Episode #34: Dream, Create, and Learn with Dave Truss

David Truss is Principal at The Inquiry Hub Secondary, Coquitlam Open Learning and Suwa’lkh in Coquitlam, BC, Canada. Dave’s website, Pair-a-Dimes, received numerous awards and has his own podcast show. Dave is an amazing presenter and keeps pushing the edge in education. His new venture is his eBook Twitter Edu.

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I’m really fortunate to have known Dave for many years through social media and was able to have a face-to-face interview for his podcast at Educon 2017 in Philadelphia. I always make sure to attend any of his presentations when I can and am so honored that Dave shared his journey with me. I even got another selfie with Dave at SXSW EDU in Austin, TX.  Below are several excerpts and resources Dave mentioned in the podcast:

Your background and family

I’m married to Ann, a teacher, and have two daughters, Cassie and Kaitlyn. In 2009 we left the bubble-wrapped suburbs of Vancouver, Canada, and spent two years living in Dalian, China. Currently, I am an administrator with the Learning Innovations Network Coquitlam (LINC) for School District #43 in Coquitlam, BC, Canada. My primary responsibilities are to Coquitlam Open Learning and our blended learning Inquiry Hub Secondary School.

Coquitlam Principal

I am currently the Millside Centre Principal responsible for 3 programs:

Coquitlam Open Learning http://online.sd43.bc.ca is Coquitlam’s Online and Blended High School, with programs and student support provided in all of our district high schools.

Inquiry Hub Secondary School http://inquiryhub.org  An inquiry-based school of choice where students get 50% self-directed time to DCL – Dream • Create • Learn.

Suwa’lkh Learning Centre https://www.sd43.bc.ca/school/Suwalkh/Pages/default.aspx is an indigenous educational program open to students in grades six to twelve. Suwa’lkh means ‘New Beginnings’ in the Hul’qumi’num language.

Your Philosophy of Education

The goal of education is to enrich the lives of students while producing articulate, expressive thinkers and lifelong learners, who are socially responsible, resilient, and active citizens of the world. Education is about teaching students, not subjects. It is about engaging students in their learning and maximizing the potential of each and every child. Education is about looking beyond the child’s intellect and seeing the whole child. Education is about providing students with opportunities to be challenged and still succeed.

My full philosophy of education is shared on this site: http://pairadimes.davidtruss.com/statement-of-educational-philosophy/

Pair-a-Dimes Blog

My Pair-A-Dimes for Your Thoughts blog has a philosophical bent to it: My thoughts on education, learning, and technology. I generally publish 2 to 5 posts per month with a focus on Transforming Education. Here are a few of the posts I’d like to share:

Leading Change: http://pairadimes.davidtruss.com/leading-change-3-images/

I enjoy using images to share ideas and in this post on leading change:

“… we’ll need to recognize that:

• Change isn’t usually easy.
• Change only happens when we create a need.
• Change is not a thought or a discussion, but an action.
• The time to act is now.

“If it’s important, you’ll find a way. If not, you’ll find an excuse.â€

The idea is simple. The greater the importance we place on something, the greater the challenge we are willing to face. We will find a way! However, if it is not important enough, then it is much easier to make excuses than it is to make the effort to face the challenge or to change.

Change happens when: Importance > Challenge.

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7 Ways to Transform Your Classroom http://pairadimes.davidtruss.com/7-ways-to-transform-your-classroom/

Inquiry: Inquiry-based learning is a key tenet of the Inquiry Hub. When students get to choose their own topics, with guidance and support from their teachers, peers, and community members, these learners will produce thoughtful, rich, and compelling answers.

Voice: When students explore their interests in-depth, they will often discover insights worth sharing with others. At the Inquiry Hub, we believe that an integral part of learning is the ability to share what you’ve learned with others in meaningful ways.

Audience: An important skill to learn is how to ‘write to a specific audience’, and there is no better way to promote this than to give learners a legitimate audience for their work.

Community: Collaboration is a learned skill that is essential in today’s world. Our goal will be to have students collaborate on projects that matter, in many different communities.

Leadership: At the Inquiry Hub, students will be provided with many opportunities to be designers, stewards, and teachers. We believe that every student has the potential to lead!

Play: We can learn a lot from (and within) play. School is a learning sandbox. Play promotes discovery and invites the idea that we can have fun learning, even from our mistakes.

Networks: The COL Inquiry Hub uses a hybrid model that blends classroom, community, and online experiences, and so students will be exposed to a multitude of learning networks.

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Learning and Failure http://pairadimes.davidtruss.com/learning-and-failure/ 

This is a post that I refer to in my presentation on how you can learn from failure. Every student should try something audaciously big, and meaningful beyond the classroom walls. Even if they fail, they will have a tremendous learning experience in the process. Besides, we owe it to students to show them what it takes to overcome the failures they face.

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Twitter EDU: Your one-stop-all you need to know guide to Twitter

“The hardest part of Twitter is that it does not have a friendly entry point. Until you develop a network, it actually takes a bit of work to make it meaningful and rewarding.â€

Filled with ‘live’ links to help you Tweet and Retweet as you read the book, Twitter EDU makes learning to use Twitter an engaging experience!

Download your free copy at  http://pairadimes.davidtruss.com/twitter-edu-the-twitter-guide/

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David Truss calls himself a husband, a parent, an educator, a student, a thinker, a dreamer, and an agent of change.

Twitter: @datruss

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidtruss

Google+: +David Truss

Website: http://pairadimes.davidtruss.com/

Podcast: http://podcasts.davidtruss.com/

Contact Dave: http://pairadimes.davidtruss.com/contact/

“Think Good Thoughts, Say Good Words, Do Good Deeds.â€

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