The following article was published in Lethbridge Herald on January 15th. Teachers have always engaged in professional development. The opportunity to learn, hone one’s skills and improve instructional practice is, and will always be, a professional requirement. In the past, school divisions have held professional development days and teachers have attended conferences to satisfy this …
Category: Educational Updates
Jan 12
No more lone wolf!
Last week in my blog, I wrote about the importance of continuous improvement in educational circles. Framed through the lens of a professional, seeking to improve on an ongoing basis is simply non-negotiable. Our practice must always be on an evolutionary track. The impact on student learning and our desire to be a learner must always …
Jan 04
Continuous improvement is not a New Year’s resolution
I’ve made my feelings known about New Year’s resolutions before. To put it politely, I’m not a big fan. It is not that I’m against kicking a bad habit, getting in better shape or making a positive lifestyle change. All of those life adjustments are positive but my complaint, is that one must seemingly wait …
Dec 08
Open our doors
A colleague of mine relayed to me that the Calgary Science School had hosted nearly 1500 visitors to their school this past year. This charter school, has a population of 600 students from grades 4-9 and is a model of both the science of teaching and inquiry based learning. But 1500 visitors…can you imagine opening …
Dec 01
Learner vs. Learned
“In times of change learners inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.” Eric Hoffer Doctors are certainly viewed as learned. They possess an incredible amount of knowledge and their practice is unique. Their medical degree certainly suggests that they are learned. But …
Nov 28
Developing the Young Brain
During the last couple of months, I’ve been fortunate to be involved in some community facilitated conversations that have centered on the importance of early learning and care. Traditional thinking has a tendency to believe that early learning begins in kindergarten, or maybe a year or two earlier. Although that may be true for what …
Nov 16
Moving ahead…now!
Earlier this week, a large group from our division participated in a facilitated conversation led by Mark Bevan and Karen Shipka from Alberta Education Workforce Planning Branch. The group included trustees, senior administration, principals, associate principals, ATA local executive, lead teachers and members of the PD Council. The purpose of the conversation with this varied group was to: …
Nov 05
From the Desk of the Superintendent- Catholic Education Sunday 2013
Catholic Education Sunday was celebrated in Alberta on November 3. The following message was read at all masses by trustees and administration. Holy Spirit is a regional division that serves students in Coaldale, Lethbridge, Picture Butte, Pincher Creek, Taber, and surrounding areas. Today, we celebrate Catholic Education Sunday. Each year we set aside this special …
Oct 27
Teacher Leaders: Begin with Mission, Vision and Values
This past week we began our leadership development program. It is a program that we offer every two years in the division and is open to our teachers. The significance of the program is twofold. First, with an aging administrative population (in which I am one) and minimal movement from outside the division, it is …
Oct 20
Why George Couros?
Last week our school division had the pleasure bringing in George Couros @gcouros as our keynote for our annual division wide professional development day. Now before you write off the experience because it appears to be another sit and get event, let me explain that George was our keynote and provided a number of breakout sessions as …