For teachers who are new to using coding in the classroom, I wanted to help develop resources and training materials that would help them become more comfortable with the content. To that end, I have begun to offer videos that demonstrate concepts from various grade levels. I hope this will Read more…
Yesterday, the Ministry of Education announced a new math curriculum for grades 1-8. One of the major new additions is coding. This is the first time coding has been explicitly included in the math curriculum. I’m excited about this! Many educators have been integrating coding as a way to meet Read more…
Students with ASD can sometimes struggle with their sensory input. That said, many students can benefit from a sensory break – not just those with sensory processing disorder. Sensory breaks can be a good way for a student to regulate the amount of sensory input they are getting – either Read more…
A while back, I attended a one-day workshop on selective mutism. This doesn’t make me an expert – nowhere close. So please, don’t take my reflections as advice – consult with parents, special education staff, speech-language pathologists, mental health professionals, etc., if this is a challenge you’re currently trying to Read more…
Let’s do the math – do teachers really get too much vacation? Teaching was not my first job. I have held several other positions “in the real world”. I don’t claim to speak for every other job out there – some are clearly better than others – completely understood. Nor Read more…
I’m teaching an LTO in a grade one French immersion classroom this year. Teaching grade one, in a second language, has meant trying completely different strategies than ones I have used in the past. This week, I started trying a new method of scheduling in my classroom. It looks like Read more…
I often have fellow teachers ask me about books I might suggest for elementary Core French. It’s a valid question – but there’s often more to dig into before I’m able to answer. So, please allow me to back the train up for a moment (or two). I do like Read more…
Language Matters As society, we continually evolve when it comes to language. In recent history, we have become much more reflective, especially when it comes to language that holds meaning for particular groups of people. We’ve stopped saying, “That’s so gay!”. At the time when the phrasing was popular, if Read more…
Switches provide a way to access technology by pressing a button, taping a pad, or any number of other methods based on that user’s motor strengths. Switches can be used with iOS in several ways. The accessibility feature called Switch Control can allow a user to control navigating the entire Read more…
I’ve used these with all students in my FSL classes, including students who have learning differences (e.g., ASD). The students each developed their own preferences as to which apps they found helped them best or were most interesting to them – but usually at least one of these has been Read more…