Wonder … the Reward for Paying Attention

Wonder … the Reward for Paying Attention Early in my career I learned if you want to gauge the effectiveness of your lessons just ask your students! They will tell you! And they always have valuable feedback!  Integrating Language Arts and Literacy I’d been playing with bridging language arts & science so that we were […]

From Our Bookshelves: Supporting the “Observe & Wonder” Thinking Routine

From Our Bookshelves: Supporting the “Observe & Wonder” Thinking Routine As the saying goes, “Having too many books is not a problem! Not having enough shelving for those books – now that’s a problem!” While I find it hard to let go of any book that I’ve collected, there are a few that I go […]

Have I Explicitly Supported Students in Developing the Skills I’m Looking For?

        Have I Explicitly Supported Students in Developing the Skills I’m Looking For? “It’s kind of round. It’s big. There’s a bruise on it.” — Observations of a potato by a Grade 8 student When a student described their potato with such basic detail I knew something had to change. This simple […]

Making First Attempts In Learning “Safe”!

        Making First Attempts In Learning “Safe”! It’s interesting how a year-end reflection with my grade 8s just before their graduation and my move to Brock University transported us right back to the first day of school in September! As a “thank you” gift students prepared a slideshow with personal messages that […]