Team Teaching: Student Survey Results & Analysis Pt. 1 - Challenges

Jaime Groeller & Ivy Waite

This post is part of a series. Read the previous posts here and here.

On April 30 we conducted a formal survey of our students regarding the team teaching approach we have taken up over the last 9 months. We had conducted informal surveys twice before, and tried to take into account the concerns and suggestions provided to make the experience more positive for the students. Here is part one of an anecdotal analysis of the formal survey. (Part 2 can be found here.)

As is human nature, the less supportive comments often overshadow the supportive. As teachers, we want to ensure all students have the opportunity to learn in a safe, supportive environment, while continuing to provide differentiated instruction and authentic learning opportunities. The reality is, and we are learning to accept this and work through it, you can’t please everyone. Not every person in 100 will completely support anything, but we hope to find some compromises for those that are less than thrilled with the team teaching approach.

• The noise level when all 50 students are working in one space is something that has been raised in every survey we have conducted, formal and informal. We have tried to mitigate this by limiting the time all 50 students are together, and encouraging students to spread themselves out over the two classrooms when working collaboratively, which is often! Reflecting on the formal survey results, it seems many students have not perceived this change as they see the time all 50 students are together at higher than 50%; some even see it as high as 95%! The reality is, we are together as a group of 50 for about 30%-40% of the time, with most of that time being spent on explaining assignments/projects and quick direct instruction. This perception is something we are still working on combating, and will continue to ensure we are providing appropriate spaces for all students to work. Naturally, we also have conversations about the choices students are making in creating the classroom environment, and encourage them to make positive decisions and take responsibility for their learning.

• Being a teenager is hard, and speaking in front of 50 people can be intimidating for anyone. During class discussions we often hear from the same students, while others sit silently. We have tried multiple strategies throughout the year to combat this challenge, and have found that having the students engage in small group discussions before being asked to share with the larger group works well. We also feel that this is one opportunity to help students build community and trust in one another as they tackle their fear and share their thoughts to enhance and support the learning community. Having said that, recently we have conducted a few class discussions in groups of 25, and we were surprised to see that many of the same students still contributed, but some of those who don’t often share in the group of 50 did share. A possible idea would be to conduct some class discussions in smaller groups, and use collaboration tools such as google docs or “Today’s Meet” to join the two groups and their ideas, or meet up as a larger group at a later time.

• Since our school is structured around homeroom groups of 25, students have come to know those 25 students as “their class”. One impact of combining classes has been that some students feel they are losing the community of the homeroom. Our intention from the start has been to encourage students to think of the entire grade as their community. We want students to feel safe and comfortable with all of the students in grade eight, not just the ones they share a homeroom with. This is part of a larger school initiative to build community and a culture of mutual respect in all situations. We have also tried to address this issue through various activities designed to build community and help students get to know one another in a larger setting. As a grade team, including our math/science counterparts, we are in the process of determining how to better build this grade-wide community at the beginning of the year, and then throughout the year as well with team-building and cross-curricular activities. We are lucky to have the opportunity to loop with these students into grade 9, so we may have the chance to assist in building this grade-wide community over the next year as well.

While it’s quite easy to get “down” on ourselves when confronted with these messages from our students, it is important to focus on how these challenges have been an excellent learning opportunity, and that we are continually forced to reflect on our practice. We welcome feedback in the comments from you!

Using the SmartBoard to Teach Algebra

Kevin Sonico~ Grade 9 Math and Science

Some have referred to them as glorified whiteboards.  SmartBoards have had the unfortunate reputation of digitizing technology that was already in its own way a useful tool.  Some teachers may have even requested for the removal of SmartBoards for the use of that valuable real estate behind it. The challenge is the to rethink of how we can use them differently in our classrooms. So instead of thinking of them as expensive blackboards or overhead screens where we only project content, let us make them more dynamic and interactive.  Perhaps we can start to think of them more as oversized tablets.  

One of the most useful functions of the SmartBoard is the infinite cloner.  I was originally introduced to the idea of using the infinite cloner in modelling integers.  Because this was such an effective way to visualize why we “invert and multiply” in subtracting integers, for example,  I thought it would be great to demonstrate polynomial functions. Using individual manipulatives such as Algebra Tiles have been very helpful in visualizing such an abstract concept.  To use the SmartBoard much in the same way like an iPad:

Community Building in the Middle School

Erin Couillard~ Grade 5 Math/Science, Learning Coach

I have been thinking a lot about community building in the middle school.  I began my teaching career in a very small K-8 school in a rural Alberta town where one didn’t give much thought to community building, as the school WAS the community.  Parents were in the school regularly, siblings saw each other in the hallway all the time and families gathered at community events, soccer practices, swimming pool, skating rink.  In a large middle school (600 students, grades 4-9) which draws its population from all four quarters of a large city, a sense of community isn’t a ‘give-in’.  It must be purposefully orchestrated. 

Grade 6 Wind Tunnel: Air and Aerodynamics

John Cadman & Greg Neil~ Grade 6 Math/ Science Teachers

Calgary Science School

This is a design for an open ended wind tunnel. This means the fan pushes air into the tunnel instead of pulling it out the end. Assembled it is 4ft long, 2 feet wide, and 2 feet high. Our hope in building this tunnel as we did was that in future it would require no tools to re-assemble. This design is a larger version of a tunnel original built by Louis Cheng at CSS using an old computer fan.

How it works in the classroom:

The challenge to students is two fold. They will design and build a wing/air foil that will generate the most lift in the wind tunnel and achieve the greatest distance outside the wind tunnel.

Team Teaching: The Reality

Ivy Waite & Jaime Groeller

This post is part of a series. Read the previous post here.

SPACE

Jaime's "Work Room" (Left) & Ivy's "Collaborative" Room (Right)

When we set up our classrooms in early August 2012, we were both so excited to begin this adventure. We spent time thinking about how we could provide the best physical learning environments, and even searched the internet for affordable options for students who like working while sitting on the floor. (We eventually settled on those foam-like floor tiles from Canadian tire.) Because of the lack of “alternative” seating for the “tabletop-free room”, we reevaluated our plan and ended up setting Ivy’s room up as the “conversation room” and my room as the “work room.” We put all the tables into Ivy’s room, and set desks up in my room, trying to ensure we had room for 50 students in each room. We envisioned one room as the place where class discussions would happen while the other would act as the place for mini-lectures, etc. We soon abandoned this plan. Here’s a few reasons why:

ConnectED Canada 2013

The Calgary Science School is pleased to be hosting the ConnectED Canada Conference for a second time. This is a unique education conference where the first day of the event is held at our school during an operational school day with students. Student tour guides will host groups of educators as they visit classrooms, view student work and speak with the teachers and students.

This conference is the physical meeting of a digital community that meets throughout the year online through hashtags, hangouts, blog posts, MOOCs, and more. Emphasis is given to discussions and meeting time throughout the 3-days at Calgary Science School. The online community is a collaborative one, where all voices are equal in the discussion. The sessions at ConnectED honour this and are facilitated discussions rather than stand and deliver presentations. Everyone in the room is a contributor.

Our welcome reception on Friday May 24 will be held at the University of Calgary in the Alberta Room. Bussing has been organized for the 116 conference participants who are staying in the Mount Royal University residence. The schedule of speakers for the reception is available on the ConnectED website.

The session schedule for the following two days has been posted on http://connectedcanada.org

Our staff steering committee is working hard on the logistics for the event, which has seen almost double the registration from the first ConnectED. Our students are beginning to get excited to share their work and experiences at CSS.

CSS Reads- Grade 9

 Jason Publack & Abby Saadeh~ Grade 9 Humanities

The Grade 9 teaching team, which included two student teachers this term, constructed a reading competition based on the CBC’s Canada Reads program. Scott Bailey, one of our University of Calgary student teachers, created a CSS Reads website to share and track the process of competition. The site is an excellent exemplar for schools wishing to host their own ______ Reads unit. Please let us know if you are hosting a similar competition. We would love to connect.

Calgary Science School Animation

One of our talented grade 7 students recently created this animation about learning at the Calgary Science School in his animation elective.

Student Insights into the Educational Potential of the Flipped Classroom

David Scott and Jason Publack ~ Grade 9 Humanities

Over the last few years there has been increasing talk within educational circles around the potential of the flipped classroom to enhance learning. Historically, and this is confirmed by a great deal of research, classrooms have been places where students spend a great deal of their time listening to teachers talk. Whether teachers are lecturing or explaining a particular concept, this has meant students have relatively limited class time to apply the concepts or ideas they learn from the lecture and must therefore do this at home for homework. This has meant that during the most difficult part of the learning process when they might need aid and support, they are left to their own resources when they are having difficulties or need extra help.

Cross Authority Teacher Planning Institutes

We started the school year looking for new ways to collaborate beyond the walls of our building. We investigated the opportunity with the Rocky View School Division. Acknowledging that collaboration is more than linking people through curriculum, Darrell Lonsberry, and Dan McWilliam met with Josh Hill from RVSD and identified 3 stages or levels of collaboration for a Cross Authority AISI project.  As described by Ivy Waite, "Collaboration is more than just sharing ideas, but the process of working together to achieve a common goal. True collaboration is a process in which two or more people co-conceive, design, execute and reflect upon teaching and learning. It is this process that ensures our students are engaged in meaningful, authentic, engaging, inquiry based learning."

Inquiry in PE

Student Teachers Josh Stanley and Matthew Maccagno with Tammy Berry and Dean Schmeichel ~Physical Education grade 4-9

What could an inquiry unit in PE look like? At CSS, we challenged all 600 students from grade 4 to grade 9 to explore the question, “To what extent does training affect performance?” Each student was given the opportunity to choose a sport or activity that they were interested in, and then create a plan to improve a specific skill in that sport or activity. How the students chose to use their time over the course of the unit was entirely up to them. They had access to all the resources that CSS has for physical activity.

The rubric was created collaboratively between teachers and all the students in the school over the first two days of the unit.

Here’s what it looked like daily while students were working on their individual project:

On Light, Shadows and Experience

Deirdre Bailey and Jenna Callaghan

We began a recent investigation into Light and Shadows in Grade 4 by posing the question “What is Light?” to our students. Before beginning the conversation, we reminded students that the world is not nearly as concrete or easily-understood as over-simplified statements of "fact" might often imply. We talked about how scientists are by nature inquisitive, always open to possibility and a reinvention of old ideas. We suggested that throughout our inquiry, they too might have the potential to share a completely new perspective, contribute to making new discoveries and either support or disprove current thoughts. With two of us in the classroom, we were able to capture some of our students’ opening ideas about 'Light' and have embedded them below.

Grade 5 Electricity Collaboration

Kathryn Desrochers ~ Grade 5 Math/Science Student Teacher University of Lethbridge

Just before spring break, our grade 5 students (and teachers) had an opportunity to learn from an expert. Emily Marasco is a University of Calgary student working on her Graduate Degree in Electrical

Engineering. As part of her Master’s research, Emily has gone around to various schools conducting a set of electricity modules for project based learning. This turned out to be a wonderful partnership, in which Emily could conduct her research with 100 willing students and our school community benefited from her expertise, enthusiasm and hands on approach.



 All of the modules were well thought out and aimed at building understanding of concepts related to electricity through hands on exploration. Emily used STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering and Math with a focus on helping students understand what Engineers really do. Students were engaged in various learning experiences with curricular links extending beyond science and into technology, art and social studies and language arts.

Family Artifact Inquiry- Grade 7

Rick Fawcett and Jared McKenzie~ Grade 7 Humanities.

This project was designed as a way to share the personal connection the students have to Canadian history and to engage them in the process of curating a historical narrative of their own family's history.

Student Teaching: Mentorship and Collaboration - A Video Reflection

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 an honest vulnerability that allowed for a number of frank conversations around assessment, engagement and lesson design in an inquiry based classroom. My understanding of collaboration - developed and deepened through a powerful team-teaching relationship with Amy Park - had led to a familiarity with how professional collaborative relationships might evolve and I was excited to incorporate my prior understanding and experiences.

Grade 5 Wild Weather Inquiry

Erin Couillard- Grade 5 Math/Science

 Big Question:  Are we seeing a dangerous shift in climate? Or just a natural stretch of bad luck?

This question was inspired through question brainstorming with students at the beginning of the Grade 5 weather unit as well as a National Geographic article I read in the fall.

Supporting Questions (student generated)

A. Has your "event" gotten worse over the years?
B. Why does this "event" happen? (Consider the weather science)
C. Where does this "event" happen? Only in one place in the world or in multiple places?
D. What time of year does your event usually happen? Has this changed over time?
How as this event affected the people/animals that live there?
E. Has your "event" impacted the economy?
F. How have humans adapted to changes in this "event".

Pi Discoveries with Grade 4

Heather Melville ~Grade 4 Math/Science

What is Pi? Why are we celebrating Pi Day? Didn’t you spell Pi wrong Mrs. Melville?

March 14^th turned into deep mathematical discussions for the 4.3 and 4.4 students. Rather than thinking the concept of Pi was too difficult for the students to comprehend, we explored what knowledge we already had and applied it to a new idea. Our math class began with a read aloud book titled; “Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi” by Cindy Neuschwander. We discussed the character names and what they were mathematically (radius, diameter, circumference, geometry and symmetry). The students loved to interact providing the sound effects for the story. 

Crowd Sourcing Fourth Graders

by Deirdre Bailey

Cross-posted on Savouring the Ish

I've got a novel on iPads in the grade four classroom waiting to be written. Lots of discoveries, ideas, struggles and triumphs. I just need to find the time to document it all properly. This brief gem, however, is too awesome not to share.

Earlier this year, our teaching team's excited discovery of the Edmodo app as an excellent resource for collecting and organizing student work digitally and providing an avenue for ongoing feedback was stinted by the limitation of only being able to upload images or links from the iPads. Our optimism was recently renewed by updates to the iWork apps which made it possible to upload pages, numbers and keynote documents directly to Edmodo. The latest struggle has been with how we might be able to have students download iWork templates we post to Edmodo and open them using the associated app. It seemed that the only way to open a doc from Edmodo was as a preview and frankly, I was beginning to think it wasn't possible any other way.

Nevertheless, while driving home from the mountains yesterday I posted a sample template for students to track their mousetrap car results to Edmodo via the numbers app with the comment "let me know if any of you figure out how to open this document as a numbers template!" Honestly, I didn't expect much. This morning I woke up to 17 replies...

Team Teaching - Our Vision

Jaime Groeller & Ivy Waite

In August 2012, at the beginning of our second year teaching together, Ivy and I took the plunge and started “team teaching.” We had seen a successful example just down the stairs from us (Park/Bailey) and modeled much of our initial approach on those ideas. Furthermore, we had been doing a lot of co-planning and co-implementing already during our first year together, 2011-2012, and wanted to fully integrate our practices and our classrooms for the 2012-2013 school year.

The Team!

Alternative Methods of Multiplication

Candice Shaw- Grade 7 Math and Science

In Grade 7, simple mathematical operations are not often a focus of instruction. If they are, it is in relation to operations with decimal numbers. Extending addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division processes to decimal numbers does not seem like a difficult task to the math savvy person, but we came upon some roadblocks when covering this topic.

Grade 5 Weather Wise With a Storm Chaser

Kathryn Desrochers~ Grade 5 Math and Science Student Teacher 

University of Lethbridge

On Friday February 8, 2013 all four grade 5 classes had the opportunity to Skype with George Kourounis. George is a storm chaser, most well known for his TV Series “Angry Planet” in which he chronicles his adventures chasing storms and exploring the globe. He has also done extensive work with The Weather Network, most recently filming controlled avalanches in the Kootenay Pass.

Unfortunately we experienced some technical difficulties with the call, but George quickly shifted gears from his planned presentation to an interactive, engaging question and answer session. The students were brimming with questions and asked things such as “What is the most severe weather you have ever been caught in?”, “Were you on the East Coast for Hurricane Sandy?”, “Have you ever experienced a tsunami?” and many, many more. 

Grade 6 Dragon's Den Style Elective

What Can U-Create?
Chris Dittman

Ms. Pereverzoff’s grade 6/7 U-Create elective is all about students taking an idea and creating a product, service or app that can be taken to the marketplace. This term, students were presented with the Re-Useable Material Challenge. Essentially, students were asked to think outside the box and create and represent a product idea using specific, recycled materials. Taking recycled cardboard, string, glue, tape, paint and recycled paper, students had the opportunity to create a product or a representation or model of a product idea. The final product idea didn’t have to necessarily include the aforementioned materials.

Grade 8 Litspiration Blog Project

Ivy Waite & Jaime Groeller

The Challenge:

Student Created Book Spine Poetry

Inspire our grade eight students to connect with literature using novels that they have chosen, and hold them accountable for this free-reading, while creating a community of readers.

The Plan: The Litspiration Blog Project

Trimester One Overview - Jump into Literature!

A. 3 Novels Read

B. 3 Reviews w/ 3 Peer Revision Forms completed

C. 1 Litspiration Challenge - free choice

D. Project Reflection

Grade 9 Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Rick Mercer Rant Assignment
David Scott- Grade 9 Humanities

To gain a better appreciation of how The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is relevant to the lives of our grade 9 students, we asked our students to explore a court case where a Charter right or freedom was violated. The specific learning outcomes we sought to target in the Alberta Grade 9 Social Studies Program were as follows:



9.1.6 assess, critically, the impact of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms on the legislative process in Canada by exploring and reflecting upon the following questions and issues:

• In what ways has the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms fostered recognition of individual rights in Canada? (PADM, I) 

• How does the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms support individuals in exercising their rights? (PADM, C, I)

Inquiry Task: Based on a recent court case involving the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, create a Rick Mercer style rant video outlining whether you think the outcome fostered recognition of individual rights in Canada.

Click here for an example of a Rick Mercer rant

Leave it to Beavers Project Update

Stakeholders in the Leave it to Beavers project met recently to reflect on fall visits and to plan ahead for spring and beyond.Rachelle Haddock from the Miistakis Institute summarized the fall program including the great news that a few 'nuisance' beaver were located and trapped to be introduced to the reservoir. http://www.rockies.ca/blog/?p=697

New Resident to Goodwin Pond by Rachelle Haddock

Recently volunteers at the site have seen evidence that the beaver are indeed still present and are busy logging the nearby forest. A blind has been built near the reservoir with a webcam focused on the beavers' dam, but we haven't been able to see the images yet. A new website for the project, which will include the scientific data produced by the grade 7 and 8 students, will hopefully host the webcam images.

Science Fair Judges Needed!

CSS will be holding our annual Science Fair on Wednesday, February 6, 2013, and we are looking for volunteers to help judge this event.

There is no experience necessary and it is a lot of fun. This is an important CSS event as it provides a forum for students to showcase their understanding and passion for science. In addition, volunteers are inspired and amazed by the quality of work and the interest that students have in their selected topics. 

Registration begins at 8 am on February 6th and judges will be finished around 12:30. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

If interested, please email Kevin Sonico at kevin.s@calgaryscienceschool.com. Thank you in advance for your continued support of this event.

Grade 7 Math Fair

Candice Shaw and Carolyn Armstrong~ Grade 7 Math/Science

On December 19 our grade 7 students hosted their Math Fair. Students were given the task of finding a challenging math problem that isn't easily solved at first glance and has possible extension activities. Students created their trifolds and activities to share with the rest of the school.

CSS Grade 7 Math Fair from Calgary Science School on Vimeo.

Arctic Games in Physical Education

Our Physical Education classes have been participating in 12 Arctic games this week. Some of our grade 9 students have been leading the different activities for the younger students.
 

Peace Festival at CSS

Monday December 17 saw the kickoff performance and assembly for our annual Peace Festival. The theme this year is 'Wellness'. A teacher committee, with the help of some grade 9 students, recruited parents and teachers as volunteers and experts to facilitate workshops that share the idea of physical, mental and spiritual wellness.

Exemplary Learning Formula

Margaret Leland-  Grade 5 Humanities

In a recent Learning Strategies class we had been discussing the interconnected nature of the pillars of our Exemplary Learning framework. The students were tasked with talking about two questions: How does relationships and communication relate to the other pillars? and, Do the pillars all connect to student success?

After about 10 minutes discussion one of the groups looked like they had found a 'big' answer. When I approached their group they stated that the only way they could really do it was to develop a mathematical formula to represent their thinking.

Trees and Forests Inquiry Grade 6

Does the Weaselhead Natural Area produce enough oxygen to sustain Calgarians?

Greg Neil~ Grade 6 Math and Science

Our grade 6 students investigated this question in their Math/Science classes this year. The question was developed as part of a brainstorming session with students. This inquiry required the use of numerous mathematical skills, introduced students to the idea of assumptions and bias in Science, reinforced the need for accurate data and provided an authentic investigation into an important natural region close to the school. A current proposal to build a ring road through this natural area, made this project even more relevant and engaging for students.

After introducing the question, students started the investigation by gathering important background information. Sources such as Environment Canada, Statistics Canada and NASA were useful in establishing some basic facts about Oxygen production, current population and average values of Oxygen consumption by humans.

ConnectEd Canada 2013

Registration Opens and a Call for Discussion Facilitators

The details are coming together for the second ConnectEd Conference. The discussion proposals that have been submitted so far have us very excited about round 2. We are looking for more proposals, please don’t leave it too late. We would rather have a tentative outline of a discussion now while we plot the schedule. We will be in contact with you for a more detailed description to print in the program early in the new year. The list of discussions from 2012 can be found at: http://connectedcanada.org/?page_id=74

Using Infographics with Student Learning Plans

Calgary Science School students have been learning more about themselves this year with their Student Learning Plans (SLP's). During the learning strategies time in the schedule, classes have been discussing their personal learning styles and work habits. The information gathered through surveys, quizzes, conversations and observations are adding up. We needed a way to encapsulate this information into a summary that the student can reflect upon and share with teachers and family.

Infographics have been popping up for some time now online and in the news. These graphics are a great way to present information in an easy to understand and visually engaging way.

The Struggle to be an Instructional Leader

Darrell Lonsberry Principal

I don’t know that there can be any debate that the primary responsibility of school administrators is to provide sound instructional leadership. Certainly, this aspect of administration is recognized in the Alberta Professional Practice Competencies for School Leaders. Our own superintendent, Dr. Garry McKinnon discussed the importance of this aspect of school leadership in a previous blog post. Additionally, I haven’t yet met a school administrator who doesn’t want to make a positive difference in the quality of teaching and learning in their school through working directly with teachers. With all of the reasons why school administrators must be focusing on providing sound instructional leadership, there continues to be significant restrictions and limitations in place that often prohibit leaders from realizing their potential as instructional leaders. I suffer that same sense of frustration from time to time as the Principal of the Calgary Science School.

Grade 8 Light and Optical Systems

Mission Impossible

Our grade 8's have been trying to avoid our motion detectors this week in their study of how light is reflected, transmitted and absorbed by different materials. Our school has several motion detectors as a part of our alarm system, the students were challenged by their teachers to avoid detection. A motion detection light was also mounted in their classroom for testing.

Using the scientific process, students hypothesized what movements or materials would enable them to get close enough to the treasure (candy) without the motion light being triggered. Each pair of students had to devise and submit at least 3 different hypotheses and test them.

National Philanthropy Day

On November 15, 2012 the Calgary Science School grade 9 students, along with the grade 8 ‘Me to We’ elective students, were invited to participate in the National Philanthropy Day Youth Forum in the Palomino Room at Stampede Park. This generous invitation was extended by the Association of Professional Fundraisers who also organized a simultaneous luncheon for Calgary’s philanthropic community to highlight and celebrate the generosity of our city’s many benefactors.

Inquiring into Plant Growth and Changes in Grade 4

Amy Park and Deirdre Bailey

Earlier this year we had a pretty cool opportunity to connect with Mount Royal University professor Dr. David Bird to co-present on Plant Growth and Changes for the Calgary Science Network. We were most eager for an opportunity to ask Dr. Bird what one one thing he wished his university students came in with that we might be able to foster in elementary school. His answer was unhesitatingly curiosity. He wished his students arrived at university with a desire, confidence and ability to ask scientific questions. Overwhelmingly, many of them arrived reluctant to explore, preferring instead to wait for instructions on what to think or how to deliver in order to "pass the course".

Launch of the Imperial Oil Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Initiative

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 University of Calgary announced a major partnership.

Photograph by: Leah Hennel , Calgary Herald

One of the 16 descriptors of Exemplary Teaching in the Calgary Science School makes reference to a research focus where classrooms are thriving places of active research and teachers and students are learning together and from each other. Another descriptor highlights a focus on inquiry where students and teachers explore real-life questions to develop a better understanding of our world. These two descriptors and several others in the exemplary learning and teaching frameworks were very much in evidence on November 6 when some very special guests came to the school for the launch of the $2.5 million Imperial Oil Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics initiative (IOSTEM) in partnership with the University of Calgary. The members of the Calgary Science School community were very pleased to host the official launch of this exciting initiative.

Spelling with Substance

Mike Neufeld

As a teacher in an inquiry based school, I thoroughly enjoy approaching the curriculum with students in a manner that accommodates flexibility and open-ended exploration. This manifests itself easily in larger, inquiry-based projects, yet I always find that I ask myself, “What does Inquiry look like for smaller, day to day lessons?” With this in mind, I was curious as to how I might take spelling beyond rote memorization of lists and paragraphs and into something that was more individualized for the diverse students in my classroom.

Envisioning Exemplary Collaboration at CSS

Ivy Waite

Here at CSS, we are privileged in our school’s approach to collaboration and the time that we are given to work together. The inclusion of collaboration in the Exemplary Teaching and Learning frameworks is not just another indicator. Collaboration is at the heart of the amazing things that happen at CSS. That being said, the actual, lived experiences of collaboration are vastly different from one teaching team to the next. Teachers do, however, seem to agree that relationships are key to successful collaboration, and evaluating such dynamic processes is difficult. 

ConnectEd Canada

We are pleased to announce that the Calgary Science School will once again host the annual ConnectEd Conference on May 24-26, 2013.

The conference will begin on Friday May 24, 2013 at the Calgary Science School on a "regular" school day. Attendees are encouraged to visit classrooms, observe lessons, and speak with teachers and students.

Saturday and Sunday will have scheduled discussion topics hosted at the school. As was the case last year, the sessions will be built around discussions and conversations hosted by a facilitator. The event will provide the time and space for all stakeholders to discuss emerging topics, share practice and build relationships that will extend beyond the three days.

Dialogue with Alberta Education

Dr. Garry McKinnon

The members of the Calgary Science School leadership team (Superintendent, Garry McKinnon; Principal, Darrell Lonsberry and Assistant Principals, Phil Butterfield and Scott Petronech) were invited to make a presentation to the Deputy Minister, Assistant Deputy Ministers and senior Alberta Education staff in Edmonton on October 15. The purpose of the dialogue session was to share some background information in regard to the Calgary Science School with a specific focus on exemplars in learning, teaching and leading relating to the Inspiring Education agenda. The Calgary Science School leadership team members invited Dr. Pamela Adams, professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Lethbridge to join them for the presentation. Dr. Adams is completing the second year of a two-year Naturalistic Inquiry research dealing with innovative practices to promote learner engagement, instructional leadership and professional learning.

The Calgary Science School: Our Story

Deirdre Bailey and Amy Park


The process of inquiry can seem "undefinable" at times, however, through the process of documentation, it becomes clearer and more tangible - for students, teachers, and parents.
Earlier this month as part of an Action Research project, we proposed to compile a comprehensive video that effectively identified who we are at the Calgary Science School, what we do, how we do it and why. Our schools Exemplary Learning and Teaching Frameworks were carefully woven throughout the video.  Footage from all grades and subject areas served as visual representation of who we are, what we do, how we do it, and why we do it.  We were able to make use of the numerous resources compiled by Neil Stephenson, Erin Couillard and others via the school's Connect blog, as well as some of our own artifacts and more recent interviews. Testimonials from staff, students, parents and visitors to our school were integrated with snippets from current research in the education field. The goal was to use student, parent and teacher voice to describe the work we do and to attempt to articulate what is most powerful about teaching and learning at CSS.

Field Experiences

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 purpose of the course is to have the students inquire into and document the lives and cultures of students, teachers and schools. At the end of the week the students will prepare a digital/visual presentation of what they experienced.

Connecting with Quotes in Fine Arts

Grade 8/9 Drama Quote project
Heather Drage Drama Specialist

The quote project was created to get students away from being literal and finding creative solutions for ideas and thoughts. Many quotes may be interpreted or represented in a variety of ways. The majority of the project was student based research, peer assistance and group collaboration. As the teacher I was certainly the facilitator and assisted in aiding the students away from the literal representation. I modeled many times to be creative…. Be unique.

Drama Connecting with Quotes from Calgary Science School on Vimeo.

Bringing Beavers Back to the Cross Conservation Area – Site Visit #2

Parent Guest Blogger Denise Kitagawa Click here to visit "Out and About with the GeoKs" 

Our first visit to the Cross Conservation Area Pine Creek watershed was back in June. Against a backdrop of tall, green grass and leafy trees, a multitude of insects, toads and birds blessed us with natural “music” over the course of the day.

Things were a lot quieter during our second visit to the site, which took place in late September just after the students (now in grade 8) returned to school from their 3-day/2-night fall Outdoor Ed camp. The students were less boisterous than usual. A couple of ducks landed on the pond and took off a short while later. But most of the sounds were from a tractor and a crew of volunteers hard at work stockpiling small, felled trees and large branches at various locations around the pond, measures aimed at giving the beaver family (mature male, mature female, a juvenile and two 2012 kits) a better chance of making it through their first winter at the Pine Creek pond.

Learning Coaches Networking Day

Originially printed in the Calgary Science School Spectrum
Chris 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 districts to discuss the role and explore best practices and skills as they strive to support enhanced teacher learning. We also hope to build a supportive network of learning leaders in Calgary and the surrounding area, who can develop materials, structures, and supports for the role.

Preparation for Camp Sweet = Increased Chance of a Safe and Fun Experience

Parent Guest Blogger Denise Kitagawa
Click here to read the entire post and to see her stunning photography. 

One of the many amazing things about the Calgary Science School is the fact that students go on two overnight Outdoor Education trips each school year. One trip is to Camp Sweet (about 90 minutes outside of Calgary), where the students sleep in tents and spend a few days camping and exploring the woods and fields – including some free time splashing in the river if it’s warm enough. The other trip is grade dependent. This year, five out of six grades (500 students) are going to Camp Sweet between mid-August and the end of September (the grade 9 fall trip was to the Bamfield Marine Station on Vancouver Island).

Student Blogs "The Bamfield Diaries"

Student Guest Bloggers from grade 9

As a way to create an audience for their work, recently the grade 9 classes have begun blogging. As part of this process, students were asked to recount an experience they had during their week long adventure at Bamfield Marine Centre on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Here are some samples of their work along with their blog address.

Students love when people visit their blog (we are keeping a class tally for the blogs with the most posts). Please visit their site and feel free to leave a comment.

Grade 8 Writing Activity- Show Don't Tell

Jaime Groeller
"It was a crisp morning, but this fall is beautiful! I wish I was a poet or a photographer in order to capture it myself."

We were outside, silent for 15 minutes, in 8.3 despite the coolness. I had them choose a spot to start, then had them move to a second spot, all in silence.

Seriously awesome conversation between two students once we came inside:
Student 1: "How about, like, that the wind "digs its fingers" into you?"
Student 2: "Hmmm, not really. That's not quite it."