Kelly.McLaughlin Assessment, Inquiry, Students as Teachers

Inquiry and science

When talking about inquiry, teachers are always challenged with what to do to guide students in the right direction or to even give them any type of direction. I thought back to my university courses this time last year and thought about the way my peers and I presented a topic. We were allowed to choose a topic,choose our groups and then choose how to present it. This way we planned our own route to success and found topics that interested us.

I decided to present this approach to my class with our current flight unit. I gave them the choice of curriculum expectations and then they chose how to teach a lesson to the class with any methods they desired to use. My students just need to involve the audience and create a handout for students to refer to after the presentations. So far I have seen students creating paper airplanes, making websites, making pontoon, making videos, interviewing different people and creating exciting and engaging lessons for their class.

I did use the rubric from the growing success document but I feel that assessing my student’s projects are more than that rubric. So for me, the challenge is finding out how to assess these authentic student tasks. I wish that it was simple but I am finding that I do not know how to figure out the best way to “mark” my grade sixes.

Kelly.McLaughlin General, Students as Teachers

A class full of teachers

It is now February and our class environment is finally starting to settle in. I recently wrote a quote for my class to help us remember a very important rule, that when one person is trying to lead everyone else should be listening. The quote I wrote was “Knowing when to listen is just as powerful as knowing when to lead”.  That way, when any student is trying to quiet the whole room, it reminds them that only the person trying to take charge should be in charge of that for the moment.

My class is fully run by the students as they start the day with a current event and end the day with leading the agenda session as well as leading a session of “big ups” which are compliments personalized to students around the room. The students during their presentations have to gain control of the class on their own as well as students teach math lessons using the app “educreations”. Students also can choose their own learning for our daily five activities.

I like to think that I am only there to guide the students through the explanation of projects and lessons and then for extra help in some scenarios. The students are becoming so independent even though they are only in grade six. The class is so student centred that you can feel the leadership daily at such alarming levels. I am so proud to be able to call myself their teacher as I feel like I am learning more than I am teaching. It is such an amazing experience having your students teach you something rather than the other way around. I honestly believe that after seeing this and knowing that this type of teaching is possible, that student centred learning is the only way to teach.

Kelly.McLaughlin Literacy, The Daily 5

The Daily Five

I recently was asked by the principal at Ancaster Meadow to start integrating “The Daily Five” program into my classroom as was every teacher in my school. I just am starting to implement this program and I will be fully into the swing of things by Monday!

I would love to share my program with everyone! Here is how it works.

Activity 1: Read to self
During this activity, students will be sitting in a group of desks where everyone there is reading quietly. If students choose this activity, they will be reading until they have reached their maximum for the day (a maximum of 15 minutes) and then they will be able to choose a few questions in their reading journals to answer. For this reason, students are asked to always have a book with them in class starting Monday, January 12. I will collect these journals weekly. 

Activity 2: Word Work
During this activity, students will be sitting in a group of desks where everyone there is reading quietly. If students choose this activity, they will be reading and when they find a word they are unsure about, they will use either a device or a dictionary to find the meaning of the word. They will then record this meaning in the “word work” section of my blog. I will look at the entries on that section of my blog weekly. 

Activity 3: Work on Writing
During this activity, students will be sitting in a group of desks where everyone there is working in their writing journals. They will pick a few topics that interest them and they will narrow it down to one. They will then work on writing about that chosen topic. Sometimes, the topic will be provided for them. They will do this activity and I will collect their journals weekly. 


Activity 4: Research with a partner
During this activity, students will choose a partner in the group they are sitting with to pick a topic or question to research. They will then spend their time during that activity centre researching that topic. They will record their findings in the section on my blog that is called “Research with a partner”. I will look at the entries on that section of my blog weekly.

Activity 5: Inquiry questions
During this activity, students will choose a question from our book or create their own question and spend the time during this activity researching the other. They can create a video to show their answer or simply record their findings on the section of my blog called “Inquiry Questions”. If they choose to make a video to record their findings, they can record that on the class iPad and I will look at that at the end of the week as well. Either way, students are asked to post their questions that they chose on the inquiry question section of my blog. 

 

I will use a tracking sheet to record so students can record who has done what weekly. Hope this is useful to anyone who is trying to incorporate the Daily Five into their language program!

Kelly.McLaughlin Use of Technology

Blogging in the classroom

As a way to help students represent themselves in a positive way online, at the beginning of my LTO I introduced a program on my blog. It is called the weekly five and it encourages students to choose three of five weekly activities.

On Monday they can answer the question or complete the task under the heading on my blog entitled “My Blog Mondays”. This question will relate to a subject or task that is the focus that week.

On Tuesday, students have the chance to post a video under the heading “Tube Tuesdays” as they are encouraged to find meaningful and inspiring youtube videos to match a topic. For parts of a  story, the students were encouraged to choose a video that captures one of the parts of a story. This encourages them to look for videos that suit a specific purpose and will also inspire them to be better identifiers and writers for different parts of the story.

On Wednesday, students are asked to come in to class and be prepared to discuss a topic or a project that they need help with. Starting this Wednesday, I will select the students and help them get on track and stay organized for a topic or subject I see them struggling with.

On Thursday, students are asked to come prepared with research for a topic on my blog. The topic is posted in the form of a picture and they are asked to discuss the progression from that older item to the item that we have today. An example that the students really loved was the old version of a phone. They came prepared with discussion related to the progression of phones worldwide.

On Fridays, which is the most popular post of all, is when students are asked to post on the “Feeling Instagood Friday” section of my blog of a photo taken or chosen by another student. They are to post a suitable caption for the photo and the best caption will be chosen as the following week’s photographer. This encourages students to use our blog as a practice tool for when or if they have instagram. They should be posting meaningful comments and appropriate comments to other’s photos.

This is just one way I use technology in the classroom. By making my blog an active daily tool, students will also use it to remind them of updates and events going on in the classroom. If you would like to view my blog the link is missmclaughlin7.weebly.com

 

 

Kelly.McLaughlin Celebrating Success

Progress Reports

I can honestly say that after writing what seemed like one hundred progress reports for the first time in my career, that I am very proud of my students and myself for having had the patience to get through them all! Writing comments about a students work in 2-3 lines on a program does not seem to give the students the justice that they deserve. I found a way to get around that.

A very amazing mentor of mine in my school board showed me during my teaching placement how to foster a spark in student’s minds. He showed them their learning skills on their reports before sending in the final project. It showed the student’s what success looked like if they had already attained it and if they wanted to succeed, how they could attain that. Students attitudes changed drastically after seeing their marks.

My students have done nothing but succeed since the moment I met them. They are always working hard and always making sure to be the best student they can be. I make sure that at all points of the day I am showing them how proud I am of their success whether it be a class points system, awarding them marks for it or just pulling them aside to let them know they are appreciated.

When a concerned student came to me today and told me he was worried about his progress report, it seemed to me that students sometimes are more worried about doing poorly then they are about doing well. I think we should start to foster a positive attitude in our classes and show and tell students about success and how to succeed and to stay away from using words like failure or unsuccessful.

Positivity can go a long way and student success is what this entire progression is about, is it not?

Kelly.McLaughlin Communication with Parents and Guardians, Use of Technology

Amazing classroom tool

After having been in my LTO placement at Ancaster Meadow for more than a month now, I have finally found a perfect way to connect with parents and my students at the exact same time. A few colleagues of mine have been using the app “Class Dojo.” This app connects to parents and students devices and tracks their progress throughout the day. You can award students points for certain behaviours and the parents will see this as well as the students. At the end of the week, I have been announcing the champion of the week for most points! The kids love it and have been very focused everyday in order to earn points.

Competition in the classroom is sometimes frowned upon, but my kids have been flourishing from this app and I think that they really enjoy knowing exactly why they have earned a point. You can message parents form this app and many of them have used the app to get into contact with me. It is easier than an email because it is exactly like an iMessage but over a safe and secure app where no contact information is actually given out.

I recommend this app for all grades and it works so well in my grade six class. I know that the grade three classes in our school are really enjoying it as well! Connecting with parents and ensuring student success and motivation at the same time is the best resource I have come across in my time on my placement so far!

Kelly.McLaughlin General, Use of Technology

My LTO and technology in the classroom

After supplying a week at Ancaster Meadow a very exciting elementary school in Ancaster, I applied for the LTO in the classroom I had been in. I was accepted into the position and am now starting a new journey as a teacher of grade 6/7. This has been the most exciting experience as I am trying everyday new things to inspire and focus the students. I am using the smart board daily as a way to keep them connected to my new blog and to show them examples of how to do certain assignments. As I teach them literacy the most, it is very important that I model most of their assignments for them. The smart board has given me a large amount of access to this.

I have also used the computer to set them up for their lessons with instructions on the board and showed them various videos during History about food in New France. I am about to show my students life during the settlement in New France.

I am very fortunate to have my amazing Macbook Pro which has a mark book in it where I can continually be recording records and notes about all the students. I am also really using my other programs such as pages and encouraging my students to use this to type up their new assignment; writing news articles about their partners.

I am so fortunate to have these many opportunities to use technology in the classroom. I also had a period with grade fives where they were to use their devices to research specific topics. Technology has helped me get started with my new role and aids me everyday. I am so fortunate to be in my new classroom and to have the help of my friend, technology.

For those of you who are interested, my classroom blog is missmclaughlin7.weebly.com

 

Kelly.McLaughlin First Week Reflections, General

Exciting new opportunity

 

Hi! My name is Kelly McLaughlin and I am a new occasional teacher for the Hamilton Wentworth Public School Board. I am so excited for this new opportunity and am awaiting each day to let the adventure begin.

Before I was fortunate enough to receive an interview to be on the supply list, I was doing my final placement at a beautiful school in Ancaster. There I was able to start a choir of about 30 girls and 1 boy and we sang at different events for the school. My passion is music and always has been as during my previous placements I have always tried to get a choir started as well. Through this passion, I was able to take the AQ course for instrumental music. So hopefully this year I will be able to share all about my experiences in some of those classes as well. I really do love the fact that music in schools nowadays is not just crossword puzzles and theory but a hands on experience which will allow children to have an appreciation for instrumental music at a young age. This will hopefully foster their love for it and allow them to carry on with playing instruments throughout their lives.

In my spare time I enjoy running, rock climbing and travelling to Portugal and Disney World which I do once a year! I am really excited to apply all I have learnt from university and my nine summers as a camp counsellor in the classroom.