Participating in 1 of the 3 days of York Region District School Board’s Quest conference filled me with joy over the power and promise of public education. I have spent my career at independent schools, but York Region has always been a beacon. In my first years of teaching, getting a unit plan from York Region was like winning the lottery. That board was always at the forefront of education in Ontario striving for accountability, inclusion and excellence. In that one special day at Quest, I met many people from all facets of education. It turned out that some of my new acquaintances were people I follow on Twitter.
When Michael Fullan first passed by me in the hall, I proudly asserted, “Hello, Mr. Fullan.” After years of reading his work or hearing his insights, I was so glad to see him up close only to realize that I had one of his books in my bag. It was fortuitous that he sat down at the table next to me for the duration of the session Making Indigenous Connections. For a moment, I pulled out my book in the hopes of having him sign it, but I became lost in the possibilities generated in the informative session for supporting FNMI (First Nations, Metis and Inuit) education across all the subject areas. That session really got me thinking. I don’t regret not getting Fullan's signature as nothing could enhance the learning more than the seeing his theories in action.
As I walked upstairs for lunch, I glimpsed over to the arts display to see Debbie Donsky in the distance. We had spoken a few times before she came to #ONedchat as our guest host on the topic of Creativity. She is an inspirational educator, great writer and creative artist. Although she was otherwise engaged, seeing her right after the previous session helped me know what my lesson the next day would be. I had always planned on showing Gord Downie’s Secret Path to my Grade 8’s to begin our unit titled #Canada150. The content of the unit focuses on Canada’s confederation, so I was using learning centres to provoke the perspectives needed to begin and generate a deep inquiry. Now was the time to bring the film to class, and seeing Debbie made me decide to have the students sketch-note while they watched. It was a powerful film made even more powerful by the eerie drawings and sketched words of my students.
When I was speaking to Richard Erdmann, the principal of Alexander Muir P.S., about his school’s innovative approaches to staff meetings, many ideas resonated. He and Monica Wand, their VP, presented Power Up Your Next Meeting. When I returned to school the following day, I met with my MYP Coordinator (Middle Years Program for the International Baccalaeureate), Dawn McMaster. I showed her Padlet and shared some of Erdmann’s insights into how it could be used to gather more voices in a meeting and capture the attention of more staff. We also considered it a great way to bring the staff into teachers’ classrooms by using it as a platform for sharing class narratives with student products as a conduit. Dawn and I were speaking about how to use it to celebrate teachers and begin creating “pineapple” experiences of our own (http://www.cultofpedagogy.com/pineapple-charts/). I gleaned all of this through a conversation over the device-charging station at Quest. I could not attend Erdmann and Wand’s workshop because it was at the same time that I was presenting mine.
Being able to present Building Outside the Block at Quest was a dream come true. BOB is my teaching approach that uses personalizing projects to help students build skill, autonomy and community in minimal class time. I had found my voice on my projects and am so grateful that I was given such an important platform to share some of them. During the session, even though it was the last one of the day and people were tired, there was a buzz of engagement. There was also real affirmation that this approach could work in many of the participants’ classrooms.
There were many positive responses to Building Outside the Blocks. One adult educator is considering two of the BOBs, What’s in a Name (W.I.N.) and Precious Cargo, for teaching this term. She felt it was great for the English Language Learners to have meaningful ways to practice language and be welcomed into the class as whole people. A woman from the Netherlands promised to translate some BOBs to Dutch and celebrated that my projects would be crossing the Atlantic. Several others stayed behind after the session to ask questions. I even received a few requests for outlines, which I am happy to share with the promise of feedback as a form of data collection. After presenting Building Outside the Blocks, I want to continue to share. I am motivated and validated sharing my teaching approach and projects that deeply engage students in authentic learning.
Since I have left the conference, I have watched the #YRDSBQuest Twitter feed and tried to follow people’s responses to the presenters that I missed on the day I was there and the days following. Like a community that I only got to visit for a brief moment, there is a power in the YRDSB that is magnetic. From the people they invited to speak, to the educators that they have nurtured, to the ideas that they have fostered, York Region continues to live their creed and strive for excellence (http://www.yrdsb.ca/AboutUs/Pages/Mission-Vision-values.aspx). They are a shining light in delivering innovative education approaches and thinking to their diverse and vast populations. Like a great people, they welcome visitors and lead by example. Who wouldn’t want to be part of this tribe?
You can watch some of the keynotes and highlights through Rogers Television by clicking on the link above.