“During my Driver’s Ed, I was so nervous the instructor had me drive to Tim’s. I learned how to go through the drive-through and ordered a jelly donut.”
“My grade 9 history teacher claimed he had many past lives and would tell the stories of those lives for the period we were studying. It ignited my passion for history.”
August may seem like a long time ago for many. As for me, one memory from August continues to warm my soul.
The last week of August, all faculty returned to school, joining the non-teaching staff who remained busy over the summer preparing for September. It’s a huge week of learning, meeting, and planning. This year, it was also the week that all faculty and non-teaching staff engaged in an exercise to define excellence in teaching and learning. It started with a partner activity to share our personal answers to the following:
- What is the best learning experience you’ve ever had at school?
- What is the best learning experience you’ve ever had outside of school?
Take a moment. What would your answers be? We all have them, and would do well to remember.
With these personal stories captured on post-it notes, larger groups assembled and identified the features of these experiences that made the cut. All features were then shared with all staff. Of the 39 different features, all staff then identified their top six. Collectively, here are some of the features that were most chosen by all staff:
- “Out of our comfort zone”
- Hands-on
- Inspiring
- Meaningful
- Challenging
- Involved responsible risks
- Real-life experience
- Collaborative
- Fun, Humourous
- Passion-driven
- Creative
- Empowering
There are many ways to learn, and while not all are exciting enough to be remembered as “best learning ever,” they all add up to making a difference. However, learning that is so special that it remains a powerful memory years later is learning that clearly matters. This exercise was a great kick-off to a new year meant to inspire unforgettable learning.
May the learning in your lives be full of what we aim to bring to your children.
kcsmatters.blog 