Category: Website

In Remembrance: Service, Sacrifice and a Soldier Bear Named Winnie

Remembrance Day provides a singular and unifying time for everyone to remember with gratitude the service and sacrifice of our fellow Canadians who served and sacrificed their lives that we may live in a bountiful country of freedom and peace.

The 60-minute film, In Remembrance: Service, Sacrifice and a Soldier Bear Named Winnie, follows Canada’s most famous black bear, “Winnipeg Bear” nicknamed Winnie by her regiment, throughout Canada’s involvement in World War I in story and song. Suitable for viewing from Grade 3 and up, the film includes actors, singers, boys and men’s choirs in the narration of this beautiful story and ends with a discussion of how Winnie became known globally as Winnie-the-Pooh. Her transition to the infamous life in the Hundred Acre Wood came about due to the author’s experiences in WWI and teach life lessons from preschool to senescence.

The film can easily be divided into 2 sittings of about 30 minutes each. We recommend that the 2nd part be viewed on Remembrance Day as it does include The Act of Remembrance with spectacular video and drone footage of the cenotaphs all across Canada.

The creators have also developed a set of curriculum resources, following the most recent Ontario guidelines, that will provide teachers with ideas for cross-curricular learning that engage students in critical thinking across all subject disciplines.

View the trailer below:

For viewing information, click here.

Thanks for considering.

MKN October 2018 Updates

It was a busy summer for the MKN and our CoPs! Read our latest updates here to find out what our CoPs have been up to, explore recently added resources, and learn how you can get involved.

To stay up-to-date on our latest news, activities, and resources, join our mailing list (right side of page) and follow us on Twitter @mknrcm.

Crossing the Divide: Gr 8-9 Math Transition

Our Critical Transitions CoP has launched a new website focused on the transition from Grade 8-9 Mathematics which features introductory videos (English/French), downloadable infographics, and links to other key resources.

Visit mkncrossingthedivide.ca to  learn about Gr 8-9 transition support strategies, math myths debunked, online resources/supports, and more!

MKN November 2017 Updates

Want to know what we’ve been up to? Read the updates below to learn about network growth, resources, upcoming sharing, and our Communities of Practice in Year 2!

Network Growth

We have grown to include over 14 school districts, 15 universities, and 16 organizations!

MKN Website & TeachOntario

  • Explore our website, sign up for our mailing list, and follow us on Twitter @mknrcm to stay up-to-date on network activities and resources.
  • The MKN Hub is now live at TeachOntario.ca! Share & engage with Ontario teachers (and beyond!) through our online discussion groups.

Upcoming Sharing

  • KNAER Cross-Network Meeting (Nov 30): MKN will attend & learn/share with other KNAER networks.
  • MKN CoP Lead Meeting (Jan 26): CoPs will meet to discuss Year 2 progress, share artifacts, and discuss next steps.
  • Ontario Education Research Symposium (Feb/Mar TBD): potential joint-presentation with all KNAER networks, including the MKN.
  • MKN Advisory Panel Meeting (Apr 17): Opportunity for MKN partners to come together to discuss network updates and future plans.
  • OAME Math Conference (May 3-4): CoP members will present their work.

Find more details on our events page.

Communities of Practice

Our four CoPs completed their Year 1 activities and have created and shared various resources such as research minis, documentaries, lesson plans, literature reviews, and more.

CoP leads met on October 24, 2017 to share their work from Year 1, discuss future plans, and find cross-CoP connections. Attendees represented all 4 CoPs, the MKN Executive, TVO, KNAER, and the Ministry of Education. CoP leads will meet again in January 2018 to report on progress, share artifacts, and discuss next steps.

CoPs in Year 2 (Sept 2017 – Aug 2018)

Computational Thinking in Mathematics Education

  • Wellington CDSB:
    • Elementary: Leadership Projects.
    • Secondary: Gr 10 Math + Comp. Sci. Cohorts.
  • Andrews PS + Rainy River DSB collaboration.
  • Western Education: Refined Math + CT integration.
  • Brock/Niagara CDSB collaboration on CT in HS math.
  • Offer mathematics based activities for hour of code.

See mathnetwork.ca/ct for more information. You can find a more detailed Year 1 overview and plans for Year 2 here.

Critical Transitions in Student Mathematical Development

  • Early Years:
    • GECDSB Professional Development Day September 2017.
    • Scale-up Year 1 survey (~5000 educators).
    • Balanced Numeracy website development.
  • Gr 8-9 Transition workshops.
  • HS Math Enrichment Modules (Math9-12) – workshops, field testing with 9 teachers, 270 students, as well as a student survey.
  • Various OAME workshops. Stay tuned!

See mathnetwork.ca/transitions for more information. See their detailed Year 1 overview here.

Indigenous Knowledge & Mathematics Education

  • CoP meetings and sharing (e.g. FNMIEAO Educator Conference, IKME Conference in Fort Frances, OAME, OERS, etc.).
  • Developing protocols for working with Indigenous communities, and developing a video resource.
  • Visiting school boards for co-learning sessions.

See mathnetwork.ca/indigenousknowledge for more information.

Mathematics Leadership

  • Ongoing meetings & events with CoP partners (e.g. Leadership Institute in North Bay with Cathy Fosnot, GECDSB Mathematics Symposium, and many other MLN, ML2N, and NWML2N events).
  • Blogging, podcasts, and Twitter chats via @TheMathPod – a collaborative learning space for educators who want to learn more about mathematics.
  • GECDSB: Mobilizing lead-learners to build depth and spread by developing the expertise of all educators.

See mathnetwork.ca/math-leadership for more information.

View this post as a 2-page summary!

Math9-12: Innovating the High School Math Curriculum

Math9-12 is a research-based study designed to bring new life to the high school mathematics curriculum! This study is lead by Dr. Peter Taylor (Queen’s University, Department of Mathematics and Statistics), is funded by the Fields Institute and SSHRC, and is part of our Critical Transitions Community of Practice.

Each project has three interacting phases:

  • Curriculum development: work with students and teachers informally or in the classroom.
  • Development of teacher resources and student workbooks.
  • Classroom research: document the teaching activity and the student experience.

At the end of August 2017, workshops were held in Kingston, Ottawa, and Toronto to introduce the project to teachers. Teachers were (and are) highly encouraged to try the Math9-12 problems in their classrooms and provide feedback on their experiences.

You can find these great Math9-12 resources on their project website. Give them a try and let the Math9-12 team know about your experience!