Learning beyond the walls of Carson Graham

Published on April 15, 2013 in Carson Graham Secondary and personalized learning. 0 Comments

Over the March spring break, Carson Graham Secondary had three different groups travel abroad as they expanded their learning around the world. These included our Rugby girls team traveling to Southern California engaged in some excellent competition, our Drama Improvisation Team qualifying to the Nationals for the first time taking place in Ottawa and finally, our Global Initiatives class traveling to the Dominican Republic as they built a house and an extension to a medical clinic.

Girls Rugby Trip – Southern California

During Spring Break the girls’ rugby team toured Southern California. The trip began with a 3 night stay in San Diego, where the girls trained each day but were also able to experience Sea World and Mission Beach.  The first game of the tour was against USA National Champs Fallbrook Rugby Club. The girls competed hard but lost the match to an experienced Fallbrook side. The coaching staff described the atmosphere at the stadium as electrifying as close to 800 people were in the stands chanting “USA, USA” the entire match.

The team moved onto Anaheim where it would be competing in the International Youth Rugby Tournament hosted by Fullerton Rugby Club. This was a two day tournament where the girls would play 5 games over the 2 days. It was extremely hot weather during the tournament with the temperature gage hitting close to 90 degrees!! The girls fought through this and were able to finish 4th place overall. Congratulations to the girls on a great tournament!

Drama Improvisation Team – Ottawa

The Carson Senior Improv Team is a group of ten Carson students from grades 9 to 12 coached by Ms. Coralee Clark and former Carson Graham graduate, Jullian Kolstee. These students have worked exceptionally hard with school performances and competing in the Canadian Improv Games (CIG). In fact, Carson Graham hosted the exhibition rounds of the CIG regional tournament for the Lower Mainland.  They later went on to win second place at the finals and were given the opportunity to perform at the Canadian Improv Games national tournament in Ottawa from March 25-April 1, 2013 at the National Arts Centre.

While at the national tournament, they worked with the other teams and participated in activities and tutorials provided by some of Canada’s best improvisers.  The workshops included topics such as character building, acting with sincerity and long form improvisation.  Additionally, our students participated in forums and shared their voices and ideas with other teams from across the country gaining incredible knowledge of improvisation.

During their stay in Ottawa, students performed with the country’s best teams and placed in the top ten . The coaches described it as:

A huge victory for the Carson team and we are so proud of our students’ success.  They listened to each other and supported one another onstage. Improvisation is something that can bring students together regardless of age, gender, race, geography, or economic status.  All of the students in the competition share a love of theatre.

Congratulations to our Carson senior improv team for your achievement!

Global Initiatives – Dominican Republic

Carson Graham students working in the Dominican Republic

Our students during their time in the Dominican Republic worked tirelessly to build a home and an extension to a medical clinic for the local community. During their building experience, they also had the opportunity to get to know the community by engaging in activities with the local children and helping families with some daily chores. Another powerful learning opportunity included  our students participating in a “In Their Shoes Work Experience” as they experienced working in a garbage dump for a half-day where  Haitians support their families by finding recyclable materials to sell. A typical shift at the garbage dump may yield $2 US dollars a day.

Rob Olson, Global Initiatives teacher, explained that the experience for all is filled with hope, laughter and tears. It is an eye opening experience that is life changing for our students who return home even more committed to help others.

 

Carson Graham Secondary: Redefining Personalized Learning

Published on March 10, 2013 in Change, Creativity and personalized learning. 0 Comments

On Wednesday, March 6, Carson Graham Secondary hosted both its Personal Project Exhibition and our Viva Voce celebration that turned out to be an incredibly memorable day. These two events represent the culminating learning experiences for our International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme and Diploma Programme. Yet, that only begins to tell the story…

Our Grade 10 students have been working for the last 12 months developing and completing their personal project before presentation day. To provide a little background, our students are assigned to a teacher advisor that guides them through the design process, goal setting, research and their process journals. In other words, the criteria to develop an excellent personal project. Throughout the year, our students meet with their advisors who provide ongoing feedback that sets the stage for our Personal Project Exhibition. Of course, summarizing such an intensive process in a few phrases can be difficult but let me highlight the following key characteristics:

  • Focus on inquiry – the entire project is truly about the active learning process where students manage and direct their own inquiry.
  • Personal – appropriately named, the personal project affords students the opportunity to pursue and produce a truly individualized piece of work.
  • Areas of Interaction – these (5) areas (approaches to learning, community and service, health and social education, environments, human ingenuity) provide the context for inquiry through the exploration of real-world issues.
  • Encourage and develop higher order critical thinking skills to deepen understanding.
  • Incorporate an interdisciplinary approach to learning.
  • Authentic connections to broader community.

These characteristics were displayed for our entire school community to witness in our large gym in a gallery of 200 student booths exhibting their personal project – an impressive sight to say the least. During that same day, the focus of inquiry was taken to another level as our Grade 12 IB Diploma Programme were setting up for their Viva Voce (with living voice) celebration as they showcased the core of the IB Diploma Programme by selecting a particular aspect of the program which could have included their Creativity, Action Service project, their Theory of Knowledge (TOK) experience or their Extended Essay. Our Diploma Programme exhibition ended with the opportunity for our students to share a particular highlight of the programme which acted in many ways as an informal yet extremely powerful closing ceremony. This great evening with our Personal Project Exhibition and Viva Voce Celebration was appropriately summarized by one of our parents who stated  ”the future is in good hands with young people like these.”

A tremendous learning celebration for our school – way to go Carson Graham!

 

Congratulations to the 2012 Seycove Graduating Class

Published on June 11, 2012 in Seycove Secondary and Uncategorized. 0 Comments

SEYCOVE GRAD SPEECH – June 8, 2012

Welcome faculty, parents, family members, friends and special guests as tonight we honour the 2012 Seycove Secondary graduating class and celebrate their achievements on the traditional territories of the T’sleil Waututh Nation. And what a graduating class they are as we will be handing out 204 scholarships this evening totaling $622,000!

Recently, this true story was passed on to me that I thought appropriate to share with you this evening…

This woman was at the airport with time to spare before her plane was ready to board. She decided to goto the bookshop and bought a magazine to read along with some cookies to munch on while she waited at the terminal. Shortly after she sat down in one of the chairs – a man came and sat down next to her but one seat over because there was a bag of cookies in the seat right beside the woman. A few minutes later this man who is a complete stranger decides to grab the bag of cookies, opens it and takes a cookie, puts the bag back without saying a word. Well this woman cannot believe it – who does this guy think he is. After taking a minute to cool off – she thinks maybe he thought someone else left the cookies behind and decides to take a cookie to show him whose cookies they are. Well almost immediately after, he takes another cookie and this woman cannot believe the audacity so she takes a second cookie which prompts the two going back and forth not saying a word to each as they polish off the bag of cookies in no time. Once the cookies are finished, the gentleman gets up, walks away and is never to be seen again.

Finally, it is now time to board the plane and the woman opens her purse to retrieve her boarding pass only to see the bag of cookies she purchased.

How quick we can be to judge sometimes. I know as parents and educators we can be quick to judge the adolescents in our lives as one thing is for sure they are different…I guess that counts as a judgement. I was reading a book called Nurture Shock that commented although the antonym to honest is lying…and the opposite of arguing is agreement…in the mind of teenagers – that is not how it works. Really to an adolescent, arguing is the opposite of lying. The author explains that teens would tell the truth to their parents about things they knew their parents would disapprove. And more often than not – teens told the truth in hopes their parents might give in and say it was okay…usually this meant an argument ensued…but worth it if their parents could budge…arguing is good…arguing was honesty…although arguing is stressful to us as parents and educators given we feel and judge it as disrespectful – these young adults are often challenging the status quo and I would suggest well on their way to becoming indispensable.

Which leads me to another author named Seth Godin, who in his book “Are you Indispensable,” makes some compelling but also common sense points worth sharing. To our Seycove Grads, I ask are real leaders the ones who do exactly what other people want them to do…show up and don’t give anyone a hard time..or…are real leaders people that can see the reality today and shape a better tomorrow? Grads, as you think back on your thirteen years of schooling – what did we teach you or more appropriately – what have you learned? Is it to: Fit in, follow instructions, take good notes, show up, cram for tests, have good handwriting, don’t ask questions, don’t challenge authority, get into university, don’t fail…you get the idea…which one of these traits are the keys to being indispensable?

Let me offer some more profound characteristics that I hope you have learned from a number of people including your teachers, parents and coaches and will continually learn throughout your bright futures. Fail and fail often as you can’t truly learn if you do not make mistakes. And as difficult as it will be…extrapolate the positives. Follow your passions and great things will happen. Surround yourself with caring people and be relentless in pursuing your goals. With such rapid change taking place in our society – Godin quotes “yesterday’s remarkable is today’s really good and tomorrow’s mediocre.” But grads, just remember to be remarkable or indispensable is not about being perfect. If you think about someone you know who you would define as indispensable…chances are the characteristics I just shared would surface.

Continue to challenge the status quo, continue to argue and as you move on to new exciting challenges in your lives – every one of you has the capacity to be indispensable.

To the Seycove Graduating Class of 2012 and on behalf of the entire Seycove community – our sincere congratulations!

Innovation and Creativity

Published on April 3, 2012 in Change, Creativity and Innovation. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

When we think about our current K to 12 educational system – do we characterize it as innovative and creative? Unfortunately, chances are many people would answer no – yet that is precisely what some educators are trying to change. The real test or challenge is not really a question around wanting to become learning centres where innovation and creativity can thrive but rather how to create new movements that can begin to change our current system. A task that perhaps we sometimes make more daunting than it needs to be.

If we look at our educational system today – how much has it really changed over the last century? Do schools and the way we teach look and feel so different now than before? If not, why has educational progress been so slow as compared to some other industries that peril if they are not leading in their respective fields? I recently had the opportunity to attend this year’s BCSSA Winter Conference that brought these questions again to the forefront. The theme for the 2012 Educational Leadership Conference was “Pathways to Personalization: Shifting Practice and Traditions” with a diverse group of speakers that included: Charles Leadbeater, Larry Rosenstock, Honourable George Abbott, John Abbott and Bruce Beairsto. Leading and transforming together emerged as a common theme.

Innovation draws parallels with change – it can sound exciting but can be painful and can often fail. Charles Leadbeater remarks that you know you need innovation but hate to do it. Further, he highlights several innovation myths that contradict reality:

Myth / Reality

Flash of insight / Comes from immersion

Brilliant idea / Fail early and often

Individualistic / Collaborative

Invention / Mostly development

Originality / Borrowing

Product pipeline / Consumer as innovator

The third point is an intriguing one since collaboration is not necessarily viewed as innovative but rather an essential ingredient to success. Yet true collaborative networks are innovative as it fosters the development of ideas, trial and error, authentic dialogue and can lead to organized movements that challenge and ultimately change the system. Larry Rosenstock, CEO of High Tech High and a true linchpin, has pioneered exactly that with his successful public charter schools turning the traditional educational model upside down and challenging status quo. I am looking forward to my visit this month to see first hand.

I recently fininshed Seth Godin’s book, Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? which posits that being successful is a matter of choice and not settling for average. He further questions what schools are teaching kids today and emphasizes that fitting in, listening to instructions, not questioning authority are all things that our society does not need. In other words, these are not attributes of being indispensable.  Those words triggered a flashback to my first grad speech from the 2009 Seycove Valedictory Ceremony where I shared the following life lessons:

  • Do not settle for mediocrity – a positive mindset has no boundaries.
  • Learn from your successes but also your failures – “Only those who ever dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly” -Robert Kennedy
  • Be resilient – adversity is part of life but use it to your advantage and make it an opportunity.
  • Foster good relationships – trust, respect, consideration are all essential for building healthy relationships.
  • Find your passion – it is one thing to be good at something but quite another to enjoy it.

After reading these over again it became obvious that these life lessons require constant reflection as they are not only appropriate for a high school graduating class excited about the future ahead but are equally vital for those of us established in our careers. I must say I am optimistic with the innovation that is taking place amongst educators who are challenging the status quo and not settling for excuses as to why change and innovation cannot take place. A believer in the statement ‘actions speak louder than words,’ I am looking forward to sharing in a subsequent post an innovative project that is taking hold at Seycove Secondary.

I would love to hear your comments and innovative ideas that are taking hold in your school or organization.

 

B.C.’s Education Plan

Published on February 14, 2012 in Assessment, Change and Technology. 6 Comments Tags: , , , .

I never thought that our province’s new education plan would mark my inaugural blog post as I have recently pondered on writing on a variety of topics (and will do so in subsequent posts) yet the interesting thing was our province’s vision for the future of education seemed like an appropriate platform.

Before delving in, I wanted to thank the many bloggers already posting great ideas that have sparked my own. In particular, there are a few people that I wanted to acknowledge – some that I know personally and others strictly as online collaborators. Thank you to Joe Campbell and Bryan Hughes for the encouragement and support and two well established bloggers on education: Chris Kennedy and Gino Bondi for sharing their online reflections.

 

The new BC Education plan speaks to the rapid changes that are taking place today that will change the future of education. The plan is based on adaptability and providing increased flexibility. Further it focuses on 5 key elements:

1) Personalized learning for every student

2) Quality Teaching and Learning

3) Flexibility and Choice

4) High Standards

5) Learning Empowered by Technology

The identification of these elements represent a solid first step in moving towards a vision but at the same time have been phrases that arguably have been overused in the educational discourse. Beyond defining these concepts in broad terms it is more important to deconstruct their meaning for our school communities. This portrayal can be appropriately summarized using the Minister of Education, George Abbott’s words:

And yet our education system is based on a model of learning from an earlier century. To change that, we need to put students at the centre of their own education. We need to make a better link between what kids learn at school and what they experience and learn in their everyday lives. We need to create new learning environments for students that allow them to discover, embrace and fulfill their passions. We need to set the stage for parents, teachers, administrators and other partners to prepare our children for success not only in today’s world, but in a world that few of us can yet imagine.

At the school level these changes are beginning to take shape. For instance, at Seycove Secondary, we are continuing to look at new ways our students engage in their learning  beyond the traditional timetable and staff who are looking at new ways to deliver curriculum and build learning environments empowered by technology. Beyond structural changes, quality teaching and learning will always remain at the core of any meaningful change. John Kotter in his eight-step framework Leading Change identifies creating a true sense of urgency as not only the first step but the toughest. This is especially true when Canada is one of the top performing countries in Reading, Mathematics and Science (PISA 2009) which can dilute the sense of urgency to continually improve.

In the current teacher strike environment, the challenge in front of all of us as educational stakeholders is creating opportunity amidst crisis or chaos. An opportunity to create ‘new’ education models that really go beyond words and become a new reality.