June 9, 2023

This week’s Words of Wisdom was submitted by Negar. Have a quote you would like to submit for next week’s Staff Update? Click here to share the words of wisdom that inspired you most recently.

Archived Collection of UTS-Eureka Learning Conversations

Remember those 7:30 a.m. calendar invitations you received from Cresencia this year? That Learning Conversation series culminated on June 6, with Dr. Mag Gardner sharing about how NPDL’s 6Cs framework and 4 Elements of Deep Learning design support equitable approaches to deeper learning.

Materials and session recordings are linked to our schedule of conversations and also linked here on the UTS Learning Innovation site.

Would You Like to Teach in a Collaborative Active Learning Classroom?

What does UTS think a collaborative active learning classroom environment should be?

We aim to outfit one classroom as a “High-Tech” Collaborative Active Learning (CAL) Classroom, and another classroom as a “Low-Tech” CAL Classroom.

The goal is to create innovative learning environments that are student-centred, and enable ALL students to co-construct knowledge in collaborative groups through the use of tools and learning artifacts, to foster deeper learning. The collaborative spaces and surfaces in a classroom need to enable small-group student social interactions focused on co-constructing knowledge around shared learning artifacts (e.g., texts, drawings, abstract representations, etc.). To enable such collaborative activities, the Low-Tech classroom will include vertical whiteboards on wheels. The High-Tech classroom will include interactive digital screens (e.g., Samsung Flip 3).

If you or your course team are interested in teaching in a CAL classroom sometime later in the 2023-24 school year, please complete this interest form by noon on June 28.

Please note: Due to equipment availability and timetabling considerations, we can not guarantee that you will be allocated a CAL classroom to teach in.

If anyone wants to play with the 55" Samsung Flip 3, our IT friends invite you to drop by the IT room (245) where Jai, Carlo and Shreya have set it up.

4 Seasons of Indigenous Learning - Early Bird Registration Now Open

Early bird registration is open until June 30 for the upcoming 4 Seasons of Indigenous Learning.

Registration costs $50-100 and can be covered by a teacher’s Personal PD allocation for 2023-24.

4 Seasons of Indigenous Learning acknowledges that authentically undertaking a personal learning journey towards Truth and Reconciliation takes more than just a day or month each year, and should be across all four seasons. This initiative encourages and empowers educators to deepen their understanding of Indigenous knowledge and perspectives while strengthening connections with the local land.

This learning is open to everyone. While the content of the modules in Season 1 is specific to Canada, it is transferable across Turtle Island (North America). Registration includes:

10 Learning Modules (~30 mins/month)
10 Opportunities to Gather Virtually with Indigenous Presenters (~1 hour/month)
$25 towards excellent Indigenous Learning Resources
A Certificate of Completion issued by the First Nations University of Canada
Access to a Learning Community to learn, share and connect with

2-Day NPDL ‘6Cs + 4 Elements’ Virtual PD

This PD is designed for those new to Deep Learning or educators looking to refresh/strengthen their understanding of the core elements of the NPDL Deep Learning Framework.

Registration is $500 USD/person, which teachers can use their $500 CAD Personal PD allocation for 2023-24 towards. Please contact Cresencia if you’re interested in this.

Oct. 2, 2023 (9 a.m. - 3 p.m.)