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Alison.Board Building Inclusion, Classroom Management, Diverse Learning Needs, Learning About Your Students, Planning

Making Adjustments

As I read the previous additions by fellow bloggers, I look for connections to my own classroom, and what I see is the constant of change. We are all working with different age groups, but consider similar topics, such as adjustments to integrate technology, outdoor education, or making learning meaningful. Like others, I am continuously reflecting on my practice and making adjustments. As I am teaching in a new Full-Day Kindergarten classroom, there are many changes that the ECE and I have made in the last 8 weeks.

In September, our days were focused on establishing routines and building a community with our 27 children. The biggest routines were entry and dismissals, learning centres, and independent reading/quiet time. Then, as the children settled into these routines, we constantly re-assessed our schedule. We found that our children are so social, that independent reading is more like a book club with sharing and discussions. So, we now lead meditation and quiet breathing and stretching exercises after our reading block. Some of the children struggle with stilling their minds, while others have embraced it and look forward to this part of our day.

Adjustments to the classroom are also a constant in FDK. As interests in certain areas increase or wain, I change the spaces to accommodate the children’s interests and needs. I also change the materials. The basics in each learning centre remain the same, such as the blocks in the building centre, however, I may add recycled materials, clipboards and paper, or figures to encourage new relationships with the materials.

The planning has become one of the most challenging aspects of the FDK program, as there is no time for the ECE and I to sit down and exchange ideas. I continue to plan weekly with my Kindergarten teacher partners, then I convey ideas to my ECE while we are in the classroom together. I started off the year with my weekly plans in a binder on my desk (as I always previously used them). Then, I realized that it was more beneficial to enlarge them on an 11 x 17 inch page and hang them in the centre of the room where the ECE, and the Special Education Assistant can access the daily plans with ease. We are also using a web diagram to document the big ideas that are emerging in the classroom and the connections to the curriculum, which is visible to all.

Every day at our gathering circle, I start by asking the children, “How do you feel today?” As the children share their responses, I get a better understanding of what adjustments I can make to ensure it is a successful day for all of us. Making adjustments is just another way of being a reflective and responsive teacher.

Katie Pryde Celebrating Success, Communication with Parents and Guardians, Interviews, Learning About Your Students

Student Led Conferences

The past 2 weeks, I have been preparing my students for Student-Led Conferences, since the Progress Reports were sent home, and conferences were set for this past Friday.

I have never done or seen Student-Led Conferences before, and what an amazing experience it was. Yes, it does take a lot of prepareation for the students, but after a lot of feedback, the parents really enjoyed it.

What Are Student-Led Conferences?
Instead of the formal Parent-Teacher Interviews, my school board has taken the approach to doing Student-Led Conferences, which enables the student to take full responsibility for their learning, and they choose things to share with their parents that they are most proud of and some things they feel they need to work on. They also choose a Learning Skill that they think is the best, as well as a Learning Skill that they need to improve upon.

Preparing My Students for the Conferences:
Two weeks prior to the Student-Led Conferences, we began preparing ourselves for these conferences. It does take a lot of time and preparation, but the outcome is wonderful! First, I laid out all the work my students have done so far. I explained to students that they would look through their work and choose 2 things they were most proud of (could include anything but most were Social Studies Tests, Math Tests, Journal Entries, and Daily 5 Work), and 1 thing they felt they needed to improve upon. Once they chose their 3 items, they were given 2 “star” papers where they wrote why they were most proud of this pieve of work and why (they had to be specific-because they looked at the Word Wall to help them spell, they studied really hard for a test, or they used the Success Criteria to help them in their writing…). Then, students were given one “Next Steps” paper where they wrote about why they feel they needed to improve upon that piece of work, and what they can do next time (use the Editing Checklist, use the Work Wall, etc.).

As a class, we then reviewed the Learning Skills and what each skill means. We brainstormed (and reviewed) some examples about what each Learning Skill looks like here at school. Then students chose which Learning Skill they felt was their best, and explained why using examples, as well as choosing a Learning Skill that they needed to work on, and explained what they can do to improve upon this Learning Skill.

Once all the writing was complete, I created a script that students practiced so they knew exactly what to say, and when to show/explain their work. For many days, students would practice reading this script and showing their work independently, to a partner, in a group, and even their Reading Buddies. We encouraged students to take on different roles as well, to prepare them (i.e. one student would be a mom, one would be a dad, and the other would present to them).

When it came time for the Student-Led Conferences, the students ran the show. They took full responsibility, and THEY were the ones explaining to parents why they need to improve upon the work they chose, and even asked how their parents could support them at home. I feel that the student saying this to their parents is much more powerful than if I were the one saying it. Parents really enjoyed seeing their child’s work, and were excited to come up with ways that they could support their child at home. Overall, the Student-Led Conferences were a huge success at my school, and it was really great for the students to be so enthusiastic about the work and learning they have done thus far!

Student-Led Conference Script:

Introductions: “Hello, Ms. Pryde. This is my _______ and my _________.”

Explanation about the Conference: “I am taking responsibility for my learning. Today, I will be showing you the accomplishments I have done so far at school. I will also be showing some work that I feel I need to improve upon, and will be asking for your input about how you can help me in reaching my goals at home.”

Showing of the Work: “This is one of my best pieces of work because __________________.

I also chose this piece of work as something that I am most proud of because __________________.

I feel that I could improve upon this piece of work because _____________. I think I can improve on it by __________________________________.

I think my best Learning Skill is ________________________ because _______________________________________________.

The Learning Skill that I think I can improve on is _______________ because _______________________________________________.”

Conclusion: “Thank you for coming to my conference. Is there any questions or comments for myself or Ms. Pryde?”

 

A photo of the outdoor
Katie Pryde Diverse Learning Needs, Learning in a Real Life Context, Professional Learning and Growth

Outdoor Education

Outdoor education is something I have been trying out this year in my Grade 3 classroom. I have tried giving my  students opportunities to use the outside world to explore and learn from it. As our first social studies unit was  First Nations people, we decided to go for a class walk to a nearby forest/pond area near our school. We took  some time to explore and look around at the environment we saw around us. After some exploration, we came  together and had a community circle to discuss things we have seen. We pretended to be First Nations people,  and discussed things we would use in our environment to survive (trees for building our homes, ducks for food,  water for drinking water, etc). It was a great experience, and students were able to make social studies  connections to the environment around them.

Although I have been trying out some of the outdoor education ideas, I felt I needed more. So, I signed up for an  Outdoor Education Workshop. It was called Outdoor Education: Look and Learn, which was provided to me  through my school board, Halton District School Board and Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton, Ontario. The  day started off with us playing some outdoor games, which came from the Project Wild resource book. Then, we  went on a hike where we were able to use our 5 senses and explore the environment. We all used our cellphones,  or were given cameras to take pictures of things that interested us. It was a rainy/foggy day, so we were able to  take some beautiful pictures. After some exploration, we were given some birds seed and these chickadees flew right down to us and ate the seeds from our hands. As adults, we were so excited about this, so I could only imagine how our younger students would have enjoyed this.

We were all assigned to choose a few leaves that stood out to us and share what types of activities we could do with them. The leaves were so beautiful with bright orange and red colours. Some ideas were to sort them leaves based on different properties, use the leaves for art (making leaf turkeys for Thanksgiving, or leaf rubbings) and using the leaves for math by looking at symmetry.

It was a wonderful workshop, I learned many things and felt more confident about doing outdoor education with my students. We also were given some wonderful resources. If you are interested in reading more on Outdoor Education, please check out:

Into Nature: A Guide to Teaching in Nearby Nature
http://www.back2nature.ca/resources-research/education

Happy Exploring!!!

Art work hung to the peace tree
Sangeeta.McAuley Building Inclusion, Celebrating Success, Learning About Your Students, Learning in a Real Life Context

The Peace Tree

Recently, for Remembrance Day, I contemplated how to help my students understand the meaning of this solemn occasion.

My class is made up of students from India, Pakistan, Somalia, Czech Republic, Afghanistan and Slovakia to name a few. Through several discussions, I learned that their understanding of war from their homelands seemed different than what our Canadian soldiers went through, yet the common thread was the idea of peace.

Having seen the film, “The Peace Tree” by Mitra Sen, I thought this might be a good place to start. The film is about a young girl whose family is celebrating Eid. She shares her holidayand customs with her best friend and when Christmas draws nearer, she questions why her family can’t celebrate both occasions. This leads her to make a peace tree with symbols from different religions and cultures. After watching this film with my class, I could see them making connections to their own experiences with religion, exclusion and identity.

We became excited at the thought of making our own Peace Tree and I began the search for the right branches to hold our ideas. Together, we spent some time studying different signs of peace from around the world, such as the diya (India), the Inukshuk (North America), the Yin Yang (China), the Star of David (Israel) and more. My students took materials home in earnest to start making these signs and often came up with their own symbols: flags from different countries, chains of people, and hands.

At our school assembly, while each class was invited to bring a wreath, my class chose to bring their Peace Tree which had also been decorated with poppies. Two of my students spoke at the assembly about why we had created this tree and what it stood for. It has been an interesting experience for me to watch my students get so excited about the different symbols and how the meaning of peace is the same no matter where you live in the world.

We were asked to put our Peace Tree outside the school office for others to enjoy and my students often ask when we are getting it back…they want to add more to it!

                

Photo of Tina Ginglo
Tina.Ginglo Building Inclusion, Diverse Learning Needs, Social Justice, Use of Technology

Equity and Access to Technology

I am committed to equity and inclusive practice.  Each day I “check in” with myself and ask those important questions:  Do all my students feel included in the classroom?  Have I excluded any students from the learning I have planned today?  With technology these questions are particularly important to consider.  In particular, I want to address the concerns around students’ access to computers.   As I mentioned in my last blog post, my students and I are fortunate to have unlimited access to technology, specifically, laptops, wireless Internet and digital cameras.  Access to these tools presents us with endless opportunities to make learning meaningful and engaging for students.  The students are so excited about learning.  They want to take their flash drives home to work on writing projects and they log in from home to contribute to their Edmodo groups.  However, there are some students who don’t have computers at home.  What about these kids?  These students can quickly feel left out if they are not part of the “virtual” in-group, so how can I make the most of the technology I have and not marginalize any of my students?

I have been working closely with one of my mentors since October.   He has helped me create a vision for my class use of computers.  I want to get my students to the point where they decide when they need the computers and when they do not.  At the beginning, I had all the control.  I directed students when to take out the laptops and when to put them away.  In the first few weeks, you could walk into our classroom and see all the students working on their laptops at the same time, doing the same thing, like a computer lab.  This didn’t feel right for me.  Now, more often, you could walk into our classroom and see some students on laptops, some not.  The students using laptops will likely be doing different activities.  A few may be logged on to Edmodo contributing to their discussion groups, some may be working on a second or third draft of writing, others could be reading or doing research, while others could be engaged in  an on-line lesson from Ontario’s Education Resource Bank.   I believe that this kind of  learning environment helps students develop independent work habits, increases student engagement and by allowing students to have some control and choice in their learning, I hope to see an increase in student achievement and a decrease in classroom management issues.  I also believe that such an environment will allow all students to participate in and  keep up with on line learning during the school day.  It may not completely resolve my access concerns, but I am sure it helps.

Photo of Tina Ginglo
Tina.Ginglo Professional Learning and Growth, Use of Technology

Introducing a New Tool for Learning Takes Time and Patience

I have been absent from Heart and Art for too long!  I have not forgotten about our followers or my fellow Heart and Art bloggers, but I have been distracted with a new challenge.  Last spring, I successfully wrote a proposal requesting laptops for our third grade program.  In mid October the laptops arrived, and since then I have spent every spare moment working to integrate this new learning tool into the heart and art of my teaching and student learning. I trust that my absence from Heart and Art has not been in vain. It is my intention to share my new learning and growing pains with Heart and Art followers.   I hope that Heart and Art followers will benefit from my recent “distractions.”   Each month I will share how the third graders at my school are taking ownership of their learning and growing more independent as they use technology as a tool for learning.

The proposal I drafted commits my students to collaboratively generate inquiry questions that connect to the science and social studies curriculum. My students have begun to use laptops to mind map their ideas and questions using off-line software.   We have just started to use MS Office software (Word or Excel) to keep track of their jot notes and sources and the plan is that they will share their research through meaningful projects such as scripted video documentaries (Windows Movie Maker), scripted video/podcast how-to guides (Audacity), digital scrapbooks, pamphlets, or public service announcements.   I have recently connected with a grade 12 Media Studies teacher who teaches at our feeder high school. We are discussing the possibilities for doing a project together. I really hope this pans out!  You can trust I will share our learning on Heart and Art!

We are at the early stages, but my students are starting to share their inquiry questions, research and new learning using Web 2.0 tools.  For example, I have created a teacher account on Edmodo.com.  It is FREE!  All my students have created student accounts and they now use Edmodo to share ideas and new learning with each other in school as well as from home in this secure educational social media site.  I started by simply posting questions students to consider and discuss on-line.  To date, I created three groups for my students to join:  Science, Social Studies and Room 204- Announcements.  I will share how I use the Announcements group in another Heart and Art blog post.  I am interested to learn how other primary teachers are using Edmodo in their classrooms.  I am following a number of teacher groups on Edmodo, but most of the contributors are junior, intermediate and secondary teachers.  I do believe that Edmodo has its place in the primary classroom as well.  I will post the different ways I am using Edmodo in future blog posts.  My next Edmodo project is to take my literature circle groups on-line.

Obviously, there is a skill set that my students need to possess in order to conduct research and use spread sheets and flow charts to record their learning.  It has been a slow process.  Although most of my students have computers at home (19 of my 22 students have access computers and Internet at home), their keyboarding skills, ability to save their work and access files is limited.  There are times when I think to myself, “This is consuming so much time!”  But I am committed to using 21st century tools in my classroom and to creating an environment where students learn with and from each other within the walls of our classroom and beyond the walls of our classroom.  When I get frustrated, I just tell myself to “Trust the process!”  I hope to join an international project as well this year…all in time…one day at a time…stay tuned!

 

Alison.Board Communication with Parents and Guardians, Interviews

Preparing for Interviews

 

The interviews provide an opportunity for parents to meet the teacher, see the classroom, and ask questions about their child’s progress. It is also an opportunity for the teacher to ask questions that will provide a better background understanding of the child that is struggling in his/her adjustment to the Kindergarten program. You may want to know if the child has siblings, has opportunities for play dates, or gets enough sleep.

To prepare for interviews, I do the following:

  • review anecdotal notes, highlighting any positive comments as well as any concerns
  • look through examples of child’s work, and have it on hand to refer to during the interview
  • have a copy of the SK report
  • make note of something positive to start the interview, and something to work on with the child to end the interview.

I like to use a basic notepad and dedicate a page to each student. At the top of the page I write their name and time of interview. I copy the points that I highlighted from my anecdotal records to ensure that I can easily refer to them during the interview. (When you get in a roll of interview after interview without a break, your memory should not be relied on!) I then add parent/guardian comments from the interview and next steps for myself to follow up with. I can then refer to this notepad when I am measuring progress in the next couple of months.

Since JK students do not receive a report at this time, a half-page checklist can be created as a reference for parents. List items like; can recognize first name, can write first name, can count to 10, can follow routines independently, etc. This can also be created for your own use to guide the interview and be kept as a reference to see progress when you write the JK reports in January.

Interviews can be difficult if you need to address challenges that the child is experiencing. A good way to approach these interview is by starting with your observations in the classroom, then asking the parents/guardians, “What are you seeing at home?” Often, parents see the same behaviours or have similar struggles, which they will expand on when the discussion is directed in this way.

You may want to set up a desk or table in the hall for parents that are waiting for their interview. It can have a clock (set to the same time as your clock in the classroom), resources for parents that you may find applicable from public health, the public library, or a list of websites that you think would be beneficial. This is also an opportunity to display a project, photos (even a digital photo frame!), or some form of documentation that the parents can enjoy while waiting for your interview.

 

Social Justice Begins With Me Cover
Carmen.Oliveira Learning in a Real Life Context, Literacy, Professional Learning and Growth, Resources, Social Justice

Opening Hearts and Minds Through Social Justice

I recently blogged about an excellent new resource created by ETFO entitled “Social Justice Begins With Me.”  In my post I described how we implemented one of the lessons in the classroom and then extended our learning by taking it out into the community.  It was such a meaningful experience that I decided to share it with the entire staff as well as the  teacher candidate working with me.  As a result, staff members have now begun to try the lessons in their classrooms and the faculty supervisor overseeing my teacher candidate’s progress has also shared it with the faculty students.  The feedback has been phenomenal which is why I have decided to give you all a quick overview of the resource.

Social Justice Begins With Me targets Primary, Junior, and Intermediate grades with literacy focused lessons that are linked to picture books and short novels that target social justice issues.  The lessons guide teachers through various activities that embed both social justice issues and character education.  One of my favourite aspects of this resource are the ideas that support community involvement, thus taking the learning out of the classroom into a real-life context.  The lessons are also supplemented with graphic organizers, assessment tools and strategies, along with well organized lists of texts that include each synopsis.  The reproducibles are very helpful and applicable to a variety of activities.

My students have enjoyed the experience so much that they suggested we find a way to share our learning with the community in some way or another on a monthly basis.  We have just finished our fictional narratives by writing short stories which the class suggested we share with the folks at a nearby nursing home.  “We can take some scones or biscuits and sit with the elderly to share our stories,” they suggested a few weeks ago when we started the process.  “A lot of times old people are not treated very nicely or their families forget them.  This is one way we can tell them about what we’re learning,” one student commented.  Brilliant idea.  And it all started with a lesson on thanking those in our community with unappreciated jobs.

If you want to integrate social justice into your classroom, this is one of the best resources available.  Try it and please share your experiences with us.  I would very much enjoy to know how the lessons came alive in your classrooms!

Below I have included the direct link for those who want to take a closer look at the resource.

http://www.etfo.ca/resources/new/socialjustice/Pages/default.aspx

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alison.Board Building Inclusion, Planning, Resources, Social Justice

Social Justice Begins in Kindergarten

I am using the literature-based resource kit, Social Justice Begins with Me (ETFO), to introduce various themes to my Kindergarten students regarding social justice. In the first lesson lesson we used the book, The Colors of Us by Karen Katz. It is the story of a little girl that paints a self-portrait and wants to use brown for her skin. Her mother takes her on a walk in their neighbourhood where she learns that there are many different shades of brown.

Before reading the book we compared and discussed the sources of colour used in the book, such as cinnamon, chocolate, and honey. After we read the book, we used red, yellow and black paint to mix and create various shades of brown. The children were engaged in the process as they observed then commented on whether their shade was a light or dark brown. Some children were using the words from the book in their descriptions, such as “It looks like cocoa!”

For the final activity, each child looked at the shades of brown and selected the one they identified with as the colour of their own skin. We made a display of “handprints” for display in our classroom, one for each child. As they picked the shade of their choice, they made comments such as, “My hand looks like honey” or “She is that shade of brown (pointing).”

During the week we spent on these lessons, we were also asked to paint a canvas for one of the Character Traits that our school recognizes throughout the year. The canvases are hung with pride at our school entrance. Our class was given the task of creating a canvas for the trait, Co-operation. The ECE and I thought why not have the children use their selected handprint not only as a symbol of identity and self-esteem in the classroom, but as part of one panel to demonstrate how respect for one another is the first step that leads to co-operating with one another. Our canvas became a culminating activity for lessons we learned about social justice.

Photo of Erin G
Erin.Grewar Classroom Management

Classroom Management Core French Style Part 3 – Running With It

Allow the Class to Be Part of the Solution

When confronted with issues of classroom management, you need to make allies of your students who are obviously an integral part of the solution. Don’t worry, your students will be all too eager to share their perspective and insight. While a class meeting is sometimes an appropriate forum, having them provide some feedback in writing is even better. To elicit more interesting and helpful input, give them questions to answer (What is the reason why people are misbehaving? Am I contributing to the problem? How does it feel to be a student in this class? How can the situation be improved?) and ensure they are specific with comments, criticisms and suggestions. Writing anonymously allows them to be more honest and upfront. Finally, when you have read through all of their statements, make sure to address the situation the following class. Sometimes reading out a few comments aloud can have a more profound impact (they care more what their peers think of them). It’s important to reiterate what you, the teacher have understood from the message they have relayed and check with them to make sure you are all on the same page. End off with what you are going to change about the way you teach and handle situations. This may not be the end of your problems but your goodwill and sincerity will not go unappreciated.

 Hone In On the Real Troublemakers

While it may seem to be a larger issue, sometimes it actually comes down to reigning in just a few students. You may realize how the dynamic changes one day when one or two of them are absent (try not to look too excited in front of the rest of the class). After careful consideration so as not to overlook anyone, I’ve resorted to rounding up the selected individuals at the end of the day.  After a particularly frank and open conversation devoid of animosity, they are made aware of how their actions are bothering myself and the rest of the class and the next steps I intend to take if the situation is not resolved. Make sure to have a well-defined plan in place and be prepared to follow through. Again, this may not solve the problem in one shot, but it does allow you to come to some sort of mutual understanding.

 Stay Positive

This is really the part about putting it all in perspective. First of all, be thankful that you are a rotary teacher and you only have to make it through 40 min intervals – they will soon be on their way! Also, focus on those students who want to be there to learn (even if you sometimes feel you are addressing 2 people). The more out of control you feel, the easier it is to resort to screaming, sarcasm and a host of other unpleasant behaviours on your part. Just imagine what it would be like to be a student in such a negative toxic atmosphere. Sometimes that is the key to turning it around – make your class a place where kids feel comfortable to enjoy themselves and feel good about being there. 

Summary

Classroom management is the key to being an effective teacher. That being said, there are many different approaches and it is vital that whichever one(s) you decide to take, it’s a reflection of who you are as a person. When you are comfortable in your own skin, your confidence will grow will be projected to your students who can only respect you all the more for it.