In the Loop – December 21, 2023

December 21, 2023

KEY RESOURCES IN LANGLEY

HONOURING TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION

Centering Indigenous Pedagogies in Math Education Webinar Series | More info | Register
The Edith Lando Virtual Learning Centre through UBC is offering a four part webinar series for teachers where leading scholars and educators explore strategies for centering Indigenous pedagogies in mathematics education. Sessions will focus on classroom teachers sharing examples, ideas, and questions on various Indigenous pedagogies such as Indigenous Storywork, teaching mathematics with/from place and land, and culturally responsive mathematics education and assessment practices. The series is free to educators and while the first session was held back on Tuesday November 7 you can still access the recoding by signing up now.  Future sessions are January 23, February 27 and April 9, and even if you are unable to attend the after school sessions, registered participants will receive the recording. https://elvlc.educ.ubc.ca/unreal-5-cinematics/

DISTRICT PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
To see our full calendar of offerings, visit www.thinklangley.com

Well Played: Math Games that Build Number Sense and Computational Fluency| On-Demand Learning Feature
Incorporating math games into your classroom is a “win-win” opportunity for you and your students. Playing math games can deepen conceptual understanding, encourage problem solving, and help develop mathematical reasoning. Games can provide meaningful practice that is needed to develop computational fluency. And…games can be motivating and engaging as they encourage positive social interactions and can boost self-esteem.  Participants in this session will learn how to play “Evergreen Games” that are easy to teach and follow the same rules no matter what concept is being addressed. You will receive digital copies of all the games and templates to create your own no matter what grade(s) you teach.

Nurturing Young Writers (K – 3) with Matt Glover – Session 1 | Jan 23, 2024 I Register
One of the ways that anyone can learn to do anything is by studying a more skilled mentor. In writing, writers at any age can become better writers by studying the published authors use. As part of Patterns of Practice – Literacy, Langley presents an opportunity to learn from Matt Glover! Join us, along with other school districts, to explore key ways to nourish young writers. Choose to attend one, two or all three inspiring sessions. A zoom link will be forwarded to you closer to each event.

DIFFERENTIATING YOUR MATH GAMES WITH DICE | Jan 23, 2024 I Register
Come join Jane Felling from Box Cars and One-Eyed Jacks for a fun-filled workshop using DICE. This will be a virtual workshop using ZOOM. Box Cars and One-Eyed Jacks math games are hands-on, easy to use for whole class learning, small groups, or in differentiated learning centres. Come see how dice can be an effective tool in inspiring real engagement, resulting in long-lasting learning.

Reggio Inspired Mathematics | Jan 31, 2024 I Register
Come meet with other educators to discuss how the Reggio Emilia approach is a perfect fit for teaching numeracy and how it is represented in the BC Early Learning Framework. This session will include information from the BC Reggio Emilia Inspired Group of educators, examine ties to the BC Early Learning Framework, provide practical examples of materials and activities, as well as give you the opportunity to visit classrooms.

EXTERNAL PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

UBC’s Institut de français à Québec! |  Applications due Jan 15, 2023 | More info
Applications are due January 15, 2024 for UBC’s summer language institute. Immerse yourself in the French language for three weeks, either during Institute A (July 8-25, 2024) or Institute B (July 30-August 16, 2024). This program is for teachers with all levels of French who work with students from K-12. The program consists of morning class, afternoon workshops and evening cultural activities. Bursaries are available and your application to the program is also your application for a bursary.

Unreal 5 Cinematics | More info
This is a self-paced learning tutorial series designed for high school teachers in all subject areas who are looking at branching out into new areas of learning and discovering the power of developing in 3D. Game design is the new literacy and through this short series you will be equipped with enough tools to bring this exciting multimodal learning experience to your class no matter the subject you are teaching.  The series will delve into creating a short movie in Unreal Engine. In these tutorials teachers will learn everything from  installing the engine to packaging our movie clip and all the basics of how to use this amazing 3D game design engine to create a short cinematic. We will build your confidence up from scratch as you begin to learn how to create any environment you wish, learn how to model your own props and finally run a camera through your scene to create  a short clip.

Engaging All Learners in the Middle Years – Interactive Webinar Series | Register
The Edith Lando Virtual Learning Centre at UBC is inviting all Middle School educators to participate in a four-part, interactive webinar series exploring the engagement of middle years learners in multi-grade classrooms. The four webinars will be recorded. Register once and attend any or all of the sessions or watch the recordings if you are unable to attend live. The series will be led by Dr. Leyton Schnellert and Tammy Renyard and will feature special guests every session. The third session of the series is coming up at the end of January – see below:

  • Tuesday, Jan 30 — Angela Stott, Jennifer Eddie, Rebecca Labonville
  • Tuesday, Apr 23 — Nikki Lineham, Kendra Jacobs

The New Frontier in Education: Mixing AI & Human Skills | This on-demand version of the recent webinar
In this On Demand recording of a recent webinar, join Louka Parry and Ariel Gamino as they discuss a broad range of topics including: when and how to use AI appropriately (both teachers and students), the impact on assessment and evaluation practices, equity of access, ethical use, and policies to guide us.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STAFF/STUDENTS/CLASSES

Crayola Creativity Week 2024 | January 22-28, 2024 | More info
Crayola Creativity Week is back for its third year, and educators won’t want to miss this! Taking place from January 22-28, 2024, this week-long, world-wide program aims to nurture young kids’ minds. Creativity Week gives kids space to let their originality shine with plenty of resources, giveaways, unique creator celebrity content, and much more- and it is all completely free!
As January nears and educators prepare to re-ignite children’s excitement for learning, Crayola encourages principals and teachers everywhere to sign up for Crayola Creativity Week and be the first to know about this year’s free resources, activities, and events centered around our new theme: “Creativity Connects Us.”

Reporting for Curio! Contest Deadline extended to January 26, 2024 | More info | Register
Curio’s looking for classroom commentators to cover Canada’s climate change crisis! To enter the Contest, as a classroom, watch a few Climate Change stories from the specially curated, age appropriate, categories (see more info link above) and, with your journalist caps on, put together your own video piece reporting on what you think Canada’s Biggest Climate issue is, and what we’re doing, or what we could be doing, to slow down the effects.
If your classroom submission is chosen, your report will be published on Curio as part of our Climate Change theme! Not only will your class become official Curio contributors, for millions of students and teachers to enjoy and learn from, but you’ll also receive an eco-conscious basket of classroom supplies! Don’t forget to read the contest rules before getting started.

LEARNING RESOURCES

Coast Metro Math Project Website – Updated with Data and Probability | More info
The Coast Metro Math Website is a fabulous resource for teachers from Grades K to 7 who are looking for ideas and resources for teaching math and numeracy in their classrooms.  The website has also recently been updated and now includes resources on teaching Data and Probability. As well, they are hoping to have Geometry and Measurement ready and added by the end of January.  Bookmark the website below for easy access to this very useful and helpful resource!

Everyday Anxiety Strategies for Educators (EASE) Expands to the Early Years | More info
The Ministry of Children and Family Development’s Everyday Anxiety Strategies for Educators (EASE) is a collection of evidence-informed, everyday (mild to moderate) anxiety classroom resources and online courses for B.C. educators to use with students in Kindergarten to Grade 12. Based on feedback from educators and other professionals working with young children, Everyday Anxiety Strategies for Early Years (EASEY) was developed and is now available. EASEY is an online course and a collection of resources providing B.C. early years professionals with practical and evidence-informed anxiety information and strategies to strengthen their capacity to support families with children ages 0 to 6. It aligns with the Mental Health in Schools Strategy and Early Learning Framework.

Canadian Primary Sources for use in the classroom | More info
The Begbie Contest Society has a website full of rich primary source documents that teachers can utilize in teaching a variety of subjects related to Canadian History. The site includes maps, pictures and other primary resources plus a large volume of useful and relevant political cartoons that can be used to teach both the history as well as to provide students more knowledge and understanding of primary and secondary source materials.

Focused Ed Resources for District Staff | Campus, Curio, & KnowBC | More info
Access to online Canadian content, eBooks, and audiobooks is available to all students and staff in the district. Check out the digital resources on the Langley School District website including great sites such as Campus, Curio, KnowBC, and SORA. Reach out to your Teacher-Librarian for further information to access these resources from school or home.

PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL READINGS AND RESOURCES

Personalization and UDL: A Perfect Match | More info
In this article from ASCD, the author’s outline the role that personalization and a universally designed approach to classroom learning are key aspects that are required if we want students to take more ownership of their learning and become independent and self-directed learners.  They also outline how helping students’ develop a Learning Profile and their own Personal Learning backpack can help student’s achieve this goal of becoming a more independent learner.

Instructional Services | #Think35

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