OESSTA News #5
Discussing
Social Studies on Twitter (Join us Thursday)
Participate in the OESSTA (Ontario Elementary Social
Studies Teachers Association) social media network and explore the New Revised
Social Studies, History and Geography on twitter @oessta1 and use the hashtag
#ontsshg for discussion. There will be a twitter chat on Thursday nights at
9:00-10:00 to discuss, share ideas and strategies. Hope you will follow!
Visit https://twitter.com/oessta1 to see what we are
talking about..
OESSTA Roll Out
We are still
completing projects that are being reviewed by our colleagues and the Ministry
of Education. We have language and math
integration ideas along with lesson ideas using spatial skills. We will begin
sharing the projects next month.
Upcoming Events
Also, we
have the opportunity to conduct our own conference in the fall with the support
of OAGEE. The conference will be Toronto. We plan to feature the resources that
we are creating. The conference could be Saturday only or Friday and Saturday. Would you be able to use Federation or school
funds to attend the professional learning session on the Friday?
We will
survey teachers next month.
Governor General’s Award for Teaching History
(grades 7-12)
(recommend someone in your school)
Now accepting applications for 2014!
Do you have a
creative approach to teaching history? We want to hear from you!
Applications are
being accepted for the 2014 award. Six recipients will receive $2500 and a trip
for two to attend the award events in Ottawa, where they will receive their
medal from His Excellency, The Right Honourable David Johnston at a special
ceremony at Rideau Hall. $1000 will also be awarded to each recipient's school.
Start your application today. Deadline for
completed submissions is May 20, 2014.
http://canadashistory.ca/Awards/Teaching
Past Webinars and Resources produced by the OTF
On each
page you will find a description of the session, the link to the archived
session recording, and a list of other resources related to the session. You
may also search our site for topics and keywords of interest to you. I have
participated in a session and I highly recommend this site for professional
learning.
Topics
include:
-background
knowledge
-creating
a community of thinkers
-Inquiry
Across the Curriculum
http://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/otf-connects/resources/
Customized
in-class Workshop
Have a member of the
Esri Canada Education and Research group (using ArcGIS Online) come to your
location and facilitate a ½ day, full day or two day workshop. The workshop
will be tailored to support your learning goals. For more information contact education@esri.ca.
Devising your own professional learning
The
Teacher Learning and Leadership Program (TLLP) is an annual project-based
professional learning opportunity for experienced classroom teachers.
The
program funds proposals from classroom teachers who seek a peer leadership role
in curriculum, instructional practice or supporting other teachers. The three
goals of the program are to create and support opportunities for teacher
professional learning, foster teacher leadership and facilitate the sharing of
exemplary practices with others for the broader benefit of Ontario's students.
The
inquiry website listed below is a product of TLLP. Consider what you and your
colleagues want to focus on. The deadline is usually November for the upcoming
school year.
We want
to alert all of you to the week-long series of articles/blogs starting today
at http://activehistory.ca
ActiveHistory editor, Tom Peace, opens up the series with
Lessons
from the Past, Promises for the Future: Reflections on Historical Thinking in
Canadian History
http://activehistory.ca/2014/03/lessons-from-the-past-promises-for-the-future-reflections-on-historical-thinking-in-canadian-history/
The
rapid-fire pace continues with Heather E. McGregor's
History
Education in Canada without Historical Thinking? A worrisome prospect
http://activehistory.ca/2014/03/history-education-in-canada-without-historical-thinking-a-worrisome-prospect/
Resources
Address
Map and Globe Skills using ArcGIS online tinyurl.com/oaaqmxx
Use the
link to access resources managed by ESRI using ArcGIS Online.
Links for teachers
Getting
Started with Inquiry
Visit
this inquiry focused site http://inquiry-based.com/ to consider ideas on how you can approach inquiry in your
classrooms.
Description:
Our
project Uncovering Content-Integrating Critical Thinking into Social Studies
for 21st Century Learners was developed because as teachers we felt we needed
to enhance our knowledge of using critical thinking questions and inquiry-based
learning in order for our students to become actively engaged in their
learning.
Providing
Effective Feedback
Within
this blog you will find 20 ideas and techniques on how to give effective
learning feedback that will leave your students with the feeling they can
conquer the world.
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2014/03/20-ways-to-provide-effective-feedback.html
20 Signs
You’re Actually Making A Difference As A Teacher
As a
teacher; you lesson plan, constantly assess, network, collaborate,
differentiate, use technology, and inspire thinking and so much more.
Besides test scores, you are making a difference in so many ways. Check out
this blog for some alternative measures where you are making a difference.
http://www.teachthought.com/teaching/other-data-20-signs-youre-actually-making-a-difference-as-a-teacher/
Struggling
to make history come alive? (intermediate teachers)
In this Story from the Classroom, a grade nine teacher describes how a topic in Canadian history with which she had previously struggled, came alive through her students’ use of inquiry and technology. Thinking tools, such as Reading around a document and Asking powerful questions, empowered her students to deepen their understanding of First Nations treaty issues and paved the way to unforgettable Skype conversations with a poet and a politician.
In this Story from the Classroom, a grade nine teacher describes how a topic in Canadian history with which she had previously struggled, came alive through her students’ use of inquiry and technology. Thinking tools, such as Reading around a document and Asking powerful questions, empowered her students to deepen their understanding of First Nations treaty issues and paved the way to unforgettable Skype conversations with a poet and a politician.
Download Canadian history comes alive through inquiry and technology
http://tc2.ca/pdf/T3_pdfs/Canadian_history_comes_alive_through_inquiry_technology.pdf
Developing Better
Student Questions
Helping Students to create better questions (TIPS)
In inquiry-based
classrooms, the ultimate aim is for students to pose their own powerful
questions shaped by background knowledge, curiosity, and wonder about the
world. However, young children and those new to inquiry often require teacher
guidance in framing a good question or problem.
What is a good inquiry question?
"Only the
curious will learn and only the resolute will overcome the obstacles to
learning. The quest quotient has always excited me more than the intelligence
quotient." -E.S. Wilson
Here are a few
things that we have heard from people teaching Inquiry at McMaster:
Questioning Skills: Thick and Thin Questions
These sites provide information on thick and thin
questioning. Learn the difference between thick and thin questions as well as
how to generate these questions. There are lesson plans, printable posters, and
worksheets. Includes eThemes Resources on Reading Strategies for Elementary
Students and Teaching Tips: Questioning.
Discover how one classroom teacher developed rich questions
with her class.
When using the Q-chart with my Grade 6
students, many of them commented that the Q-chart was really limiting
their thinking. In working with the chart, they were trying to avoid
using the question prompts at the top left-hand corner because they were always
told that when using those prompts only shallow questions could be created.
