The SHIFT Blog

  Two and a half years ago, we were given an opportunity to dream about how school could be different.  No box to dream inside, no forms to fill in, no checklist to run down, just make school different. We had small dreams during this time, that made us feel a tad subversive. We had medium sized dreams , where we were able to ask interesting questions and find interesting answers. We had dreamed big, and were pleasantly surprised when you decided to dream along with us. Today, looking back on two and a half years of hard work by all of you, we realize that this dream is not ending, it’s just changing.  The Shift and by default all you Shifters are in flux. Next September will come, you will have students in front of you, lessons to teach.  Schools will plan events, there will be high times and low times. But at the end of the day, innovation will happen, school will be different.  It will be different because of the journey you’ve been on with us. It will be ...

  Like most teachers at the end of the school year, we ask ourselves questions like, “Was I effective this semester?”  We usually ask our students to provide us with some form of feedback .  This year, it’s a little bit more challenging.  We are nearing the end of a year long experiment: release two innovation coaches to work with educators across the school board, work alongside educators, plan with them, imagine with them, teach with them. At the same time the innovation coaches would “pop up” and be home-based in redesigned innovative classrooms in Halton schools .   We wondered, as coaches, can we be actively be planted in school communities, to allow ease of access to those educators wanting to experiment with new and improved ways of doing school? We covered a lot of ground this year with this experiment in mind.  We launched a website, a new blog (which you are reading right now!), and a podcast to make our learning transparent.  We created a d...