Somewhere In The Cloud

In my grade 7 class the students have access to chrome books. They use them daily and they are apart of so many lessons. They are an unbelievable resource for students and a great way to take learning beyond the classroom. My associate teacher told me I needed to get used to working on the Halton Cloud and get familiar with Google Classroom. I never used either of these tools when I went to school in Halton and so this will be an adjustment!

The textbook Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment  talks about the emerging new story. One of the big ideas in the new story is technology. My school is certainly an enthusiastic adopter of technology. I want to embrace these resources as they engaged students and can enhance learning. Technology gives students the opportunity to learn on a global level and I am excited to put technology to use when I begin teaching during my practicum. My teacher also loves using online tools because it is paperless and students have access to the homework and class information from home! Of course, this is one more thing I will need to get comfortable really quickly but I am committed to using technology to the best of my ability in order to be a teacher in the new story!

We Remember

This year I spent Remembrance Day in my placement school

Our morning started in class where, as a group, we made a wreath

At 11:00AM we quietly made out way to the gym where the entire school would convene for an assembly

The students sang O'Canada and then quietly sat down

The junior choir stood up and sang "Little Red Poppy"

The sound of children singing made me feel emotional on this day of reflection

Then two students approached the microphone and recited "In Flanders Field"

It's funny how I remembered every word after having learned it so many years ago in elementary school

A slideshow began to play on the projector screen and the song "Amazing Grace" played in the background

Images of war, soldiers, veterans and the Canadian flag flashed across the screen

Silence.

One by one a representative from each class brought up their wreath and placed them side by side

Students stood as a teacher played "The Last Post" & "Taps" on his trumpet

A moment of silence. A moment of remembering

A dedication to Corporal Nathan Cirillo

Students quietly walked back to their classrooms

As we arrived back we took a moment to talk about why we were thankful to live in Canada.

We spoke about the atrocities of war and our hope for peace

I was thankful to have spent the day amongst students learning about all the reasons to remember

We remember, we never forget. 

Cultivating Culture

The placement school I'm in is extremely diverse. As mentioned, over 80 percent of the students are from the Middle East, India or Europe. There are many ESL students in the school and a number of new Canadians. There are several ways that the school celebrates their diversity and the most notable is the map at the front entrance of the school. On this map are stars posted on each country that is represented in the school. This map shows that the school takes pride in its diversity and students can see that map and identify with it. This map shows that within their small school community their are so many cultures, languages and religions to be celebrated. 

Beyond the map. there are many posters around the school and in the classrooms that celebrate diversity. In a science lab the student made sign "I think diversity is awesome" sign can be found hanging on the wall. In another classroom is the "wall of awesome" which has cue cards written by students talking about what makes their differences awesome. In our cohort textbook The Culturally Inclusive Educator cultural inclusiveness is addressed. The book talks about how in order to be an effective educator one must identify students needs, validate diverse culture, and advocate equitable access to education. By recognizing and celebrating the many cultures within the school, the staff are acknowledging diversity and identifying the fact that students will have different and specific needs. For this reason, the school has 2 full time ESL teachers available to their students. 

I feel the school is extremely inclusive and well aware that they must actively and purposely seek to provide an equitable education to all its students regardless of nationality, religion or race. Beyond that, the school demonstrates respect for these differences when they are publicly acknowledged and celebrated. This fact makes me proud to be apart of their school community.

Managing Sixes

Never have I seen a more organized and well run classroom then I did when I observed grade 6 this week. I was blown away by the setup of the classroom, the anchor charts around the room and the meaning behind every detail of the classroom. I felt like I learned more practical classroom management strategies in this one observation day then all the previous combined. It was the first time I sat down and took true observation notes in order to avoid forgetting a single detail. 

In my cognition textbook Educational Psychology I learned about classroom management in theory. I found it very useful to read as it discussed getting off to the right start, creating a positive classroom environment, developing good routines and developing a positive relationship with students. In this grade 6 portable I saw all of those theories put into practice. Every paper has a bin, every tool has a place and every shelf is designated. The teacher in this portable is clearly respected by her students. They follow instructions, work independently and execute tasks efficiently. She explained that she has high expectations for her students but that she would do anything in her power to help them achieve their goals.

The routines in this classroom are excellent. Students know that after each nutrition break they are to come into the portable, put their lunches away and begin quiet independent reading until the next lesson begins. If a student is absent, a folder is place on their desk and when work sheets are handed out, one is placed in the fold to help that students catch up when they return. Class jobs are assigned and listed on the white board to help the class run smoothly. Students know where to find any resources they need because everything is well labelled and well organized. Students also understand that it is their responsibility to put things back as they found them and to respect their classroom.

This teacher uses a rewards system to recognize good work and good behaviour. Her motto is, "they win as a class and lose as a class". When something is rewarded a student can pick a number from a bucket and place a cross over the number on the chart. Once the class gets enough numbers to fill a row they win something. In conjunction with that, when students waste time talking during a lesson or behave inappropriately the teacher puts a tick under 'time owed' at the front of the room. This adds up to how much time the class owes her at a given recess. The organization, reward system, consequence system and student expectations are all strategies that contribute to excellent classroom management skills and this teacher exemplified all the strategies used in my cognition textbook! 

Science Scaffolding

©Breakey, D. 2015. Mind Map Example.

The scaffolding model has been discussed in almost every class I have taken in my first semester at Brock. Scaffolding aims to give students more independence in their work by using teaching strategies that strengthens a students understanding and promotes a gradual release of responsibility from teacher to student. We have done so much talking about scaffolding that I was eager to see it put into action. I got that opportunity this week when I followed a grade 8 rotary schedule.

In grade 8 science the scaffolding model was demonstrated perfectly. The teacher began the lesson with a reading about the new unit. She provided the class background information about the unit and, as a class, they brainstormed what they had just learned using a word map. After the minds on, the teacher then introduced the next task that students would need to complete. Before handing it out, she completed a model of the mind map they would have to create on the board. She left this example up on the board so students could reference it. After she handed out the next task students were asked to complete a mind map, using the success criteria described in the example on the board and they could discuss in their groups if necessary. The teacher then circulated the room providing assistance to students who were struggling and observing the student collaboration around the room. This was a form of assessment and a good way of finding out which students were on track and which needed more support.

Finally, students were asked to submit their task for evaluation. If students needed more time they could complete the mind map for homework. This was an excellent way for the teacher to understand which students understood and which did not based on their final product. Seeing the scaffolding model in action made me understand why it is so useful in a classroom. Students can receive the support they need and gradually grow more independent in their work!

Teaching Terrific 2's!

During this particular week I headed down the junior hallway and found myself in a classroom full of grade 2's. I have to admit, I was nervous as my goal is to be an intermediate teacher and I was unsure of what to expect. To my surprise, they were well behaved, listened attentively and completed their work eagerly. The classroom walls were lined with anchor charts and student work. It felt like the students had really contributed to the creation of their classroom culture. On the door to the classroom was a sign which listed the three values the classroom agreed to which were to be respectful, kind, and responsible. Around this list were cut outs of students holding hands in which each student coloured their own. Before stepping foot in the door you could understand what the culture of this classroom would be. 

In my cohort class we spoke often about the importance of establishing a culture within the classroom and how important it was for the students to be apart of establishing what the core values would be. We also talked about the importance of establishing success criteria so that students would understand explicitly what was expected of them. Two anchor charts that jumped out at me were the buddy reading centre and learners never finish. The buddy reading showed what students could be doing while at that centre in order to be productive. It gives strategies for asking questions, providing feedback and having open discussion. It also allows the students to work independently as they can see what is expected of them on the chart. The other chart gives students a choice of tasks they can complete if they finish their work. Students understand that when they finish their class work they can immediately file and organize their duotangs, read independently, write, or practice their math problems. Again, this encourages independence and student success. Overall, this classroom represented the students and teacher extremely well and it was clear a lot of time and effort had gone in to establishing class norms and values that would contribute to a culture of respect, kindness and responsibility.

Guiding Me Through Guided Reading

©Breakey, D. 2015. Word Pan.

This week I was observing the learning resource teacher (LRT) who works specifically with junior students (kindergarten & grade 1) on their reading abilities. The LRT at our school can be found in a small utility looking room with high ceilings and shelving units to match. Lining the walls are buckets and buckets of different reading samples  for students. In the middle of the small room is a round table with miniature chairs that I knew would soon be filled with little people ready to read!

Sure enough, within minutes of the bell ringing 3 students arrived at the door, pulled out their homework bags and took their seat around the table. They pulled out their worksheets for marking and were eager to share what they had read the night before. The goal of the LRT is to give students who are struggling at current grade level a chance to get individual attention by working with a maximum of two other students and a teacher. The goal is to get these students reading at grade level by the time they enter grade 2. Students read stories, learn strategies for identifying words (sounding it out, using their finger to guide their reading, identifying root words they know ect.) and practice reading fluidly with appropriate expression.

The students used the pan shown above to create words using the magnetic letters. The students loved using the pans as a manipulative. Another method of teaching is shown below in the worksheet where students must place the words under the corresponding sound. The entire purpose of an LRT is to help students develop into the strong readers they are capability of becoming. This particular process instantly reminded me of the growth mind set model. Our mind set is developed at an early age and it is important to help students develop a growth mind set which sees failures and challenges as opportunities for improvement. A fixed mind set assumes that our intelligence is pre set and avoiding failure becomes a strategy for maintaining intelligence. With this mind set students are afraid to try because they are afraid to fail!

©Breakey, D. 2015. Word Chart.

The best part of reading with the LRT is that mistakes are rewarded! Students are taught that it's ok to make a mistake as long as they can recognize that they made one and then go back and try again. When a student says a word aloud incorrectly and then sounds out the word again to get it right that student is praised for making the mistake and then attempting it again. The LRT tells the students that making mistakes is all apart of becoming a better reader. This is so encouraging for students struggling with certain words and instead of feeling discouraged they are given the tools they need to be successful. The great thing is, being successful doesn't mean being failure free, it simply means being willing to try again. These students are learning from a young age to have a growth mindset and to believe that with a little practice and persevering they can change their reading ability and improve their skills!

Oral Communication Reflection

When we think about oral communication, it's common to think talking or presenting. The Ontario curriculum emphasizes that oral communication goes beyond that and includes active listening skills. There are many skills needed to be a good communicator. Students need to be able to speak clearly. use their critical thinking skills, and use strategies such as expression and pace to ensure their peers understand what they are talking about. That being said, I decided to focus on listening and found an excellent resource that truly encompasses what it means to be a good listener. 

The resource I chose is a TED Talk called 5 Ways To Listen Better by Julian Treasure. He talks about why we’re losing good listening skills in today's society. He highlights 5 key ways to improve your listening skills. This is important because the Ontario Curriculum says that students need to learn to listen in order to understand and respond appropriately and according to Treasure, we retain only 25% of what we actually hear. This talk breaks down why listening has become so difficult and some strategies to overcome those obstacles. 

©VAYP. 2015. Ear.

One great suggestion by Treasure is to find a quiet or silent place. He argues it can be very difficult to listen effectively with a lot of background noise and distractions. With so much information and multi media available to us at all times it can be very difficult to unplug and find a quiet space. If we expect students to practice good listening skills we have to create an environment for them to be successful. A good way to do this is to allot quiet time in the classroom for certain activities in order to create good listening. If you want students to watch a video or listen to a speaker you would have the room be absolutely silent and eliminate as much background noise as possible. Treasure also emphasizes the art of actually practicing good listening. Picking out details, acknowledging certain background noises and identifying them and focusing on one noise (such as a speaker) are all good things to actively practice.

©Free Management Books. 2015. Active Listening.

He used a really good acronym in his presentation which was R.A.S.A. This stands for receive, appreciate, summarize and ask. This would be an excellent anchor chart to put up in my classroom when defining how to be a good listener. Receive means to actually listen to the speaker, appreciate means to make small noises or head nods in order acknowledge the speaker and show you are invested, summarize what you’ve heard and ask questions. Treasure spoke about the importance of teaching these skills in the classroom so that students have the strong listening skills for the rest of their lives. I would certainly emphasize the steps in being an active listener and perhaps even give my students listening challenges to have them practice the 4 steps. Being a good listener is something I have to practice to this day and I believe the earlier we introduce and emphasize the skills to become a good listener, the better off our students will be in the future. Also, if we expect students to respond to what they are hearing, I as an instructor, have to make sure I give them the skills to listen and understand what they're hearing so they can make the best responses possible. 

Week 10 Math Reflection

©Breakey, D. 2015. Spinner.

This week in class we explored data management and probability. Presenters continued to teach small lessons and break down the unit for their peers. In the Ontario curriculum students are expected to build on data management and probability as they progress through various grades. In grades 4 and 5 students are focusing on predicting the frequency of an outcome and comparing two related sets of data. They are expected to use common fractions to express their findings and will often learn this process through the use of simple games and probability experiments. 

A simple activity that was showed to us in class involved a paper clip and a piece of paper divided into 4 sections and labelled 1 through 4. Students were to make a spinner using these materials by putting their pencil through the paper clip and down at the centre of the piece of paper. From there, we were expected to spin 10 times and record the results. We were to show our results in a chart and display the final answer as a fraction. The photo shows an example from class. This is a simple activity where students can start to record their findings and predict future results.

©Breakey, D. 2015.
Data Collection Cups. 

In a second activity, we focused specifically on data collection. As a group we had to decide on a question we wanted to conduct a survey for. We were allowed to use any type of charting method we could think of. We decided to find out what were our classmates favourite type of tree and we used a cup and counters to collect our data. This activity gave us a chance to try different forms of data collection and also allowed us to explore which ones worked best. It also proved that the way you phrase your question matters.

After some personal exploration, I found that there were many good online games that could help students practice their probability skills. One such game is Fish Tank, a game where students must create fractions to reflect the probability of catching a certain colour of fish. There are so many probability game options on the website and each suits a certain skill or grade level. We often talk about the importance of student engagement and how to get students to enjoy math. Online games are a great strategy and something they can usually access at home as well as at school for practice. This is a strategy I will try and incorporate into my classroom in the future because the topic of data management and probability can be extremely interesting for students if we make it so!

The Great Games - Shape Explorer

Breakey, D. 2015. Shape Explorer Screenshot.

This week  I explored my final great game which is called Shape Explorer.  The game is a forum where students can practice perimeter and area. The screen shot above shows the layout of the game. It's not as user friendly as previous games. There isn't a fun character or cool theme but the tool itself is still functional. Students can check their answer and see if they are right. If they're wrong they can reattempt. The one setback is that you are not given the right answer. Sometimes a student cannot arrive at the correct answer and they need to see it to work backwards and understand.

Another good thing about this tool is that students can physically count the area or perimeter if necessary. I wouldn't classify this as a game. Even though there is technically a score, it does not feel as fun as other games I've played. It does provide a good forum for practice but I don't think this game would hold a students attention for a long period of time. Some games are better than others and it's important to know what makes a game good and what makes a game less effective. In this case, I would keep searching for a more entertaining game to work on area and perimeter. 

Week 9 Math Reflection

©Breakey, D. 2015. Non Standard Units: Area. 

This week in class it was my turn to present! The unit of the week was measurement and 3 of my classmates were also in line to present. I felt prepared when I went to class. Our text book Making Math Meaningful for Canadian Students really came in handy when getting my presentation ready. I chose the specific unit of area and focused on the expectations for grade 4 students based on the Ontario Curriculum. In grade 4, students are introduced to using standard units and the area formula in order to solve problems. 

The class textbook helped me to break down the fundamentals of teaching area. I wanted to make sure I focused very heavily on how my peers could apply my lesson in their classroom. The three important steps when introducing a new topic in measurement is define and compare, use non-standard units and then introduce standard units and the formula. I wanted to emphasize that it was important to work through the unit step by step and ensure that students are making the right connections at each level. Listening for key words or watching for certain connections can let you know that your students are progressing through the unit. 

Something I incorporated into my presentation was talking about common mistakes amongst students. I got the idea from prior presentations because I really found that information valuable as a developing teacher. One common mistake students make when measuring area is thinking the shape is changing size when their unit of measurement increases or decreases. It is very important they understand that as the size of their unit increases the size of their answer will decrease. 

The activity I chose to do was a simple but impactful task which built on all the steps I had introduced in my presentation and my peers put what they learned to the test. I was able to ask some prompt questions which got them thinking about the common mistakes students might make. Overall, I felt my presentation went well and what was even better was that the other presenters this week all had common themes flow between presentations. Each presenter built on the information of the one before and so I think we were able to cover all the topics we needed to. 

On the topic of area, there is a great online game on Math Playground where students can practice their perimeter and area skills. Students need other outlets to put their skills to practice and online games is something most students could do at home. There was a lot of nerves leading up to my presentation but I'm happy to have it done and done well! 

Update: I ended up getting a good grade which tells me I'm on the right track! Feels good to be learning and developing my teaching skills. 

Writing Reflection

Writing is a crucial part of the Ontario curriculum. More importantly, writing is an important part of everyday life. Whether we realize it or not, we do some form of writing everyday. Today, writing comes commonly in a sent email or text, a tweet or a Facebook post. Social media, in many ways, has changed writing in that society thrives on small blurbs or a 180 character tweet that gives us a snapshot on a topic. The art of being concise and to the point has never been more prevalent. Beyond just brief, writers have had to learn to hook an audience using less words then ever before. If you only have a person's attention for the first few lines, how will you get them engaged?

©Ferreira, D. 2012. Twitter Icon.
[online image]

The good news is social media and platforms like Twitter can be great resources for writers and for teaching writers. It can link you to resources or videos that can help forward a writers ability. The video above is a quick and easy video to help students learn a few tips on organizing your writing plans. As a teacher, using these resources is important because they are what my students may be most comfortable with! I put my ideas to the test when I went on Twitter and searched the hashtag #ntchat which stands for new teacher chat. This hashtag is for new teachers looking to find resources or ideas for their classrooms. From there I found a link to an awesome blog called The Edvocate where I read a blog post called 10 Tools To Help Your Students Write Better Essays. It is written by a guest poster and gives 10 great ways to help your students become better writers and get excited about writing.

An important focus in the Ontario curriculum for language is students being able to gather, organize and present information. In the blog post, the writer provides excellent resources that teachers can pass on to their students as they complete a writing assignment. One example is the website writing.com where writers can go when they need advice. Students could find this resource extremely valuable as they tackle a writing assignment and perhaps are struggling. Another tip is to use good sample writing (an exemplar) in order to get students excited about writing and demonstrate to them what good samples of writing can look like. 

Let's take, for example, an essay assignment. I remember being a student and feeling dread when this

©Grammar Girl. 2015. Essay [online image]

word came up in Language class. It did not excite me and I would have been far happier doing creative writing. All writing is important but we must ensure students have the skills and understanding to write everything from a tweet, to a creative story and yes, even write a formal essay! But writing an essay does not have to be scary! In fact, you can be creative and have fun with writing an essay. As mentioned in the blog post I read, you could show your students different college entry essays where students have to be formal and professional to prove a point while incorporating their personality. In this case, the message is, "let me in to your university/college because I'm really great and here's why!". Students can find inspiration in a good exemplar so it's an important tool for teachers to use. 

The biggest thing I took away from this resource was getting students engaged in their writing. The idea of writing an essay doesn’t get them excited. Encouraging them to enter a writing contest, giving them awesome resources and showing them excellent examples are just a few ways to get my students engaged. The curriculum also states that students should be encouraged to be creative. They need to see what a creative piece of writing can look like and this could be a great way of inspiring them. My goal, as a teacher, will be to show my students that their potential in writing is endless and hopefully I can inspire them to be creative and produce their own well written pieces of work. If I can do that then I have been successful. 

Week 8 Math Reflection

©Breakey, D. 2015. Toothpick Fish.

©Breakey, D. 2015. Toothpick Cube.

This week I learned a lot of new techniques to teach mathematics. I found the presentations on geometry and spacial sense extremely useful and even learned about a few new tools to use in the classroom! It's clear that we are learning from one another because the activities that our peers have been handing out have been getting better and better. More manipulatives have been introduced and we've been able to complete some creative activities in order to learn a specific unit. 

This week we used tooth picks and modelling clay to create shapes and understand angles. In the photo above you can see we were asked to make a fish out of tooth picks. The task was to move only 3 toothpicks and make the fish face the other direction. I found this task difficult and I was unable to solve it. My partner and I tried some problem solving strategies such as considering what we already knew about shapes and we attempted trial and error with no success. It wasn't until it was demonstrated for us that we understood how to complete the activity. This exercise reminded us what it's like to be on the other end of teaching and it has given me more empathy for the students I will be instructing. I can relate to their struggles and I am reminded that some students learn differently and may require a variety of avenues to understand what is being taught. 

The second activity was about representing 2D and 3D shapes using tooth picks and clay. It was excellent to interact with the unit by actually creating shapes and manipulating them. Not only was it fun but it also allowed me to work with what we just learned and ask questions as I attempted to create 3D shapes. Using manipulatives, particularly in this unit, is a really good strategy for teaching because students will come with prior knowledge about shapes and giving them activities where they interact with material can be really effective. 

Finally, we worked with tangrams to create new shapes. We were given 7 pieces and asked to create a square. I learned an important lesson for teaching during this activity. First, we were given the 7 shapes and asked to create more complex pictures. Then, our professor asked us to first attempt to make a square using all 7 shapes. Most of us struggled to make all the shapes fit into a square. This demonstrated how critical it is to follow a step by step process and not jump ahead to the point where your students no longer understand. It was important that we all first learned how to make a square before we could move on to more advanced shapes. I know this is a mistake I could be guilty of and this relates back to understanding your students and the level they are at. If it is the first time introducing an activity then it is a good idea to start basic and work your way up to higher levels of complexity. 

This week was extremely valuable to me from a teaching point of view. I saw some excellent examples of how to be interactive and engaging using well planned activities. Next week I will be presenting on a unit in measurement and I am going to apply what I've learning watching my peers thus far and apply it to my own presentation! Wish me luck!

©Breakey, D. 2015. Tangram Square.

Week 7 Math Reflection

©Breakey, D. 2015. Candy Patterns.

This week in math class we listened to presentations on patterning and algebra. The presentations were done in order of progression based on grades in school so each presentation built on the one before. I really enjoyed the fact that they progressed logically because it helped demonstrate how you can build on prior knowledge and previous lessons. It is also important, when using the Ontario curriculum, to understand the different expectations in each grade. The example today showed how in grade 4 curriculum students are learning to represent and communicate mathematical thinking by using models, numbers, pictures and so on. Whereas in grade 8 students are expected to build on their prior knowledge and now be able to use algebra to represent linear growing patterns using concrete materials. They should also be able to model linear relationships graphically and algebraically and be able to solve and verify algebraic equations using a variety of strategies. 

It is interesting, especially in class like math, to see how fundamental skills and understanding is extremely important. It is very difficult to progress through the curriculum and onto more complicated processes if a student does not successfully complete and understand the building blocks. Falling behind in math is something I believe is a reality for many students and should be a serious concern. If students fall behind and begin to feel lost it can be very difficult to catch up and learn new mathematical concepts because so much depends on what a student has previously learned.

I remember feeling like this at school. When I got lost in a lesson I found it difficult to ask for help. When I was unable to get assistance I would continue to fall farther and farther behind. It wasn't until I had a teacher take me through some of the fundamentals and ensure I had those core understandings that I was able to move forward successfully. 

In class today the activities chosen by my peers were extremely effective. The first introduction to patterning was done with candy as shown in the picture above. Immediately, this had the class's attention and we used a manipulative we could eat! Students were engaged and eager to complete the activity as there was a reward at the end. The second activity used a theme in their pictures. In the case of our activity, we were given a handout with Halloween themed patterns and asked to complete the sequence. Students often get excited about holidays such as Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day and Easter so using themes can be a great way to get them excited about an activity or assignment.

The final presentation used really good manipulatives. My classmate created a mystery box which would have one number in one end and then push out another number from the other end. We had to solve for what operation the box was using to produce the number. He also used a scale shown below and overall he was able to keep our attention by using a variety of interesting examples. I'll definitely use some of these strategies and themes when it comes to my own classroom in the hopes of getting my students excited and ready to learn!

©Breakey, D. 2015. Patterning Handout. 

©Breakey, D. 2015. Presentation Scale. 

Music Madness

©Pixabay. 2014. Music Notes. [online image]
Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/en/music-notes-staff-violin-key-song-306157/

When I was in middle school one of my favourite classes was music. It was something I looked forward to everyday and I continued to play the tenor saxophone well into high school. For this reason I was extremely excited to shadow the school music teacher in week 2 for my observation day. The vice principal said following a music teacher for a day shows you how to execute good classroom management as you have 20-30 students all trying to learn an instrument!

The best way I could describe the music teacher would be: Jack Black in School of Rock. I say that as a compliment as this teacher was passionate about music, excited to work with his students and had a quick witted self demeaning sense of humour. He immediately told me I was in for quite a day with 4 grade 8 music classes on the schedule. He sat in his office and attempted to hit the top two notes on the clarinet in the b flat concert scale. He said that many of his students struggled with those two notes and if he couldn't do it himself how could he expect it of his students? He told me that at least this way they could struggle through it together. I thought that approach was pretty neat because he was putting himself in the shoes of his students and was able to empathize with their struggles.

It was clear that the music teacher understood his students and this connected directly back to my textbook Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment and the section on knowing your students. He understood that there were some students who were new to the school and some new to the country who would be at various levels of music. He did a diagnostic assessment at the beginning of each semester to find out what prior knowledge students had about music and what level everyone was starting at. This was critical for his lesson planning and deciding how to proceed forward in the year. His ability to know his students allowed him to empathize with his students, plan accordingly and make the music room a positive learning environment.

During the day I simply observed. I watched as students entered the room, knew immediately that they were to setup their chair, get their instruments, rinse their mouth pieces and start practicing their scales until the class was ready to begin. It was evident the teacher had practiced these routines several times and that now they were easily executed.  I watched as he stood quietly at the front of the room waiting patiently for their attention. He told me that attempting to yell over a bunch of instruments was a losing battle and that waiting quietly was much more effective. 

The class didn't aways go smoothly and at time it was noisy and chaotic. It is easy for students to get distracted when they have instruments in their hands but patience was certainly the key and being prepared to adapt as the lesson progressed was important! Another great week under my belt and I'm excited to see what next week holds!

SERTainly In The Know

Ever heard of a SERT? I hadn't before I arrived at my placement school. SERT stands for special education resource teacher. These are teachers that will work with students with exceptionalities, students on individual education plans (IEPs) and with teachers who need assistance in creating differentiated lesson plans. I spent the day with the intermediate SERT who takes care of students in grades 6, 7 and 8. The woman I was with was absolutely incredible. She was welcoming and immediately made me apart of her day. She took time to answer any and all of my questions (and there were many!), gave me an overview of what SERTs do and took me through a day in the life of her job.

What blew me away was learning about the different resources and assistive technology that students have access to for all kinds of needs. In this school iPads are used for students in grade 5 and below for several reasons. If a student needed assisted reading or a scribe they can use applications on the iPad to assist their learning. In grades 6 and above students have access to chrome books in which students can work with online tools to assist their learning. Some students struggle in writing and putting their thoughts to paper. Sometimes, the ability to type and use corrective spelling tools can help them communicate what they know while removing the barrier of having to manually write it out. 

At one point in our day we did classroom drop ins where we checked on students that may need assistance. Specifically, I met two boys who have severe autism and who are currently in regular grade 8 classes. Often, parents will choose to put their children in a life skills programs but, in the case of these two boys, their parents opted to keep them in regular classes. My mentor SERT explained to me that all students have the right to participate in core education and it is our job to ensure they get what they need to develop through their learning. In the case of these two boys, they had modified curriculum expectations and evaluation methods. This inclusive approach stems from Growing Success which is a policy document we learned about in our assessment course. This document emphasizes that educational programs should be designed to accommodate needs and facilitate a child's growth and development. Using resources like the ones photographed above, a SERT helps to design these accommodations and support both parents and teachers in creating an equal and successful learning environment for all students.

Learning about SERTs and what an incredible resource they can be for teachers and students alike made me thankful for their service. These teachers are extremely busy and care deeply about their students. They do a special job removing barriers and making the classroom a place where all students can get equal opportunity to learn. They advocate on behalf of students and ensure that they get the tools and technology they need to be successful. I left with a deep appreciation for SERTs and I even got to thinking that I might be interested in doing that one day. My first day was enlightening and exciting and I can't wait to see what the next week brings!

Ready, Set ... Back To School!

©Bruce Trails. 2015. [online image]

I've been in my placement once a week for the last 3 weeks. We need to back up a little bit and talk about how it all started. After all the anticipation of where I'd get placed I found out I'd be at an elementary school in Milton. The school is relatively new and not too far from my house so all in all I was pretty excited to get started. 4 of my classmates are also placed at this school so on the first observation Wednesday we arrived early filled with nerves and anticipation. 

From the moment I arrived I knew I was lucky to be placed in this school. We were greeted by the vice principal who had food and drinks ready for us in the conference room. In a school of 1200 students Jane is one of 2 vice principals. She spent the entire morning getting to know each of us as people, asked what we hoped to gain from our experience and told us with pride about her amazing school.

The school is beautiful. The facilities are new and they have state of the art technology. It is evident that everyone in the building takes pride in their school. There are Apple computers in the library, new instruments in the music room and science tools in the labs. The school is extremely multi cultural with 80 percent of the students from the middle east, Asia and Europe. With that said, there is very little diversity on the staff but this is something the school is extremely conscious of. As an example, they understand that many students cannot see themselves in the teachers so during the lunch hour they bring in volunteers from the community to be classroom monitors. This allows the students to have adults who they can identify with. This is an excellent attempt to close a gap between students and instructors. 

While we toured the school my jaw continued to drop based on the sheer size of the school and the resources the students had access to. The school has two full time ESL (English Second Language) teachers, 4 SERTs (Special Education Resource teachers) and 2 LTOs (Learning Resource teachers). I wasn't even sure what all of these teachers did until I shadowed them on later observation days. What was clear was that students were put first and every attempt is made to give each student a chance to be successful.

I am beyond excited to do my placement at this school. The staff cares about the students and one another, there are amazing resources at their disposal and there is a culture of acceptance and passion for learning. I found out that my mentor teacher is a grade 7 language and arts teacher. I look forward to becoming apart of this school community and can't wait to document my experience!

Reading Reflection

ASSESS Bump It Up Wall from LearnTeachLead on Vimeo.

In week 5 I explored the website LearnTeachLead which is designed to provide resources for teachers and educators in different subjects and acts as a collaborative space for learning. Specifically, I watched a video and learned about a strategy called "Bump it up wall". In this strategy students complete a piece of writing, edit it, have it peer reviewed and then put it up on the wall. The teacher then reviews it and asks the students to create a good copy. The students put a good copy on the wall and the teacher provides feedback for students. The next time they do a writing piece they are to incorporate the feedback. This wall shows the students' progress and gives them a chance to improve their work. 

This particular video aims to improve students writing ability but in the process they are using their reading skills. First, they are editing their own work which means they are evaluating the writing for good vocabulary, punctuation, clear content and good use of information. Then their piece of writing is peer reviewed. This gives a student the chance to read someone else’s writing and again look for elements which need to be improved. In the curriculum students are expected to grasp ideas communicated in a text and apply them in new contexts. In this particular resource video, students must understand the ideas of their classmates and evaluate if what they are reading is well written. Students are also expected to read for a variety of purposes and so this activity has students reading in order to peer review which is something they will have to do as they progress through school.

As a teacher, if I used this strategy I would have the student edit in a different colour pen so I could clearly see their understanding of the different elements of writing (sentence structure, punctuation  spelling ect.). I like the idea of having a student submit their rough draft, peer edited draft and good copy. It would show them how much work can go into a single piece of writing and you could even turn that into a lesson on reading. I could find an article and have my students read it. After, we could talk about how many drafts we thought a particular piece might need and what things they would change or edit in the particular article. This would teach them to think critically about something they are reading and apply a skill they use in writing to evaluate an article while reading. 

The entire LearnTeachLead website was extremely useful. You could search a specific subject and find specific resources that relate to your search. The videos are a great way to get a good overview on what is being taught or suggested. The “Bump it up wall” showed me that I can get creative with how I introduce reading to my class. Of course, my students will have to read age appropriate books and do more traditional learning activities but I can also get creative with how I incorporate reading. Peer review is just one way to get students reading in another subject or unit.

The Great Games - Ratio Martian

©Arcademics. 2015. Ration Martian. [online image]
Retrieved from http://www.arcademics.com/games/ratio-martian/ratio-martian.html

©Arcademics. 2015. Ration Martian2. [online image]
Retrieved from http://www.arcademics.com/games/ratio-martian/ratio-martian.html

The game I chose to evaluate this week was Ratio Martian. This game is good for grade 6 and 7 students who are practicing recognizing ratios in different forms. Specifically, in grade 6 this game would be good in the probability unit when students have to represent the probability of an event using a ratio and in grade 7 when they look at proportional relationships. The game is based around a martian who is hungry and only eats ratios. Numbers come across the screen and students must click on ratios for the martian to eat and pass on numbers that do not represent ratios. Correct and incorrect answers are tracked and students can see their results at the end of the game. Students also have the ability to gain achievements by completing a rate of 10 ratios per minute at each stage of the game. 

Overall, I think the game is effective as a starting off point for students to ensure they can recognize ratios. I don’t believe this game is good for learning beyond that. With that said, the game provides feedback on which answers students got right and wrong so they can evaluate their work and learn from their mistakes. 

The game is clearly not something students would enjoy for a long period of time since it is very simple and there is little depth to it. However,  as a short introduction activity it could be a good way of engaging students into the subject. I also thought it would be useful as a quick evaluation of prior knowledge in grade 6 or 7. Are all your students at the same level or do you have some students who cannot recognize ratios consistently? If that is the case, it would give teachers that information and would allow them to adjust their lesson accordingly. Anything beyond introductory and I think this game would lose its value. For that reason, I think the game is a good tool for gaging where a student is at in their understanding of ratios.

Week 6 Math Reflection: A Lesson In Lesson Planning

©Othmar's Trombone. 2015. [online image].
Retrieved from https://othmarstrombone.wordpress.com

I am halfway through my first semester of teacher's college as week 6 comes to an end. As we push forward in our development as teachers a common theme continues to arise... lesson planning! This is an essential tool for teachers everywhere who are preparing activities for their students. Why create lesson plans? Why not just have the big picture in your head and show up to class with that in mind? The simple answer is preparation sets up for success. When you are facilitating between 20 and 30 students over the course of a semester or entire year of schooling, planning and preparing is key to their continued development. 

Big picture ideas are great but the trick is in the details. If plan A doesn't work you need to be at the ready with plan B. You have to know what areas of the curriculum you are covering, if you're building on the lessons previous, where a particular lesson is intending to take your students, what materials you require and strategies for propelling your students forward. It sounds like a lot and it is! As someone who has yet to put into practice her lesson planning skills, I was nervous. 

Finally, my big worries were addressed this past week in my math class when we went through a lesson plan together as a group and thank goodness since I have 3 lesson planning assignments coming up in several classes! There were 3 key things I took away about what I should do as the teacher:

1) Always do the math! (Be sure you are ready and able to complete the problems you're handing out)

2) Ask open ended questions. (You want to prompt your students to find the answers themselves)

3) Check for understanding. (The job is never done. Create an exit ticket or reflection activity to see if what you've taught has been absorbed)

It sounds easy but these are some simple rules that could get overlooked if you weren't completing a lesson plan. Another important thing I learned was that lesson plans are for you, the teacher! Sure, having a good plan in place will benefit your students but it is a tool used to help you stay on track and be the most effective teacher you can be in any given lesson. A lesson plan is also critical in deciding how you will evaluate. You may not use the same evaluation tools each and every lesson. In fact, it is good to evaluate in a variety of ways and so planning your evaluation is just as important as planning the lesson. 

Ultimately, as we discussed in class, the goal of any lesson should be for students to make connections and extend their knowledge beyond the classroom. They need time for independent practice and using examples that they can relate to can really help them get engaged in a subject. If my students are able to take the concepts and skills they are learning in my class and extend them beyond into their everyday life I'll know I've done my job. The best way to do my job is to make sure I'm prepared with a great lesson plan!

TechKNOW Teacher

It's official, I completed my first course in teacher's college. It was only a 6 week course but in that time I learned so much valuable and applicable information. My digital learning course was jam packed with new online tools, tips for improving your online identity and information on how to use technology effectively in your classroom. With the format of class being gamified there was no getting around using and improving my online skills. 

After spending some time in my placement school I know that many of the skills I learned in class will be useful. My school has tons of technology and students have access to all the devices and media they could ever need. There is something for every type of learner and students are encouraged to use online tools to further their in class learning. If I am going to do my teaching block at this awesome and forward thinking school then I am going to have to be prepared to introduce and use new tools. These students already know what it's like to have teachers who bring media into their classrooms and so the bar has been set ... very high.

Luckily, I feel ready. I'm confident that I can use more entertaining and engaging presentation tools then I would have previously thought. I'm ready to create PowToon presentations and gage what my students know by using real time quizzing applications like Kahoot! Even the creation of this blog can be credited to my digital learning course. I'm grateful that a course like this was created so I, as a 21st century teacher, would be prepared to face tech savvy students. I'm thankful for my professor DJ Dave who came to class with passion and excitement about the subject while remaining patient as many of us struggled through learning something new.

With one class under my belt I feel like my journey to becoming a teacher is truly underway and I'm moving forward as a #techknowteacher!