfully I remember some tips and tricks and was able to pitch in. My final block of the day was grade 10,11,12 ELL. IT WAS AMAZING. I may have found a specialty calling. I loved working with the students from all over the world, and playing games, singing songs, and mixing the learning of language with the fun and games of theatre and the arts. It really made me reflect on how I can make my grade 7 LA/Humanities course more edu-taining. Overall I’m going to be taking a lot from my day at Dover. I spent over two weeks looking at how I can take the community of learners and 4 Cs with me into my practice, and really appreciate how starting the year with the mindset of collaboration, commitment, communication, and (self) contribution could change the dynamics of my class. I have always known that relationships to my learners are the cornerstone that I build my year on, from decorating the classroom to planning projects, it begins and ends with the learners in the seats. This would not only build a better relationship with me, but build a better relationship with each other, essentially networking, which I believe is one of the most crucial aspects of the generation we are raising.
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AuthorI respond to Sarah, Mrs. Moore, Mrs. Smoore, Miss Sarah, (and sometimes Mom!). I have been an DL (homeschool!) teacher for 2 years and am now a proud member of the SD35 team! Archives
September 2018
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