Powering Possibilities

There are limitless learning opportunities outside the classroom walls.   One such example can be found with a teacher and her students who can regularly be found out in nature along the Bow River.  Cross-curricular connections weave naturally into this type of place-based programming including touching upon key learning objectives found in the Science, Social Studies, Math, Language Arts, Health, Physical Education, and Art curriculum. Facilitating self-regulation and a natural sense of calm is another amazing aspect of this type of “out of the box” learning environment or space.

Words may be our main focus for teachers of  ELLs but when students do not know the English language we need to go deeper. Nonverbal clues and body language are extremely important. Some researchers claim that 60-90% of our communication comes from paralinguistic, that is beyond the words.  Teaching absolute beginners can be a tough task, but with a little know-how and the right attitude, anyone can succeed.

You have a new ELL student in your classroom ...NOW WHAT!!!!! Kandace talks with Lisa to discuss strategies that are simple, easy to use and best of all good for all students.

Limitless Learning - The moment this spark became “real” to Mark though, was when he was encouraged by his administration to apply for a Grant from Energy Efficiency Alberta, to look at ways to make their school more sustainable. Mark worked alongside his admin team to create the proposal, and was successful in winning the grant in early January 2019. The purpose of this grant was to raise awareness of sustainability in a community, and for Mark, this was when he helped form a group of students in the school who were initially curious, and later passionate about learning about sustainability in schools

Teachers need a Wide Range of assessment strategies to discover the true extent of an ELLs learning. The purpose of assessment is to identify strengths and weaknesses of individual students, adjust instruction to build on students’ strengths and alleviate weaknesses, monitor the effectiveness of instruction, provide feedback to students and parents and make decisions about program planning

Relationships, relationships, relationships! No matter whether or not you share the same language, building a relationship is still key to future learning. Reach out, welcome them, and help them become connected to their peers. This may require some “matchmaking” special activities, to communication aids such as apps like Google Translate. In this episode teacher, Wendy Williamson clearly expresses the importance of building relationships even among the new second language learners and their peers.

New tech, old tech, digital this, digital that. Technology is everywhere and there is no question that it is constantly changing how we live, work and play. But do you ever think or even care about how technology influences education? Do you embrace it or deplore it? Whatever the answer, there is no way you can ignore it. So, take advantage of a session with someone who understands technology, and teachers using technology in education, all while having fun and being entertained at the same time. Leslie Fisher is a renowned tech aficionado who has spent more than 20 years supporting educators with their technology goals. She is the presenter of the series Powering Competencies with Technology, and this is the perfect series for you no matter where you are at in your use of technology in learning.