It’s the start of another school year and I couldn’t be more excited. Great things are happening at GCHS including the introduction of some awesome new courses focusing on entrepreneurship and coding. I’m excited to say that I will be leading the coding courses, (ICS2O) this year.
I’m looking forward to working with students in an open, inquiry-based style. I have a feeling some of the students will have a background in computer science, and it will be fun to learn what they already know – and what they’d like to know. I have added some coding resources to the resources page on this website. There was a high demand for the course and I will work diligently to make it interesting, engaging, and useful for students.
I am also pumped to once again teach ENG2D – Grade 10 Academic English. I changed the design of the course to include more discussions, inquiry-based learning, performance tasks, and culminating activities. I found students have a richer understanding of the material, are more engaged, and more likely to complete expectations. This course includes a good mix of material, (Romeo & Juliet, Lord of the Flies and To Kill a Mockingbird are the foundational texts) so I think it will work out well.
So, welcome to new students. Welcome to new parents and guardians. Welcome to the 2016-2017 school year!
It is shaping up to be another excellent year! Thank you for planning your courses so that they help students to see the relevance of their learning and thus, see their learning as “making a difference”! I look forward to continuing our pedagogical discussions Steve!! Happy New School Year! Enjoy those first days with your students as they co-construct their learning environment. Nicki