Last year, my husband pondered the idea of quitting his job many times. He just wasn't happy with his job and waking up each morning to drag himself to work was becoming hard work. It was hard to stand by and watch my husband feel defeated. He could just stay in a job to ensure he brings home an income for his family. He could just stay unhappy and work every day so we can afford nice things such as vacations and material objects we don't need. Instead he quit his job after much consideration and he now gets to stay home with our son. It has been a great bonding experience. As my husband would say, he has gained a lot of patience being a stay-at-home dad.
With time on our side, we talked about living abroad and applying for a teacher exchange seemed like the right fit. I was in contact with CEEF (Canadian Educators Exchange Foundation) and spoke to the coordinator Carol, who is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to exchanges. I filled out the paperwork in October 2015, got approved by the principal and superintendent and everything was processed by November. Then we were told to wait and that exchanges normally happen between January to March. In February we were contacted with a possible match that can have us leaving in July for Sydney, Australia. Unfortunately that match didn't work out so we were bummed out about not being able to start our exchange in the summer. Again, we were contacted in March that a match has been made with a teacher in Perth, Australia. Both school districts and organizations finally confirmed this match in May, and now we are heading out January 2017.
It still seems surreal. I have been in contact with my match through email and so far so good. We have much to discuss and organize prior to leaving. Carol at CEEF has been a great help with resources and answering questions. Unfortunately for us, she retired in July, but she left us in good hands with a new coordinator. I went to an information session hosted by CEEF in June and met teachers across Ontario who are also doing an exchange. We created a Facebook group and it feels great to connect with people who are in the same situation.
In July I applied for visa sponsorship, and currently I am still waiting for approval. In the meantime, we are purging and making plans for our departure.
Now it's September and school is starting, our exchange is 4 months away. Excitement and anxiousness is setting in but I must focus on the first week back for now.
Friday, September 2, 2016
First year of Planning Time
Definition of a planning time teacher - a teacher that provides prep time to a classroom teacher. Every teacher within our contract is entitled to 240 minutes of planning time each week. Planning time subjects can be discussed with the classroom teacher and depending on the schedule, the planning time teacher would report 2-3 subjects per term for each classroom teacher.
This Last year I chose to teach mostly drama with some dance, music, science and health. I taught students from kindergarten to grade 4. I've enjoyed my time with each of the grades. At first I was terrified in a kindergarten classroom. I remember feeling like I was always putting on a show and I didn't necessarily feel like I was teaching but filling time. As I learned about the FDK (full-day kindergarten) model where students are to learn through play and inquiry throughout the day, I realized the more I gave students choice and freedom, the easier it was to see learning happening. And now, I just love watching the kids play. Which shouldn't come to a surprise since I did dedicate a chunk of my undergraduate degree specializing in Early Childhood Education. I think I felt uncomfortable with the change because I have been away from that age group for a while and was lacking confidence. Another thing I learned this year was how much fun teaching science could be. In previous years, when working with teaching partners doing rotary, I would always give up science. But this year I taught grade 2 and 3 science and I really enjoyed the process. Through science I was able to integrate STEAM-based learning and this was the hook to engaging learners. I learned how to be a better teacher by asking guiding questions and allowing time to explore and inquire. I co-planned with the teacher-librarian to use the library as a makerspace. I sought help from resource teachers at the board level and learned ways to integrate coding and technology.
I've had some great lessons this year. Here are my top 3:
3- Makerspace with grade 3s. Students were given certain materials to accomplish certain tasks. For example they had to build a bridge that would hold a certain weight or make a marble run with turns and loops. One of the final projects we did was using the idea from the cardboard challenge and create a fair game using concepts in the forces unit.
2 - Robots and coding. This year I was lucky enough to get PD in this area and then our school purchased many different robots to use in the classroom. My favourite are the Dash and Dot robots but I have used the EV3 and WeDo lego kits as well. It's interesting to see some students who traditionally excel in school and struggled with coding, where some students who struggle with traditional schooling excelled in coding. I struggle with coding because my brain needs to be trained to think in a programming way. So even though I may not have a natural ability with the subject, I still find it so fascinating and want to push myself to learn more. I also see the grit and resiliency strenthening in some of the students I work with.
1- Garage band app rocks! I used this app twice this year. The first time students created a Health PSA using the app to record their voice and add music for effect. The second time students made a silent movie and added music for mood. They also used iMovie to edit the video and audio. Through these projects, I saw students collaborate, organize and plan effectively and these are good life-skills to have.
The year is drawing to a close and reflection is how I cope with the transition, I feel a sense of pride in my learning this past year and I am glad I made the change.
*this post was written in June 2016 and published for viewing Sept. 2016
I've had some great lessons this year. Here are my top 3:
3- Makerspace with grade 3s. Students were given certain materials to accomplish certain tasks. For example they had to build a bridge that would hold a certain weight or make a marble run with turns and loops. One of the final projects we did was using the idea from the cardboard challenge and create a fair game using concepts in the forces unit.
2 - Robots and coding. This year I was lucky enough to get PD in this area and then our school purchased many different robots to use in the classroom. My favourite are the Dash and Dot robots but I have used the EV3 and WeDo lego kits as well. It's interesting to see some students who traditionally excel in school and struggled with coding, where some students who struggle with traditional schooling excelled in coding. I struggle with coding because my brain needs to be trained to think in a programming way. So even though I may not have a natural ability with the subject, I still find it so fascinating and want to push myself to learn more. I also see the grit and resiliency strenthening in some of the students I work with.
1- Garage band app rocks! I used this app twice this year. The first time students created a Health PSA using the app to record their voice and add music for effect. The second time students made a silent movie and added music for mood. They also used iMovie to edit the video and audio. Through these projects, I saw students collaborate, organize and plan effectively and these are good life-skills to have.
The year is drawing to a close and reflection is how I cope with the transition, I feel a sense of pride in my learning this past year and I am glad I made the change.
*this post was written in June 2016 and published for viewing Sept. 2016
Saturday, January 2, 2016
A Decade in Teaching
This year marks my 10th anniversary in teaching. I remember my very first class. I went back to my hometown in rural Alberta and taught in the school I went to as a student. I taught a grade 2 class with only 14 students and a full-time teaching assistant. There were high-needs in the class but I didn't think twice about class size and having extra support. I just assumed it was the norm. Now I teach in a more urban setting in Ontario and have mainly taught students in grades 4-8 the last few years. This past September, I started in a new school and a new role as a planning time teacher. During that first week I met 100+ students from K-7. Although I have 10 years experience, that week I felt like a first year teacher all over again especially when I was teaching in the Kindergarten classes. In our school system, we have full-day kindergarten for students age 3.5-5. It's full day and every day, and there is one teacher and DECE (designated early childhood educator) in the classroom.
My philosophy towards teaching hasn't changed much, I teach because I love working with children. I have learned new methods and ideologies. I realize I can't do it all and over the past year I have tried to observe and listen more rather than just doing. I have learned when I teach from my heart I am being true to myself and therefore gain knowledge from my students. This is not an easy lesson to learn as I try to cover all the curriculum expectations as well as meet the goals created by the school or school board. From my personal experience I find the goals are often defined by the scores of our once a year provincial tests called EQAO. I remember when I was first interviewed for a job and how I need to know the newest educational buzz words and methodologies. I believed a balanced literacy program was important and found ways to incorporate 100 minutes of literacy into my programming. But over the last couple of years, numeracy has been the focus. Now we include 3 or 4 part math lessons in 60 minutes while still providing an enriching literacy program and please don't forget the daily 20 minutes of physical activity, the science and social studies, the arts and technology and try to do some of this outside because outdoor education is vital as well.
I have burned out in some years where I dedicated all my free time to my job. I have learned to not bring work home and I have learned to grow a thicker skin when I find myself in conflicts with students and especially with the parents. I have been told to not take things personally. I have grown.
As a beginning teacher, I always tried to stay away from the politics of teaching, I figured I can do what I love within my own classroom and the rest I had no control over. But it was this year when teachers were trying to fairly negotiate a contract that I realized how important it is to be informed with the politics. A contract was imposed on us in 2012 by our government and teachers were forced to do our jobs and essentially with less pay. Then in 2014, it took over 2 years to finally come to terms with a tentative agreement. The tension was intense when the teacher's union decided to step up our job action last June and it lasted until mid-November. During this time, I learned the importance to stand in solidarity with my union and the teachers. The public needed to know what the fight was about, the need for smaller class sizes, the importance of planning time and funding for Special Education and Full-Day Kindergarten. But again, teachers were under the public eye and criticized for wanting more money. People were feeling the rage of teachers potentially striking and their voices were loudly heard all across social media but not without teachers speaking up as well. Every year I teach students to THINK before they post because you can't take it back once it's out in cyberspace and the importance to be KIND.
A few weeks ago a colleague retired after teaching for 32 years, this made me think about my own retirement, in 2036. So technically I have 20 more years or 2 decades left, that is a long time and plenty of time to still empower students, to make a difference, to learn and to grow. The passion to teach is within me, it comes and goes but as long as I follow my heart I think I will be okay.
My philosophy towards teaching hasn't changed much, I teach because I love working with children. I have learned new methods and ideologies. I realize I can't do it all and over the past year I have tried to observe and listen more rather than just doing. I have learned when I teach from my heart I am being true to myself and therefore gain knowledge from my students. This is not an easy lesson to learn as I try to cover all the curriculum expectations as well as meet the goals created by the school or school board. From my personal experience I find the goals are often defined by the scores of our once a year provincial tests called EQAO. I remember when I was first interviewed for a job and how I need to know the newest educational buzz words and methodologies. I believed a balanced literacy program was important and found ways to incorporate 100 minutes of literacy into my programming. But over the last couple of years, numeracy has been the focus. Now we include 3 or 4 part math lessons in 60 minutes while still providing an enriching literacy program and please don't forget the daily 20 minutes of physical activity, the science and social studies, the arts and technology and try to do some of this outside because outdoor education is vital as well.
I have burned out in some years where I dedicated all my free time to my job. I have learned to not bring work home and I have learned to grow a thicker skin when I find myself in conflicts with students and especially with the parents. I have been told to not take things personally. I have grown.
As a beginning teacher, I always tried to stay away from the politics of teaching, I figured I can do what I love within my own classroom and the rest I had no control over. But it was this year when teachers were trying to fairly negotiate a contract that I realized how important it is to be informed with the politics. A contract was imposed on us in 2012 by our government and teachers were forced to do our jobs and essentially with less pay. Then in 2014, it took over 2 years to finally come to terms with a tentative agreement. The tension was intense when the teacher's union decided to step up our job action last June and it lasted until mid-November. During this time, I learned the importance to stand in solidarity with my union and the teachers. The public needed to know what the fight was about, the need for smaller class sizes, the importance of planning time and funding for Special Education and Full-Day Kindergarten. But again, teachers were under the public eye and criticized for wanting more money. People were feeling the rage of teachers potentially striking and their voices were loudly heard all across social media but not without teachers speaking up as well. Every year I teach students to THINK before they post because you can't take it back once it's out in cyberspace and the importance to be KIND.
A few weeks ago a colleague retired after teaching for 32 years, this made me think about my own retirement, in 2036. So technically I have 20 more years or 2 decades left, that is a long time and plenty of time to still empower students, to make a difference, to learn and to grow. The passion to teach is within me, it comes and goes but as long as I follow my heart I think I will be okay.
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Currently...November
It's November and thank you Farley for getting us linked up. I truly enjoy the blogging world of educators. There is so much to learn and so many ideas to use and reuse.
I wrapped up October with Student-led conferences, writing progress reports and Halloween. No wonder I am sick. Then again, I always get sick at this time of the year. It's always a cold and then leads to laryngitis. With no voice I am forced to stay home and I am forced to slow down, but I find having no voice makes me wanting to blog more and my mind doesn't stop thinking about all the things I want to do as a teacher.
I am listening to Breakfast Television and blogging. It's 7 am and my 2 year old slept over at grandma's last night. I woke up at 4:30 with my mind racing and I've been online since. I am running into school to print my report cards and supply plans then coming home. Being childless, I should be soaking in this ME time.
I am loving this minestrone soup I made this past weekend. I made it for my son, who dislikes vegetables unless it's mushed up in a sauce or soup, but he didn't like it so my husband and I have been packing it for lunch this week. I love the cabbage in it, and I used a gluten free macaroni which did soak up the broth but kept it's shape.
I woke up this morning thinking about how I will organize the talent show at my school this year. We are a K-8 school with about 900 students. We haven't done a talent show for a few years and this is my first year leading it at this school. Any ideas and suggestions are welcomed.
I am wanting to just sleep, rest and to get rid of this cold. Maybe some more hand-washing and sanitizer could have fought the germs, or maybe I needed to power up on echinacea and and healthy pro-biotics to boost the immune system. I just long for the opportunity to curl up with a book and fall asleep with no hint of worrying in my mind. My want becomes my need because I can't function like this.
I am reading Outlander again. After watching the TV series I just had to pick it up again. Any Outlander fans out there? The first time I read it, I was on a bus tour up in the highlands in Scotland as a single gal.
I wrapped up October with Student-led conferences, writing progress reports and Halloween. No wonder I am sick. Then again, I always get sick at this time of the year. It's always a cold and then leads to laryngitis. With no voice I am forced to stay home and I am forced to slow down, but I find having no voice makes me wanting to blog more and my mind doesn't stop thinking about all the things I want to do as a teacher.
I am listening to Breakfast Television and blogging. It's 7 am and my 2 year old slept over at grandma's last night. I woke up at 4:30 with my mind racing and I've been online since. I am running into school to print my report cards and supply plans then coming home. Being childless, I should be soaking in this ME time.
I am loving this minestrone soup I made this past weekend. I made it for my son, who dislikes vegetables unless it's mushed up in a sauce or soup, but he didn't like it so my husband and I have been packing it for lunch this week. I love the cabbage in it, and I used a gluten free macaroni which did soak up the broth but kept it's shape.
I woke up this morning thinking about how I will organize the talent show at my school this year. We are a K-8 school with about 900 students. We haven't done a talent show for a few years and this is my first year leading it at this school. Any ideas and suggestions are welcomed.
I am wanting to just sleep, rest and to get rid of this cold. Maybe some more hand-washing and sanitizer could have fought the germs, or maybe I needed to power up on echinacea and and healthy pro-biotics to boost the immune system. I just long for the opportunity to curl up with a book and fall asleep with no hint of worrying in my mind. My want becomes my need because I can't function like this.
I am reading Outlander again. After watching the TV series I just had to pick it up again. Any Outlander fans out there? The first time I read it, I was on a bus tour up in the highlands in Scotland as a single gal.
Monday, October 6, 2014
The First Month Back
This year I teach grade 4 again in a small growing-town north of Toronto, Ontario. My school just started the full-day kindergarten program which means we have 200 little people registered out of 870 students in a K-8 school. I have 24 delightful students who seem eager to come to school each day. This is my 3rd year teaching grade 4, so start up was more smooth and I love that I can reuse lessons.
Did you know that in a group of 24, there is often always 2 people who share the same birthday. This year 2 students share January 22 birthdays.
Every year I start with reading, "The Dot" by Peter Reynolds. I love what the message in this book and often students can connect with the story or character. I took part in Dot Day around September 15ish and we sang this song.
Then we made Dot art. We used the ColAR app on the iPads which kids love. And painted outside
on the tarmac.
When it dries it looks like sidewalk chalk.
Each week my class completes team challenges. I love the marshmallow challenge. Here is our tallest structure this year. I realized afterwards I forgot to give them string, but the students still managed. Each group of 4 received 20 spaghetti sticks, 1 marshmallow and an arm's length of masking tape and string (if you remember). Then they have to build a freestanding tower, I used the CN Tower as an example, and place their marshmallow on top.
Team challenges help my class problem solve, make decisions and promotes team work. Afterwards, we reflect on the challenge. I create an anchor chart to remind students how to be effective group members with Do's and Do Not's.
Lastly, I work closely with my grade team and this year we are having more emphasis on outdoor education which links into our first science unit, habitats. We got to go a conservation center close by to study wetland, pond and forest habitats. Kids love field trips!
Each month we are walking to a park close by that has 3 different habitats for us to study- a creek, forest and field. We hope to be able to encourage students to care for their environment and realize the impact they have on the animals.
Behind our school there is construction. Houses are popping up like crazy here. This wee snake happen to cross our paths outside of our portables. Luckily no students were around on this PD day. My grade partners swooped him up and tried to find another home for him. We thought this would be a great teachable moment for our classes. I got the heebie jeebies and couldn't get myself to touch the snake, from afar it was cute with its little tongue and 2 beady eyes. I envisioned it to grow like Voldemort's snake in Harry Potter, or not.
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Currently...October
I can't believe how the first month of school just flew by. I meant to blog before school started and then once again in September.
Currently, I am listening to my husband making dinner. It's always nice to have dinner made.
I love Fall! I love watching the leaves turn colours and the cooler temperatures. Today in central Ontario, it felt like 6 degrees Celsius. I love layering up and going for walks. I also celebrate a birthday and anniversary in October.
I am thinking about how lucky I am to have wonderful girlfriends. I just got back from a night away at the cottage with an extraordinary group of ladies.We spent the night drinking wine, talking and laughing.
I am wanting a long weekend only because since school started in September, I feel like I haven't stopped. This past week, I was overhearing a group of teachers saying how they're feeling overwhelmed and finding it hard to keep up. I feel the same way. September is busy and it's not going to slow down for a while. As teachers, we know what's coming. I'm trying to not complain because I really do have a great class of 24 grade 4 students that mostly like coming to school. They make me laugh and I have a great time with them, but it's all the responsibilities beyond the classroom that makes it tough. I think a long weekend would be good for all. Luckily in Canada, Thanksgiving happens in October.
I need to clean my house, enough said.
And finally, the treat. I don't have much to offer other than I hope everyone can enjoy some yummy treats on Halloween. I look forward to trick-or-treating with my 2 year old son.
Thank you Farley for the opportunity to link-up. Check out her site http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.ca/
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Currently...June
Here is my first currently thanks to Runde's Room and Oh Boy, Fourth Grade
I was writing report cards. In fact I already plugged at them for 15 hours. This time I thought I count how long it takes me to complete my report cards, and these are the hours actually logged into eTeacher (report card writing program), I'm not even going to count the hours I spend marking. Technically I am logged on right now but I am not counting the time since I got sidetracked with completing my first "Currently" and with this I learned how to use Picasa. I see some fun things ahead of my blogging days.
So as I soak in the Dixie Chicks, Wide Open Spaces, I am loving the summer weather. I am thinking how I will survive the last 3 weeks of school. Report cards are due in 1 week.
I do want to go on vacation and luckily I have a flight booked to Calgary in July.
I so need a massage. My last massage was in October. I usually spoil myself a lot more than this.
This summer, I plan on just having a great break with my son. I'm sad that my husband will have to work the entire summer since he just started a new job. But we plan to do some cottaging and camping. Going to the beach, aquarium, zoo and just spending a lot of time outside.
The Ontario elections are coming up on Thursday, June 12th. At first, I was confident in the decision on which party I was going to vote for. If you follow me on Twitter, it's evident that I am on the #stophudak bus. I am trying to be informed during this election and I read the PC platform. I am trying to understand why anyone would vote PC. I asked my husband who worked for the private sector and now for the public sector. He feels a lot of money has been wasted, which is true since Ontario is in debt. Taxpayers are upset and they feel the PC party is going to fix it. As a teacher, I just can't imagine what those cuts will do to the education system. This year I have 29 students, if class sizes increase, does that mean more students next year? I had no educational assistants in my class and I know for sure 3 of my students needed EA support and at least 5 more can use some extra Special Education support. I didn't have it so I sucked it up and did my job. All I want to do is do my job and do it well without all this political drama. I may be dreaming, but a girl can dream.
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Genius Hour from Start to Finish
5 weeks ago I asked the class, "What if you can learn anything you want in this classroom?" After giving a right amount of think time, my first response was "AWESOME!" And that's how I got the Genius Hour ball rolling in my grade 4 classroom. And they were hooked, they wanted to know more.
The next day, I showed them this classic Kid President video. I just love this kid. He is so inspirational and I wanted my students to know that they can be awesome if they wanted to and all they had to do was try.
Then I showed them www.geniushour.com and explained where this idea came from and how I did this with my class last year and everyone loved it.
In my class, there are 3 rules to Genius Hour:
1) You must start with an inquiry question (a really good question)
2) You must do research (if you can find the answer within a minute of searching, you'll need to find a better question)
3) You must share what you learned to the rest of the class.
I told them they will have four 60 minute classes to complete their project and it will happen the same time each week. Each week they looked forward to Day 2 (we are on a 5 day cycle) period 5/6.
There was a wide range of questions. Some students knew immediately and some needed a couple days to think about it. Some even had to change their question a few times after realizing they found the answer in 1 Google search or they couldn't find an answer. Most of my students decided to pair up.
Here are our questions/topics:
- How is the orbit made?
- What is the first sport invented?
- How do you survive in the wild?
- How do you build a self-reloading trap on Minecraft?
- What can I build with Lego?
- What is the first panda?
- How old do sharks live?
- What is the Blue Mosque?
- Learn more about Selena Gomez
- Learn about Medieval Times
- What's the fastest car?
- What is the first video game?
- How do you make Minecraft with rainbow loom?
- How do I teach my dog how to sit?
- How to make a website?
During the rest of the Genius Hour sessions, I had students researching, creating, planning, and collaborating. Learning became natural to them. There was accountable talk and they problem solved together. I was facilitating instead of teaching. Some students were off task because they needed help to organize and plan out how they will share what they learned. A few students didn't have anything to share because they spent most of their time researching. All these hiccups were just teachable moments for me to discuss time management and discuss what they could do differently next time. Failure is part of the learning process and I embrace it.
Finally it was time to share what they learned. Most students made Power Points. I tried encouraging some groups to think outside of the box to share their work but the technology was not really reliable on some days.
The sharing is still going on, everyone is proud of their work. The project that had the best student reaction so far is the one with the self-reloading trap for Minecraft. This student, who is an aspie, usually keeps to himself and needs help with self-regulation. But when he presented, every student in my class was captivated by his work and I could tell he loved every moment of it. I don't think I could have planned for this, even if I tried.
I can't wait to do another Genius Hour session with my class.
The next day, I showed them this classic Kid President video. I just love this kid. He is so inspirational and I wanted my students to know that they can be awesome if they wanted to and all they had to do was try.
Then I showed them www.geniushour.com and explained where this idea came from and how I did this with my class last year and everyone loved it.
In my class, there are 3 rules to Genius Hour:
1) You must start with an inquiry question (a really good question)
2) You must do research (if you can find the answer within a minute of searching, you'll need to find a better question)
3) You must share what you learned to the rest of the class.
I told them they will have four 60 minute classes to complete their project and it will happen the same time each week. Each week they looked forward to Day 2 (we are on a 5 day cycle) period 5/6.
There was a wide range of questions. Some students knew immediately and some needed a couple days to think about it. Some even had to change their question a few times after realizing they found the answer in 1 Google search or they couldn't find an answer. Most of my students decided to pair up.
Here are our questions/topics:
- How is the orbit made?
- What is the first sport invented?
- How do you survive in the wild?
- How do you build a self-reloading trap on Minecraft?
- What can I build with Lego?
- What is the first panda?
- How old do sharks live?
- What is the Blue Mosque?
- Learn more about Selena Gomez
- Learn about Medieval Times
- What's the fastest car?
- What is the first video game?
- How do you make Minecraft with rainbow loom?
- How do I teach my dog how to sit?
- How to make a website?
During the rest of the Genius Hour sessions, I had students researching, creating, planning, and collaborating. Learning became natural to them. There was accountable talk and they problem solved together. I was facilitating instead of teaching. Some students were off task because they needed help to organize and plan out how they will share what they learned. A few students didn't have anything to share because they spent most of their time researching. All these hiccups were just teachable moments for me to discuss time management and discuss what they could do differently next time. Failure is part of the learning process and I embrace it.
Finally it was time to share what they learned. Most students made Power Points. I tried encouraging some groups to think outside of the box to share their work but the technology was not really reliable on some days.
The sharing is still going on, everyone is proud of their work. The project that had the best student reaction so far is the one with the self-reloading trap for Minecraft. This student, who is an aspie, usually keeps to himself and needs help with self-regulation. But when he presented, every student in my class was captivated by his work and I could tell he loved every moment of it. I don't think I could have planned for this, even if I tried.
I can't wait to do another Genius Hour session with my class.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
PBL Wrapped Up
It's been a while since I last posted. December was filled with holiday fun at school and at home. My teaching partner and I took part in the Humbug Challenge by handing out treats, nog and hot chocolate in the staff room on random days. My class took part in the holiday concert, singing in French. We went sledding, made snow forts and got creative making Christmas cards and gifts for loved ones. Then it was the holidays, 2 weeks off to spend with my family and friends. Time to relax, rejuvenate and reflect.
We wrapped up our Canada PBL in November and here is what I learned:
First mistake, I needed to dedicate more time to integrate PBL into all subject areas and not worry about the "schedule" for the day. I was still trying to follow the expected 100 minutes of literacy and 60 minutes of numeracy and with all the other subjects, I haven't quite learned how to go with the flow.
Second, I don't think my guiding question was effective. I realized half way through students were focusing more on the project rather than inquiring and researching. I had one student finish making a Power Point but couldn't answer the initial question. My guiding question was, imagine you were to travel to a province or territory, what would you want to see and do? Many students only provided basic information and facts when I wanted them to think like a tourist. But then again, I also think many of my students have not stepped foot outside of their community and do not have the experience of traveling.
The ones who struggled the most were my reluctant readers, they couldn't read the information and had difficulty finding the information. Then there were the ones who didn't know where to start or kept losing their research. Also I feel there are more passive learners emerging. They rather find an answer and not question if it's a good one instead of digging deeper, and asking more questions. On the flip side, they are only 9 and they may lack the experiences to inquire so now I know what I need to provide next time.
On a more positive note, this was an eye-opening experience for me as a teacher. I stepped out of my comfort zone of controlling their thinking and actions for the project. There was authentic learning happening. Overall they were all engaged and those who created a project, were proud of their work. My most reluctant reader was able to create simple Power Point with pictures. Many of them learned basic computer skills about copying, pasting and saving - seeing their faces light up when they found out how to save on their very own USB stick was priceless.
Now January brings on a fresh start at the end of term resulting in report card writing. It's like I never left.
We wrapped up our Canada PBL in November and here is what I learned:
First mistake, I needed to dedicate more time to integrate PBL into all subject areas and not worry about the "schedule" for the day. I was still trying to follow the expected 100 minutes of literacy and 60 minutes of numeracy and with all the other subjects, I haven't quite learned how to go with the flow.
Second, I don't think my guiding question was effective. I realized half way through students were focusing more on the project rather than inquiring and researching. I had one student finish making a Power Point but couldn't answer the initial question. My guiding question was, imagine you were to travel to a province or territory, what would you want to see and do? Many students only provided basic information and facts when I wanted them to think like a tourist. But then again, I also think many of my students have not stepped foot outside of their community and do not have the experience of traveling.
The ones who struggled the most were my reluctant readers, they couldn't read the information and had difficulty finding the information. Then there were the ones who didn't know where to start or kept losing their research. Also I feel there are more passive learners emerging. They rather find an answer and not question if it's a good one instead of digging deeper, and asking more questions. On the flip side, they are only 9 and they may lack the experiences to inquire so now I know what I need to provide next time.
On a more positive note, this was an eye-opening experience for me as a teacher. I stepped out of my comfort zone of controlling their thinking and actions for the project. There was authentic learning happening. Overall they were all engaged and those who created a project, were proud of their work. My most reluctant reader was able to create simple Power Point with pictures. Many of them learned basic computer skills about copying, pasting and saving - seeing their faces light up when they found out how to save on their very own USB stick was priceless.
Now January brings on a fresh start at the end of term resulting in report card writing. It's like I never left.
Monday, November 25, 2013
#NoHumbug Challenge - 31 Days to Spread some Christmas Cheer
This week I took on the #NoHumbug Challenge. You can read more about it on http://blog.lululemon.com/no-humbug-this-holiday-season/?cid=TWNoHumbugBlog
Day 1 started on Sunday, Nov. 24th and I made breakfast for my hubby.
Day 2 I am to share this #NoHumbug challenge
There are 31 days to this challenge and it will lead us right up to Christmas. As a teacher, I feel the energy of the students getting excited about Christmas. Today during community circle, everyone talked about the Santa Claus Parade that took place in their community this past weekend. At home, the Christmas spirit has not arrived yet. I have not exposed my 22 month old too much Christmasy stuff quite yet, but I think Grandma and Grandad have already. We haven't decorated or even started shopping, because we are trying to get our basement finished. And this year we decided that we will host my husband's family so the countdown is on to get it done, decorated, gifts wrapped and turkey roasting in the oven. We will take our lil' guy to see Santa and quite possibly this year we will get the baby crying on Santa's lap picture.
In the classroom, I will spread some cheer starting December. The students don't know it yet, but they will soon take part in the #NoHumbug challenge and help spread some cheer throughout the school. I hope to take more breaks during the school day to go play in the snow with them(yes, we have snow...in fact, I thought today was going to be a snow day).
Our school is taking part in collecting food items, toiletries and warm clothing to help those in need in our own community. This year our goal is to raise 3000+ items. Our school has been fabulous each year so far in donations, and this year I'm sure we'll reach our goal. The collection starts next Monday with us donating a dollar to wear our pj's to school.
So as I take on this challenge, I will be changing it a bit to make it work in my own classroom and school. Or do you think I can mix a few eggnog cocktails for the staff?
As for all the other things I am doing in the classroom, that's still happening. I'll make sure I post how my PBL ended next time. We are wrapping things up, no pun intended.
Day 1 started on Sunday, Nov. 24th and I made breakfast for my hubby.
There are 31 days to this challenge and it will lead us right up to Christmas. As a teacher, I feel the energy of the students getting excited about Christmas. Today during community circle, everyone talked about the Santa Claus Parade that took place in their community this past weekend. At home, the Christmas spirit has not arrived yet. I have not exposed my 22 month old too much Christmasy stuff quite yet, but I think Grandma and Grandad have already. We haven't decorated or even started shopping, because we are trying to get our basement finished. And this year we decided that we will host my husband's family so the countdown is on to get it done, decorated, gifts wrapped and turkey roasting in the oven. We will take our lil' guy to see Santa and quite possibly this year we will get the baby crying on Santa's lap picture.
In the classroom, I will spread some cheer starting December. The students don't know it yet, but they will soon take part in the #NoHumbug challenge and help spread some cheer throughout the school. I hope to take more breaks during the school day to go play in the snow with them(yes, we have snow...in fact, I thought today was going to be a snow day).
Our school is taking part in collecting food items, toiletries and warm clothing to help those in need in our own community. This year our goal is to raise 3000+ items. Our school has been fabulous each year so far in donations, and this year I'm sure we'll reach our goal. The collection starts next Monday with us donating a dollar to wear our pj's to school.
So as I take on this challenge, I will be changing it a bit to make it work in my own classroom and school. Or do you think I can mix a few eggnog cocktails for the staff?
As for all the other things I am doing in the classroom, that's still happening. I'll make sure I post how my PBL ended next time. We are wrapping things up, no pun intended.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
The Uncertainty of PBL
So I have been trying project-based learning (PBL) and the focus is on Canada's provinces and territories. I've read many articles on edutopia.org and follow discussions on Twitter to get my head wrapped around PBL.
I understand PBL is open-ended, inquiry-based, and ongoing. I realize it's not about the project and should be less teacher-driven. I am really having a hard time with that. I took a PBL planner from this website http://wvde.state.wv.us/instruction/pbltemplate.html and it seemed like I had the right idea. But now as we are approaching the third week I feel like they are just doing a project.
I started with this idea from Pinterest, where students made their own suitcase to prepare for the trek across Canada.
Then we brainstormed a list of things they wanted to see and what they would need to travel. And here I start swaying away from PBL. I had each student pick a province or territory to travel to. Some chose to work in pairs and there is one group of 3. So far, a few individuals are having difficulty with the driving question, what do I plan to see and do? The students that are striving have the basic skills to do research. I gave them a graphic organizer to guide their research, and provided books and a link to get them started.
The ones who are struggling either don't know how to ask the right questions or don't know how to find the answers. They are also my struggling readers. To accommodate I am letting them watch videos and getting them to use ReadPlease (a software that converts text to speech). I am also going to need to pull them aside and teach researching skills.
In the meantime, other students are starting to think about how they will present their information. At first most students wanted to make a poster, but then I prompted them to think beyond what they've done in the past and to think how they can share with technology. I suggest blogging because that's my push this year, and I also showed them how to do a PowerPoint - and they were amazed. I now recognize how little they know about using technology in the classroom.
Almost all my students have computers at home and most of them have iPods or some kind of tablet. They all use their technology for entertainment but don't know how to use them for educational purposes. After some discussion, students realized they could take pictures, make notes, and videos from their devices, but they were still all wanting to do a PowerPoint.
I was hoping while they were doing their research, they would ask more questions and dig deeper. I wanted to show students how to find their location on Google maps or even try a new food that we don't normally eat. How do I get them to think beyond the project?
I realize the learning I am seeing is still useful. Students are learning how to find images, copying and pasting onto PowerPoint. They are learning how to save. They are collaborating and teaching each other the computer skills that I take advantage of knowing. Most of them are engaged and they are excited so I guess this is where I have to let go of my preconceptions and see where it goes.
I understand PBL is open-ended, inquiry-based, and ongoing. I realize it's not about the project and should be less teacher-driven. I am really having a hard time with that. I took a PBL planner from this website http://wvde.state.wv.us/instruction/pbltemplate.html and it seemed like I had the right idea. But now as we are approaching the third week I feel like they are just doing a project.
I started with this idea from Pinterest, where students made their own suitcase to prepare for the trek across Canada.
Then we brainstormed a list of things they wanted to see and what they would need to travel. And here I start swaying away from PBL. I had each student pick a province or territory to travel to. Some chose to work in pairs and there is one group of 3. So far, a few individuals are having difficulty with the driving question, what do I plan to see and do? The students that are striving have the basic skills to do research. I gave them a graphic organizer to guide their research, and provided books and a link to get them started.
The ones who are struggling either don't know how to ask the right questions or don't know how to find the answers. They are also my struggling readers. To accommodate I am letting them watch videos and getting them to use ReadPlease (a software that converts text to speech). I am also going to need to pull them aside and teach researching skills.
In the meantime, other students are starting to think about how they will present their information. At first most students wanted to make a poster, but then I prompted them to think beyond what they've done in the past and to think how they can share with technology. I suggest blogging because that's my push this year, and I also showed them how to do a PowerPoint - and they were amazed. I now recognize how little they know about using technology in the classroom.
Almost all my students have computers at home and most of them have iPods or some kind of tablet. They all use their technology for entertainment but don't know how to use them for educational purposes. After some discussion, students realized they could take pictures, make notes, and videos from their devices, but they were still all wanting to do a PowerPoint.
I was hoping while they were doing their research, they would ask more questions and dig deeper. I wanted to show students how to find their location on Google maps or even try a new food that we don't normally eat. How do I get them to think beyond the project?
I realize the learning I am seeing is still useful. Students are learning how to find images, copying and pasting onto PowerPoint. They are learning how to save. They are collaborating and teaching each other the computer skills that I take advantage of knowing. Most of them are engaged and they are excited so I guess this is where I have to let go of my preconceptions and see where it goes.
Monday, October 28, 2013
My Many Attempts to the First Post...
This blog was set up back in August and I had this vision that I would blog each week about my teaching life. My first attempt was about the first week of school, the start-up activities, and how I set up my classroom this year. By the way, I started with their desks turned around in groups so they cannot go in their desks. I wanted to approach my classroom with the "table group" method. That lasted 1 day and the groups eventually became rows because my students were really having a hard time focusing.
Then a few weeks later I tried to post again. I started talking about how busy the beginning of the school year was and how I was coping. Then I read a few more blogs and thought to myself that my posts are just not good enough.
Now it's the end of October. I will attempt to hit the publish button after this. I've met my students and my parents. We've had student-led conferences and I just handed in my progress reports. It has been a busy 2 months. My programming still needs work. I haven't quite introduced the Daily 5 but I do have a nice daily 3 during Literacy. Math involves a bit more worksheets than I like, but soon I hope to get into more collaborative problem solving questions.
I've hooked up my parents to Remind101. What a great tool to communicate my messages to their phones or emails. Just go to remind101.com or download the app. It's free and very easy to use. A parent has already commented on how she likes the messages popping up on her phone on days she forgets to check the agenda.
My husband spoiled me with my own personal SMART board and projector to use in the classroom. My goal is to have it as a center in math and literacy so I can teach smaller groups. But I find my students are not used to touching the board and need more time to just "play" with it.
This year I am using kidblog.org for my blogging purposes in the classroom. The vision is seeing all my students having their own blogs and they are blogging during Daily 5 and at home.
My love for technology has made me a tech. geek wannabe. I find myself really good at trying new programs and apps, but not good enough to be an expert.
Last week, I attended the ECOO conference in Niagara Falls. It was my kinda place with my kinda people. All of us with multiple devices in hand, tweeting out as we listened to the keynote speakers. All tweets can be read with #ecoo13. A few key messages kept popping into conversations throughout the 2 days I was there. First, it's not about the technology! The teacher is still very valuable to students. In the end, the students will remember the relationship with their teacher, not the technology they used. I remember my Grade 3 teacher fondly, her warm smile and generous heart. "It is emotion that cements learning!" as Kevin Honeycutt expressed in his closing keynote message. Second, we need to ADAPT. Every child is entering school with a greater knowledge of technology than us, adults. They are natural tech. geeks, where we are learned tech. geeks. We are teaching the web generation. We need to teach them to be critical thinkers and good researchers. They need opportunities to be creative and be inventors because we are preparing these students to a fast-paced changing society and to jobs that haven't even existed.
So with a renewed sense of awe in teaching, I am going to attempt my first project-based learning in grade 4. We are going to focus in on Canada's province and territories. I'll let you know how it goes. I think the hardest part for me is letting go of the reigns and letting it be messy.
I am also going to incorporate a few more 3 part lessons with focus on consolidation where I use technology to help share students' work.
Wish me luck!!
Follow me @treelau on Twitter. I am always looking to build my PLN.
Then a few weeks later I tried to post again. I started talking about how busy the beginning of the school year was and how I was coping. Then I read a few more blogs and thought to myself that my posts are just not good enough.
Now it's the end of October. I will attempt to hit the publish button after this. I've met my students and my parents. We've had student-led conferences and I just handed in my progress reports. It has been a busy 2 months. My programming still needs work. I haven't quite introduced the Daily 5 but I do have a nice daily 3 during Literacy. Math involves a bit more worksheets than I like, but soon I hope to get into more collaborative problem solving questions.
I've hooked up my parents to Remind101. What a great tool to communicate my messages to their phones or emails. Just go to remind101.com or download the app. It's free and very easy to use. A parent has already commented on how she likes the messages popping up on her phone on days she forgets to check the agenda.
My husband spoiled me with my own personal SMART board and projector to use in the classroom. My goal is to have it as a center in math and literacy so I can teach smaller groups. But I find my students are not used to touching the board and need more time to just "play" with it.
This year I am using kidblog.org for my blogging purposes in the classroom. The vision is seeing all my students having their own blogs and they are blogging during Daily 5 and at home.
My love for technology has made me a tech. geek wannabe. I find myself really good at trying new programs and apps, but not good enough to be an expert.
Last week, I attended the ECOO conference in Niagara Falls. It was my kinda place with my kinda people. All of us with multiple devices in hand, tweeting out as we listened to the keynote speakers. All tweets can be read with #ecoo13. A few key messages kept popping into conversations throughout the 2 days I was there. First, it's not about the technology! The teacher is still very valuable to students. In the end, the students will remember the relationship with their teacher, not the technology they used. I remember my Grade 3 teacher fondly, her warm smile and generous heart. "It is emotion that cements learning!" as Kevin Honeycutt expressed in his closing keynote message. Second, we need to ADAPT. Every child is entering school with a greater knowledge of technology than us, adults. They are natural tech. geeks, where we are learned tech. geeks. We are teaching the web generation. We need to teach them to be critical thinkers and good researchers. They need opportunities to be creative and be inventors because we are preparing these students to a fast-paced changing society and to jobs that haven't even existed.
So with a renewed sense of awe in teaching, I am going to attempt my first project-based learning in grade 4. We are going to focus in on Canada's province and territories. I'll let you know how it goes. I think the hardest part for me is letting go of the reigns and letting it be messy.
I am also going to incorporate a few more 3 part lessons with focus on consolidation where I use technology to help share students' work.
Wish me luck!!
Follow me @treelau on Twitter. I am always looking to build my PLN.
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