That was a fine webinar…

Hi All!

Yesterday’s professional development day was very interesting. Not in the least because we got to meet Marian Small…even if it WAS virtually. But also, I had the same experience that you are all having. Giving a workshop or class on-line is so much different from doing it in person. I struggle with the lack of participant feedback in the moment, and it makes it so hard to gauge if what one is doing is worthwhile or landing or whether you are completely bored and scrolling Tik-Tok.. I can see the same thing on the faces of comedians when I watch the Saturday Night Live “At Home” version. I’m understanding why almost none of the teachers I talk to think that this virtual learning is an improvement.

You have been quite heroic in your transfer to the on-line environment. It has taken until today (Apr 28) for parliament to be able to meet virtually, yet here you have transformed our classrooms so quickly. Take a moment to be pleased with what you have achieved.

You can look at the videos of Marian’s workshop and my workshop on assessment at the Continuing Learning Sharepoint.  Here is Marian’s document Big Ideas for Each Grade. And the documents from my webinar on assessment are available to Burnaby staff here.

I know you are excited to enter the draw to receive a copy of one of the Open Questions resources. Just write  a comment below, mention your grade level and if you teach in English or French and I will put you in a draw. Deadline for the contest is May 1 at 4 pm!

16 Replies to “That was a fine webinar…”

  1. I teach grade 3 and would really like a copy of Marian’s books….(not really, I’m just testing). BTW, the books go all the way up to Gr 9.

  2. I teach K/1 and would love a copy of Marian’s book to share with my staff at Confederation Park. I was excited to hear Marian talk about a different way to teach math–the struggle is real!! It’s difficult to provide students with valuable learning experiences, when there is very little interaction between them. I look forward to trying her ideas with the little ones!

  3. As an ELL teacher who sometimes supports the students in math (K-1) I loved the webinar. I enjoyed the way to introduce math language in a fun and challenging way. I am looking forward to using some of these strategies when we get back to the classroom. I like that the questions focus on the process. Students don’t even realize how much practice they do of a skill to get answers!

  4. I teach grade 1/2 in English and would love a copy of Marian’s books to use in my class! The webinar gave me some great ideas.

  5. I teach grade 7, French. I’ve been using some of Marian’s Questions Ouvertes with my class already, and was so happy to get to hear her speak. Thanks for facilitating, Donna!

  6. That was a really great seminar by Marian! I teach Grade 2/3 and there were some ideas she mentioned that I would am going to start trying out.

  7. I teach Grades 2/3 at Cascade Heights and I enjoyed the exploration of the Open Questions. I’ve been exploring Math Up and while it seems too challenging to do the formal lessons at this time, I am really excited to explore them when we get back to our classrooms.

  8. I am a student teacher in a grade 3/4 French Immersion class at Aubrey! I would love a copy of Marian’s book on open questions. I am currently doing an inquiry project on how to make math more engaging and more accessible to all students. Thank you for hosting this workshop!

  9. I teach Grade 1 French Immersion. I enjoyed hearing Marian talk about open ended questions. Thank you for organizing the workshop and for this opportunity to win!

  10. I teach Kindergarten (English) and I would love a copy of Marian’s book on open questions. It was awesome to see all the possibilities that could come out from these types of activities! Thanks for the online workshop 🙂

  11. I teach Math 8 Honours at Burnaby North and am always looking for good enrichment problems to get my students thinking and talking about different solutions. Would love one of Marian’s books! Loved some of the problems she presented in the webinar.

  12. I teach grade 1/2. I loved Marian’s conference and the thought provoking open questions she shared with us. I would love a copy of her book!

  13. Hello 🙂 I teach Gr 2/3 French Immersion at Aubrey. Thank you very much for arranging the online ProD with Marian Small. I found it fascinating to hear that by making simple changes to how we word a question or present a concept can lead to in-depth conversations with our students. These questions also enable us to differentiate for our learners – THANK YOU!

  14. Thank you so much for putting on this great workshop for us to connect and be inspired, especially during such challenging times. I teach grade 4/5 (English) and would love a copy of Marian’s Open Questions resources.

  15. Thank you for this generous offer. I did not make the workshop but love Marian Small and her approach. I would be delighted to be placed in the draw for a copy of her Open Questions resource. I teach grade 6/7 at Taylor Park (English) and know my colleagues and I would make good use of it.

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