Opal School Blog
How does staying in inquiry sustain collaborative play?
Recently, we offered a new workshop called Constructing Collaborative and Constructive Learning Communities. (Here’s a preview and a recap.) When looking for a story to…
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Valuing differences through Brain Buddy work
As a primary team, we have organized our intentions for the school year around the idea of the “We that I am.” One of our…
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Pedagogical approaches and their political implications
Opal School led professional development workshops in Vancouver, BC last week. They were rich opportunities to connect and develop new ideas with educators in a…
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Making 1 from 20
This year, the Dogwood Community was invited to write the story for a school-wide community celebration, the Lantern Walk. The Lantern Walk is held each…
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Finding a Community to Turn To: Community-building, Revision, and Feedback
In the beginning of October, the Willow community embarked on a field trip. We headed to the Bybee-Howell Preserve on Sauvie Island, a beautiful refuge…
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Serendipity, distraction, and meaningful metaphor
In her research on serendipity, Pagan Kennedy describes three different groups of people by the way they respond to unexpected moments. The group that she…
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Courageous and Collaborative Communities: A report from the workshop
Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness. Brené Brown Last week, we hosted the…
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Collaboration and Community
One of the goals and expectations that the primary team pinpointed in our intention letter this year was, “to develop strategies that contribute to the quality…
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The Importance of Documentation and Reflection in Building Community
In the Cottonwood community, one of our main focuses in the beginning of the school year is community building – which is foundational to all…
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Courageous and Collaborative Communities
Last week, I split my time between two groups. The first half of the week, Opal School hosted a Study Tour for a school from…
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