TakingITGlobal

Timing matters – your speaker might be the hook to start the unit, but often they are most powerful when helping students more deeply understand a concept during the unit. The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, for example, does a variety of great demonstrations on pressure and flight. It doesn't make sense to the students, however, unless they already have foundational ideas of air as a fluid, pressure, and the four forces of flight. Sometimes it's hard to know in advance what exactly a session will offer, but speaking to your lead helps. The better you time when to do a session, the more impact it will have on your students. At the end of every session, have the students do an exit ticket. It helps you see what the students learned from the session. The things students most retained are not always what you thought the main point the speaker shared was. Finally, get your fellow teachers involved. Recently, we've had almost the whole school, JK to grade 8, doing yoga together on Connected North. It's been a great way to help break down barriers for students. Watching older students help kindergartners set up their mats and try poses is adorable. They are building leadership skills and a sense of camaraderie and community. Although too many students in one room can make things unruly, often working together with another teacher to do a session can help get enough ideas and participation to build the forward momentum needed to enliven the session, increasing student engagement. Wishing you all the best with your Connected North journey and with the way engaging with Connected North can help your students deepen their learning and understanding in the classroom! C o n n e c t e d N o r t h i n O u r C l a s s r o o m Katarina Gram - Connected North in Our Classroom 77

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