Arianna Lambert Distance learning, FSL, Inspiring Teachers, Technology, Use of Technology

Technology Like in the Real World

This past February, I was honoured to be asked to present at ETFO’s Technology Conference for French as a Second Language(FSL). It was a great day of hands-on learning with educators across the province sharing ways in which to engage FSL students in learning the language, using technology, whether in the classroom or online. My presentation was geared towards providing teachers with ideas to support students in moving from consumers of tech to creators. During this session, I shared a variety of ideas that were shared with me over the years and that I found engaging for students. In this post, I’ll share 3 Google Tools that you might be able to incorporate in your FSL Classrooms. 

Jamboard

The Google Jamboard app is a digital whiteboard that offers a rich collaborative experience for students. I’ve used Jamboard for check-ins, brainstorming, listening and drawing activities, and more. One example of a listening and drawing activity comes from Chrystal Hoe who is an educator in the United States. Given their own frame in the Jam, students listen to instructions on how to draw their own monster and use the tools in Jamboard to draw. Through labeling the parts of the body, students are also able to demonstrate understanding of new and familiar vocabulary as well as spelling. When finished, each student has the opportunity to view the work of their peers, revealing that even though the instructions may have been the same, drawings may vary.  

Slides

Google Slides is an online presentation app that lets you create and format presentations and work with others in real-time. With creative templates from Slidesmania and Slides Carnival, the possibilities are endless when creating exciting presentations. During my session, I shared the template for Sylvia Duckworth’s Choose Your Own Adventure Stories. Not only does Sylvia offer an example of a story, but she also gives a template to help writers organize the choices readers can make and how to include them on the correct slide in the Google Slides Template. Sylvia’s layout of the planner is clear and easy to follow. In my morning session, one participant completed their outline and was excited to share their story with the rest of us and the potential to share the activity with her students. 

Drawings

Google Drawings is the ultimate blank canvas. I’ve used it with students to create images, posters, infographics, timelines, and bioglyphs.  Simply put, bioglyphs are a symbolic representation of something in your life. Your collection of bioglyphs tells your life’s story without words. During our session, participants had the opportunity to use Google Drawings to complete their own bioglyph using instructions. 

Technology is an incredible tool that can be used to increase engagement while learning. These tools can be used in a variety of ways and I hope that this post helped spark some ideas of how you might be able to help students create, using tech.

Arianna Lambert Equity, Literacy, Social Justice

Front Desk

I’ve always been a fan of Book Talks. Groups of students reading the same text; having the opportunity to ask questions and discuss themes within the novel. With rich texts, there’s no telling where these stories may lead and what actions students may take based on their learning. Sadly, libraries vary from school to school, and finding rich texts within libraries is often a challenge. Last year I decided to hold off in hopes that we might purchase some texts. This year, tired of waiting, I purchased novel sets to use in my class. One of the novels that I purchased was Front Desk by Kelly Yang. Now prior to purchasing novels for my students to read, I took the time to read the novel myself and I couldn’t put it down. Once finished, I reached for the sequel, Three Keys, which is an equally compelling read. Even if you don’t read the books with your students, I strongly recommend educators read them. 

Front Desk is the story of 10-year-old Mia who is a Chinese American immigrant who manages the front desk of the Calivista Motel while her parents clean the rooms. Along the way, she meets friends at her new school and it is through her interactions with others that she learns a variety of life lessons. As the students read, it was amazing to hear the reactions of students from across the classroom. Shouts of, “That’s racist” and, “How is any of this ok?” filled the room as students discussed some of Nia’s experiences and those of the residents of the motel. Reading the novel offered students opportunities to share their own experiences and to talk about some of the injustices they see in the world. I have to say, it was a novel that sparked many great conversations and for some students, got them thinking about ways in which to take action.

On her site, Kelly Yang offers teachers a variety of resources for both books. As with all my Book Talks, I usually prepare a variety of activities for students that might help support their discussions in their groups. Many of these activities are ones that I have adapted from lesson ideas shared with me in the past. In this post, I’m sharing 3 templates that you might consider using with students and that can be used with any novel.

Character Analysis – Using this template, students are asked to pick a character and to answer a variety of questions about the character.  

 

 

 

Comparing Myself to a Character – Using a Venn diagram, students compare themselves to one of the characters in the book. In the past, I have also had students compare themselves to 2 characters, creating a 3 circle Venn diagram. 

 

 

Themes – Authors often share valuable lessons and messages in their novels. We consider these to be the theme or themes of a novel. Using this template, students answer a variety of questions to get at the heart of the author’s message.

Texts can act as windows and mirrors as students read. Mirrors reflect the lived experiences of students and help them to build their identities. Windows are texts that offer a view into the experiences of others. It’s important for students to learn about others as they learn about themselves. Front Desk and Three Keys are incredibly rich texts that can act as both for students. Consider reading them with your students.

Arianna Lambert Curriculum Planning, Inspiring Students, Social Studies

Social Studies in Action

From my blog posts this year, you’ve probably gathered that I believe that in order for change, there needs to be action. By action, I mean steps that are different than what is currently happening. I also believe that these steps should be taken with the community. By listening and understanding how issues are affecting people, we gain deep empathy and can create effective solutions together. 

Having taught Grade 5 before, I sometimes find teaching about Government not particularly exciting. This year, however, I was eager to dig into one of the big ideas from the Social Studies curriculum: Citizens and governments need to work together in order to be able to address issues effectively and fairly. With this in mind, the students in our classroom have been hard at work learning about and creating action plans for a range of issues. In this post, I’ll share our journey thus far.

I’ll start by saying that I have been lucky to have many of the students in our classroom for the second year. The work that we did last year around exploring problems within our community certainly gave us a foundation from which to do this work. Last year, we did a couple of design thinking projects and my students are well aware that empathy is at the core of bringing about any sort of tangible change.

In January we read part of an article that shared the top 20 phrases of 2020. From there, we began an exploration of issues impacting people in our community, in Ontario, in Canada, and the world. During our reading, students identified a number of social issues: homelessness, climate change, global warming, racism, Covid-19 (deaths and vaccines), bankruptcies, and access to clean water. Students then picked an issue of interest to them and our research began. Using links online – for example, the Global Goals – students began to understand the problem in a deeper way and also started to learn about what was currently being done in terms of solutions. As they learned, they were asked to make notes, answering the questions below:

  • What is this issue all about? Use facts from the sites and articles shared with you to give a brief description of this issue.
  • Why has this become an issue? What are the potential causes for this issue?
  • Who is affected by this issue?
  • How are they affected by this issue?
  • Where is this issue most prevalent?
  • When does this issue happen? Is it ongoing or seasonal?

For many of the issues, some students identified that lack of awareness was an inhibiting factor when it came to creating change. If people – young people in particular – didn’t know about or weren’t directly affected by the issue, then perhaps that’s why they weren’t taking action to bring about change. We also spoke about change makers and the fact that so many are quite young. With this in mind, the students began discussing ways to raise awareness. In our class, we’ve used Kayak Magazine in the past. I shared that many of the issues include a graphic novel or comic that highlights a particular issue for students in a clear and understandable format. In the past, we read about the Black Railway Porters and about Tom Longboat and it was through these comics that we learned more about the ways in which racism has impacted the lives of Black and Indigenous People. Next, the responsibility was turned over to them to be the authors of a story about their social issue.  After using a simple graphic organizer, they planned their story and used Pixton to bring it to life. 

After sharing their comics with one another and getting feedback, our job was to continue to think about change. We read the book, Sometimes People March, and discussed activism and the fact that there are many forms. Thinking back to our big idea, we considered petitioning our government to act. One way of doing this is by writing letters so we started off with a lesson on letter writing, meant to persuade. Students decided if they wanted to write to their local Councillors, MPPs, or MPs about their issue and got to work. In their letters, they were tasked with sharing their recommendations for change. 

We recently came together in small groups to create action plans with peers who were working on similar issues. There are so many amazing ideas being thrown around. Through this work, I continue to be amazed by young people and their ability to come up with new and innovative ideas to bring about change. Not only for themselves but for others who may be impacted. This journey has taken us a few months and we’re not quite at our end goal. We’ll keep pushing forward in hopes of making the world a better place.

Arianna Lambert General, self reflection

Lessons From a Teacher Candidate

Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to mentor Teacher Candidates (TC). When asked this year if I would mentor a TC, I had mixed feelings. On the one hand, I thought it would be great to support a TC who is probably experiencing a variety of emotions starting off their career in the middle of a pandemic. At the same time, I thought of how I have been feeling – tired, impatient, uncertain – and wondered if I would be able to provide the level of support needed. Needless to say, I agreed to mentor a TC and I’m learning a lot.

Remembering My “Why”

We all got into teaching for a reason. For me, it was the opportunity to work with some of the greatest and most creative people on the planet. Kids have an incredible ability to make sense of the world and make me realize that the work that we do, matters. My journey to education is one that has taken many turns, in part because of some of the teachers I had. 

Early on in our mentorship relationship, I asked the TC in our classroom why she wanted to become a teacher and she emotionally shared her experiences as a child and wanting to be a teacher she wished she had. Now I’ve been at this for the last 11 years and you would think that I am pretty firm in my “why” but I have to say that this was a conversation that I needed at that moment. I happened organically and it has served as a reminder of my “why” through this incredible time of uncertainty, tiredness, and honestly, fear. After having this conversation, I took some time to really sit with and write about my “why”. On days when I don’t feel like I’m having an impact or I feel like this pandemic is beating me down, I look back at and reflect on my “why”.  While it doesn’t make things easier, it’s my anchor through all of this, in hopes that we’ll get to a better place in education, where these incredible people will be centered.

Open Communication

I’m a fan of clear and explicit communication and I’m often quite frank. What you see, is what you get. For some it’s overwhelming. For others, I think it’s appreciated. When meeting new people, I sometimes try to juggle this but honestly, in the midst of a pandemic, I find I just don’t have it in me. I’m working on speaking the truth from a place of love. In our mentorship relationship, we’ve gone the route of clear and open communication and it’s working. The TC knows what to expect from me and vice versa. That’s not to say that we’re not patient with one another but I think that there is mutual growth because we’ve chosen a position of being open with one another and talking things through, without judgment. At a time when people are experiencing so much, we’re growing in our empathy and I think that’s helping us as a class.

Going With the Good

When students are engaged, there’s a buzz in the air and things are good. The TC has chosen to teach one of the most challenging subjects (in my opinion) – French as a second language – and I have to admit that things are good. The students are eager to learn from and with her and I’m seeing her engage more and more with them as they learn. At a time where everyone is really exhausted and in need of a break, it’s refreshing to see that the students are giving it their all. We were reminded of the importance of centering students and teaching from there. As we await the April Break, we continue to find what interests our students and collaborating so as to keep the learning engaging. 

As I stated at the beginning, I had mixed feelings about mentoring a TC during a pandemic. 3 weeks in, I have to say that I’m so grateful for the time to reflect on my “why”, my practice, and myself.  It’s been yet another learning opportunity and I’m glad that I said yes. 

As we approach April Break, I hope that you continue to stay safe and take care of yourself. I know that this has been a challenging time for us all. Please take care.

Arianna Lambert Challenging Topics, Constant Learning, self reflection

Finding Your People

As an educator in the world of school where “kindness” is taught,  I’ve often found it challenging to appear as my authentic self and still be met with kindness.  In my experience, as you enter a new space, you are often greeted in one of 3 ways: with “kindness”; with indifference; or with apprehension. Now, how your relationship proceeds can move between these 3 ways. Funny enough, there is an immediate and often permanent shift as soon as you speak up on issues that matter; the level of “kindness” that you are met with drops significantly. You see, people are often willing to be “kind” until they are made to feel uncomfortable. This makes me wonder about those of us, who on a daily basis are made to feel uncomfortable just by walking into our places of employment.  But I digress…

In this blog, I’m talking about “finding your people”. I don’t mean people who are exactly like you but rather people who have a set of characteristics that I have found to be the salve in my world of education. The people that I am thinking about as I write have a range of experiences and who differ from me in age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and religious beliefs. It’s in this difference that I am able to learn, be challenged, and grow.

Critical Thinking

Many of us are familiar with the term, critical thinking. We’ve heard it in reference to competency-based education within our boards.  Simply put, critical thinking is the objective analysis of facts to form judgement, often leading to action. When I think of students who are great critical thinkers, I know that they can:

  • Question and analyze
  • Use information to solve real-world problems
  • Consider multiple solutions from a variety of perspectives
  • Apply knowledge across disciplines

This begs the question, shouldn’t the same be required of the educators within the learning spaces as they are “teaching” students? When educators question and consider a variety of perspectives, it’s refreshing and leads to greater outcomes for students. It baffles me how we expect students to question and think critically and yet as an educator, if you question, you are perceived as being a “trouble maker” or as having “a problem with everything”. Better yet, if you are a Black woman, well…you are angry. At what point will it be expected that we reflect on practices that we have always done, simply because “they have always been done”? At what point will we start to ask questions about who these practices are serving? Who is being further marginalized? To whom are these practices causing harm and trauma? Why does our “fun” or “sense of enjoyment” trump the real harm to students and their families? Those who sit down and think critically about the why behind lessons or school practices and challenge the status quo in order to make schools more equitable, are my people.

Empathy

For me, empathy has always been about a deep understanding of the experiences of another. In education, I have often seen it mixed in with the idea of saviourism. Rather than taking the time to investigate the why and subsequent actions that need to be taken to dismantle unjust systems, there is the idea of “saving” one or a few in order to feel better about oneself. This isn’t empathy. Neither is feeling sorry for someone. Deep empathy causes one to act in order to bring about tangible change. It goes beyond “putting yourself in someone else’s shoes” and causes you to reflect and do the work. As educators, what are you hearing from your colleagues? From your students and school community? How are you understanding their experiences and thus taking action to disrupt systems of injustice? You may not feel impacted by an unjust practice within your school but understanding how it causes harm to others and speaking up so that practice is changed is really what empathy is about. Over the last few months, there have been students and educators messaging and reaching out about challenging “Crazy Hair Day” in their schools. Not simply because they don’t like it but because they are understanding the harm and are choosing to act. 

Action

In 1930 Langston Hughes wrote:

I’m so tired of waiting 

Aren’t you,

For the world to become good

And beautiful and kind?

Let us take a knife

And cut the world in two—

And see what worms are eating

At the rind.

I know that many of us are tired. Tired of seeing injustices happening day in and day out in our schools. Tired of being discriminated against. Tired of always being the one to speak up. Tired of waiting for action. While many love to quote the first part of his poem, the second part – I would say – is the most critical. It’s Langston’s call to action. To take a knife, cut to the heart of the problem to see what is there and to address it. Far too often we see performative actions that do nothing but cause further harm because, well… it’s insulting. Until people are ready to actually address and deal with what is at the core of what is happening in education, it’s inaction. Those who are speaking up, naming the discrimination for what it actually is, and taking action to disrupt, are my people. This poem was written almost 100 years ago, what actions are we taking today as educators?

Navigating the complexities of relationships in Education is hard. For me, people who exhibit these traits are those among whom I want to be. They are my people. Consider your relationships within education. Who are those you value the most and why do you value them? Last week I was speaking with a couple of LTOs at our school and mentioned how refreshing it is when you find your people. Not that they agree with everything you say or do but they think critically; see you through deep empathy; and act. Have you found your people? Who are they? What makes them “your people”?

Arianna Lambert Constant Learning, Remote Learning, self reflection, Technology

Back to the Classroom

It’s hard to believe that it’s only February and yet again, I’m sometimes amazed that it is still February! Last week, we headed back into the classroom, and with that, came mixed emotions. With a new principal in the midst of a pandemic, I was hesitant heading back because change is always hard for me. Fear of the unknown, particularly during these uncertain times, is always something that I struggle with. That being said, I was also very excited to have the chance to see my students in person again. The night before we headed back, I didn’t sleep very well but just walking into the space and envisioning my students coming in, gave me a sense of comfort and familiarity. When the bell rang and students entered the building, the familiar buzz and sense of excitement made me feel right at home. 

While we were learning virtually, I learned so much with and about my students. In this post, I’ll share a little about what I hope to continue as we learn again, in-person.

Time to Just Be

We all know the importance and benefits of social interactions in school. Opportunities to play and learn together – no matter the age – have great benefits for all students. I knew this but didn’t realize the magnitude until we went into virtual learning. While students were excited to see each other online and learn together through lessons, I noticed that they wanted more time to just be, together. Every day, I opened up our Meet at 8:45 am and school would officially start at 9 am. To my surprise, many weren’t interested in having the extra 15 minutes to ready themselves for the day but rather, many would just pop in early to talk or share something about themselves and to listen to others. It was an informal space to just be. Some mornings, students came up with games or Art activities to try with each other. We also did passion projects where we showcased something that we were passionate about in breakout rooms in Zoom. The smiles and how much they looked forward to having some “downtime” together made me realize that although learning together in the classroom has its social benefits, these moments where students were just themselves and having fun, held much value also. Since heading back to the classroom, I know that we have recess but I’m trying to figure out how we might incorporate these times – even if they are short – throughout the day. Less structured, while remaining safe and valuing more of what students choose to bring into the space.  

Voices

During virtual learning, I really tried to balance things so that all voices could be heard and not just the ones who were quickly able to hit the “raise hand” button. I was conscious of those who often spoke up and shared. I also tried to encourage those who were more quiet to understand that we so wanted to hear their voices. I was intentional in saying that while online, we need to ensure that all voices are heard and even if it took us an extra few minutes to pause to hear from a variety of students, we would. Coming back into the classroom, this is something that I want to be just as intentional about. We’re pausing and inviting more to share, being conscious of how much space we take up in discussions. 

Technology as a Tool

Since being back, it has taken us some time to get our tech back in the classroom. We’re there now and last week was a great reminder that technology is a powerful tool that is good for all and essential for some. During our time virtually, I continued to try and have students demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways. At the end of our Financial Literacy unit, we listed all that we learned during the unit, and students were tasked with creating their own resource to teach the unit to another Grade 5 class. It was amazing to see what students created. From posters and brochures to Slides presentations and videos, it was neat to see the ways in which students took an idea and ran with it, using technology. I have always been a firm believer in open tasks. Seeing what they did independently with this task was a great reminder for me. Technology is a great tool and when given the opportunity, students will use it to create and demonstrate their understanding, if we let them. 

While this learning isn’t necessarily new to me, I’ve appreciated taking the time to reflect on what was successful during virtual learning, and considering how I may bring some parts back into our in-person space. 

If you are returning to in-person learning, really hope that your return to school has been successful so far. If you are continuing to teach virtually, I give you so much credit for your work. It’s challenging to do and I’m in awe. During these challenging times, I know that we are all filled with a mix of emotions. Please remember to take some time to reflect on what is going well and also to take care of yourself!

Arianna Lambert Distance learning, Remote Learning, self reflection

Lessons From Virtual Learning

I’m going to start out by giving a shout-out to virtual teachers everywhere! Those of you that have been doing this since September, wow! You amaze me. As I’m getting used to the idea of teaching into a screen, I’m amazed by how you are able to do this day in and day out. At the end of the day, I sometimes walk away unsure as to the depth of our work; my eyes hurt; and if we didn’t have Phys. Ed. or if I haven’t had a chance to walk yet for the day, my back hurts. I was amazed by you before but experiencing this first-hand, you deserve much more credit than has been given!

In the last 4 weeks, I have learned a lot about myself and my students. In this post, I’ll share a few of the “lessons” that I have learned. While they may not be new “lessons”, they are certainly reminders for me when I head back into the classroom.  Here they are:

  1. Flexibility is fundamental;
  2. Reflection is required;
  3. Connections are crucial.

Flexibility Is Fundamental

Every day I head into our Meet or Zoom with a plan of how the day will go and almost always that plan gets completely changed around. While I know that it’s the same in the classroom, I find that so much more comes up in the virtual classroom. Our check-ins last longer. Tech issues arise. We need more or different support with a question or task since the way in which we “move around the room” is quite different. Where I thought I would be and where we actually are, are two different places and I’m learning more and more to not feel as though I’m failing my students because we can’t get to it just yet. As a teacher, I know that I can’t get to everything and for years now I’ve worked on the philosophy that my students will set the pace of where we go. However, somehow when we started in January, I found myself planning out and feeling the need to be moving along faster. I found myself getting frustrated with not being able to support my students in the same way and it has taken me some time to figure out different ways to accomplish this. Small group meetings or peer review sessions. I’m learning to be gentle with myself and understanding that flexibility is needed in my plans and where I imagined we might take an activity considering we’ve moved from in the classroom to virtual. 

Reflection Is Required

At the end of the first week, we took some time to reflect on the week and while I thought we did a great job, the feedback was brutal! In the classroom, a lot of the work and conversations are student-led with me as the facilitator. Being online, I found – and sometimes continue to find myself – in the seat of being the person who is speaking the most. Sure, we ask questions and there are discussions but it’s definitely not like it was in the classroom and the students feel it and have commented on it! As such, I’m getting over my fear of controlling the online space and my notion of making sure that it’s “safe” for all and we have ventured into breakout rooms in Zoom where I pop in from group to group as they work to solve problems, offer feedback to each other and lead workouts for Phys. Ed. It’s in these times that I have seen that they are “themselves”. That is to say that they’re the leaders I saw when we were in the classroom who are in charge of their own learning and helping their peers along with their learning. The small groups resemble the collaborative learning we’ve grown accustomed to over the past few months. They’ve asked for more opportunities to lead each other in Art activities or other areas of interest and I need to listen to their feedback and work with them to weave it into our day. Next week is another feedback/checkpoint for us and hopefully, we’ll be doing better in some areas and learn even more ways to make virtual learning more effective for my students. 

Connections Are Crucial

A couple of weeks ago, a colleague reached out to me to check-in via email. This colleague also happens to be the parent of one of my students. I can’t tell you how much I appreciated them checking in with me to see how I was doing and to also share how they felt their child was doing. It came on a day when I was actually struggling. I was frustrated with the fact that our return to school was being extended and knowing that the current way of teaching really isn’t sustainable. I’m grateful that all of my students are in everyday and learning but this really isn’t learning as we have known it. As I read the email, I started to feel very emotional. It wasn’t about what I could do better but it was sincerely thanking me for what I had been doing and for that I will forever be grateful. I share this to ask, who are you connecting with during this time? Are there friends, colleagues, or family members who are checking-in on you or with whom you can check-in? Since this colleague checked in on me, I’ve tried to pay it forward. I haven’t checked in with as many people as I have wanted to but as I connect, I realize just how crucial these connections are, as we are so isolated at this time. 

These are just some of the lessons I have learned in the last 4 weeks. While virtual learning continues for the next while, I know that more lessons will come. I’m ready to accept them and learn as I continue in my teaching practice. What lessons are you learning during this time?  How might they help you in your practice? What might you leave behind when we are back in person? What might change when we return? I hope that you are staying safe and taking care of yourself.

 

ETFO’s position on in-person learning remains unchanged. The union firmly believes that the daily, in-person model of instruction and support best meets the educational, developmental and social needs of students, provides the best experience for support, and is the most equitable learning model for all students.

ETFO’s expectation is that elementary virtual learning in any capacity, including through hybrid models of instruction, will end once the pandemic ends.

Arianna Lambert Mental Health, Mindfulness, Wellbeing, wellness

Mental Health & Well-Being

Mindfulness has been a practice that I have been working on for a number of years now. I say that I have been working on it because as I have evolved, so too has my practice. In the beginning, I thought it was about being still or being quiet. About quieting my thoughts in order to be calm or to navigate a situation. Now I’m thinking of it more as what brings me into the here and now. What makes me present and what makes me feel like the best version of myself in a particular moment. 

As we move into month 2 of virtual learning, I’m definitely realizing the need for the strategies in my toolkit even more. I find that at the end of the day, I am completely tired and my eyes literally burn. I also find that my mind is all over the place and that it takes a while to just unwind. Perhaps that might be because there is no longer a commute. It’s amazing how much that 15-minute car ride did for me to unpack the day and move into a different part of my life. I know that I’m not alone in this feeling and that there are thousands of educators at this moment experiencing the same sort of feeling. While everyone seems to be talking about mental health and well-being – the emails are literally filling my inbox – what is really being done? I know that I’m having conversations with my students about their own mental health and well-being and I also worry about my colleagues who I know are burning out. In this post, I share a few tips that have been helping me over the last few weeks. I share these not as an expert but as a colleague wishing you well as I know this time is challenging for us all.

Meditation

Is it just me or are the mornings coming sooner these days? I sometimes wake up thinking that it’s still night and yet my alarm has already gone off and I quickly realize that I turned it off a while ago. Often in shock that yet again I have “missed” the alarm, still tired and sometimes in need of some motivation for the day, I have found that meditations help to calm the anxious feeling and center me as I start the day. One app that I have found and love is My Life. With great suggestions based on how you are feeling, I’ve often used this app to get me going in the morning. I’ve also used some of the breathing techniques with my students who have also enjoyed the focus that comes from sometimes having a minute to check-in with how they are feeling. 

Music

When meditation doesn’t get me going in the mornings, I know that there are some tunes that are proven to get me up and moving. Music has a way of speaking straight to the heart and if we think about it, we can identify that one song that does just that and has the power to get us ready for the day. Over the years, “my song” has changed based on where I am at in my life. What’s your song or songs? Consider creating a playlist for yourself. One with songs that motivate you and get you going feeling positive. While I know that a song doesn’t have the power to change our circumstances, I’m amazed by its power to start shaping how I feel. 

Walking

I consider myself lucky to be able to walk and over the last couple of years, I have really enjoyed walking. In the past, I would try to walk for at least one hour a day but with the cold here, I’m happy when I get in 30 to 45 minutes. I often grab my music and head outdoors to enjoy some fresh air. Finding paths in my neighbourhood has been one way that I’ve tried to get away from a sense of monotony in my day. There’s something about breathing in the air outside that allows me to feel more grounded and my back certainly appreciates the opportunity to get moving. I think I’m over my “office chair”. There’s tons of research on the benefits of walking but for me, I just feel so much better when I have the chance to get moving. I know that with Covid it’s hard to move in the same ways in which we may have in the past but are there ways for you to get outside and connect with nature? Today is sunny and the sunshine definitely makes all the difference for me. In fact, I’m going to head out there once I’ve posted this blog. How does movement impact you? If you are able, what steps can you take to get moving today?

Laughter

My dad used to say that, “Laughter is the best medicine”. I don’t think he made it up himself. I’m certain that I saw it in a Reader’s Digest Magazine once but I’ll credit him for sharing it with me. My students keep me laughing and I owe them big time for it. Every day, I can count on someone sharing something with me that will get me laughing on a deep level. I am adding this part because I have noticed that on the days when we have laughed the most, the time seems to pass by so quickly and these are the days that I felt that we connected the most. I know for myself that I need to build more laughter into my day. Today we had a brief Connect 4 tournament. A student wanted to play against me and of course, he won. He laughed because I was so focused on where I was going to win that I didn’t notice that he was sneaking up on me with a win of his own. We laughed so hard and at that moment I realized that this is the feeling that I want to have more of and that I am missing as we are learning virtually. It has me thinking about ways in which I can weave more opportunities for laughter into my day. How might you weave in more laughter in your day with students or with friends or family?

I know that there’s so much information out there about tips and strategies for mental health and well-being. I hope that you take some time this weekend to sit and think about what works best for you. I also hope that you can take some time and devote it to doing the things that make you smile and feel your best. Meditate. Listen to music. Go for a walk. Laugh. Whatever it is, please take care of yourself.

Arianna Lambert Homework, Literacy

Reading Response Journals

During parent-teacher interviews this year, there were a number of parents asking for homework. Now, if you know me, you know my thoughts on homework – it’s a waste of time! Ok…before getting upset with me, please hear me out. A child either understands a concept or they don’t. Without guidance and specific support, sending home that same concept that they struggled with all day, just brings the struggle into their home life and I don’t think that’s fair. If they get it, why are they having to do more practice? Students also have lives outside of the classroom where rich learning is happening. Through sports, clubs, or areas of interest that they are investigating on their own, valuable life lessons are being learned, some of which aren’t or can’t be taught in the classroom. I have a bunch of other reasons that I can add and perhaps that’s a whole other blog post! Back to my point. Parents were asking for additional practice at home, many holding a genuine fear that their child would be “behind” due to the effects of the pandemic on schooling, particularly at the end of the last school year. Wanting to honour their feeling, we started Reading Response Journals. 

I teach Grade 5 students and have asked them to read for at least 20 minutes a day.  I have noticed that many have been unsure of what they like reading and I was worried that attaching a task to the reading might take away from the enjoyment of reading for some. I also knew that for others, this “task” might encourage them to read and possibly explore different texts. That being said, I know that it is challenging for some to find texts at this time due to library closures. In class, we have had discussions about texts and students are aware of our virtual library where they can find texts online and I also shared the link to chapters of short stories that I like reading. I also gifted students 2 books this year so that we could ensure that they had something to read, particularly since the expectation is to respond to what they read. Equipped with something to read, we identified that this journal is a place where students can write about their reactions to what they are reading. A place for students to try to explain why a text made them laugh, or cry, or angry, or surprised, or made them think of something entirely unrelated. It is a place to write down their questions or predictions about what will happen next. Students were given a variety of prompts to help get them started. Some of which include:

  • This is different from …
  • I wish …
  • I wonder if …/  I wonder why…
  • This gives me an idea to …
  • It is hard to believe that…

I also wanted the journal to be a place to also have students reflect on themselves as a reader. As such, they were also given questions to consider. Some of which include:

  • Give your own opinions about issues that have arisen from your reading the book. In what ways has reading this text helped you to better understand some of the issues in the world?
  • Didn’t quite like a book? Why is that? Please share your difficulties and struggles as you read the book or your reason for abandoning it.
  • As you read, what difficulties did you find in understanding the text? What strategies did you use to help you overcome this challenge?
  • How do you know when you are not understanding during reading? What do you notice? What changes do you make?

The goal of the journal is to also help students further develop their writing fluency, confidence, and personal writing style. Students are asked to remember to re-read their work before handing it in; being sure to check for the writing conventions we have spoken about – punctuation, grammar, spelling, etc. 

Due on Friday mornings, the goal is to be able to have at least 3 entries to share with me every week. One of the first questions that I got was about length. “Ms. Lambert, how long does each entry have to be?” I told them that I was looking at quality over quantity and that I really wanted them to take the time to read, and then share with me what they felt about what they were reading. Every weekend, I’ve taken their response journals home and have truly enjoyed reading them.  Sure some have forgotten to hand in their work and others have written anthologies. It’s also really neat to see how excited they are to share them with each other. Many have asked to read them aloud or have me read them. All-in-all, the feedback on our reading response journals has been positive and while there is no grade attached to their response journals, students are taking the time to write and the feedback is leading to an improvement in their writing. I still stick by my feelings against homework but I must admit that I enjoy reading their thoughts on the books they are reading. Speaking of which, I have a stack that I need to get back to!

Arianna Lambert Financial Literacy, Math

The KWC

Sadly, I can’t remember who introduced me to the KWC but it’s a strategy that I have used in Math with students for a number of years now and I should really find the person and thank them. If it was you, please reach out and let me know! Particularly when solving word problems, a KWC helps students to consider the question, what they know, what they want to know, and possible steps to take in getting started and solving the problem. 

Prior to the break, we were working towards demonstrating the knowledge and skills needed to make informed financial decisions. Using problems that we would encounter in the real world, students were tasked with trying to solve them and to justify their choices. In this post, I break down the KWC using one of the guided examples in our classroom.

K – What do you know?

After reading the problem, students are asked to list everything that they know about the problem. These are things that they know for sure based on the information given and sometimes, their prior knowledge. 

Here’s the question that we worked on as a class as we started learning about how to calculate the sales tax:

As a class, we learned a new term – subtotal – and understood that total now meant the cost, including tax. We also determined that the operations we would use would be addition, multiplication, and subtraction. We learned that there were different rates for tax based on the type of item. In this case, adult clothing and children’s clothing. 

W – What do you want to know?

This is the place where students can clearly state what they want to figure out, find out, or do. Restating the question in your own words helps to make sure that you really understand what is being asked in the question. In our case, this was a multi-step problem, so there were several things that we wanted to know:

  • What is the subtotal?
  • What is the total?
  • How much tax was paid?
  • Was it a good deal?

C – Conditions

This part is always one that is a little tricky for me. I often think of this section as the things that students need to watch out for but as in our case, I have used this section as the steps that we need to take in order to solve the problem. In other words, what are the things that we need to do to answer the question successfully? Through discussion, we broke down the problem and determined the steps involved in solving the problem so that when working in their groups, students could refer back to it. Even with the steps in place, there were groups of students who solved the problem differently. For example, for the third question, rather than taking the total and subtracting the subtotal to find the tax, some groups wanted to multiply the subtotal by the appropriate tax rate (0.13 or 0.05) and also state the amounts paid for the different rates. When it came to justifying their thinking for question 4, it was great to see that some groups asked questions about the discount for the sale. Many were eager to jump online to investigate the non-sale price and did calculations to determine how much of a deal it really was. Others thought about taking the total and dividing that by the number of items and thought about whether or not that was a deal based on the price per item. Different groups thought of different ways to use Math to justify their answer. 

This question took us a couple of Math periods to work through but it continued to help solidify the effectiveness of the use of this strategy. With gradual release – beginning with the teacher as a guide; moving into students using it in small groups, then partners, and then on their own – once students understand the problems they come across, they are better able to solve them with greater confidence. While students aren’t always going to stop and work through creating their own KWC, it’s one tool that they can use and when given problems to solve. I’ve seen students use it independently and confidently to answer all parts of multi-step problems.