Unbundling traditional approaches to teaching and learning

Two things are foremost in my head today:
1. Last week I introduced a new 'topic' - well - I asked them to come up with an inquiry topic for us.

I spent Wednesday at a MOE Digital Technologies forum - the last of 4 meetings - and I was talking about this inquiry with a TENZ representative who I've been working alongside as part of the forum. She pointed out that there were many AOs included in my brainstorm that could be included in the Technology section (as well as others). As I looked at it I realised that if I planned specific activities around the curriculum areas then I would still be silo teaching - ARGGG - what to do - I then realised that if I just planned or listed activities without reference to their learning area then the learning would/should happen organically - or at least I hope it will. An update next week ...

2. A blog post I've read today that talked about unbundling traditional approaches to education - I like this:

I promised an honest post. I will lay my cards on the table at this point. Another reason I have taken this approach to professional learning for staff, is that this is the way I see our classes running and I need to illustrate this for staff. I want to show the process I went through - collect voice, allow choice etc. I cannot and will not expect my teachers to implement change without being prepared to change my own ways of doing things.  It needs to be systemic and “unbundle” traditional approaches. (Thanks Rachel Bolstad for that term, I love it).

As a team leader I need to lead by doing not just by saying ... I need to be the one who takes the plunge, who, as cliched as it may be, 'walks the walk' - and then I can demand, with some authority, that my team teachers take a critical look at their teaching practice.

3. Actually I'll add another - this post from my friend Anne - I love this quote:

"When a flower doesn't bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower."

How profound is that - my comment to her post was that we need to remember this every single day!