debor002

   To help us work towards our school goal of purposefully implementing  the Universal Design for Learning approach to our formal planning (sometimes referred to as "Backwards by Design", "Understanding by Design", or "Planning With The End in Mind), my principal has provided our staff with a copy of  Dr. Jennifer Katz 's book,  Teaching to Diversity: The Three-Block Model of Universal Design for Learning . As I make my way through the book, I will be summarizing my learning as a means of organizing my thoughts and getting clarification on particular ideas. Teaching to Diversity Cover. (Accessed 2014). Uploaded to Amazon; Portage& Main Press.  Available online at: http://www.amazon.ca/Teaching-Diversity-Three-Block-Universal-Learning/dp/1553793536 - Non-aboriginal teachers often feel nervous and unqualified when   it comes to teaching about aboriginal culture Challenges to Social and Academic Inclusion - History of Racism   ...

     Today begins the LAST week before school is back in full swing and, to get a sense of how my day is going today, check out my latest tweet:      I find that when I sit down to work on stuff for school during the summer I have NO problem flying through the curriculum aspects... you know... the content, "what do I need to teach" stuff. The small details, however, like anchor charts, hand-outs, course outlines, organizational labels, etc, are SO much harder to get done. I'm one of those people that has a hard time visualizing those elements without actually being in my classroom. Which brings up another point, our school is still a crazy construction-zone! (so is my house, but that's another story).      Last year I ventured into my classroom for the first time around the beginning of August. I spent the next two-three weeks peacefully painting furniture, designing bulletin boards, etc in complete silence as I was often the only person in t...

     To help us work towards our school goal of purposefully implementing  the Universal Design for Learning approach to our formal planning (sometimes referred to as "Backwards by Design", "Understanding by Design", or "Planning With The End in Mind), my principal has provided our staff with a copy of  Dr. Jennifer Katz 's book,  Teaching to Diversity: The Three-Block Model of Universal Design for Learning . As I make my way through the book, I will be summarizing my learning as a means of organizing my thoughts and getting clarification on particular ideas. Teaching to Diversity Cover. (Accessed 2014). Uploaded to Amazon; Portage& Main Press.  Available online at: http://www.amazon.ca/Teaching-Diversity-Three-Block-Universal-Learning/dp/1553793536 Policy and Practice in Ministries of Education - The essence of the education system is still closely modelled after   the post WWII design, which did not address...

     In Manitoba students will be back in the classroom in approximately three weeks... three seemingly-short weeks... and I am beginning to plan out how those crucial first few hours, days, and then weeks, will play out in my classroom. When I look back at the beginning of last year, my first year in the classroom, I strongly feel like everything went as smooth as it could have been. I had over planned to compensate for my lack of experience, nervousness, and excitement... the students were reserved while they got used to the new setting and were pretty accommodating when it came to school procedures that I was unfamiliar with... and we slowly acclimatized to one another as the first few weeks progressed. I felt that this time was a great learning opportunity and necessary since I didn't know my students yet and they didn't know me yet either.      This year, however, I know ALL of my students before class even starts and they have all had me for at least ...

     To help us work towards our school goal of purposefully implementing  the Universal Design for Learning approach to our formal planning (sometimes referred to as "Backwards by Design", "Understanding by Design", or "Planning With The End in Mind), my principal has provided our staff with a copy of  Dr. Jennifer Katz 's book,  Teaching to Diversity: The Three-Block Model of Universal Design for Learning . As I make my way through the book, I will be summarizing my learning as a means of organizing my thoughts and getting clarification on particular ideas. Teaching to Diversity Cover. (Accessed 2014). Uploaded to Amazon; Portage& Main Press.  Available online at: http://www.amazon.ca/Teaching-Diversity-Three-Block-Universal-Learning/dp/1553793536 Classroom Ecology - The physical space of your classroom affects your students as much    as what happens within your classroom - The direction in which the desks face demonstra...

     If you haven't encountered a " Currently " post before, it is just a fun post at the beginning of each month that serves as a way to share what is Currently going on in your life! You can link up and share your own " Currently " post by visiting the wonderful  Farley  over at  Oh' Boy 4th Grade .

     To help us work towards our school goal of purposefully implementing  the Universal Design for Learning approach to our formal planning (sometimes referred to as "Backwards by Design", "Understanding by Design", or "Planning With The End in Mind), my principal has provided our staff with a copy of  Dr. Jennifer Katz 's book,  Teaching to Diversity: The Three-Block Model of Universal Design for Learning . As I make my way through the book, I will be summarizing my learning as a means of organizing my thoughts and getting clarification on particular ideas. Teaching to Diversity Cover. (Accessed 2014). Uploaded to Amazon; Portage& Main Press.  Available online at: http://www.amazon.ca/Teaching-Diversity-Three-Block-Universal-Learning/dp/1553793536 The Planning Continuum - Students need to connect concepts in order to develop deep   long-term understanding (teachers can set up year-long plans   to help accommodate...