Archive for November, 2009

From Here…

// November 22nd, 2009 // 24 Comments » // Features

It seems that lessons are where you find them. I have been involved in a lot of planning and meetings and all the other stuff that as an Instructional Coach steers me away from the classroom. But once again as I have found before students are the salvation. I got a chance to work in multiple classrooms last week and the students energy infected me faster than H1N1. Teaching for me is so much a learning process and that is the draw. All of us get frustrated from time to time but the advantage we have with teaching is that we can adjust. We can say from here I will change this or strive for that. The reasons we come to teach are varied but I find for most of the people I see the commitment is deep and meaningful. So if you get worn, stop adjust and say. From here I will…….

Notes from the Multigenre crew

// November 11th, 2009 // 7 Comments » // Comments

Here is a great note from one of our friends. We started our journey with our first Edu-video by filming for Laurie’s Class at Concordia, almost 2 years later it is being used as a reflection piece. Thanks to all who collaborated and added to this ongoing education wave.

Dear NYAT
We watched the good ‘ol multigenre video in my Experiences in Writing class today. It, in fact, started off our class and I’ve never used it at the beginning before. But something clicked….clicked like you could feel it moving in the room. (If I could name “it,” I believe my dissertation would write itself.)

It struck me today as I was watching and laughing and remembering those students and their writing that while my teaching and learning essence is unchanged, I am more a teacher than I was when you filmed that class with their work. And it reminded me of what you two remind me about much of the time.

To be a teacher (and learner for that matter) is to never settle, to always move toward the mores, and to continue to rest with and alongside those that believe in vision and the potential that vision can illuminate.

Thank you for the indirect reminder and for letting me grow alongside you two visionaries.

Laurie

flurry- not the Micky-D kind, either

// November 3rd, 2009 // 13 Comments » // Comments

I have had a lot of success and even more failure in the past quarter of this year, and I have been holding that in instead of sharing with those that check this site. If you are reading right now I owe you an apology for not being a consistent poster. It has felt good to take a break from it all, but I have lost sight of why I started in the first place.
If I can jump right in- and I can, it’s 50% my site :) – today was tough. I was so happy I had an active hands on activity planned for the first few days back from break. I thought it would give students a chance to ease back into the classroom without the need to be constantly talking over me trying to lecture or interrupting each other during individual work. The problem, though, was that they are still enjoying talking over each other and insulting one another than they are enjoying working on these posters. We are going to struggle to get it done on time, and it is the first time all semester I have fallen behind where I wanted to be. It’s frustrating, and I’ve had to make compromises with students to get us back on track. I know it isn’t the end of the world, and the majority of the students are doing quality work, it’s just hard to be ok with the level of…ahem…enthusiasm?…of the students. I know things will settle down, and I’m hoping a new and vastly improved seating chart might cool the jets of some high fliers. Why is it we always feel we need vacations after vacations?

-Jarred

Circle

// November 2nd, 2009 // No Comments » // Features

Well life is sometimes a funny path. The NYAT team has decieded to move the energy back to the main page. This means no personal pages for us but hopefully more blogposts for the mainsite. Telephone tell a friend and let’s get a new feedback loop going with good discussion and yes soon the podcasting will again be in full effect. Thanks. D