wiki+-+staff+meeting+April+26,+2010

__ Mission/Learning Principles __
-Demonstrate leadership in civic, social and environmental concerns -Balance academic, athletic and creative endeavours -Demonstrate a commitment to life-long learning -Exhibit creative and critical thinking -Adapt to a continually changing information and media literate world -Become respectful and responsible adults -Be prepared for post-secondary endeavours
 * Springbank Community High School endeavours to prepare students who will:**

Key Learning Principles:
1. Meaning is essential to learning; hence it is essential to teaching and assessing: Learning goals must make sense to the teacher and to the learner. There must be regular opportunities to see the value of what we are asked to learn, how it relates to past learning and how it will relate to future learning. 2. Successful learning requires metacognition: learning how to reflect, self-assess, and use feedback to self adjust. These metacognitive processes can (and should) be taught explicitly. 3. The complexity of learning requires teachers to draw upon a rich repertoire of teaching and assessing strategies carefully matched to the learning goals. 4. Greater learning depends upon the right blend of challenge and comfort – knowing that success is attainable, and realizing that persistent effort will pay off. 5. To maximize learning, learners need multiple opportunities to practice in risk-free environments, to receive regular and specific feedback related to progress against standards, and timely opportunities to use the feedback to re-do and improve.

Big Idea:
**Understanding By Design is a powerful way to plan and execute concepts to students in a deep and meaningful way. It is rich in process and calls for the use of powerful tools to deepen the understanding for students**

Discussion Item #1 - Process
Backgrounder: At the optional staff discussion on March 16th. Here is what was gathered:

What's stopping us from realizing our goals?
 * Copying & playing school is the game we've taught students and they've become passive learners.
 * Why?
 * we have emphasized grades (need a plan to figure out how to include process without ignoring the good emphasis on grades that got you here).
 * we have focused on product, not process. (need a plan to pilot the use of process like the capstone idea)
 * it's difficult to evaluate process
 * it's subjective, foreign, new to us and we are not practiced in grading process (need a plan to provide professional development in assessing process)
 * it has not been valued (need a plan to make it live in your belief system and to be accepted by all stakeholders).

Please View the Video, thinking about Process

media type="custom" key="5912035" Process Essential Questions: Answer your essential questions on the WIKI. Please identify the response by using **#1**.

If process is to be valued, what is it? How do we currently value process? How could we increase our value of process What does process look like in your department? How do we assess it in our classroom?

Discussion Item #2 - Ubiquitous Computing
Backgrounder: In the Fall of 2009, staff identified that there existed a barrier to utilizing the full power of technology. Limited access has plagued the staff's desire to use technology to deepen understanding for our students. Now that the barrier has been removed with the One to One project, there exists an opportunity to realize this tool's full potential in a meaningful way for both students and staff.

Please view the video and think about the meaningful use of technology in the 21st century classroom and in your teaching practice.

media type="custom" key="5912077" Technology - Essential Questions: Answer you essential questions on the WIKI. Please identify the response by using //**#2.**//

How do we purposefully utilize the power of technology in the service of learning? What can we do between now and the end of the year to prepare for ubiquitous computing? How can we ensure consistency of computer use with within departments? Between Departments?

Discussion Item #3 - Understanding by Design/Inquiry
Backgrounder: Since 2009 (September), Springbank Community High School has been working on creating opportunities for deeper learning for students. Through the Schooling by Design (Undertanding by Design), departments set big ideas and created essential questions to further the goal of improving critical and creative thinking and embed civic, social and environmental responsibility into our practice. Teachers have been working hard to incorporate UBD into their daily practice. The philosophy of inquiry has been cornerstone to the journey

Please view the video and think about understanding and inquiry. media type="custom" key="5912145" Understanding by Design/Inquiry - Essential Questions: Answer your essential questions on the WIKI. Please identify the response by **#3.**

How do we use what we know about UBD to continue our work in the 2010-2011 school year? How can we make learning more relevant to the real world? How should we continue to value the selected mission statement goals (creative and critical thinking/civic, social, environmental responsibility)

**Discussion Item #4 - Professional Learning**
Backgrounder: In the spring of 2009, staff at Springbank Community High School went to a Department-based model of Professional learning to support the Understanding By Design goals set. 5 out of the 7 school-based PL days were earmarked for this purpose. Two of the PL days were set aside to talk about school philosophy and sharing. Rocky View School Division's mandate for embedded coaching created an opportunity for further exploration into teaching and learning practices.

Professional Learning - Essential Questions: Answer your essential questions on the WIKI. Please identify the response by **#4**.

How can we learn from each other to grow in our practice? How do we create a culture of leadership capacity and collaboration amongst our staff? What will the PL model look like to facilitate our growth? How do we prevent people from being left behind in this growth process?

(Please view BEFORE staff meeting.) media type="custom" key="5912099"