Earlier this month, the Okanagan Mainline Network group held their first meeting of the year.  Teachers from Salmon Arm, South Okanagan, Penticton, Kamloops, Kelowna and Vernon school districts came together to discuss and share the work being done within their districts.  We wanted to share with the Early Learning Network two of the activities we used to start our session.  The first was an Opening Sharing Circle, which we used to create a space of community, welcome new members and share identity and funds of knowledge. 

A collection of beautiful, carefully selected items were arranged on a cloth - the items included books, pieces of wood, a teacup and saucer, an Inukshuk, a wooden chest, and a beaded necklace, to name a few.  We organized our chairs around the collection and each chose one that had significant meaning to us.  We then had a chance to share what our selected item was and why we picked it.  It was an incredibly powerful exercise that brought us all together very quickly in a deep and meaningful way.  Many of us commented that it could easily be replicated in a classroom or a meeting in our own district.

The second activity we did was a Compass Activity to share how districts were transitioning their teachers into the new curriculum.  Large pieces of chart paper were stuck to the four walls of the room, which were labeled New (on the North side), Excited (East), Success (South) and Worry (West).  In small groups of three or four, we had a conversation about our district experiences and then wrote our thoughts and ideas on the chart paper.  After a few minutes, we rotated to the next wall and continued until we returned back to our original spot.  We were then given time to read over what everyone had contributed and summarized the key points to share out to the larger group.  It was interesting to see the common themes emerge and to connect with others outside our districts.  Again, many of us felt this was an activity we could do within our own realms. 

Kirsten Odian
Early Learning & Literacy Helping Teacher
SD 67 (Okanagan Skaha)