by Dan McWilliam In 2011 staff at the Connect Charter School, Calgary Science School at the time, were asked “What does exemplary teaching and learning look like?” The process and rationale for the creation of the frameworks is described here. “In addressing this question, reference was made to the work that has been done on student… Continue reading Exemplary Teaching and Learning Frameworks
Garry McKinnon~ Calgary Science School Superintendent June 25, 2013 The fourth annual superintendent interviews of parents, students and staff members were conducted over several weeks in the spring of 2013 as a component of the ongoing school evaluation process. On March 7 and 8 during student-led conferences, 50 parents were interviewed. In May and June,… Continue reading Highlights of the Annual Superintendent Interviews of Calgary Science School Parents, Students and Staff
Jenna Callaghan and Deirdre Bailey Deirdre Working with a student teacher these past few months has been an exciting and rewarding experience. From our first meeting, it was evident that Jenna and I shared a similar pedagogical philosophy; with a strong focus on reflection and discipline-based inquiry. Jenna’s early ideas and questions were guided by… Continue reading Student Teaching: Mentorship and Collaboration – A Video Reflection
Dr. Garry McKinnon Dennis Sumara, dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Calgary, talks with Grade 4 student Sasha Longley, left, as Bruce March, chairman and CEO of Imperial Oil talks with Grade 4 student Owen Leveille, right, during their science class at the Calgary Science School after Imperial Oil and the… Continue reading Launch of the Imperial Oil Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Initiative
54 University Education Students between October 22-23! From October 22 to November 2, 2013 we will be hosting two cohorts of 14 Education Students from the University of Calgary. The program is titled “Life in Schools” and will give the students a week of observation, participation and reflections at two public schools in Calgary. The… Continue reading Field Experiences
Originially printed in the Calgary Science School SpectrumChris Dittmann Communications Director On August 31, 2012 the Calgary Science School hosted a networking/PD event for learning coaches, organized by CSS PD and Collaboration Coordinator Dan McWilliam. The purpose of the session was to bring together learning coaches and instructional leaders from a variety of schools and… Continue reading Learning Coaches Networking Day
On September 11, 2012 eight of our grade 8 students walked to Mount Royal University to assist with an Google Apps orientation for new Education students. We were contacted by Dr. Norm Vaughn, who sits on the Calgary Science School board, to come and help his students in using the different applications that our students as so familiar… Continue reading Students Teaching the Student Teachers
Amy Park and Deirdre Bailey [Investigating the truth of opinions] consists not in trying to discover the weakness of what is said, but in bringing out its real strength. It is not the art of arguing but the art of thinking… the art of strengthening. (Gadamer, 1975) Abstract Although there is substantial research supporting collaborative… Continue reading Collaboration: The Art of Strengthening
On August 31, 2012 the Calgary Science School hosted a networking/PD event for Learning Coaches. The purpose of the session was to bring together Learning Coaches and Instructional Leaders from a variety of schools and districts to discuss the role and explore best practices and skills as we strive to support enhanced teacher learning. We… Continue reading Learning Coaches Networking Day: Creating Pedagogical Partnerships
-by Phil Butterfield, Assistant Principal Instructional leadership has been getting a lot of buzz in educational circles these days. It seems challenging enough to gain consensus on a definition for the role of an instructional leader without venturing into the potential minefield of strict adherence to a set of guiding principles designed to provide a… Continue reading Opening Up a New Frontier of Exemplary Instructional Leadership
