The IB Learner Profile consists of 10 attributes that students should develop through attending IB schools. Some of these attributes deal with intellectual domain, while others deal with the affective domain. One of the affective attributes is Principled.
This means that we want our students to develop into citizens who are honest and virtuous - but how do we teach this? One way is to engage our students in debate about real-life examples of principled actions, as we as those actions that may not be so principled, like the ones at the following link:
10 News photos that took retouching too far
Our students will be faced with many choices in life so it is important that they are given opportunities to discuss and debate the decisions of others with relation to how principled these decisions have been and how they may relate to the students' own experiences. We cannot and should not underestimate the importance of real-life relevance for improved student engagement and outcomes.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Setting Laptop Boundaries at Home
Working in a 1:1 environment is a fantastic experience! Utilizing the available technologies really helps to open up the world of learning and extend education beyond the confines of our school walls.
Of course along with opportunity comes challenge - one of the major ones being how students use their laptops in the home. Having a middle school aged child can be a challenging time for parents in itself, then when you add in a tool that enables students to be connected 24/7 it becomes increasingly more difficult to maintain and develop family relationships. Parents need encouragement, support, and education on how to establish effective boundaries at home that will empower students to become responsible and balanced users of technology.
Tim Bray offers the following 5 tips for parenting in a 1:1 world:
In a 1:1 environment our goal should be to help parents (and teachers and administrators) move from a fear driven control mindset to one where responsible and authentic use of technology can be role modeled and supported. Utilizing the 5 steps above in the home may be a good starting point in this paradigm shift.
Of course along with opportunity comes challenge - one of the major ones being how students use their laptops in the home. Having a middle school aged child can be a challenging time for parents in itself, then when you add in a tool that enables students to be connected 24/7 it becomes increasingly more difficult to maintain and develop family relationships. Parents need encouragement, support, and education on how to establish effective boundaries at home that will empower students to become responsible and balanced users of technology.
Tim Bray offers the following 5 tips for parenting in a 1:1 world:
- Never allow the computer to be in the bedroom
- Set reasonable time limits for computer use
- Open communication about everything
- Responsible computer use
- Help your child with homework
In a 1:1 environment our goal should be to help parents (and teachers and administrators) move from a fear driven control mindset to one where responsible and authentic use of technology can be role modeled and supported. Utilizing the 5 steps above in the home may be a good starting point in this paradigm shift.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Benefits of an e-Portfolio
Last semester we launched our e-Portfolio in the MS. This semester we continue to work with students on developing and personalizing these portfolios and they will become an integral component in our student-led conferences in March/April.
One of the questions that still pops up from time to time is, "Why do you use e-Portfolios?" This is a good question to which I always respond in terms of benefits for the students. Karen Barnstable has posted "41 Benefits of an e-Portfolio" on her blog. After reading this insightful list I think the question will become, "Why aren't you using e-Portfolios?"
For more information in support of e-Portfolios be sure to visit Ray Tolley's blog, eFolio in the UK.
One of the questions that still pops up from time to time is, "Why do you use e-Portfolios?" This is a good question to which I always respond in terms of benefits for the students. Karen Barnstable has posted "41 Benefits of an e-Portfolio" on her blog. After reading this insightful list I think the question will become, "Why aren't you using e-Portfolios?"
For more information in support of e-Portfolios be sure to visit Ray Tolley's blog, eFolio in the UK.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Full Engagement and Enjoyment
As I walked down the hall towards Ms Letsche's grade 8 Design Technology room I wa
s struck by a wonderful smell, and I as I got closer the smell got stronger. When I entered the classroom I was delighted to see her DT class busily preparing and cooking a dish that each student had researched and chosen to cook. What I witnessed was students who were fully engaged and enjoying what they were doing.
Once the meals were prepared the students had the opportunity to look at how the meals were presented before tasting them and giving feedback to each other. What a great way to engage the students and offer them the opportunity to participate in a unit that involved a wide range of interdisciplinary links that enabled the students to apply skills and knowledge from other subject areas to a real-life and authentic situation.
s struck by a wonderful smell, and I as I got closer the smell got stronger. When I entered the classroom I was delighted to see her DT class busily preparing and cooking a dish that each student had researched and chosen to cook. What I witnessed was students who were fully engaged and enjoying what they were doing.Once the meals were prepared the students had the opportunity to look at how the meals were presented before tasting them and giving feedback to each other. What a great way to engage the students and offer them the opportunity to participate in a unit that involved a wide range of interdisciplinary links that enabled the students to apply skills and knowledge from other subject areas to a real-life and authentic situation.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
The change isn't coming - it's here!
I watched this video on Jeff Utecht's blog and thought it was too good not to share:
It is timely reminder that school's are not just about student learning - they are just as much as about developing professional learning communities where teachers and administrators model life long learning.
It is timely reminder that school's are not just about student learning - they are just as much as about developing professional learning communities where teachers and administrators model life long learning.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Are you Balanced
At yesterday's MS assembly Ms Postema's homeroom explored the IB Learner Profile Balanced and encouraged us to think about our lifestyle and ways that we can ensure balance in our lives. This is not always an easy thing to accomplish, but it is certainly something that we should always be aware of and constantly strive for.
If you do a Google search for "balanced lifestyle" you will find in excess of 1, 790, 000 sites that offer all sorts of advice on how to live a balanced life and the benefits of being balanced. It is harder to find ways to determine whether or not your current lifestyle is balanced. One of the sites (http://www.wikihow.com/Have-a-Balanced-Lifestyle) contained the following quote:
If you live a balanced life you will find joy in almost everything you do. Some a bit more than others but your happiness will originate from inside of you and not from external sources.
I think this is a pretty good indicator of a balanced lifestyle - your are happy and content rather than searching for happiness from external sources.
One of the major benefits of leading a balanced lifestyle is that when challenges arise we are better equipped to deal with them - we have the physical energy and stamina to take on the challenge, we have the emotional stability to handle the challenge in a calm and rational way, we have the social skills and network to seek help from peers and friends, we have the spiritual grounding to pause and reflect before acting, and we have the academic knowledge to approach the challenge in an intelligent and thoughtful manner.
Students face just as many, although different, challenges than we adults, so it vital that we help students to lead a balanced lifestyle to better equip them to deal with these challenges when they arise. Holistic Education is so much more than academics and is imperative as we collaborate with our students and help them develop the skills necessary for success in the 21st century.
If you do a Google search for "balanced lifestyle" you will find in excess of 1, 790, 000 sites that offer all sorts of advice on how to live a balanced life and the benefits of being balanced. It is harder to find ways to determine whether or not your current lifestyle is balanced. One of the sites (http://www.wikihow.com/Have-a-Balanced-Lifestyle) contained the following quote:
If you live a balanced life you will find joy in almost everything you do. Some a bit more than others but your happiness will originate from inside of you and not from external sources.
I think this is a pretty good indicator of a balanced lifestyle - your are happy and content rather than searching for happiness from external sources.
One of the major benefits of leading a balanced lifestyle is that when challenges arise we are better equipped to deal with them - we have the physical energy and stamina to take on the challenge, we have the emotional stability to handle the challenge in a calm and rational way, we have the social skills and network to seek help from peers and friends, we have the spiritual grounding to pause and reflect before acting, and we have the academic knowledge to approach the challenge in an intelligent and thoughtful manner.
Students face just as many, although different, challenges than we adults, so it vital that we help students to lead a balanced lifestyle to better equip them to deal with these challenges when they arise. Holistic Education is so much more than academics and is imperative as we collaborate with our students and help them develop the skills necessary for success in the 21st century.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)