Focusing on Fitness and Sharpening Skills: Volleyball/Basketball Specialist Course

One class per week is dedicated to conditioning, while another focuses on students'
sport of choice.

When we say our new volleyball/basketball specialist course is intensive, we mean it.

Greenwood students have a high level of interest in these two sports, and this new course reflects that interest. Through this course, students not only sharpen their setting, bumping, and  dribbling skills, they also significantly increase their overall physical fitness. Carla DiFilippo and Elanna Robson are two of Greenwood’s most accomplished coaches and athletes. Carla runs the volleyball portion of the course, while Elanna teaches basketball.

How does the course run?

One class per week is dedicated to conditioning, with increasing vertical jump and power - skills highly applicable to both sports - a major focus. A sample workout is:

• 30 minutes to complete as many rounds as possible of the following three exercises:
• 200 skips
• 15 goblet squats (squatting while holding a weight against your chest)
• 12 one-arm snatches per arm

Another class is devoted to students’ sport of choice. Carla and Elanna work with students to strengthen both the individual and collaborative technical skills that will take them to the next level in volleyball and basketball.  

Teachers Carla DiFilippo (left) and Elanna Robson are two of Greenwood's
most accomplished athletes and coaches.

After March Break, students shift focus to three other areas: Ultimate, rugby and personal fitness. Again, our teachers for these units have significant expertise in their sports: Carla leads the Ultimate unit; Elanna teaches personal fitness; and Jamie Lester, Greenwood’s senior coach and a former professional rugby player, teaches rugby. As with all PHE courses, health education is a compulsory component. Students complete their health units in a self-paced online format.

What do students think?

Carla and Elanna knew that this course would be demanding, but their students have proven throughout the year that they’re up to the challenge. According to Ms. D. “Everyone who signed up came ready to work and they have given it their all in every class.”

Music to their Ears

A sprung floor, combined with sound panels on the walls and ceiling, provide optimal
acoustics in our new music rooms.

Our new music rooms offer our students everything they need to take their playing to the next level.

Improving as a musician takes, practice, practice and more practice - and being able to hear yourself play when you do it. For this reason, practice spaces are a key feature of the new music rooms. Soundproof practice rooms, in addition to a vestibule between the rooms' two sets of doors, provide students with quiet areas where they can rehearse individually or in small groups.“It gives teachers a lot more options in terms of how we organize a lesson and use group learning,” says music teacher Ben Wright.

Soundproof practice rooms provide students
with quiet areas where they can rehearse
individually or in small groups.

A sprung floor, combined with sound panels on the walls and ceiling, provide optimal acoustics in the spaces. The new music rooms address more practical concerns as well - sinks allow students to easily wash and maintain their instruments, and a music storage room will soon be outfitted with custom shelving designed to accommodate every instrument.

When they’re ready to perform, our new theatre offers an ideal space - and it’s right across the hall. According to Ben, “Very little time is wasted moving instruments from place to place and that leaves more time for playing and learning.”  

Apprentice Teachers Deepen Knowledge of Customized Learning

During their time at Greenwood, our apprentice teachers get to know our students -
and how they learn - incredibly well.

Customized learning is at the heart of Greenwood, and it’s one of the main focuses of our Apprentice Teacher program.

By working with experienced teachers, coaching sports teams, supervising outdoor education trips and service learning initiatives and completing on-calls, our six apprentice teachers get to know our students - and how they learn - incredibly well. These quality relationships between students and teachers are integral to supporting a truly customized program.

“The Apprentice Teacher program is a win-win,” says Mary Gauthier, Executive Director of the Greenwood Centre for Teaching and Learning. “Teachers new to the profession have the opportunity to learn about all elements of the school community, and to connect with many different subjects and age groups; in turn, Greenwood benefits from the many ways apprentice teachers support the program, from coaching school teams to supervising weekly community service activities.

Apprentice teachers meet with Mary one per week to explore a topic connected to
customized learning.

OISE Certificate Program

Earlier this fall, Mary approached the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) about creating a course connecting research in customized learning to the Greenwood experience – and OISE readily agreed. This course is run out of Greenwood's Centre for Teaching and Learning; it is unique to Greenwood, and will earn each apprentice teacher a certificate in “Teacher Induction: Applying the Research to Design and Deliver Customized Learning.”

Once a week, our six apprentices meet with Mary to discuss a topic connected to customized learning – whether it’s the teen brain, grouping students by readiness or relational teaching. At the end of the year, our apprentice teachers will reflect on their own practice through an action research project on designing and implementing customized learning. In keeping with Greenwood’s approach, they can choose the form their final project will take; options include a research paper, an article, a presentation or a video.

“The OISE certificate brings even more value to the Apprentice Teacher program,” Mary says. “In addition to gaining hands-on experience both in and out of the classroom, these teachers can also further their professional credentials.”