High School Redesign

In a system that is more learner-centered, Albertans see the role of the teacher changing from that of a knowledge authority to an architect of learning – one who plans, designs and oversees learning activities. Albertans said the teacher should consider the interests, talents, passions and natural curiosities of the learner. The teacher should inspire and motivate, while planting the seeds for life-long learning.Inspiring Education: A Dialogue with Albertans p. 23

Collaboration is so important and this month I get to collaborate with my Principal Neil O’Flaherty @neilof12 as we co-facilitate a session for ULead 2015 on curriculum redesign.

High School redesign is essential to creating an environment where students can thrive.

Here is a schedule of our day:

9am-10:30 a.m. St. Anne Academic Centre Introduction to HS Re-Design and involvement to date. Here is the Ulead St. Anne 2015 presentation. Norm Martin and Martin Kovack presenting.

10:45am-12:00 p.m.  Bishop McNally High School. Deana Helton and  Desiree Cook Smith presenting. Here is the uLead Conference2015 link to the presentation.

1:15pm-2:30 p.m. Bishop Carroll High School . You can find the BCHS presentation U lead presentation 2015 Banff here. Neil O’Flaherty and Susan Spellman Cann presenting.

2:45pm-4:00 p.m.–Break-out Q & A  (“Re-Design Carousel?”)–delegates can visit all three schools or remain with one at their discretion.

Bishop Carroll High School is part of the Canadian Coalition for Self Directed Learners. CCSDL has been in operation since 1971 based on the ideas put forth by Dr. J. Lloyd Trump in his book A School for Everyone. Even though this innovative school has been in operation for forty-three years BCHS is still working to stay on the cutting edge when it comes to curriculum redesign and we are fortunate to be a part of the team of people working to make this happen. If you have never seen how Bishop Carroll operates please take a look at this short video to get a window into the life of BCHS.

This is what 21st Century Learning should look like:

We want students to develop the competencies to become engaged thinkers, ethical citizens with an entrepeneurial spirit.

We need to work together to prepare ourselves and our students for the future. Here is a livebinder created by Peter Damen @naramata22 one of our School Counsellors to assist BCS students in planning for their future.  Here you will find a collaborative doc that we put together with many stakeholders on mental health and wellness. Please click here for a livebinder of resources on High School redesign.

Here is the video from Italy that Neil spoke about in his presentation with the Capetown choir . You can hear the two choirs joining in at about 2:00 mins. in. This is true learning and collaboration at its finest.

It is The Right Time to collaborate and rethink what we do. This post is meant to provide you with as many resources as possible so if you revisit this blog in a week it will be updated from the U lead conference.  We hope you had a great time and please share any resources you have created with us. Please tweet to @SSpellmanCann or @NeilOF12.

Is it time to redesign our curriculum for the digital age ? What do you think? We believe it is the right time to collaborate with our colleagues and to work together for the betterment of all students like was done in OCLMOOC the  The Connectivist Mooc for Alberta Educators. There is no doubt that this is a process, but it is made easier through the use of technology. We can collate information easier and faster than ever before. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel, we just make the wheel better and better so that our students benefit and become better citizens in this ever changing world.

What a great day to spend with colleagues sharing our best practices. Meeting with leaders from across the world to share and connect is always rewarding. There were principals from Reykjavik, Iceland, delegates from Sweden , New Zealand and lots of Albertans.

Here is the storify I created : A short storify from #ULead2015. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your conference. Go make a difference It is the right time ! Lead !!!