Nunavut

A shot of the crew and I, including two that came up to Chisasibi from Eastmain. We went hiking by the edge of James Bay, which is actually the Quebec and Nunavut border. It was a beautiful day out - water is still frozen and the temperature is at least 5 degrees lower than farther inland. I made several rock towers around the area, many that were knee high. It felt meditative to do so. Reminds me of the art projects that we did at Norval Outdoor School when I was doing my practicum 3 years ago. Great day.

Teaching Science to ELLs

Cleaning out my computer, I jotted this excerpt down from a book I was flipping through in Waskaganish:

With over 80 percent of my science class English language learners, it is imperative that I allow the students ample time to talk. Oral language helps these students make sense of things and cement these ideas in their brains. The best way for the students to learn a new language is to have many opportunities to use the language they are learning. They need to work through the science and experiment with the language to make sense of their emerging understandings as well as the inquiry process. I had seen too many instances when students were excited to do the hands-on work, but then bound by not being able to record or share their discoveries. The county kits limit them to mere exploration, never really allowing them to make con centre conclusions about those hands-on experiences.

Sports in Toronto

It's been a while since I biked! I am a bit over my healthy weight right now but I pushed myself and did 11 km today, plus rockclimbed at the gym for 2 hours.

Also, I saw on my friend's Facebook photos that beach volleyball is happening again at Ashbridge's Bay. I'm sad that this is the first time in 5 years that I will not be able to join a league!

OAME 2013

Back in Toronto briefly. Went to the OAME conference. I was so excited that I finally got to go this year!

This was one of the four workshops I took. Wendy Hill is amazing.


OAME 2013 - Wendy Hill and The Learning Carpet from Min Min T on Vimeo.