Month: August 2010

physicaleducation, professional_developmentLeave a comment

Physical Education – Professional Networking Day

Deirdre Bailey

The Calgary Science School is hosting a PD day for Physical Education teachers who work at Calgary Charter and Private Schools on Friday September 24, 2010. We feel that much of our work as PE teachers is in isolated and unique situations – whether it is the actual physical building, the location of our school, the mandate/philosophy of our respective schools and so on. We feel there are few opportunites for PE teachers to meet and share their practices, particularly amongst teachers at private and charter schools. We also feel that each of us possesses experience and teaching resources that … Continue reading Physical Education – Professional Networking Day

grade92 Comments

CSS will broadcast Mayoral forum for Calgary Schools

Deirdre Bailey

The Calgary Science School and Youth Can Vote 2010 (http://www.youthcanvote.com/) are partnering to host a panel discussion, providing an opportunity for the Calgary Mayoral candidates to speak with students across the city. This 90 minute Mayoral panel discussion will be held at the Calgary Science School (5915 Lewis Drive SW) and will be broadcast on the Internet, allowing a wide range of Calgary schools to join in. During the live panel, grade 9 students at the Calgary Science School will host the event at the school and present questions prepared for the panel. At the same time, the event will … Continue reading CSS will broadcast Mayoral forum for Calgary Schools

assessment, physicaleducation, technology3 Comments

What we’ve learned about Digital Portfolios

Deirdre Bailey

Last year we moved our Fine Arts courses away from traditional report cards and onto digital portfolios as the primary form of assessment. Moving 600 kids onto portfolio based-assessment was a massive undertaking for our Fine Arts teams, and they did a commendable job of embracing the possibilities of these digital tools. The Fine Arts team, with the support of our administration, was given time throughout the year to wrestle with the move to digital portfolios, including the creation of one unified rubric. This video captures the story of our first year of the project. We’re so excited about the … Continue reading What we’ve learned about Digital Portfolios

assessment, grade8, math, technologyLeave a comment

Podcasting Mathematical Understanding

Deirdre Bailey

Last year our grade 8 math teachers held a math fair with their students, supported by the Galileo Educational Network. Students were introduced to a number of classic mathematical problems and brainteasers, and were allowed to choose what medium would best represent their solutions. The Galileo site has a number of resources on math fairs, including lists of problems, and three different rubrics (here, here and here). This student-created video solution was a response to the Babushka Squares problem. This video is exceptional in it’s clarity and depth. The student skillfully uses the medium of video (made on iMovie) to … Continue reading Podcasting Mathematical Understanding

professional_development, school-culture1 Comment

A Deeper Focus on Teacher Collaboration

Deirdre Bailey

The 2010/2011 school year means the introduction of a number of new initiatives at the Calgary Science School. It is our plan to share these new programs in a series of posts over the next few weeks. Inquiry-based Learning is what we do Teacher Collaboration how we do it The first of these new initiatives involves a greater focus on teacher collaboration as the foundation of our school’s professional development and teacher growth plan. Historically at the Science School we have allotted agreat deal of time and resources toward opportunities for our teachers to meet and plan together. Time and … Continue reading A Deeper Focus on Teacher Collaboration

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What is Inquiry-based Learning? A Student Perspective

Deirdre Bailey

Last June at the end of the school year, the grade 8 students at the Calgary Science School were invited to re-imagine what schools might look like, now and in the future. In groups, students chose educational topics to examine such as assessment, physical space, and the relationships within a school, all designed to give students a voice in how education might be re-imagined. One group of students used this opportunity to examine the type of teaching and learning at our own school. They wanted to analyze our school-wide focus on inquiry-based learning and so they created and distributed a … Continue reading What is Inquiry-based Learning? A Student Perspective