RachelB

Monday 1/6/'09 Hi Everyone, I am looking forward to meeting you all and making connections in the network.

I am teaching at Echuca South Primary, (in grade 1-2).

I will be travelling down and back each day as I am also a mother of 5 and can't stay 3 nights away from them :)

See you all tomorrow.

After today, the first day, What has been the most interesting idea? Using the new tools for thinking & learnign activities What has been the most challenging thing you have thought about? Getting my head around the new concepts and understanding the conepts I need to teach as a Master Trainer How do you feel? Exhausted, Excited, Invigorated & optomistic Anything else? Can't wait to get back into this and progress further into the unit planning.
 * Tuesday 2/6/'09**

:)
Boy, nothing like you two putting pressure on yourselves-:) As I said today the first day is quite challenging with a lot of information and range of ideas to take in. I'm interested in what you mean by new concepts and which in particular. Can you explain that a bit more Rachael ? - Anne

The 'new concepts' is probably the wrong term, I was refering to the 'thinking tools' and incorporating them into the classroom and teaching the participant teachers the foundations for the INTEL program. I enjoyed our discussion of teacing pedagogy. I also think many teachers need to change some of their paradigmes when teaching and the abilities they believe the students they teach have. I think we should give kids more credt thatn we sometimes do. Without making the learning activities or questioning too difficult we should always have the answers within reach but without 'spoon-feeding' the chidren so they become passive learners rather than active inquirers.


My unit plan thus far
 * Wendesday 3/6/'09**

Well, a little less overwhelmed today than this time yesterday. I feel I am am lot more confident in using the tools and showing these to my colleagues. I look forward to becoming and expert in these tomorrow.

My biggest problem with my unit plan at the moment is student access to computers to use the tools that I will be mebeddign the into the learning. I look forward to embedding other tools into the unit plan to ensure these issues are not to the detrement of the student learning and thinking.


 * GO team 4!**


 * Thursday 4/6/'09**

What a great day we have had today. I really think I am getting under control with my unit plan. Thanks for your input & feedback on this Anne. I was a little unsure of where I was going, but now I feel I can really get my teeth into the unit.

I would like some more guidance on a plan of attack for the sessions to our PT's. If you have any ideas or have heard of ways schools have been innovative in presenting this course to the PT's whilst using the least ammount of CRT money & time whilst still considering the agreement terms of meeting /outside of school hours work. I know this is a big ask but maybe if time allows we could discuss a structure or plan of attack as a group so I have some suggestions to take back to school as this is my biggest worry at this point in time.
 * I think it's great idea to share how we might brainstorm some possible ways to promote and organise workshops back at school. I believe Janice might have talked a little bit about that with some of you yesterday too. Let's see if we can find some time to have a group chat- Anne **

My unit plan is developing and I committ to working on this tonight so if I get enough changes done I will upload the most recent as the evening progresses. I will number these so you know where I'm at.



Friday 5/6/'09

What a great course with some fantastic participants & instructor. Thank to everyone for the conversations and thought provoking discussions.

**GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE ON THEIR CONTINUED SUCCESS!!**

Here is my most recent unit plan but I will get it completed ASAP



Thanks Anne