Celebrating collaboration!

One week ago today, on Friday February 12th, 2021, Newfoundland and Labrador re-entered Alert Level 5 under Dr. Fitzgerald's direction, which meant a province wide shift to online learning. For NLESD that meant a shift to Scenario 3.

Many students, families, and educators perhaps felt some deja vu - a reminder of when our province's schools closed following Friday March 13th, 2020 when the pandemic's effect landed in our province. However, this time around our shift to online learning has been met with a strong sense of collaboration, and collective efficacy is driving the learning forward; our character as resilient Newfoundlanders and Labradorians is the 'wind in the sails' propelling the NLESD ship forward through the sea of online learning. There have been some surges, swells, and perhaps even a rogue wave or two - but the collaboration, support, and 'ALL HANDS ON DECK' mentality is keeping the ship moving forward. In fact, many conversations I have had with students and educators alike indicate that often the sailing has been met with smooth seas.

What's behind this success?
 
Check out the hashtag #NLESDVirtualTips if you want to see the seeds of re-imagining learning taking root & growing. Indeed, in some cases - the flowers of reimagining learning are bursting through the soil and reaching for the sun.

Educators are watering one another's gardens of learning as they share, co-create. innovate, and support one another as learners. Again, just a cursory glance at the sharing using #NLESDVirtualTips may have you left, as I was, in sheer AWE thinking about what is possible in education. What might not be as apparent as the spirit of collaboration, one of the 6Cs, is a term used in education called 'collective efficacy.'  

Collective Efficacy is one of the 7 determinants of our province's new school development model. I can tell you that it is one of those phrases I read, which seems to make sense to me, but that I have found hard to articulate at times. That being said, I have to come to understand 'collective efficacy' as an individual, or team's, belief that they can do something. Currently, I feel a strong sense of collective efficacy in our province's educators that they can indeed teach effectively & engage students in online learning.

I am CELEBRATING all the rich learning I have seen evidence of these past 3 days in our NLESD schools. WAY TO GO STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS! 

Thanks for reading,

Richard   

I love working with my Safe & Inclusive Schools Itinerant team. In this Tweet we share the spirit of collaboration from a meeting with Niki O'Brien-MacDonald who is NLESD's Director of Learning. 

Hey @NLESDCA - your Safe & Inclusive Schools’ team met this morning with @Nikiobmac and we want to remind everyone that we should always keep the □of each other at the core of our learning relationships. When we’re good at life, we’re good at learning. #NLESDVirtualTips □□□ pic.twitter.com/zSaptjXqmO

— Safe & Inclusive Schools NLESD (@SISNLESD) February 18, 2021

An example of the great COLLABORATION we're seeing this week!

Hey @NLESDCA educators, here is a (somewhat) comprehensive list of links to Jamboard templates! Credit is given within the doc to all the awesome Ts who have created such wonderful resources to engage our virtual learners. #NLESDVirtualTips #bettertogether https://t.co/kswoqzuqnj pic.twitter.com/mxlMEEVcm6

— Ms.Eddy ✏️□ (@danielleeddy10) February 18, 2021

@Mme_Hopkins shares some really great content. You should give her a follow. I loved this tip for formative assessment in the online learning environment. 

Showing a Level of Understanding scale in #GoogleMeet and taking a poll can be a great way to gauge your class' understanding of a learning goal! Bonus: Meet will send a list of what each S answered after the Meet is over so you can be responsive to specific student needs! pic.twitter.com/hCWNxiIgkR

— Stacey Hopkins (@mme_hopkins) February 18, 2021

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P.S. 

​Richard is Learning:

• Woodworking: hoping to build an Adirondack chair over the winter
• Gardening: expanding on my knowledge and 'know-how' for 2021 season
• Podcasting: learning about this medium and how to produce a quality show. Working with Stephen Hurley from VoicEd Radio on a podcast for my deep learning project on Joyful Learning (check out the tab on my website).
• Facilitating Online Professional Learning: I am wondering about how to extend my face-2-face PL with educators using virtual tools. 
• Appreciative Inquiry
• Deep Learning Lesson Design 
• Joyful Learning Moment: I had two great online classes this week. One was sharing my career story with Mrs. Spurrell's Clarenville High School Career Education class and the other was with Mme. Domino's Grade 9 Health class who I am collaborating with for a deep learning project on Inclusive Sexual Health as part of their unit of study on sexual health. If you have a #joyfullearning moment, share it with me on Twitter: @MrChurchillNL 

Richard is Listening to:

• Sam Fischer - Homework album.
• Spencer Burton - Coyote (A new musician I just found on Apple Music)
• Charlie Hope - Oliver and I love this children's musician. Check out 'Train Song'
• Communication Results in Assessment and Grading ft. Tom Schimmer on 'Hurley in the Morning' 

Richard is Reading: 

• Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead) (Susan Blum)
• Coherence: The Right Drivers in Action for Schools, Districts, and Systems (Fullan & Quinn)
• Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. (Brown) 
• Self-Reg Schools (Shanker) 
• How to Raise a Wild Child: The Art and Science of Falling in Love with Nature (Sampson)
• The Wake (MacIntyre)
• Rapture: Fifteen Teams, Four Countries, One NBA Championship, and How to Find a Way to Win -- Damn Near Anywhere (Nurse)

Richard is Watching:

• The Toronto Raptors
• The Toronto Maple Leafs
• The Social Dilemma 
• Dr. David Tranter's 'Third Path' - Importance of Well-Being and Learning

Richard is Wondering:

• What will I learn in 2021?
• How are teachers coping? What do they need? How can I help them?
• How are students feeling about online learning?
• How long will we be in Scenario 3 for NLESD Schools?
• How long will our province be in Alert Level 5?
• What is Oliver going to learn next?
• What would help our students find joy in learning?
• What makes Learning Joyful?
• How can I help educators learn and grow in 2021?

Richard likes these Links:

• Quiz Maker | Make Amazing Online Quizzes in Minutes (Credit: Don Perry - DOS, NLESD)
• NLESD PL WEBSITE
• Mrs. Lindsey Power's Guidance Page (Some Great Resources for Students/Caregivers)
• Ms. Gushue's Counsellor's Corner (Some Great Resources - ESP Mindfulness)
• https://www.ancnl.ca/satellite-offices/ - EXCITED to WELCOME Association for New Canadians to Clarenville!