Thomas Rogers is a grade 9 ELA teacher, department chair, and acting assistant principal at S. Bruce Smith School in Edmonton, Alberta.
Thomas knew he wanted to be a teacher since grade 3, so for him, it would just be a matter of getting experience and a degree! While there were lots of other opportunities along his journey, he took the best parts of those experiences and rolled them into who he is as a teacher. He firmly believes that being a well-rounded educator is one of the best ways to serve a diverse population of students. Throughout his time in education, which is just under a decade, he has taught both junior and senior high humanities and he is currently working as a school administrator.
“When giving summative assessments, empower students with choice and let them know upfront at the start of the unit you are teaching your intent. If they can plan from the beginning of their learning how they are going to showcase their acquisition of knowledge then you will have an engaged and motivated learner.
Two of the main pillars of Powerful Learning are “Personal and Accessible” and “Authentic and Challenging” and in my mind, the above strategy addresses these components. Using this strategy means that you are more likely to have students connect with their work and that of course will lead to a more authentic experience for students. If students need to write an essay, there are many ways that students can achieve those learning outcomes in a way that is meaningful to them.”
“Video Games in the English Language Arts classroom and other ‘roads less traveled’ in education. I love the challenge of finding new mediums and ways to connect students to the outcomes they need to learn. If you are looking to try something new, I’d love to hear your ideas and help you make them a reality.”
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