Author Archives: graingered

About graingered

I'm a teacher, coach, mentor, mental health advocate, and writer in Alberta, Canada.

Action Research- Fun and Learning?

Posted on February 10, 2014 by graingered

by mrsdkrebs Rationale Statement: My seventh grade teaching colleagues and I returned from Christmas break with a new direction. We are realizing more and more within the context of our inquiry based school that to authentically teach inquiry learning skills, we … Continue reading →

Posted in Inquiry | Tagged action research, AR, collaborative learning, curiosity, engaged learning, inquiry, PBL, student driven, student ownership of learning | 4 Comments

A “Starbucks” classroom…

Posted on May 31, 2013 by graingered

We started with an inquiry question… “why aren’t Starbuck’s Coffee houses drive through only?” We discussed this question for quite some time… here’s what we came up with: They wouldn’t sell as much coffee (to which we asked why, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Inquiry | Tagged collaboration, inquiry, questioning | 9 Comments

One Size Fits All?

Posted on November 13, 2012 by graingered

flickr image via cameronparkins My school (formerly a sixth to eighth grade middle school,) is now an inquiry-focused, sciences and technology kindergarten to eighth grade school… elements that when put together can also be called my dream job. The school … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged #ecosys, #edchat, empathy reboot, Glendale School, inquiry, leadership, learning, learning goals, School, sciences, students, teaching, technology | Leave a comment

Define questions; discover answers…

Posted on September 19, 2012 by graingered

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” – Albert Einstein Cross posted from original post at KARE Givers Traditional school curriculum defines answers and makes up questions. We need curriculum that defines … Continue reading →

Posted in Inquiry | Tagged curriculum, effective teaching, Inquiry Based Learning, learning, questioning, Socrates, students, teachers, teaching | 2 Comments

Innovative Voices in Education- Engaging Diverse Communities

Posted on November 10, 2011 by graingered

A new book is on the horizon. Innovative Voices in Education- Engaging Diverse Communities, is described by leading urban sociologist and Peter L. Agnew Professor of Education at New York University, Pedro Norguera as “clear and compelling… an invaluable resource.” Given that Norguera’s scholarship and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged culture, diversity, inclusion, school culture | 4 Comments

Students as “moving targets…”

Posted on November 3, 2011 by graingered

flickr CC image via johntrainor When I coach lacrosse I’m always telling players that standing still is not good. In lacrosse, as in many other sports, a player wants to be where they think the ball will go before it … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Our dive into self organized learning…

Posted on October 10, 2011 by graingered

After learning about Sugata Mitra’s Hole in the Wall experiment, I started thinking about how the context of Self-Organized Learning Environments would help my students. Last March we created a SOLE in our fifth grade math class. Watch this TED … Continue reading →