It is always a pleasure to visit new schools, it gives me the opportunity to see the variety of ways education takes place. Some schools take a less “traditional” approach to teaching and learning. Some of these schools have opted to be built with collaboration in mind; I feel that the collaborative aspect is very important, it provides a skill that is utilized throughout our lives. A collaborative school really allows me to see my inquiry topic in action, bringing personalized and creative learning into not only the classroom, but the school, with the aspect of self regulation added as well. Students work on subjects (either independently or collaboratively) that they have interests in, topics that fit into the grander scheme of the unit, which all classes are working on at the same time, so it is possible to collaborate with peers in other classes.
Something that I noticed was the sense of community, students and staff all working together, not separated by walls and doors. A school built in this style is conducive to creative learning, both physical (walls and doors) and creative barriers are greatly reduced. Students are able to seek out multiple teachers for assistance and teachers are able to observe a wider variety of students. Another thing is the pro
motion of inquiry based learning. In the primary years, classrooms would have “wonder walls” and in the middle years common areas there would be students’ bodies outlined with questions written inside. Having these questions visible at all times reminds students of their curiosities and promotes exploration, again, independently or as a group.
The common areas are like galleries, art and projects were displayed everywhere. Walking through the hallways one can tell what students were learning about in the different grades because of the artistic themes we could see hanging from the ceiling, on the walls, immersed in the decor. It is interesting to see all the student work 
displayed and I can only imagine that it gives the students a sense of pride to have their work shown off for the school to see. Even though there may be lots of obvious themes throughout the school, it becomes clear that students are able to use their own creative licenses. Art supplies, books and play based objects were easily accessible at all times, allowing students to ex
plore their interests and topics freely. Class time may not be as regimented through schedules and sitting at desks, students were exploring, teachers were guiding
An alternatively designed school may be more likely to promote creativity and personalized learning which permeate the classroom, students will be engaged and excited to learn. There is nothing more empowering than being given the opportunity to take charge of your own learning while knowing that you have the support system available when you need it.
up with some great cross-curricular ideas for how to implement each topic. The purpose of this exercise was to show that it is possible to incorporate the interests of our students into our teaching topics while still meeting expectations set by the ministry.
For this workshop I think that I expressed my objectives and expectations clearly and the group was receptive to my activities. I wanted to make the workshop as hands on as I could since I am encouraging creative thinking. I think that I managed my time well and allocated enough time to each activity. I did not get the feeling that people felt rushed during their Think Pair Share, I think we were able to hear from a large number of people who wanted to share. As I mentioned, I wish I had more time to get into the topics and curriculum activity, but I think that the 15 minutes allocated was enough for everyone to get a sense of the possibilities. I also decided to use a survey created on surveynuts.com and I used Prezi to create a visual presentation, I had never used either of these tools before, and wanted to challenge myself by exploring new tools. I think they both worked well and that my message was received by the participants. Something else I have been working on is my teacher to student talk ratio, I wanted to give the group more time for peer to peer discussion rather than hear me give another presentation on my inquiry topic. I am overall very pleased with how my workshop unfolded, the only critique I have is that I perhaps should have selected either the Think Pair Share OR the topics and curriculum activity to focus on. This may have allowed us to gather some deeper meanings and opinions, however, I think they worked well together and provided some good pre-thinking time and activity time.
What do we think about when we imagine a classroom the promotes creative thinking? Providing an environment where students are free to think, problem solve and create can be difficult for teachers to accomplish. Many teachers are accustomed to the “traditional” classroom, one where students work at there desks, whiteboard up front and scheduled times for exploration and play. We need to provide our students with an environment where they can learn in a way that best suits them. How do we do this? Something that I think is important to be excited about what our students are interested in, in order for them to persue a topic they will still need us as their guide. We are still required to assess their learning, and assist them when they struggle. It is not necessary for us to be experts in every topic just in case a student has a particular interest. We do need to be willing to join them on their learning journey and show them that we are excited about the process. This will show them that regardless of the outcome of a project, learning is still taking place, students will build resiliance and perhaps strengthen their interest of a topic.
When people ask me why I want to be a teacher, the answer I give is not as complicated as it could be, I tell them that I want to be a teacher because I am an eternal student. My background in the sciences has provided me with curiosity that I feel transfers well into the world or teaching. I grew up as a prairie girl in Winnipeg, Manitoba but had opportunities to move around the world through my fathers job in the airforce. I have had many experiences that I value and which have led me to where I am today. I have learned a lot through travel, and it has provided me with an open mindset that I hope to bring to the classroom.