I’ve just finished Mitchel Resnick's book Lifelong Kindergarten. I love the way this book shares real examples of how to bring powerful philosophies to life with students, and especially that it was so relevant to the kids I work with: upper primary. I’m sharing my sketch notes of the four chapters on projects, peers, play and … Continue reading Lifelong Kindergarten
Author: emily.fintelman
TAG: Peer Writing Conferences
Students need peer-to-peer writing conferences. When done well, they allow our student writers to gain insight from peers on their writing while it is being crafted, and use this to guide their next steps. While feedback from teachers is important, feedback from peers can be powerful, allow a variety of perspectives, and be more instantaneous … Continue reading TAG: Peer Writing Conferences
Prompts for Maths Reflections
Reflecting on the experience is one of two activities necessary to improve our mathematical thinking (Siemon et al., 2021). In Teaching Mathematics: Foundations to Middle Years, we read that "reflecting may involve writing about where we got stuck, what we did to become unstuck, conjectures we tried, patterns we found, and strategies we used" (Siemon, … Continue reading Prompts for Maths Reflections
Rectetris: an area and perimeter game
I whipped up this game earlier this year to give my students the opportunity to practice calculating area and perimeter of rectangles. I wanted a game that included a genuine use for finding out both area and perimeter and could't find anything. The main skills I aimed to have students build through this game were: … Continue reading Rectetris: an area and perimeter game
Iggy Peck, Architect | STEAM through Picture Story Books
I love using picture story books for teaching anything and everything! I love the way rich literature enables imagination and wonder, and empathy and connection in students. These are wonderful starting points for inquiry learning driven by curiosity and care. Through a ‘STEAM through Picture Story Books’ series, I want to highlight some simple opportunities for … Continue reading Iggy Peck, Architect | STEAM through Picture Story Books
Just One Bee | STEAM through Picture Story Books
I love using picture story books for teaching anything and everything! I love the way rich literature enables imagination and wonder, and empathy and connection in students. These are wonderful starting points for inquiry learning driven by curiosity and care. Through a 'STEAM through Picture Story Books' series, I want to highlight some simple opportunities … Continue reading Just One Bee | STEAM through Picture Story Books
Wilam: A Birrarung Story | STEAM through Picture Story Books
I love using picture story books for teaching anything and everything! I love the way rich literature enables imagination and wonder, and empathy and connection in students. These are wonderful starting points for inquiry learning driven by curiosity and care. I am currently working in a STEAM-based leadership role and have been encouraging teachers to … Continue reading Wilam: A Birrarung Story | STEAM through Picture Story Books
Introducing the Learning Assets in Upper Primary
In this post I share some lessons for introducing the learning assets. Skip to the end if you're looking for those. This year my classroom co-teacher and I have been focusing on building the learning assets with our Year 4/5/6 students. As documented by Kath Murdoch in her book The Power of Inquiry (2015), learning … Continue reading Introducing the Learning Assets in Upper Primary
Bastow Middle Leaders in Schools Conference: My Reflections
I've written this post more as a reflection for myself rather than piece for anyone else, but if something resonates with you, I'd love to chat about it. I've got lots to untangle after this. I recently attended the inaugural Bastow Middle Leaders in Schools conference. The conference was, as always with Bastow, high quality … Continue reading Bastow Middle Leaders in Schools Conference: My Reflections
Emily and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Professional Development Session
Illustration by the very talented Ashlin Day The presenter started five minutes late and said “Can you see my screen?” and we all said “No”. I could tell this was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad professional development session. The presenter spent 10 minutes giving us an overview of what they … Continue reading Emily and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Professional Development Session
Mrs Fintelman Teaches 