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!