Year: 2020 — Province: Nova Scotia
Certificate of Achievement Recipient
Dartmouth South Academy
Music/band, primary to grade 8
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Passion, commitment, creativity, tenacity, and joy are all qualities that describe Kelly. She is the teacher I try to emulate.
Kelly Slade taught for many years in Vancouver public schools before returning to her East Coast roots to raise her son. In the Maritimes, she frequently delivers workshops, speaks at conferences and has been featured in a parenting magazine. At her school, she works with a racially diverse student population and celebrates global cultures in her classroom and beyond.
Teaching approach
Kelly teaches with a music methodology called the Orff paradigm to help all students reach ordered objectives (evaluate, analyze and create) for each learning outcome. She also draws on the work of psychologist Dr. Ross Green to support explosive and challenging kids by looking for lagging skills or unsolved problems.
In the classroom
- Harnesses technology for cross-curricular projects: students write poetry and set it to music with Loopimal and Autorap apps; use MuseScore software to annotate compositions based on their artwork; use digital tuners and metronomes.
- Scaffolds concepts by briefly supporting students as they learn new skills and then removing the supports: students eventually compose and perform their own music, create ensembles and arrange pop songs—and are amazed they can accomplish such complex tasks.
- Celebrates each student: over Christmas break, hung banners in hallways with a photo of each student; returning children were excited to spot themselves in the new year; every Friday afternoon, she dances and sings through the halls, high-fiving students and wishing them a great weekend.
- Connects students to others: created year-long digital partnerships with classes in other provinces, so students could collaborate on projects; helped students send their version of a local rapper's song to him and he acknowledged them on Twitter, to their delight.
- Inspires students through augmented reality technology: spent hours recording staff messages of compassion, commitment and dedication; students can access these messages on their devices anytime.
Outstanding achievements
- Builds bridges to Indigenous communities: took Indigenous-related master of education degree; studies Inuktitut; received a $10,000 grant so Elders could teach students how to build a Mi'kmaq drum; runs workshops for colleagues on Indigenous issues.
- Fosters junior band excellence by emphasizing teamwork: students conduct ensembles, self-evaluate, and critique and compliment each other; bands regularly earn high honours in provincial music festivals.
- Creates learning activities in music class that help students meet math outcomes: focuses on patterns, symbols, counting and representing, which are common to both fields; helps math teachers incorporate music into their classes; engagement in both subjects rises.
Get in touch!
Dartmouth South Academy
111 Prince Arthur Avenue
Dartmouth NS B2Y 0C5
902-464-2081
dsa@hrce.ca
https://dsa.hrce.ca/
Twitter: @sladek_dsa