I.D.E.A.S.: Brain-Based Ways We Think and Learn

The first class will be conducted on Tuesday, May 11, 2010 in the Summerside area commencing at 6:00 p.m. The instructor will be Lloyd Mallard. To register, contact Joanne at Federation House 569-4157 or toll free within PEI: 1-800-903-4157.

Course Description:

This course is about how we think and learn and will explore current information about how our marvelous brain takes in, stores, retrieves, and uses information. New knowledge about how the brain works is tremendously valuable to educators. It allows us to design lesson plans, discover and implement instructional strategies and create classroom environments that work toward enhancing brain-compatible learning and teaching. This results in a difference between students who are only mildly interested in learning - simply going through the motions - and those who are fully engaged in learning.

Please Note:

• The course fees for spring 2010 are $400. payable at the first class (includes all materials);
• The course fee is tax deductible;
• A minimum of 15 participants is required; and,
• This course is recognized for credit (professional) by the PEI Teachers’ Certificate and Standards Board (3 semester hours).

From October 31 to November 5, 2010, on Parliament Hill, get an insider’s view of Canada’s parliamentary system. Meet parliamentarians, and political, procedural and pedagogical experts. Explore key issues in parliamentary democracy. Develop and gather resources for teaching about parliament, governance, democracy and citizenship. Application deadline is April 30. www.parl.gc.ca/teachers

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Du 31 octobre au 5 novembre 2010, sur la colline du Parlement, observez de l'intérieur le système parlementaire canadien. Rencontrez des parlementaires et des spécialistes de la politique, de la procédure et de l'enseignement. Analysez des aspects clés de la démocratie parlementaire. Élaborerez des ressources didactiques sur le Parlement, la gouvernance, la démocratie et la citoyenneté. La date d’échéance est le 30 avril.  www.parl.gc.ca/profs

In addition to the newsletter check out this web link: http://globalclassroom.unicef.ca/pdf/humanitarian.pdf for the resource Humanitarian Emergencies for intermediate and secondary teachers who may be looking for supplementary teaching material for the devastating earthquake in Haiti and the connection to the global humanitarian effort that is occurring right now. UNICEF Canada’s Global Classroom programme is currently updating the resource. If you would like to pilot the new lessons please contact Kelly Quinlan by email at: kquinlan@unicef.ca.

PEI CITIZEN ADVOCACY - Would you like to volunteer as a friend for an adult with an intellectual disability? It is well known that graduating from high school can be the beginning of a life of isolation for Islanders with intellectual disabilities. Many lead lonely lives, without the very ordinary friendships which most of us rely on. PEI Citizen Advocacy is a non-profit organization which matches volunteers (advocates) with adults who have an intellectual disability (partners) on a one-on-one basis. The advocate becomes not only a friend but also a supporter who can stick up for their partner. Through their friendship the partner feels a greater sense of belonging to the community-at-large.

You may catch a movie together, have a coffee, visit a friend or go for a swim. It may be a couple of hours a month or a couple of hours a week. Volunteer advocates make a huge impact on the lives of those they are matched with. A partner recently said: "My advocate is a great friend. She gets me out in the community and helps me with any problems. Our friendship makes me feel happy". PEI Citizen Advocacy is presently looking for people interested in becoming advocates for six people from across PEI. If you are interested or would like to find out more about us we may be reached at our office at 566-3523 or at peica@eastlink.ca.

The Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS) has been invited to send one Canadian teacher to the American Meteorological Society’s (AMS) two-week summer oceanography workshop for teachers.

Find easy to use edu-kits on Acadian history available free of charge at the Musée Acadienne in Miscouche (902) 432-2880. The kits are bilingual and contain all equipment necessary for the smooth delivery of the activities including a well detailed lesson plans.

(Activity descriptions in French follows)

Grades 2 to 6 - "Building an Aboiteau and a Dyke"
This activity lasts 45 to 60 minutes. Students will learn how Acadians used the reclaimed marshlands around the Baie Française (Bay of Fundy) and le Bassin des Mines (Minas Basin), by building "aboiteaux" (Acadian sluices) and dykes to drain the land and to stop the sea from coming back on the land at high tide. Students will work in teams to discover how to build a dyke.

Grades 4 to 9 - "The Mysterious Mixed up Artifacts"
This activity lasts 45 to 60 minutes. Imagine life in 17th and 18th Century Acadia through its artifacts. Objects made by humans represent a complete gamut of activities; among them, the most fundamental are linked to our essential needs: eating, drinking and protecting ourselves from the elements. Even without written documentation, objects can speak eloquently about their users. Students will help uncover the past using systematic approach of the archaeologist: practicing focused observation, classification, comparison, in a team-work context. The degree of complexity for this activity varies according to the grade level.

Grades 6 to 10 - "Deportation: 1755"
Indoor activity that lasts 60 to 75 minutes. Role play the events of the Deportation from Grand-Pré. Students will begin the activity by viewing a short film. We ask that they pay close attention to the words, the sounds, the instruments, the mannerisms and the movements that they find important. This is followed by a role-play of the deportation with each student taking on the role of an Acadian individual who was deported. The goal of this activity is to provide students with a more personal comprehension of the events of the 1755 Deportation.

Grades 7 to 12 - "Evangeline"
This activity lasts 90 minutes. Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie was published by the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1847. The poem became universally popular and was translated into French in the 1860s. The Acadians adopted Evangeline as a heroine. This role play will provide students with the opportunity to act out the story for themselves.

2e à 6e année - « Construire un aboîteau et une digue »
Activité qui dure 45 minutes. Les étudiants apprendront comment les Acadiens cultivaient les basses terres le long de la baie Française (Fundy) et du bassin des Mines (Minas Basin), en construisant des aboîteaux et des digues pour drainer le sol et empêcher l’inondation de la mer. Les étudiants travailleront en équipes pour construire une digue.

4e à 9e année - « Un mélange mystérieux d'artéfacts »
Activité à l'intérieur qui dure 45 à 60 minutes. À l'aide des artéfacts, imaginez la vie en Acadie au 17e et au 18e siècles. Les objets fabriqués par les humains témoignent de toute une gamme d'activités. Les artéfacts les plus importants sont liés aux activités essentielles comme manger, boire et se protéger des éléments. Même sans documentation écrite, les objets nous renseignent sur les personnes qui les utilisent. Les étudiants découvriront le passé, en se servant des démarches systématiques de l'archéologue : l'observation attentive, la classification et la comparaison dans le contexte du travail en équipe. Cette activité varie de complexité selon le niveau scolaire.

6e à 10e année - « La Déportation : 1755 »
Activité à l'intérieur qui dure 60 à 75 minutes. Un jeu de rôle basé sur la Déportation. Les étudiants commencent par regarder un petit film. On leur demande de prêter une attention particulière aux mots, aux sons, aux instruments, aux gestes et aux mouvements qu'ils trouvent significatifs. Ensuite le jeu de rôle sur la Déportation commence – chaque élève prend le rôle d’une personne qui a été déportée. Le but de cette activité est d'amener les étudiants vers une compréhension plus personnelle des événements de la Déportation de 1755.

7e à 12e année - « L'histoire d'Évangéline »
Activité qui dure 90 minutes. En 1847, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow a publié Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie. Ce poème est devenu populaire à travers le monde. Il a été traduit en français en 1865. Les Acadiens ont adopté Évangéline comme héroïne. Les étudiants feront un jeu de rôle pour mettre en scène l’histoire d’Évangéline.