One of the significant changes in the new personal project is the transition from what was called the ‘process journal’ to ‘documenting the process’. This post breaks down the what, how and end result of just what ‘documenting the process’ means and what this can look like in action. What? So, what does it mean... Continue Reading →
GSLC Year 6 Learning Community
For the past six weeks, our Year 6 team have embarked on a journey of collaborative risk-taking, problem-solving and a whole lot of critical and creative thinking. We are piloting a new model for MYP 1 at our College called The Year 6 Learning Community. The focus is on creating a program that nurtures the... Continue Reading →
An Approach to Feedback
Giving and receiving quality, timely and specific feedback is truly a lifelong and transferable skill. When students have taken risks and poured a significant amount of themselves into their demonstrations of learning, receiving feedback can at times be a challenging and off-putting experience. Receiving feedback needs to truly acknowledge our students personal investment in the... Continue Reading →
Classroom and Community: An Attempt to Bridge the Divide
At Good Shepherd, we have a process for helping students arrive on time for class with the necessary equipment for their lesson. The first bell rings just 5-minutes prior to the lesson giving students 5-minutes to finish up their lunchtime activity, gather their equipment from their lockers, and make their way to their timetabled lesson.... Continue Reading →
Teaching Framed by Love
(A post I composed last year via Medium). This week our College is in mourning. One of our Year 8 students, Tom, tragically passed away on the weekend. The start of the semester has been a painful one for our students and teachers. We have felt the intense loss and injustice of a young life... Continue Reading →
Language and Literature Inquiry Cycle
I first read For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood, and the Rest of Ya’ll Too by Dr. Christopher Emdin two years ago, and I was just enamored with the #HipHopEd approach to intentionally creating empowering learning experiences that draw on the intersection of youth culture and education. This book has been a constant... Continue Reading →
The Personal Project and Caring Practitioners
Please be advised that this post refers to the old Personal Project and is not to be used for the updated Personal Project. For more support on how to implement the new Personal Project we have written a 2nd Edition Hodder Skills for Success: Personal Project book. You can find it on the Hodder Education... Continue Reading →
Physical Metaphors
I have the pleasure of teaching a Language and Literature class of lovely, chatty and very social Year 9 students, 18 males and 6 females, all very curious, perceptive young people who are developing as analytical thinkers and soulful writers. Currently, we are engaging in a unit titled Intertextuality Study through the key concept of... Continue Reading →
Spotify Character Analysis
Last year I purchased Intention: Critical Creativity in the Classroom by Amy Burvall and Dan Ryder. This book has become a constant in all my planning, teaching and yes, even assessing. Now that I am back in the blissful role as a Year 8, Year 9 and Year 10 Language and Literature teacher - having stepped... Continue Reading →
Principled Action
An IB education values the world as the broadest context for learning. Through the conceptual nature of our curriculum set within global contexts, as MYP teachers it is our responsibility and privilege to ensure that all classroom learning is relevant beyond the classroom. A challenge, yes, but crucial to our role as IB educators. A... Continue Reading →