It’s 2020 and we’re back to school! Across Canada, many of us have had a couple of weeks to pause and reflect on the past year, and consider our goals for 2020. But as we dive back into the fast pace of work in education, how will we meet our own learning needs, to build our expertise to better meet the learning needs of our students?
For many years, educators in Ontario have chosen a single word to focus on for the year. We reflect on it, blog about it, think about how it changes our perspective on our work. Julie Balen has often led this work, collating all the words, then constructing word clouds to reveal the choices.
This year, we would like to invite educators from all across Canada to participate. It’s easy, and it’s fun. It builds connections, inspires us to reflect and share, and it shows us what educators in other provinces are putting at the top of their lists for a learning focus this year.
Why should you join in? Julie said it best in 2016:
“There are many reasons why one would take on this challenge, but for most, it comes down to focus and intentionality. Having one word through which to “see” your practice, to guide your work, and to reflect on your professional learning gives you a chance to be really intentional about your professional growth. Having one word to concentrate on allows you the time to delve into the nuances of the word, to look at it from various angles, to hold it close and then to view it from a distance. Having one word gives you the chance to be shaped by it.”
Please join us!
Before January 24 at midnight your time, pick a word that will be your focus for the year. Tweet it out using the hashtag #OneWordEdCan. I’ll collect the words and build the word cloud.
Need some inspiration? Here are some of the great posts Ontario educators have created in past years.
- Julie Balen, 2018
- Julie’s “WHY JOIN?” from 2018
- Helen DeWaard, 2019
- Mark Carbone’s documentation
- Sue Dunlop, 2018
- Stephen Hurley, 2017
I look forward to learning with you in this new decade and beyond!
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