As expected, lots of learning is underway at KCS.

What you might find interesting is to learn about what our teachers are learning.

Every year includes ongoing professional growth for faculty. Much of the learning is individual in nature, as all faculty are encouraged to identify areas in which they feel they want or need to grow, and then to pursue that learning. Some learning is common to groups of faculty, such as when we collaboratively address a challenge or pilot a new initiative. On top of all this activity, each year has school-wide areas of learning.

So, what faculty learning is taking place this year?

• Many are receiving formal training in teaching Reading Mastery, a Direct Instruction program that has proven very effective since our pilot the year before last.
• Among those who are proficient in teaching Reading Mastery, two are now working on becoming certified trainers in Direct Instruction programs.
• We have teachers taking additional Faculty of Education courses in areas such as math and special education.
• One teacher is working on her PhD.
• Many of us have attended conferences and workshops on best-practices in kindergarten.
• Six are in the midst of a ten-module Leadership Institute with CAIS (Canadian Accredited Independent Schools).
• A number of teachers are currently receiving professional development in the area of mental health, and sharing what they learn with all faculty.  In addition, we are developing our own professional development in this area for all our staff which will begin early in 2014.
• All teachers are learning about new applications in technology, from self-study, in-house training and by attending conferences.
• Many teachers are learning from global professional networks on Twitter and Pinterest; an increasing number of teachers are learning to use these tools so they can develop their own network; a few teachers are learning how to leverage Twitter as a classroom tool.
• Many teachers have signed up for external workshops specific to their subjects.
• All are advancing their abilities to offer Project-Based Learning (PBL) opportunities in their classes, using the books PBL Starter Kit and PBL in the Elementary Grades that we all read over the summer as a common planning tool.
• All are growing as a result of the collaborative planning and problem-solving inherent in making the most of every student’s day.

Our students have days full of learning. Our teachers do too.  Developing lifelong learners is what we do at KCS. Whether young or old(er), embracing learning is a Habit that applies to us all.

Andrea Fanjoy,
Assistant Head, Academics
You can follow Andrea on Twitter @afanjoy.