Another Look at Standardized Testing

In Ontario, the Liberals and NDP have promised to overhaul the 25-year-old EQAO testing system if elected next month. Political views aside, what is the best next step for high-stakes standardized testing in Ontario? Dr. Andy Hargreaves spoke with CBC in Ottawa (Hallie Cotnam) about the historical context and the current controversy around EQAO testing […]

Transforming School Culture – Chapter 6 Resources – The Fundamentalists (Part 1 – Who are the Fundamentalist Teachers?)

This is a series of posts on Transforming School Culture by Anthony Muhammad – On Audible and on Amazon. More from Dr. Muhammad on Twitter and on his website. In this book, Dr. Anthony Muhammad shares his research on four categories of teachers found in schools. In Chapter 6, he discusses “Fundamentalists”. Fundamentalists are the […]

Transforming School Culture – Chapter 5 Resources – The Survivors

This is a series of posts on Transforming School Culture by Anthony Muhammad – On Audible and on Amazon. More from Dr. Muhammad on Twitter and on his website. In this book, Dr. Anthony Muhammad shares his research on four categories of teachers found in schools. In Chapter 5, he discusses “Survivors”. Survivors are the […]

Transforming School Culture – Chapter 4 Resources – The Tweeners (or – how can we ensure success for new teachers?)

In this book, Dr. Anthony Muhammad shares his research on four categories of teachers found in schools. In Chapter 4, he discusses “Tweeners”. Tweeners are the teachers new to the culture, primarily those also completely new to the profession. Below are some further resources on some of the key points found in the chapter. Even […]

Transforming School Culture – Chapter 3 – The Believers (All Children are Capable and Competent)

In this book, Dr. Anthony Muhammad shares his research on four categories of teachers found in schools. In Chapter 3, he discusses “The Believers”. In general, Believers are certain that all children are capable and competent, even though they don’t always know the best teaching methods to allow learning to happen. Below are some further […]

Transforming School Culture – Chapter 2 Resources (The Framework of Modern School Culture)

The discussion in this chapter begins with American references.  There are more American references in the second version of the book.  At first, I wondered about how appropriate this new version would be for Canadian school leaders, but I think that a simple summary of the American education system experiences helps us to understand some […]

Revisiting Pedagogical Documentation – Some Resources

This week I am pulling together some resources for thinking about how we document learning. In particular, we are looking at how we capture learning when and where it happens, and how we use that evidence of learning to better understand the needs of the learner. Two of my favourite resources include Making Learning Visible […]

Transforming School Culture – Chapter 1 Resources (From Status Quo to True Reform)

Notes on the Foreword by Richard Dufour and Rebecca Dufour Schools are complex places with competing assumptions about beliefs, expectations, and practice. We don’t even agree on the purpose of school. 2. There are effective teachers who are fundamentalists, and ineffective teachers who are believers. What makes an effective teacher? Here is a research hub […]

Our Collective Focus

It’s the last day of January, 2021 – a year we hope will bring an end to lockdowns, self-isolation, days on Zoom, border closures and masks. Our past 12 months have been like no other. Yet, we go on. Tired, facing complexities and shifts in “normal”. We keep teaching. We keep learning. Learning. Professional learning […]

Better Sleep for Better Learning

As educators, we are relentless in our pursuit of understanding of how to enable learning to happen for our students. We consider pedagogical research and build a repertoire of approaches to meet the needs of all learners. Before implementing new approaches, we want “evidence” that the approach has proven to be effective. But how often […]