Dale and I took the morning to finish a math lesson from our Geometry Strand, then it was off to Joyce P.S., where every classroom has a Smart Board, and where many teachers are using a problem-based approach to teach mathematics.
We began by having lunch with the Teacher Librarian (who had set up the meeting for us) and four colleagues. Although we had never met one another in person, we quickly launched into our shared teaching interests and experiences over sandwiches and juice, and the teachers told us a little more about the many grants they had rec'd to outfit the school with so much technology.
One thing that really interested us about Joyce was that the student population was very similar to ours, so that what we were about to see could not be attributed to different socio-economic fatros, for instance. (One thing we noted though, was that many of their ELLs were Canadian-born, and thus more likely to be Stage 3 or 4 ELLs, as opposed to our many students who had only just arrived in Canada over the past 2-3 years, and were still -- in essence -- very new to English.)
After lunch, we observed in a Grade 5/6 class, followed by a 4/5 class. Then, after recess, we visited a Grade 3 teacher.
There was so much to see and think about -- it was such a delight to observe in other classrooms where IWBs were being used at the "routine level" by both teachers and students, and where Math was being taught and learned without the crutch of a textbook. These people were really doing it!!!
Instead of writing a big, long diatribe, I offer the following annotated photos below. Please click on the first photo in each section to begin a self-navigated slide show of full-sized captioned pics.
Grade 5/6
We began by having lunch with the Teacher Librarian (who had set up the meeting for us) and four colleagues. Although we had never met one another in person, we quickly launched into our shared teaching interests and experiences over sandwiches and juice, and the teachers told us a little more about the many grants they had rec'd to outfit the school with so much technology.
One thing that really interested us about Joyce was that the student population was very similar to ours, so that what we were about to see could not be attributed to different socio-economic fatros, for instance. (One thing we noted though, was that many of their ELLs were Canadian-born, and thus more likely to be Stage 3 or 4 ELLs, as opposed to our many students who had only just arrived in Canada over the past 2-3 years, and were still -- in essence -- very new to English.)
After lunch, we observed in a Grade 5/6 class, followed by a 4/5 class. Then, after recess, we visited a Grade 3 teacher.
There was so much to see and think about -- it was such a delight to observe in other classrooms where IWBs were being used at the "routine level" by both teachers and students, and where Math was being taught and learned without the crutch of a textbook. These people were really doing it!!!
Instead of writing a big, long diatribe, I offer the following annotated photos below. Please click on the first photo in each section to begin a self-navigated slide show of full-sized captioned pics.
Grade 5/6
Grade 4/5
Grade 3
The teachers at Joyce P.S. were such gracious hosts, and I feel very fortunate for their willingness to having us in to observe and ask questions. The visit was one from which we will take much away to think about, and to add to our own classroom repertoire as we continue to explore what it means to use IWB as a tool for facilitating problem-based learning in math.