Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Dive into a good book this holiday!

A good book is a great treat at any time of the year, but over the holidays, it’s so nice to be afforded a bit of extra time to curl up with something that sparks our imagination or challenges our perspective.  As you sip you holiday beverage of choice over the next couple of weeks, here are some reading selections for whetting your curiosity and creative thinking:
Critical Maths for Innovative Societies: The Role of Metacognitive Pedagogies” (Zemira Mevarech and Bracha Kramarski – OECD Publishing)
InvestigatingCulturally Responsive Mathematics Education” (Cynthia Nicol, Jo-ann Archibald, Jeff Baker)
Learning from Place: A Return to Traditional Mushkegowuk Ways of Knowing” (John-Paul Restoule, Sheila Gruner, Edmund Metatawabin)

Meeting Wise:Making the Most of Collaborative Time for Educators(Kathryn Parker Boudett and Elizabeth A. City)

For last minute gift ideas for children, check out these book recommendations from the Self-Regulated Teacher  or visit the Strong Nations bookstore in Nanaimo or online. 
Wishing you all a relaxing and joyous holiday from the NOII! 

Monday, December 1, 2014

Getting Beyond "No" | Judy Halbert | TEDxWestVancouverED

How many times do children hear the word “no” at home or school on a daily basis? How do you think this impacts their willingness to work through challenges and their capacity to stay curious? Judy addresses (so eloquently, I might add!) these questions in her recent TEDx talk presented in West Vancouver earlier this fall. And more importantly, she challenges us as educators to strive to “get beyond no” in our teaching, as well as nurture this ability in our learners.
She begins by referring to Chris Kennedy’s – Superintendent of Schools in West Vancouver – “Culture of Yes” blog (check it out if you haven’t already), and her opinion that in developing a culture a yes, we first need to get beyond no….by being open to new ideas, building the capacity to see opportunities rather than obstacles, and be willing to take risks.
Judy’s reference to the Lil’wat concept of watchful listening as one strategy we can use to begin to build resilience for our students to get beyond all the ‘no’ responses in life really resonated with me. To learn more about this, please watch the video and share it with your colleagues.

We also continually updating our “Resources” page on the NOII website, so check back often for new additions. We just posted the European Journal of Education article Creating and Sustaining Inquiry Spaces For Teacher Learning and System Transformation  (Linda Kaser and Judy Halbert, 2014) which provides a succinct overview of the progress of the Networks over the past 15 years.