TMC8 Mulcaster

Building Knowledge Together: Community Learning at Brisdale Public School


by Melanie Mulcaster

Melanie Mulcaster’s writings highlight the sub-theme of Accountability (How might we design for engagement?) through virtual, accessible and universally designed environments. The action inquiry project at Brisdale Public School involved staff and students from K-5 in creating Community Learning Experiences. The project aimed to engage learners, connect to their identities, and build empathy and mutual understanding through culturally responsive and relevant texts and stories. The initiative included virtual learning experiences, student-led events, and feedback-driven improvements, emphasizing the importance of student voices and relationships in education. The hope is to continue Community Learning Experiences in the 2024/2025 school year, with a focus on extending participation and documenting growth.

Melanie (Mel) Mulcaster currently holds the position of LLC EdTech Innovation Resource Teacher in the Peel District School board. She has held a variety of learning roles in the PDSB either in classrooms, supporting special education, and a TL. She recently finished a secondment with TVO Media Education Group. A learner and unlearner, she is passionate about inspiring and empowering all voices in the communities she serves. She is actively involved in professional participatory learning cultures, combining literacy and STEAM goals to create dynamic and engaging learning experiences.

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1 comment:

  1. MZMollyTLJanuary 15, 2025 at 10:07 PM

    Melanie,

    You co-create such wonderful inquiry questions! We benefit from them in Leading Learning (the revamp where the Explore stage included inquiry questions to guide users along the path) and here in your paper. Like your school, we have moved beyond monthly assemblies, although we have gone in a different direction. With providing them virtually, how focused are the students during the sessions? I find that behaviour patterns that might have developed from the pandemic and online learning (such as wandering away or multi-tasking) tend to pop up when there are online guest speakers or workshops.

    I like the idea of marrying STEM/STEAM with literacy. I know that when you and your colleagues used to develop "The Forest of Making" activities, it was an amazing resource that helped me take the guess work out of connecting great picture books to meaningful tasks.

    I look forward to connecting in person at TMC8 to dig deeper and talk further!
    Diana

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