One of the classes that I am taking this year for my education degree is Teaching of Aboriginal Studies, which I’ve posted about previously over the past few weeks. (For my followers who are from other countries, this course has actually been a Provincially-mandated requirement for all educators in Manitoba since 2008.) Today we discussed Understanding the Integration of Aboriginal Perspectives through Theory and I was especially intrigued by our highlight of the traditional Aboriginal view of education. As I will be entering the workforce (fingers crossed) within the year this discussion really encouraged me to examine specific aspects… Read More
Whole Brain Teaching Wednesday! Emotions, Memory & Learning
“I think it is all a matter of love; the more you love a memory the stronger and stronger it becomes” ― Vladimir Nabokov Think back to your time in the classroom as a student…. do you remember what you learned on that specific Tuesday of Grade 10, what your teacher wore in June, all the steps in a logarithmic equation or how many assignments you completed during a certain week, probably not. Most likely, you’ll remember the highs, how you scored a 98% on that one exam you spent hours studying for or winning the volleyball championship, and… Read More
Whole Brain Teaching Wednesday! Gestures
“Signs are to eyes what words are to ears. “- Ken Glickman At the core of many WBT strategies is the use of hand gestures while teaching to solidify main concepts/idea/vocabulary. If you have ever watched any of Chris Biffle’s lesson videos on the WBT website or their YouTube Channel you’ll notice that he gestures almost the entire time he speaks! Before we go any further, I want to clarify that WBT encourages the incorporation of effective iconic/representational and metaphoric gestures that are meant to portray a thought or idea as compared to deictic gestures that are used in pointing. What I’ve… Read More