Friday, March 15, 2013

EduIgnite Talk Highlights

Another EduIgnite is just around the corner! How that snuck up on me.  I am still relishing in my previous, first experience of an EduIgnite evening!

Some of the highlights for me from last year was:

Mary-Anne told us how to ignite the brain using thinking skills.

Ignite Talk | Mary-Anne Murphy from Emerging Leaders on Vimeo.


Barbs told us about learning and one of her favourite things: geocaching

Ignite Talk | Barbs Reid from Emerging Leaders on Vimeo.


Dave talked about why we do what we do, and how technology can make a difference in the world.

Ignite Talk | Dave Winter from Emerging Leaders on Vimeo.


Great stuff!! Looking forward to my next learning experience.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

What is happening?

This term is moving forward with some speed that actually left me with feeling a bit flustered and with a feeling that no significant progress has been made in any areas of the deliberate learning acts for my students.
This has lead to me to feeling frustrated as I have never felt before at this time in a first term.

Time was needed to reflect seriously as to what the reason for all this might be and I came to the following conclusion:
* Harold the Giraffe from Life Ed was at our school - time out of class
* Sport BOP 'leg it' programme - out of class for an hour each week for 3 weeks already (3 more to come!)
* School Triathlon/Duathlon day
* School Swimming Sports day
* New students arriving - enforce class routines time and time again.

All these took time away from establishing a stable learning culture within our class.  I don't think  for one second that these activities are not deemed valuable, as they are equally important in creating other learning experiences for students. 

On a more positive note, as I want to make sure that my students are getting the best individual learning experiences possible, I have created their own ILP as mentioned in my Professional goals earlier - which seems to be working well.  And I do see accomplishements in learning, no matter how small.

So what now?  Now I just need to move forward and follow this 'advice'.


"Problems are only opportunities in work clothes." - Henry J. Kaiser