| Palliser duo part of AISI first in Alberta |
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| Local Content - Local News |
| Written by production |
| Thursday, 11 March 2010 16:53 |
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Two Palliser Regional Schools educators are one half of a team garnering attention across the province for not only their development of Social Studies re-sources but for the interjurisdictional co-operation they are pioneering. Sherrie Nickel and Aaron Skretting have been seconded to Palliser’s central office this year to an Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) project that will see their efforts benefitting teachers and students in Palliser and two other school divisions. Working with Jill Aman at Horizon and Tricia Unreiner, of Prairie Rose, Nickel and Skretting are designing instructional resources aligned with the Social Studies curriculum. Skretting’s efforts have been focused on high school level material; Nickel on upper elementary and middle school grades. Their work hasn’t just been grabbing the attention of fellow Social Studies teachers. As the first interjurisdictional project of its kind, others in the province are also watching. The team presented at an AISI Showcase in Edmonton earlier this month. Their presentation includes best practices for future interjurisdictional projects which Nickel and Skretting say are an excellent way to capitalize on and share resources. “We certainly have learned how important it is to keep lines of communication open,” says Nickel, of their teamwork so far. For this project, the team has been creating units in SMART Notebook, each with a consistent look, with common icons denoting videos, online links or suggested reading. The consistency means once a teacher has seen how one unit flows, they’ll be familiar with all the others. But don’t think this is just some high-tech “bling” to show off technology in the classroom. “For us, the pedagogy is always preceding the technology,” says Nickel. “We’re not sacrificing the curriculum for the sake of technology. “We have really been trying to meet the needs of teachers.” Skretting says the typical Social Studies teacher in a smaller school doesn’t have the time to devote to integrating technology throughout an entire course. They may be teaching five different grades of Social Studies, on top of other courses. The kind of work the team is doing simply would not be possible for an individual teacher to accomplish while juggling classroom needs. The units include SMART Board exercises that offer students immediate feedback and resources that can encourage classroom discussion and help reinforce what’s being taught. The resources can appeal to a variety of learning styles and support a variety of teaching styles, too. “It’s learner engagement,” says Skretting. “We’re using technology to engage learners.” The units aren’t intended to be the be-all-and-end-all. Teachers can pick and choose from units and add elements of their own as they see fit. The whole unit plan and all the student exercises can be printed and used in paper format, making them accessible to teachers on Hutterian colonies or working with Low German Mennonite students who don’t have computers in the classroom. Since the start of the school year, Nickel and Skretting have been visiting schools across Palliser, testing out units and collecting as much feedback as possible, as they work and rework the units. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. “We’re consistently hearing from Palliser teachers and from people in the other jurisdictions about the quality of work Aaron and Sherrie are doing,” says Superintendent Kevin Gietz. “We’ve heard this is one of the best in-vestments Palliser has made in support of teachers. Aaron and Sherri are blazing a new trail for collaboration between divisions and are creating a body of work that will support learning for thousands of students. They have done Palliser incredibly proud.” |
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