WELCOME

GRADE 5 TEACHERS WANTED

Help Field-Test the WAY Game

Join a founding cohort of 20 Grade 5 teachers. Learn alongside your students through two live sessions each week with Brian.

APPLY FOR THE FOUNDING COHORT →

What Teachers Need to Start and Finish

WAY Game Founding Cohort Overview — one page explaining purpose, dates, commitment, two weekly livestreams and what teachers receive.
Principal Information Sheet — what the WAY Game is, teacher's role, Brian's role, technology/privacy, no cost, and school contact information.
Parent/Caregiver Information & Consent Form — particularly addressing livestreaming, recording, student identity/work and photographs.
Teacher Participation Agreement — expectations, professional responsibility, feedback, privacy, appropriate use of materials and ability to withdraw.
Livestream & Student Privacy Protocol — platform, cameras, names, recordings, chat, screenshots, student work, storage and who has access.
SWAY Classroom Safety/Conduct Guidelines — respectful competition, inclusion, accessibility, behaviour and teacher authority.
Follow-up Forms - For Participating Teachers
Pilot Calendar & Implementation Roadmap — Week 1 introduction, CAP Notes, Pathfinder, Game Cards, WAY Cards, teams, judges/captains, first game, etc.
Teacher Feedback Form — a very short weekly check-in and more substantial beginning/end reflection.
Student/Parent Feedback Forms — optional and preferably anonymous/aggregate at first, subject to school requirements.
End-of-Pilot Report Template — what worked, what didn't, what changed, what teachers recommend

“Who Is Responsible for What?”

BRIAN / SWAY CANADA
Provides training, materials, demonstrations, livestream guidance and support.

TEACHER
Controls instruction, classroom management, student participation and how/when SWAY activities are used.

SCHOOL/PRINCIPAL
Determines school requirements involving technology, visitors, livestreaming, privacy and consent.

PARENTS/CAREGIVERS
Are informed and provide consent where required for their child's participation in activities involving identifiable online interaction, recording or sharing.

STUDENTS
Create, collaborate, play, reflect, provide feedback and gradually take greater responsibility.

WAY Game Founding Cohort Overview

Grade 5 Classroom Pilot

20 Teachers. 20 Classrooms. One Opportunity to Learn Together.

SWAY Canada is inviting 20 Grade 5 teachers to become members of the first WAY Game Founding Cohort.

The purpose is simple: to put the WAY Game into real classrooms, learn from teachers and students, and improve the program together.

This is not a finished program being imposed on teachers. It is a classroom pilot built with teachers.

What Is the WAY Game?

The WAY Game turns everyday classroom learning into something students can create, share and play.

Students learn to use CAP Notes to process and reflect on lessons, turn their learning into Game Cards, work in teams, assume roles such as Captains and Judges, and use what they have learned to challenge one another through play.

The goal is not simply to make school more fun.

The goal is to increase engagement, responsibility, collaboration and accountability while gradually shifting more responsibility for learning from the teacher to the students.

Learn to Play — Play to Learn.

How the Founding Cohort Works

Participating teachers will introduce the WAY Game gradually, one tool and routine at a time.

I will livestream directly into participating classrooms twice each week to help teachers and students learn the next step, answer questions, demonstrate activities and eventually help classrooms begin playing the WAY Game.

The classroom teacher remains in charge of instruction, classroom management and how the WAY Game is used.

You don't have to change everything at once. We'll build it together.

What Teachers Will Receive

Founding Cohort teachers will receive free access to WAY Game training, classroom resources and implementation support, including CAP Note materials, Game Card templates, WAY Cards, Pathfinder resources, game instructions, classroom roles, support materials and a step-by-step implementation roadmap.

Teachers will also receive:

Two live sessions each week with Brian • ongoing support • opportunities to connect with other Grade 5 teachers • classroom-ready resources • opportunities for classroom-to-classroom play • a voice in improving the WAY Game

In return, I'm asking participating teachers to try the ideas, tell me what works, tell me what doesn't, and help make the WAY Game better for the teachers and students who come next.

Commitment

The Founding Cohort is intended for Grade 5 teachers willing to introduce the WAY Game gradually and participate in approximately two livestream sessions each week during the pilot.

Teachers will be asked to provide brief, candid feedback throughout the process.

Participation is free.

Pilot Dates: [START DATE] – [END DATE]
Live Sessions: Twice weekly — schedule established with participating teachers
Cohort Size: 20 Grade 5 teachers

When the 20 places are filled, applications will close and interested teachers will be invited to join the next cohort waitlist.

Principals and Parents

SWAY Canada believes that teacher autonomy and transparency belong together.

Participating teachers will receive information they can share with their principal and with parents/caregivers explaining the WAY Game, the classroom pilot and the livestream component.

All livestreaming and student participation will follow the requirements of the participating school regarding student privacy, technology, online interaction and parent/caregiver consent.

The WAY Game is designed so students can participate in classroom activities without being individually identified or appearing on camera.

Permissionless doesn't mean secret.

Permissionless Education means teachers should feel empowered to try thoughtful new approaches within their professional responsibilities—without waiting for the entire education system to change.

Who Should Apply?

This first cohort is for Grade 5 teachers who are curious, willing to experiment and prepared to share what they learn.

You don't need to be a technology expert.

You don't need to understand the entire WAY Game before beginning.

And you don't need to promise that it will work.

That's why we're piloting it.

Start With One Classroom.

Try it. Play it. Question it. Improve it. Share what you learn.

If you're willing to give your students greater responsibility for their learning—and help shape the WAY Game for the classrooms that follow—I would love to have you join us.

Brian McCarthy
Founder, SWAY Canada
A SMART WAY to Learn, Earn & Play

WAY Game Founding Cohort

Principal Information Sheet

Grade 5 Classroom Pilot

Teacher Autonomy • Parent Awareness • School Transparency • Student Responsibility

Dear Principal,

One of your Grade 5 teachers is interested in participating in the WAY Game Founding Cohort, a small classroom pilot involving approximately 20 Grade 5 teachers.

My name is Brian McCarthy. I am a retired Canadian teacher with 33 years of classroom experience and the creator of SWAY Canada — A SMART WAY to Learn, Earn & Play.

I developed the WAY Game from practices and ideas that grew out of my own classroom experience. The Founding Cohort will give teachers and students an opportunity to try these ideas in real classrooms and, equally importantly, tell me what works, what doesn't and what needs to change.

Participation is free of charge.

What Is the WAY Game?

The WAY Game is a classroom learning approach designed to increase student engagement, responsibility, collaboration, reflection and accountability.

Students gradually learn to use tools such as CAP Notes, Game Cards, Pathfinder and WAY Cards. Classroom learning becomes the content students use to create questions and activities, work in teams and eventually play short learning games.

Students can take on increasing responsibility as creators, teammates, Captains and Judges.

The objective is not simply to make learning more entertaining. It is to give students greater responsibility and purpose in the learning process while providing the teacher with a structured approach to engagement and classroom participation.

Learn to Play — Play to Learn.

The Teacher Remains the Teacher

The participating classroom teacher remains responsible for instruction, curriculum, classroom management and all decisions concerning student participation.

The WAY Game is a resource for the teacher—not a replacement for the teacher.

Teachers are encouraged to adapt, pause, modify or discontinue any WAY Game activity when they believe doing so is appropriate for their students or school.

This principle is fundamental to SWAY Canada:

Teacher autonomy and transparency belong together.

Brian's Role

During the pilot, I will support participating teachers and students through approximately two scheduled livestream sessions each week.

My role is to introduce and demonstrate WAY Game tools and routines, answer questions, help classrooms progress through the program and listen carefully to feedback from teachers and students.

I am participating as an outside program creator and retired educator, not as the students' classroom teacher.

The classroom teacher remains present and responsible during livestream sessions.

Technology, Livestreaming & Student Privacy

Protecting students is more important than demonstrating the WAY Game.

The pilot will therefore be designed so that a student does not need to be individually identified or appear on camera in order to participate in the classroom program.

Before livestreaming begins, participating teachers will work with their school to ensure that the technology and format comply with applicable school and school-authority requirements concerning:

student privacy • online interaction • livestreaming • recording • student names and images • student work • parent/caregiver notification or consent

No classroom should livestream student participation until the teacher and school are satisfied that the appropriate requirements have been met.

[Insert livestream platform]

Recording policy: [For example: Sessions will not be recorded unless the school and participating families have been specifically informed and any required consent has been obtained.]

Student accounts: [State whether students will ever need individual accounts. Ideally: Students are not required to create individual SWAY Canada accounts.]

These details should be finalized before the pilot begins and made available to schools and families.

What Does It Cost the School?

There is no fee to participate in the Founding Cohort.

Participating teachers will receive access to WAY Game training, implementation guidance and digital classroom resources provided for the pilot.

If any optional physical materials, printing or CAP Notebooks could involve a cost, those costs will be identified before a teacher or school makes a decision to use them.

There is no requirement for a school to purchase products in order for its teacher to participate in the Founding Cohort.

What Are We Asking From the School?

We are not asking the school to adopt SWAY Canada as a school-wide program.

We are asking for the opportunity for an interested Grade 5 teacher to try a classroom approach, within their professional responsibilities, and help us learn from the experience.

Where school approval is required for livestreaming, technology, outside participants, privacy or related activities, we ask the participating teacher to work with the principal or appropriate school personnel before those components begin.

The teacher and school may withdraw from the pilot if they determine that participation is no longer appropriate.

What Will We Learn?

This is a Founding Classroom Pilot.

We want to know:

Do students understand the routines? Are they more willing to participate? What do teachers find useful? What takes too much time? What creates problems? What should be simplified? What should be changed?

We are looking for candid feedback, not endorsements.

The purpose of this first cohort is to learn from real Grade 5 classrooms and use that experience to improve the WAY Game for future teachers and students.

Permissionless Education

SWAY Canada uses the term Permissionless Education to describe a belief in teacher initiative—not a disregard for school authority, policy or student safeguards.

Teachers should be able to experiment thoughtfully with teaching practices within their professional responsibilities without waiting for the entire education system to change.

At the same time, principals should know what is happening in their schools, parents should understand what their children are participating in, and student privacy must be respected.

Permissionless doesn't mean secret.

It means:

Start small. Be transparent. Protect students. Learn from what happens. Share what works.

Questions or Concerns?

I welcome direct questions from principals before or during the pilot.

Brian McCarthy
Founder, SWAY Canada
Retired Teacher — 33 Years Classroom Experience
A SMART WAY to Learn, Earn & Play

Website: playway.ca
Email: bcmccarthy@shaw.ca
Phone: On Request
Pilot Dates: [START DATE – END DATE] To be determined

Thank you for supporting teachers who are willing to explore new ways of engaging their students