Monday, December 9, 2013

Poetry Week


Have a look at this if you didn't it in class. I find parts of this really inspiring, and parts of it really annoying... in fact that is how I feel about lots of poetry. I can't stay away, though... the "tightening" of ordinary writing and speech into poetic images and wordplay is too compelling. We'll can talk more about it on Wednesday.

Tue Dec 10
Poetic Terminology, with talk and examples of why poetry has an important, if odd, role in the life of any culture. Not everyone will become a poet, or become a student of poetry, but there is something powerful to be gained from the study and writing of poetry in high school. Consider this skill set:

  • take powerful ideas and make them simple, beautiful, clear, and personal
  • take many simple ideas and weave them together into complex yet recognizable creation (like the many threads that compose a tapestry, or the parts of a machine)
  • play with language to reduce it to it's bare minimum (being exact with your ideas), and then build them back up to into inspiring expressions (showing depth of thinking)
  • solving puzzles, finding plain and hidden meaning, examining words and ideas critically with the aim of a more thoughtful and interesting person

These skills can be gained from a number of pursuits, but they are all present in the study and writing of poetry.

Wed Dec 11
Make sure your Book Circle Self Evaluation is complete. After, we'll watch the Koyczan video (above). We'll be in the library next for a 2-day poetry assignment... the format is up to you, but you might want to start with a Word document and see what happens next:
  • choose a theme that interests you
  • collect (and reference) a number of poems that relate to your theme -- use books and websites to find them
  • pick a few (two or three would be fine) to explore in more depth; re-read them a few times and ask what the poet is trying to express and what techniques they use to do this
  • identify any poetic terms or devices that are used in each poem that you explore in depth
  • summarize your thoughts about the poem, its meaning, and its use of language
  • include at least one sketch, picture, or image that fits with the theme and poems that you chose
  • write a poem (any style or form) on the theme you have chosen
  • put this all together in a document or entry in your digital portfolio
Thu Dec 12
Follow-up -- more work in the library on the poetry assignment -- #giterdone

Fri Dec 13
Seminar: bring a favorite poem to read to the group, be prepared to offer your insight into what the poem means, and how it achieves it's meaning. Your reading and analysis should take no more than 5 minutes.

For Flex (the block you are not in Seminar): complete all work from this week (key ones are Book Response, due today, and the poetry terminology and library poetry assignment).  Keep in mind that the poetry assignment is due by Wed., Dec. 18th. A test of sorts on the novel and poetry coming on Tue., Dec 17th. Leave a comment here on this post with a brief description of what you did for flex activity today (required). Here's my contribution to the favourite poem category: http://thielmann.blogspot.ca/2013/12/domination-of-black.html check it out and leave a comment there, too, if you like (optional).

Mon Dec 16
Poetry Exercises (in class) and time to complete poetry assignment

Tue Dec 17
Poetry assignment due, short test on poetry, including the exercises from yesterday

Sunday, December 8, 2013

parent and student info

Grade 11 students have a unique option next year for completing English 11 at D.P. Todd, and will complete Geography 12 at the same time. We are looking forward to the second year of a program that uses "blended learning" to explore language, writing, literature, landscapes, and environmental education.

This approach mixes classroom based learning (with a teacher), student-centered learning in small seminars (facilitated by the teacher), smaller groups (facilitated by students), some interesting local field trips, and some independent work (supported by all). 

Students will learn strategies for resourceful self-reliance and collaborative interdependence, skills that are crucial for success at post-secondary schools and the 21st century workplace. Students will also bend the digital and communication tools they already use towards positive applications for learning. We will develop life-long habits for pursuing passion and honouring the "whole self." We will set high standards that balance creativity with practical understanding of the big ideas from English and Geography.

The focus will be on the "spark" or learning passion that each student brings, creative use of technology, critical thinking, integration of the arts, deep inquiry, project-based learning, and use of digital portfolios. We will use examples in the course from diverse sources including local writing and local landscapes. We will use the work generated by students themselves to enrich content and opportunities for dialogue.  A series of short field trips also supports the work we are doing.  During the first year of the program, we took a "sustainability" themed tour of UNBC, visited the PG Wastewater facility, hiked the Ancient Forest Trail, and studied the Lheitl T'enneh culture at the Exploration Place.

About two-thirds of the time the learning will be guided by the teacher (traditional lessons in class) and about a third of the time students will be able to craft their own interests, skills, artistic and intellectual abilities into their classwork, projects, and assessment. This part takes place during "flex" blocks -- independent work, groups of 3-5 led by students, seminars of 8-10 with the teacher. Many of the learning resources and reading/viewing will be "flipped" or posted online for students to work through during the flex time, allowing for more interactivity when we are together. Students have some time built in to work when and where they want, but also daily activities at school and in class. That's blended learning.  It's also an experiment with new curriculum goals and other aspects of the BC Education Plan.

Students completing this program receive full credits for both English 11 and Geography 12 -- the learning outcomes from both courses will be addressed. This "Language and Landscape" program takes place in two blocks in one semester (e.g. A & B) and allows flexible attendance during one of the two blocks. Pre-requisites: English 10 and Social Studies 10. 

For more information, email gthielmann@sd57.bc.ca, come talk to me in room 180 or read more of the posts on this blog. I think students have a lot more to offer than we often give them the space to attempt.   This program is designed to see what that looks like.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

TED talks that make you think



WEDNESDAY DEC 4th
On the advice of Ft. St. James teacher Ms. Inden, we watched this TED talk on the aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and the resilience of the "babushkas" that refused to leave. We had (what I think was) a great discussion afterwards about emotional attachment, impact of experience on the body and mind, memory of landscapes, nature vs nurture, respect for ancestors (in Aboriginal culture and elsewhere), the power of dreams, and genetics. It was interesting to throw in this CBC story about how memories of fear can be passed on from father to son (in rats, anyways).

TASK: Leave a comment on Ms. Inden's class blog <geography12.wordpress.com> -- choose one of these options:
1) respond to her prompt about what HOME means to you. You are well practiced in this having done a few "topophilia" related writing assignments.
2) respond to the Chernobyl video, your thoughts about why the babushkas were so stubborn about staying and what this says about people's connection to place
You'll notice that many of Ms. Inden's students did both -- connections to home, to place, and also their analysis of the Chernobyl story. You could also choose one of these
3) respond to a comment left by one of her students -- maybe something said struck a chord with you and you could write a bit about your thoughts
4) respond to the class discussion we had with your own thoughts -- was there something you wish you could have added to the discussion?

It was really great that one of our students has some prior knowledge about Chernobyl... Dyllan was able to share some insight into the nature of the disaster and thoughts about what the future held for the region. She also shared some great links:
THURSDAY DEC 5th
Continuing with the theme of TED talks, let's take a look at a few that relate to the theme of poetry, something we'll study in the next couple of weeks. Take a look through the options at http://www.ted.com/topics/poetry -- there are three pages worth of titles. You'll notice that some include poetry, some are about poetry, and some are just "poetic" in nature. Maybe a few that don't fit at all. Look at a few (read the summary), and pick ONE to view. Next, compose a news article as if you were an audience member during the talk and were reviewing or reporting out about what you heard, learned, and thought about the talk. TASK: Save your article or review in your files and place a copy in your portfolio (do not leave it as a comment here). Should fit on one page --  keep it under 400 words. Here are some tips for writing reviews (pull some ideas out for writing a review on a TED talk):
http://www.spiritofbaraka.com/how-write-a-movie-review
http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/specific-types-of-writing/book-review
http://bookercritics.wordpress.com/writing-documentary-reviews/
Also, just read through the comments on the talk you picked -- this will give you ideas about different ways to think about what was said.


FRIDAY - FLEX BLOCK - DEC 6th
For seminar on Friday, we'll be looking ahead to upcoming Geography and English learning outcomes and sharing where we're at with our responses to the Book Circles. Maybe we can try to recreate/imitate the diverse and thoughtful discussion we had today! When you are not in seminar, here's your Flex assignment... find a powerful TED talk, one that makes you think, and respond with your (deep!) thoughts in a well-written paragraph. Take your time to get to know the search tools -- get closer to a topic that really interests you before you start reading or viewing too much -- this does not have to be a talk about something related to our English and Geography topics, it is purely something that grabs your attention. TASK: Try writing down your thoughts immediately after you watch the one you pick, and then come back after a few minutes (maybe after  sandwich break?) to write more and edit.  Proof read your work, read it out to yourself to see if it makes sense, leave a copy in your portfolio, and paste the paragraph into a comment for this blog post. A reminder -- your comment here is both an indication of what you learned and also a way for me to check that you used your Flex time as intended. The comment can/should be left anytime on Fri., Dec 6th.

Friday, November 22, 2013

Flex Nov 22 (three weeks before Desolation of Smaug comes out)

Yes, Hobbit Movie part 2... did I tell you that our class is booked in to see it? Last afternoon before Christmas break.

Today's seminar and flex are quite straightforward.

Seminar 1: those who have read 2 or more chapters of Into Thin Air

Seminar 2: those who have read less than that.

We will be "deconstructing" the novel study and developing ideas together for how to do a meaningful exploration of the book.

Flex (the time you are not in Seminar): Read! At least the first 2 chapters.  After that, please work on one of your two projects underway:

Expressing Landscapes (Geomorphology Wrap-up Assignment, went our in class yesterday), or GeoNarratives (long-term Project-Based Learning)

Alternately, read on your own, whatever book you have on the go for November, and respond to what you are writing (a version of which goes into your digital portfolio).

I sure enjoy reading the snippets of writing that many of you have placed in your digital portfolios.  It really helps me see high school and the "human drama" (you are teenagers, after all) in a new light.  Something terrible (wonderful?) happens when you get older -- you forget what it is like to experience the world with the raw emotions and malleability of adolescence.

Finally... accountability -- I take attendance for the flex by checking the comments below.  Leave a comment that indicates what you did today for or during flex.  This also helps me provide "formative" feedback for what you are learning.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Flex Nov 7/8 the one before Remembrance Day

You have two flex days coming up -- Thursday Nov 7th (backed with Seminar) and Friday Nov 8th (backed with Consultation).

FLEX -- for both Flex blocks, I'd like you to respond to the Remembrance Day prompt below, plus you may choose to work on one of the following:

1. update your portfolio (see below)
2. work on the GeoNarratives project
3. read the book you have on the go & respond to your reading

SEMINAR -- During Thursday's session, you will be showing the group and your teacher your Portfolio, which by now should include these required items:
  • 5 images from your Geographic Themes Photo Essay 
  • Topophilia piece -- your first or most memorable experience in Nature 
  • Mass Wastage Case Study including creative account of the incident 
  • Lheidl T’enneh research inquiry 
  • reading journals -- should have read/responded to two books (one for Sep, one for Oct)
and should also include some of these optional items:
  • samples (whole pieces or snapshots) from work you have done in class -- e.g. Geographic Issues research, Should We Colonize Mars?, Famous Geographer biography 
  • other creative writing you have done, fiction or non-fiction 
  • literary references to rivers, caves, ice, or glaciers 
  • interesting links, objects found, observations, quotes, etc. that relate to our work and your interests 
  • current events, news stories that relate to language, landscape, literature, or environment
  • photos from one of our field trips, e.g. Ancient Forest
CONSULTATION -- On Friday, take a 5 minute break from what you are doing for Flex and come see your teacher in the classroom. Be prepared to talk about what you think you'd like to do for your GeoNarratives project and then we'll toss some ideas around about what shape this project might take.

REMEMBRANCE DAY -- two options -- choose one to think about and respond with a solid paragraph. Save this piece of writing to your portfolio and also leave it below as a comment. I will check these comments on the weekend as a way of knowing that you are paying attention to these "Flex" posts -- this is a course requirement and necessary if we want the class/seminar/flex model to go smoothly. Flex only makes sense if you use it to learn and work hard on the parts of our program that we talk about in class but do not work on directly in class. Choose between 1 or 2 (you can do both if you really want to).

1. I'm interested in some of the geographic connections you have to Remembrance Day. Think back to someone you know (could be a relative) who has been affected by war. Perhaps this person saw military action, was employed by the military, or was caught up in armed conflict. Describe the context and pay close attention to the "where." You may want to do some internet digging to get to know the place a bit more -- the town, area, region in which this person was involved or affected by war, and some of the background details about the conflict itself in that locale.  Here's a news article if you need something to get you thinking: http://www.cbc.ca/news2/interactives/remembrance-day/

2. What do you think about White Poppies? I've written about this myself in 2010 and 2011 and 2012, but I'd like to hear what you think.  Here is a news article you can read to get you thinking about peace poppies: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/julian-fantino-calls-white-poppies-offensive-to-veterans-1.2417592

Friday, November 1, 2013

Flex Nov 1st the one after halloween

Hopefully you don't have too many Halloween regrets today -- somehow this strange Autumn ritual has morphed into a commercial spectacle and plastic-wrapped sugar-fest. Too much treat, not enough trick if you ask me. My only regret is that I didn't take a picture of the zombies down the street. One industrious parent convinced her teenage kids to produce very sophisticated undead get-ups and mill about the street to frighten the trick-or-treaters. My children (age 6 and 9) were thrilled!

Today, we have Seminar backed with Flex. For Seminar, be prepared to share the literary reference you found that relates to Rivers or Caves.  For Flex choose between past or future. Past: complete any of the portfolio items that are expected by now (mass wastage case study, Lheidl T'enneh research inquiry, reading journals). Future: take a good long look through the GeoNarratives handout I gave you in class a week or so ago (you can also see it here)-- start making notes as to how you see yourself doing this project and what kinds of questions you need to ask in order to get going.  Or, you can simply be "Present" in your reading -- read for an hour before or after Seminar.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Cultural Expressions of the Lheidli T'enneh

The Exploration Place exhibit we'll see on Oct 22 is called "Cultural Expressions of the Lheidli T'enneh." Pronounced Klate-lee Ten-eh -- these are the First Peoples whose traditional territory includes what is now Prince George. They were formerly known as the Fort George Indian Band, and are part of the Carrier People, a sub-group of the Dakelh Aboriginal group. They have lived in this area for thousands of years, and continue to be an important part of Prince George's cultural mosaic.

Our field excursion to see this exhibit takes place almost exactly where a Lheidli T'enneh village stood for many years during Fort George's early history, and where this people visited and lived for centuries, and so we are learning both in a place that celebrates their culture (the museum exhibit) and about a place that is important to their culture (Fort George Park). As a teacher I'm interested to see what the exhibit can tell us about First Nations connection and adaptation to place in this region. I'm also interested to challenge my stereotypes about Lheidli T'enneh culture.

I'm curious what your questions will be?

For starters, read through the elder's guide (linked here), a package put together for this museum exhibit by a BC Elder's Gathering. If you need more food for thought, read more about on the Lheidli T'enneh  website. I took 97 photos at the exhibit (linked here). Both the elder's guides and my pictures are also available on the teacher's "HANDOUT" bin when you log in at school.

TASK
Generate one powerful question you would like to have answered by what you learn from the exhibit. This could be about the place (museum or former village site), culture, museum curation process, ancient vs modern evidence, issues, whatever strikes you as interesting after reading the elder's guide. A powerful question is one that does not look for an easy answer, it often requires more questions in order to work towards a response. When you make a pattern of developing and asking powerful questions you are engaging in inquiryPost your powerful question as a comment below.

FOLLOW-UP
After you have seen the exhibit, create a response to your powerful question. This may involve direct answers, more questions, changes to your original question, mention of links or other resources you used to consider your question, and thoughts you had about the exhibit and your question.  In other words, write freely about your question -- a powerful question deserves a powerful response; not a simple this = that, but an exploration of the topic. Post a brief summary of your response as a reply to your comment below -- indicate where you are going with this particular inquiry (this might be a good way to kick-start the rest of your response). Build your full response as a formal piece of writing and include this in your portfolio -- this will probably be a two-page document (maybe about 500 words, the length of this blog post!)

Image source: http://www.theexplorationplace.com/uploads/images/DSCF1377(2)sm.jpg

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Next Step Portfolios

If you've been following on with this blog, you might recall a few posts that have mentioned journalling, portfolios, and "archiving" evidence of your learning.

1. Digital portfolios - looking at different ways to organize and display your work online -- some of you have done this, some of you have not.

2. Journalling - writing about what you are reading -- past and present

3. Topophilia - the 2nd writing activity was meant for your portfolio -- your first experience in nature (the 1st writing activity was shared on the blog)

The next step is to actually start organizing what you've been doing in the Language and Landscape program so far (including #2 and #3 above) and thinking about how you want to display it for others to see (including your teacher for assessment).  It is possible to do this in hard copy (e.g. a physical journal, portfolio, or scrapbook) but each one of you needs to find a way of making some version of this accessible online.  For example, maybe you might keep a beautiful journal of some kind with drawings and ideas, works-in-progress, etc., and then take pictures that you post on a microblog or tweet using a particular hashtag (e.g. #llport). Who knew that Social Media can be used from more than just weird outpouring of teenage angst? Ha ha... I thought that was funny. #srsnotsrs Actually, educators use it to vent and express, too, but I have found great teacher stuff my following hashtags the same way one eavesdrops on a conversation, for example #bclearns. For those of you that despise twitter, there are many other options.

FOR STARTERS (especially if you haven't picked any other way to do this), when you log in at school, make a new folder inside your home folder (the one with your name, e.g. mine is called gthielmann). Call this new folder public_html (exactly) -- this is now a public folder that others can see.  Use this to place portfolio items that you wish to show to others such as your teacher for assessment.  This could be writing samples, web links, screenshots, pictures you have taken, pieces of you are working on.  This doesn't need to be ALL of your work, just the parts you are willing to share plus a few required assignments (e.g. see #2 and #3 above).  Keep it organized -- use appropriate file titles and subfolders for big categories.

Remember to follow general guidelines for web safety - don't put too much personal information online. While your digital portfolios are meant for you, each other, your family, and your teacher, other educators and members of the public can see what you place online.

Leave a comment below indicating what you think you will do in terms of making and sharing a digital portfolio.



Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Flex Time Oct 3

A new use of flex time today...

Some of the students (about 16) will be in class for these two blocks in order to get help with difficult work, make revisions to your short project on geographic issues, or to complete missing assignments.

The rest of the students (about 12) are free to use this Flex where they wish -- it looks like next week, though, we'll start having to keep the Flex in the building.  It would appear that our vision for students owning their learning in their own space and time is a bit ahead of what the board office is comfortable with.  We have "face-to-face" teachers/students/schools, and we have "distributed learning" teachers/students/schools, but putting them both in the same space requires some negotiation.  Fair enough, we'll work on them, but in the mean time let's take a look at what is set up for you for this week's Flex.

Topic: E-Resources
Check out the District Learning Commons site: http://drc.sd57.bc.ca
Look around a bit -- lots of study tools and e-resources (links, videos, lessons, tutorials, etc.) that will be of use in many of your classes. Click the orange E-Resources button (or just go here) and then the LearnNowBC button (or just go here). To log in to LearnNowBC, you must do the following:
  • First Initial Last Name Student Number - Example - MBerra767676 
  • Password - Welcome1 
  • The account setup is easy and requires a password change. 
  • If you already had an account with LearnNowBC your username and password remains unchanged.
Try to find a resource that fits with one of our topics in class right now: geology, plate tectonics, faults and folds, volcanoes, and earthquakes.  Pick one of these topics that you found most difficult in class. You can access your lesson handouts anytime at: http://dpts.sd57.bc.ca/~gthielmann/LL/assets/

The other places to get e-resources is through a targeted web search.  We'll do more with that on another day, but let's not forget ye olde youtube (it's like 8 years old already!).  Here on some videos on class topics, but feel free to find your own (this was just my quick search):

Geology: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-cc8fs3xYY
Plate Tectonics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCSJNBMOjJs
Faults & Folds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSsrm33tjN0
Volcanoes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGObQ6mLWhg
Earthquakes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8mj6ISmXX0

Accountability/Assessment
For those of you not in class today, leave a comment below with two things:
  1. an evaluation of the District Learning Commons site -- what are one or two things you found that you think might be useful for you as a study or learning tool (in this class or any other)?
  2. a review of one or two video resources that you found and watched either through LearnNowBC or one of the links I suggested above -- how did the video help you clarify your understanding of the topic(s)
Other: finish up your work on Lessons 2A, 2B, 2C or get started on 2D or 2E -- 2E (Earthquakes) has 2 earthquake simulation games to try.
Note on tomorrow's Seminar
Expect more book talks, more project presentations, and a writing workshop activity -- Image Wheels. First block: those born January to June
Second block: those born July-December

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Topophilia

What is topophilia?
"The word 'topophilia' is a neologism, useful in that it can be defined broadly to include all of the human being's affective ties with the material environment. These differ greatly in intensity, subtlety, and mode of expression. The response to environment may be primarily aesthetic: it may vary from the fleeting pleasure one gets from a view to the equally fleeting but far more intense sense of beauty that is suddenly revealed. The response may be tactile, a delight in the feel of air, water, earth. More permanent and less easy to express are the feelings that one has toward a place because it is home, the locus of memories, and the means of gaining a livelihood" - Yi-Fu Tuan, Topophila, p. 93
Affective ties with the material environment... in other words, the love of place. This is an important idea that impacts the way humans interact with the world. Special places make us more connected to ourselves, other people, and the environment. It is also the focus of a 2-part writing assignment.

1. What is a place that you love? A special area in nature that brings back strong memories, a place you love to visit because of the things that have happened there. Maybe it's a built-up space, like the home of a grandparent or an amazing restaurant? Maybe it's a natural location like a beach, mountain vista, bike trail, or fishing spot. Or in between, like a cabin. What is the inventory of this location -- the topography, components, objects, characteristics? What do your senses remember? Consider the visually elements, but also smells, textures, and sounds. What is the story of this place... what is your history with it?  Think about this and write leave a comment below with your response. Start with a word document -- do your writing there and then copy & paste into a blog comment here.

2. For the next step, think about about your earliest experience with the natural world, a powerful memory in nature. To get an idea what this looks like, read the intro and take a look at the examples from others at http://www.myplacebook.ca/. You can leave a response there if you want, but you have to be 18 (it's for academic research). So, write your response onto a word document to save in your files and place in your portfolio. This is a writing assignment, call it creative non-fiction if you will, and will be part of what is assessed.

When you have completed this 2-part activity, you will have two items to place in your assessment portfolio. You'll also have the opportunity to share some of your writing next time we are in Seminar. Remind me to tell you about the cabin in the photo.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Flex Time Sep 24

Hello students -- many of you seem to be using your flex time as intended: complete the notes & questions assigned in class, develop your various projects, read & reflect, and look through the media or online content that has been posted for you.

The next step is to start building in "accountability." -- being responsible to yourself and each other for the work that is required in a course of study at school (or any kind of work, for that matter). Over the next week, you need to choose a format for your assessment portfolio. This is the place or space where you put examples of your work from class, descriptions of what you have done, and evidence of your learning. Some other ways we'll keep accountable include: group and seminar check-ins, tests or verifications, project benchmarks, and this blog.

To be accountable for today's flex time, I would like each of you (the ones not on the leadership retreat, anyways) to leave a comment below with a very brief description of what you did today that is connected to our Language & Landscape program. Remember, you should not identify your personal info. Example: "added refs to my geography project, finished 1E & 1F notes, started a new book (Paper Towns), and signed up for Dropbox" - Marcy B

Today's "Flex" recommendations are as follows:
Note: you can find all of the blog posts connected to Flex time by clicking flex in the Labels section to the right. Review these periodically to make sure you are up to date.

Monday, September 23, 2013

inquiry

What are some of the big questions that we want to ask this year? We = the teacher and the educators who are taking an interest in what we are doing, and we also = the students.

WHO? WHERE?
teacher: Mr. Glen Thielmann, BA Eng/Geog (UBC 94) MEd (SFU 2004) http://thielmann.ca
students: Language & Landscape Program http://landspeak.blogspot.ca
school: D.P. Todd Secondary in Prince George, BC http://dpts.sd57.bc.ca

WHEN? WHAT?
Semester One -- morning program combining English 11 and Geography 12 (28 students)
Semester Two -- locally developed senior humanities course Middle Earth 12 (24 students)

WHY?
The Language & Landscape Program is an attempt at a new start:
  1. What will student learning and schools look like in 10 years -- and what can we do to prepare, particularly in the realms of self-reliance and interdependence?
  2. What forms can blended learning take outside of distributed learning schools, and how can blended learning anticipate the kind of learning students will need to succeed in post-secondary environments? 
  3. How can thinking outside the timetable and school building allow student ownership of learning? 
  4. Can the combining of two academic courses provide the cross-curricular experience necessary for students to see learning as lifework, and not simply a program of study? 
  5. To what extent are BC Schools and School Districts actually ready to experiment with personalized learning and other aspects of the BC Education Plan? 
  6. How can student field trips (“let’s go look at something”) be turned into field inquiry (“let’s go interact with and within a space that holds its own story”)? 
  7. What happens when imagination and identity are placed at the core of curriculum, and rich, course-derived learning outcomes are a means to this core, not the core itself? 
SAMPLE STUDENT INQUIRY IN THE PROGRAM
  1. Connecting place by building “geographies” and writing imaginatively (creative fiction and non-fiction) centered around student’s heritage -- builds on heritage projects most students have done at our school in Social Studies 10 and 11. This is the main use of project based learning in the first Semester. 
  2. Using a Personal Pattern Language to bridge real and imagined worlds, a connection between one’s own narrative and the narratives that unfold in literature and real-work case studies (e.g. current events). This is the main use of project based learning in the second Semester. 
  3. Writing (narrative inquiry) in response to Place: Cranbrook Hill, Moore’s Meadow, Exploration Place (“Cultural Expressions of the Lheidll T’enneh”), Two Rivers Gallery, PG Wastewater Facility, UNBC Campus, possibly Eskers Park or the Ancient Forest. Both Semesters. 
  4. Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), e.g. ethnobotany -- connection to Aboriginal culture and adaptive strategies, and the archetype of local folk wisdom (ties to heritage research and heritage skills). We are hoping to use durable QR outdoor QR codes to archive stories and knowledge, and build plant presses for archiving our finds. Both Semesters. 

Friday, September 20, 2013

Journalling

Hello L&L gang... I have to say I was blown away by your book talks today in Seminar. I had asked you to bring your favourite book and be prepared to give us the context for your relationship to the book and read us a memorable passage.  I was expecting awkward bursts of "here's my book, here's a quote" and then all done (you are awkward teenagers after all!!!), but what I got was a deep and thoughtful revelation of the styles and motifs that make reading meaningful for you. For some it was a recent reading experience, for some it was a book that went back many years. I loved the connections to family, friends, ways of getting books ("owners" vs "borrowers"), and the amazing connections you pull from your reading. EVERY person who spoke today left me humbled and filled with respect for how reading fits into your identity.

Anyways... start thinking about how you want to journal your reading experiences this year. Rather than make something artificial where you just summarize stuff for a teacher to read and mark, think about what you would share with a wider audience. What deep, thoughtful, meaningful revelations do you want to express for your friends, parents, and other readers? Start by writing about the book you brought in today. Write for yourself. Not everything you write will be published (that is, placed in your portfolio), but you need to have some writing that you can draw on when you start filling your portfolio with evidence of learning. That't the part that you will share with a wider audience.

Does this make sense?  Ask questions here by (clicking comments) or in class if you need more clarity from me.  Use your next bit of flex time to journal about your reading.  You'll notice I haven't told you what exactly to journal about (besides it being about the book you brought in).  I want you to figure that out... based on the depth and authenticity of today's activity, I have every confidence in you to know what you want to write about the things you read. (Srsly, though, if you need help just ask).

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Google Earth

Do you know how to use Google Earth? If not, why not? Satisfy your inner geographer and get to know how this powerful tool works. Start small with navigation, tiliting, streetview, and tours. Work your way up to measurement features, saving a tour as a KMZ files, or maybe trying the flight simulator.

It's easy to find instructions and tutorials online... I won't even provide a link, just google it!

You'll have time to play with Google Earth during flex blocks and while your team is not in Seminar.

Friday, September 13, 2013

Jandric Book Talk

Our seminar discussion topics today are as follows:

Book talk with Ms. J. - what do you want to read this year?
  • Reading this semester - how do you want to track or journal your reading and “consumed media?” 
  • Portfolios - how do you want to track and display highlights (evidence/artifacts) of your learning? 
  • Reading memories - what’s your story, where do you connect? 
  • Lifestyle - what can we do to make satisfying, intelligent, caring work at the core of your habits? 
  • Social media - can we define some of our boundaries, and what happens there? 
Reminder, half the class (A-G) is in Seminar, while the rest are on Flex. Lab 160 is open for your use.  Second block we switch so the rest are in Seminar (H-W) while the first group is on Flex.

For those on Flex, you have a few option:
  • Finish up photo essay on the Five Themes of Geography
  • Continue working on your Environmental/Geographic issue short project
  • Check out TED - http://www.ted.com/ - learn to use the search videos to find imaginative, challenging, and innovative ideas put together from some amazing speakers. The Giant Trees Ecology video we watched the other day was from TED. Find and watch one or two that grab your attention.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Letter to Parents

Hello parents/guardians,

As I hope you are aware, your son or daughter (or billeted exchange student) has enrolled in a special new program at D.P. Todd Secondary. The program takes place in Semester One (Sep-Jan) during the two morning blocks (A/B). Students successfully completing the program get credits for two courses: English 11 and Geography 12.

The “Language and Landscape” program is an experiment with Blended Learning. This involves a variety of learning styles, environments, designs, and assignments. The way we’ll be doing blended learning will includes a mix of in-class lessons (lectures, discussions, classwork, etc.), small-group sessions (supervised by the teacher but facilitated by students), larger-group seminars (supervised and facilitated by the teacher), and flex time (independent and online work, monitored by the teacher but up to the student to complete).

FAQs

Why English and Geography together?

This is a chance to use literature to explore the world around us, and to use human and physical environments to inspire our writing and inform our projects. As we pursue geographic literacy and authentic use of language we will also find space for interpreting themes, practicing life-long study skills, examining evidence, dabbling in fine arts, thinking critically, and developing community.

Why Blended Learning?

In part, we want to practice the kind of learning that takes place in post-secondary environments -- some larger gatherings, some smaller gatherings, and considerable independent work. Our BC Education system is also going through a period of rapid change -- 21st century, personalized learning and so on -- it is important that we have thoughtful experiments like this program to try and keep the best of the past while trying new ways of exciting student's imagination and building their confidence.

What will this look like in action?

A typical week might play out like this:
Monday (3 blocks): lesson, small groups, lesson
Tuesday (3 blocks): lesson, small groups, lesson
Wednesday (2 blocks): lesson, lesson or assessment
Thursday (2 blocks): flex (students not required to be in class)
Friday (2 blocks): seminar 1/choice, seminar 2/choice

Note: during flex time, the teacher is available for extra help and will use this time to set up the online components, make sure students have completed missed work or tests, and to track, assess, and give feedback for the online work. Students will use flex time for project work, research & study, reading, writing, online work (including maintaining a portfolio), and other learning outside the classroom walls.

What kind of communication should we expect?

During the first week students did an activity where we asked “how can we better involve parents in the learning process? Many students suggested group emails and a website or blog with a calendar and updates. Others talked about what they could do to have more open conversations with parents about what’s going on in school. The idea of “earned respect” came up. We’ll try all of these!

Contact:

Please give me an initial phone call, email, note, or drop by to confirm that you understand your son/daughter/student is taking part in a program that will include “flex time” -- independent work that does not have to take place at school. Students requiring supervision on a particular day can use the teacher’s classroom or the school library. When you make contact, you can also let me know your preferred way of staying in contact, and anything else I should know. We want you to be a regular part of the support and celebration of learning in our program.
  • main phone: 250-562-9525 local 180 (mornings, D.P. Todd) 
  • alt phone: 250-562-7214 local 104 (afternoons, PGDTA office) 
  • email: gthielmann@sd57.bc.ca
  • class: room 180 at D.P. Todd (first class in first hall past the office) 
Course and teacher information:

I use variety of online tools to organize my classes, discuss educational topics, and engage in professional development.
Other:

I’ll send out field trip forms when we have our excursions organized. We’re thinking about a small hike or two, a visit to UNBC Geography Department, a trip to an art gallery, a tour of the PG Wastewater Facility or the Pulp Mill, and maybe a trip to the Ancient Forest. Students may also conduct field study and community interviews during their flex time, but that requires your consent.

Please, stay in touch with me throughout the semester, and ask your son/daughter/student to share their on-going work with you. Check the calendar on the course blog if you want to monitor where your son/daughter/student should be.

We know that students taking online course, distance ed, or self-directed studies often struggle to stay motivated. We also know that the class of 30 students in desks “receiving” their education can sometimes be a passive and frustrating experience. Our program will try to strike a balance between the traditional classroom and more experimental forms of education, including project-based inquiry. There is also lots to say about assessment -- we are going to try to push past just getting grades to authentic learning and mastery of skills. I am passionate about the subject areas and about creating meaningful learning opportunities for students, so I’m honoured to have the chance to do this work.

I expect this course will be both challenging and rewarding for the students. It will require that they take an active ownership of their learning (including time management), make connections with the subjects and lesson topics, and develop their own big questions into meaningful projects.

Warm Regards,
Glen Thielmann,
Teacher, D.P. Todd Secondary

Friday, September 6, 2013

Digital Portfolios

found this "commonplace book" here .
One of the ways we will express learning in this course is through the use of a digital portfolio. This could take many forms, from pictures of work you do by hand (maybe you want to keep a classic notebook or journal), to a blog (Wordpress, Blogger, Tumblr), Google Apps, digital timeline (like Dipity, Timerime, etc.), or something else like Evernote or Pinterest.. It could be as simple as a word file and as complicated as a website. It should be something that allows you to link written work, audio and video files, pictures, etc. You will use your portfolio to store and reflect on the evidence of your learning -- experiences and "artifacts" from your time in the course. It needs to be easy to use (more or less... once you figure it out) and probably free. It needs to be open to assessment (something to hold yourself or allow others to hold you accountable for the goals you've set). It needs to be "safe" -- something that can be shared online for teacher, parents, classmates, others without identifying all of your personal details or breaking any school rules (we'll have a form for that). Finally, it needs to be beautiful, in whatever way that makes sense to you as a student in this course and a person in the world.

Can you please start by doing some research on digital portfolios. What kinds of keywords or combos will you need to find great resources on educational or learning portfolios? Can you use twitter to help you find what you need? What hashtags would you search? Have you tried Google Apps before? What do you think?

Be ready to share the results of your research with others, and leave a quick comment below with some suggested sites or portfolio options that look promising.

Monday, September 2, 2013

Welcome to the Language and Landscape Program

Language and Landscape Program
D.P. Todd Secondary - Mr. Thielmann - Room 180
Semester One - Blocks A and B together - dual credit English 11 and Geography 12

Blended Learning 
some time in class (lessons) some time in groups (small group and larger seminar), and some independent work.

Blend of Assignments
class notes, digital portfolios, writing workshops, involvement of guest presenters, formative and summative assessment, project-based learning, online learning, presentations and sharing, online activities and labs, individual and group projects

Parental Involvement 
Because this class involves publishing of work online, field trips/field work, and also some flex time where students will not necessarily be in the classroom or building, having excellent communication between teacher, student, and parent/guardian is a must.

The Big Why 
Why take this course? What is the point? We are at the cusp of a new set of relationships with education, with the planet, with ourselves. We will develop the skills, practice the creativity, and live out the ideas needed to sustain people and places for the journey ahead.

Student Expectations
This course & program have been designed to reflect some basic beliefs about how successful learning takes place and how it is assessed:
  • students should approach the subject with a mindset of inquiry -- asking powerful and open-ended questions about themselves, the topic, the evidence, and classroom process 
  • students should be clear about what they are expected to learn and express clearly what is is they have learned 
  • showing up, joining in, and completing exercises is a part of learning and the classroom process but is not quite the same as demonstrating what you have learned -- learn to show what you know 
  • assessment of what students have learned centers on how well they can show understanding of the learning outcomes using a variety of measurement tools including large-scale projects involving both creativity and research, self-evaluation, and peer-evaluation, also we’ll used smaller projects, labs or writing assignments, and open & closed notes tests 
  • students should set high goals in this program for interpreting evidence, critical thinking, reading, writing, communicating, and representing; also, plan on having fun and being open to new ideas 
  • we will develop some rights & responsibilities for the class around respect for each other and the space we’re in -- the safety and quality of the learning environment is our first concern


Tuesday, January 29, 2013

What is the Middle Earth course?

There are two options for participating in the Language and Landscape program.

Route 1 for Grade 11 students:
  • 2 blocks, 8 credits
  • full completion of English 11 and Geography 12
  • the 2 blocks will be divided between whole-class lessons, group work, and independent work
Route 2 for Grade 12 students
  • 1 block, 4 credits
  • full completion of an elective course in the Humanities called Middle Earth 12 -- a separate blog describes what that course is about: http://middleearth12.blogspot.ca
Update: originally we thought we might run the double course (Eng11/Geog12) and the new course (MIddle Earth 12) together as one big group, but we had a great enrollment and will be able to run them separately.  English 11/Geography 12 in the first semester (block A/B) and Middle Earth 12 in the second semester (block A I think).  They are also substantially different, so it is possible to take both, although probably not in the same year unless you really want to see me EVERY day of the year.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Middle Earth 12



(Slideshare) presentation (well... the visual highlights, anyways) to accompany proposal for a BC Board/Authority Authorized Course. Middle Earth 12 is a senior Humanities elective course - an authentic, blended approach to the study of language and landscape. Middle Earth 12 is designed to work as a stand-alone course but will be implemented locally within a Humanities Program that also includes other students seeking credit for BC English 11 and Geography 12. Using diverse sources like fantasy fiction, regional environments, and work created or chosen by students, Middle Earth 12 is a Quest for deep connections to people, places and ideas, and powerful skills to interpret and respond to what we discover along the way. Tolkien's creations serve as both a metaphor and model for what we will do in Middle Earth 12 -- he fashioned a personalized landscape using the crafts of a writer, poet, painter, sketch artist, cartographer, medieval scholar, language origin expert, linguistic specialist, environmental devotee, historian, keen observer, and wanderer. He set an example of what relentless curiosity and collaboration can accomplish.

Board/Authority Authorized Course Framework for school trustees and district staff -- "brief" version: http://db.tt/yCrfoQ6A

Documentation on the project development, FAQs, philosophy, and the placement of Middle Earth 12 in the Language and Landscape program at D.P. Todd -- "full" version: http://db.tt/Uziz9EBU