Well, we had a productive 2 days with our teachers, leading them through another round of Professional Development workshops. Once again the French Immersion teachers rose to the challenge.
First, on Monday we led a teacher moderation session with the Primary teachers. We began with a very intense and important discussion about how to structure the reading and writing blocks. We clarified some important issues revolving around how to complete the required paperwork. Cheryl had one of her students read aloud to the group and we did an error analysis. This was an exercise that we have been encouraged to practise every time teachers get together.
The Primary teachers had a quick 10am break and then we dove into moderating (or team marking) one writing sample. Once again, the discussion was rich and valuable. At times, it was also frustrating, especially when we decided to revise the marking rubric once again! However, no one felt the time we spent discussing the rubric was a waste.
Lunch was a yummy lasagna with garlic toast and salad (a favourite of all), then we broke up into grade level groups to moderate several pieces of writing. Again, the dialogue was valuable and we all felt listened to and respected.
Great job Primary teachers and we can't wait to see the final results on the 25th!
On Tuesday, the Junior and Intermediate teachers met. We followed essentially the same format as Monday. As always, there were wonderful questions, rich discussions and some healthy disagreements. I am always amazed by the depth of knowledge of the teachers in our Board. They truly take ownership for their learning. Great job Junior/Int teachers!
Tuesday was a tough day, for our project team. We made some mistakes, had to revise and rethink. We had to back track, re-type, and be highly flexible. This had nothing to do with the teachers in the session, and everything to do with the nature of the beast. Arghhh! I will admit to feeling highly stressed and somewhat overwhelmed. I know my team members felt the same. When you are working on a time line, with a tight budget, and huge project goals it is inevitable that some days will be better than others!
Thank you team for being positive and keeping the momentum rolling. Thank you to all the teachers who have been open to the process and have brought their genuine enthusiasm to the table every day. Our team relies on you to make our project a success.
