Blog

One of the most critical aspects of our profession is the application of teacher professional judgment, which directly informs our teaching practices. This judgment, which informs critical pedagogy, allows us to make thoughtful, intentional decisions that prioritize the needs of our students. As we integrate AI tools into our classrooms, this judgment becomes even more vital. AI can offer valuable support, but it cannot replace the understanding we have of our students’ individual needs and experiences. ETFO’s resource Artificial Intelligence in Education: Advice for Members provides valuable insights to support our learning journey with AI. It highlights that we must use this judgement to carefully assess how these tools align with our educational goals and ensure they enhance, rather than hinder, our ability to teach effectively and responsibly. We must also critically evaluate AI tools to understand how data is being collected and used, if a tool reinforces existing biases and inequities, and if the information is accurate and reliable.

At last week’s conference offered by my school board, I realized just how much I still have to learn about AI in the classroom. It was incredibly inspiring to be surrounded by colleagues eager to learn and to hear everyone share their experiences and ideas. The question, “How is Artificial Intelligence reshaping the education landscape?” came up multiple times and really got me thinking. Reflecting on my own reservations, I came to realize that AI is here to stay, and many students are already learning to use it. The first step for educators is to begin where you feel comfortable and slowly explore how to incorporate it in a meaningful way. After seeing how educators are experimenting with it, I felt inspired to share what I’ve learned with you.

A few of the new tools I learned about include the following: TwinPix, Adobe Express, Mindomo, and Read and Write. These tools are user-friendly and can be implemented right away.

TwinPix is a tool that can be used in the classroom by educators or students aged 13 and older. It is an AI tool that challenges students to match an image as closely as possible by learning to write descriptively. A few days after the conference, I had the chance to use TwinPix in a class I was covering. We did a quick descriptive writing lesson where we analyzed an AI-generated image, then created prompts that would lead the AI to recreate that same image as accurately as possible. Using the inputted prompts, the AI would generate an image and provide a percentage of accuracy. It was a fun way to teach students how to be detailed and precise in their observations and writing. We focused on paying attention to specific details and using vivid language to communicate our observations effectively. While TwinPix was previously free, it now offers a limited number of images you can generate per day without charge.

Adobe Express was another tool I explored. It offers many features that it initially felt a bit overwhelming. It allows both teachers and students to create a wide range of content. One feature that stood out to me was the ability to generate AI videos with your own audio. Imagine how fun it would be to give a presentation using an animated character of yourself in a completely different setting! For instance, you or a student could create a presentation on a historical event, adding personal voiceovers to make it more engaging.

If you haven’t used Mindomo before, it’s a website that helps create mind maps, allowing students to generate and organize their ideas visually. Earlier this year, one of my students showed me how he used it to create a mind map of his learning about the human body. Another way to use Mindomo could be to start with a populated mind map and then work backward to develop inquiry questions based on the information it provides. This approach can be especially useful for students who struggle to generate ideas on a topic. You can then use the provided information to craft strong, meaningful inquiry questions.

I also recently discovered that Read and Write offers new AI built-in features like word prediction. This can be particularly helpful for students who struggle with writing, offering suggestions and support as they work on their responses. For example, if a student is asked to write about a topic like structures, setting up word prediction to include related terms could assist the student in predicting vocabulary specific to that subject.

When I think back to the question of “How is Artificial Intelligence reshaping the education landscape?”, I say it is offering us many new opportunities to enhance our classrooms, think critically, and support our students in new ways. The important thing is to learn, explore and experiment, all while using our professional judgment to integrate it thoughtfully and responsibly. If you’re ever unsure about the approval status of a tool, it’s always a good idea to check with your board before bringing it into your practice. They may have board-approved tools in place to help ensure that everything aligns with district policies and educational standards. By using our professional judgment and sense of responsibility when integrating AI, we can not only prepare ourselves but also set our students up for success in a future where AI will be increasingly prevalent.

In my previous post, I began by retelling a brief story to provide readers with insight to my motivation for studying grammar. I then shared the strategies I used for developing my grammar knowledge so I could better support students learning the discipline. While sharing some strategies, I mentioned a resource, (englishpage.com) that I found useful in building my knowledge. I concluded the post by identifying three insights I gained from the experience that I believe could be useful for other teachers.

In this post, I’ll share an experience that prompted me to reconsider how I teach grammar. I’ll also share insights and considerations for teaching grammar using a culturally relevant pedagogical approach (CRP); with a specific focus on the building students’ cultural competencies tenet found in CRP framework. My goal is to help teachers affirm and integrate the diverse grammar competencies of the students they teach. My hope is that this work helps to aid students in developing their understanding of how to leverage their cultural knowledge combined with their knowledge of grammars to compose diverse texts for diverse audiences.

Last year, I attended a professional learning session on how to teach grammar and syntax to students in intermediate grades. I was there to support a colleague in the central literacy department who facilitated the session.  During the session my colleague shared the article, The Histories and Mysteries of Grammar: Supporting Elementary Teachers in the Time of the Common Core by Lauren B. Gartland and Laura B. Smolkin (2016). She then provided time for educators to read the article then engage in discussion. To participate in the activity, I too read the article and engaged in the discussions.

While reading, I learned that Gartland and Smolkin define grammar as a set of rules to explain how a system operates. In a language, this system typically refers to syntax, morphology, and semantics. This definition along with a few additional details helped to consolidate my understanding of grammar as the vocabulary speakers and writers employ to create well-formed sentences to effectively communicate their ideas to intended audiences.

Yet it was their definitions of descriptive and prescriptive grammars that provided the essential insight I needed to rethink teaching grammar from a CRP stance. Gartland and Smolkin define descriptive grammars as presenting language as it is used by speakers in different contexts and settings, while prescriptive grammars describe how people should speak and write. I quote these researchers at length below because it was the following passage that prompted me to shift my thinking. They write,

“Prescriptive grammars privilege standard English (SE) as the correct variety of English, whereas descriptive grammars characterize SE as one variety of English (albeit an important one) without valuing it above others. SE is the type of grammar presented in the Common Core [or the revised Grades 1 – 8 Language curriculum (2023)] because it is the grammar that’s associated with long-term success in public schools, completion of higher education, and employment with opportunities in professional advancement and financial rewards. Adding this type of grammar to children’s repertoires can open the door to educational success and socioeconomic mobility. The word adding is where much of the controversy lies. If we can come to view SE as appropriate to employ in particular settings and situations and other forms as appropriate for other situations, we move away from the idea that there is a single correct way to speak and write. And we move into the realm of descriptive grammars; this recognition of the legitimacy of other dialects will be the key to successful grammar instruction” (Gartland and Smoklin, 2016).

What resonated with me from this passage was the additional clarification of descriptive and prescriptive grammars, along with the reasons that prescriptive grammars are privileged.

I also appreciated the call for teachers to move away from the idea that there is a single correct way to speak and write. Rather appropriate ways depending on the setting, situation, and I’ll add audience. Thinking about the diverse languages, cultures, identities, and values of the students and teachers with whom I work, two questions that immediately emerged for me were: Who decides what is considered an appropriate way to speak and write for the setting, situation, and audience? And how do those individuals and groups decide? I share these questions for additional considerations others like me may want to ponder as they continue the work of applying CRP approaches to their language programs in general and grammar programs specifically.

Additionally, I valued the recognition and legitimization of non-standard English dialects, and I’ll add other languages in school, in addition to offering opportunities for students to utilize them when speaking and writing. Too often in my former role as a special education support teacher, I recall sitting in meetings with some educators including some administrators who relegated the English language skills of immigrant children from Caribbean nations inferior with the English language learner (ELL) label. When I questioned why the ELL label was ascribed to these students when English was the only language they spoke, the response was often something about dialect, accent, and questioning the quality of education prior to entering Ontario’s publicly funded school system. While I understood that standard English is the language of instruction in Ontario’s publicly funded school system, and that the students mentioned above may have benefited from some remediation from entering a different education system, my concern emerged from the label being ascribed to the students without consulting the student or parent(s)/guardian(s) and without a clear explanation to both. I believe that it is in the absence of choice and clear explanations that systems of education exact harm on racialized and vulnerable student populations that leads to a distrust of the system that is meant to serve and protect students.

Finally, I respected the evidence that Gartland and Smolkin shared to refute claims that children need to shed their uses of descriptive grammars in school to experience academic achievement. This evidence also highlighted the value of students maintaining and further developing their descriptive grammars while adding prescriptive grammars to their repertories. Inviting and teaching students to utilize their knowledge of descriptive grammars in school is one way that I believe educators can apply a CRP approach to their instructions.

Beyond understanding the difference between prescriptive and descriptive grammars and the place for both in school, the use of mentor texts is an additional way to support explicit instruction in both grammars. With the use of mentor texts students see how skilled and published writers employ the use of descriptive and prescriptive grammars to convey their ideas to their intended audiences.

Months later, in a series of professional learning sessions I facilitated for teachers working with students in grades 6, 7, 8, I shared and discussed the Gartland and Smolkin article. I then modeled how using excerpts from a book like True True (2023) by Don P. Hooper could support providing students with explicit examples of descriptive and prescriptive grammars in use.

During the session I first shared that Hooper employs the use of Jamaican patois, Hattian Creole, African American English, and standard English to tell the fictional story of Gill. I then provided a brief synopsis of the book where I explained that Gill is 17-year-old high school student from Jamaican descent who lives in Brooklyn, New York with his family. He is a devoted grandson, a loyal friend, and he has a passion for three things: coding, robotics, and karate. The story follows Gill as he transitions to an elite robotics school on the upper east side in Manhattan, the anti-Black racism he experiences while attending the school, and the physical and psychological toll that anti-Black racism takes on him as he seeks more equitable learning conditions.

I then read and analyzed a passage where Hooper utilizes descriptive grammars found in Jamaican patois and standard English to add a layer of depth and meaning to the story. I concluded this portion of the session by inviting teachers to reconsider how they currently teach grammar by thinking about how they could invite students to leverage their cultural competencies found in their knowledge of descriptive grammars along with their knowledge of prescriptive grammars to better communicate their written ideas to diverse audiences.

To read Part 1 and Part 2 click below:

Part 1: Teaching Grammar Part I: Reflecting on My Lack of Experiences Learning Grammar in School 

Part 2: Teaching Grammar Part II: Closing Gaps in My Grammar Knowledge

The School of Education at Trent University has an Indigenous, Environmental and Sustainability Education course for all teacher candidates.  I joined the course as a marker/grader in the fall of 2024 and found myself learning alongside the students, wishing that a course like this had been part of my B.Ed in the 1990s.

In the course syllabus Dr Rachael Nichols writes, “The Ontario curriculum requires that all teachers, in all grades and all subjects, infuse environmental and Indigenous education in their teaching.”

As educators we have the responsibility to prepare ourselves to teach about these issues and one of the easiest and most accessible ways to learn is through film. I’d like to present some of the recommended films for the IESE course with hopes that you will watch them and take time to reflect on their teachings.

Cottagers and Indians

Drew Haydon Taylor is from Curve Lake First Nation near Peterborough. In his CBC documentary, Cottagers and Indians, he shares the perspectives of people using the lake for conflicting reasons.  Manoomin, commonly called wild rice, is grown and harvested on lakes but it negatively impacts the lives of those using the lakes for recreational pursuits. The film demonstrates how complex issues can be. It’s very thought provoking for settlers like me who were taught history through a biased lens.

There’s Something in the Water

This documentary explains the injustices felt by African Canadians and First Nations in Nova Scotia where water has been polluted. The stories are somber and scary but the courageous women who speak for their communities need us to listen.

For Love

This film tells the stories of intergenerational trauma, neglect and abuse caused by residential schools but it also leaves you feeling hopeful for the future. More Indigenous children are learning about their culture and elders are bravely stepping forward to help them.  As an uninvited guest on Turtle Island it is my responsibility to listen to these stories and take action going forward.

I’m grateful that these films were recommended to me and I hope you will find them helpful as well. I’m curious to know if you have any other films or books that would help me learn. Please leave a comment with your thoughts.

Brenda

In my previous post, I reflected on my lack of experience learning grammar in my formal schooling and how that lack of experience did not absolve me of my responsibility to teach grammar when a curriculum mandated it. In this post, I’ll share the strategies I used to close gaps in my grammar knowledge so I could better support students in developing their knowledge of grammar and some critical insights that I’ve gained from the experience.

While living abroad, my work as an English as a Foreign language teacher involved using a school mandated curriculum to support students in developing their English language skills in the domains of reading, writing, listening, speaking, and all the areas that support becoming proficient in those domains such vocabulary knowledge, pronunciation, and grammar among others. To support students in developing their grammar skills I had to name then explain the grammatical structures found in the English language then model how to use them and finally put scaffolds in place to support students in becoming proficient users of the structures. The only problem was, I didn’t have an explicit knowledge of grammar, so I was unprepared to teach it. I remember feeling foolish telling students their oral and written sentences didn’t sound right but being unable to explain why.

Weeks into my new role and tired of feeling foolish from my lack of grammar knowledge, I committed to studying grammar so I could better teach it. I remember returning home each evening after work to watch videos, consult websites, and read excerpts from books on grammar to build my knowledge and support my lesson preparations for the following day. I began by learning tenses because the students in my classes often had questions related to this area.

From my studies I learned that English like other languages uses tenses found in verbs to communicate the time of an action or actions. The three primary tenses that the emergent and developing English language learners needed to know were the past simple, present simple, and future simple. During my studies I learned that we use the past simple to communicate completed actions. We use the present simple to communicate things happening now, routines or repeated actions, facts or general truths, and it can be used to communicate future events. We use the auxiliary verbs will or going to plus a verb in the infinitive form to communicate future actions or plans. As I began working with students who possessed more advanced English language skills, I studied addition tenses. Some of them included the past continuous, the past perfect, the past perfect continuous, and the past passive. The website englishpage.com became an invaluable resource that supported my learning.

The more I learned about grammar, then applied to practice, the smaller the gap in my grammar knowledge became and the more confident and competent I became in my ability to teach grammar in meaningful ways that impacted student learning. Additionally, studying grammar also led to an improvement in my own written and oral communication skills.

I share this story to remind myself and others of three things. First, an explicit knowledge of grammar is needed to teach it for the simple reason that is I/we cannot teach what we don’t know. Second, when writers possess an explicit knowledge of grammar, they can better construct and communicate their ideas to intended audiences. Also, we as teachers must make explicit connections between grammar knowledge and writing compositions for students to understand the relationship between the two because they may not intuitively make the connection. Third, learning precedes teaching.

I/we must identify gaps in our knowledge then fill those gaps by setting aside time to learn what we don’t know to support implementing our curriculums with fidelity. This third point can be challenging especially when we have so many personal and professional responsibilities demanding our time, energy, and attention. Consider beginning by identifying one area of need in your own professional knowledge emerging from an assessed area of need from your students, then commit to taking intentional steps to reducing the gap in your knowledge in small meaningful ways.

What I find motivating is remembering that my continuous professional learning is what helps to ensure that I remain current and relevant in my professional practice. Further, my ongoing professional learning helps me to honour my commitment to being a lifelong learner which for me involves being open to continuous growth, change, and development. The value and importance of lifelong learning is a message I strive to share in my work with both students and teachers.

In my third and final post in this series, I’ll share insights and critical considerations for teaching grammar using a culturally relevant pedagogical approach.

When I taught grade 6, my favourite subject to teach and co-teach was social studies. The focus on trade in the Geography curriculum was an area that I found particularly intriguing to teach. Topics like current events, fair trade, trade agreements, and Canada’s international relationships are exciting because the world is constantly changing.

The first Trump presidency gave me a good reason to revisit the content I had developed. In the past, the main trade agreement we focused on was the North American Free Trade Agreement, which was renegotiated into the USMCA or CUSMA.

More than a few years have passed since 2018 and in a dramatic start to 2025, so has Canada’s relationship with the United States. The American government’s decision to potentially tariff Canadian goods has become not only an economic decision with significant impacts to both sides of the Canada-US border, but a major shift in Canada’s relationship with its southern neighbour.

Whether or not these decisions are even implemented, the political turmoil that has made headlines in the early weeks of 2025 highlights reminds us of how important it is for kids to have a strong social studies education.

It is important for children to have a critical thinking skillset for the news stories and headlines they are bound to encounter on the internet or in family conversations. Students also benefit from understanding the importance of civic responsibility and the impact of elections. Social studies learning also helps students to build academic vocabulary skills in a meaningful way. Not only are they learning language in a more formal register, they will have increased opportunities to explore the new words they are learning because they will hear the same language being used in the media and family conversations.

Let’s take a closer look at these reasons.

Social Studies Learning Helps Children to think Critically about a Changing World

Quality instruction that teaches kids the fundamentals of inquiry, critical thinking, mapping, land formations, climate zones, colonization, international agreements, and economics – just to name a few social studies topics topics – helps children make sense of world they live in from a broader context.

In today’s world, where news travels quickly through social media channels and misinformation runs rampant, being able to make sense of it all in a balanced, reasonable way is critical. It is all too easy to adopt a perspective without hearing alternative viewpoints, and social studies is one of the best areas of curriculum to make critical thinking come to life.

Social Studies Helps Students to Understand the Importance of Civic Responsibility

Society needs people to take civic responsibility for their communities, whether it is organizing to improve neighbourhoods and regions or taking the role of a leader in different types of organizations. Strong instruction in social studies fosters a passion for civic responsibility in children and a drive to innovate and improve their town, city, province, or country.

Why might it be important to join a residents’ association? What are the reasons people seek political office? What can you do to improve your school community? When we teach children about how society works, we empower children to start improving their communities right away.

Social Studies Supports Academic Language Development

Finally, social studies learning is one of the best subjects for teaching academic language – the words and discourse we don’t use in everyday social language, but in more formal settings like school and work.

One of the biggest challenges I have had as an educator is helping students to communicate in different registers or discourses that are valued in academic settings and in the workplace. Teaching language through subjects like history and geography makes a high impact on learners, especially when they encounter that language in current events that are real and relevant to their families and communities.

Final Thoughts

It doesn’t take long to see how quickly the world can change, especially when we consider the headlines of the recent past. Helping children to think critically the slew of events and perspectives that accompany a major world event is essential to their growth as readers, consumers, and citizens.

Have you wondered how you can make change and learn about ETFO?  Standing committees are a wonderful way to get involved and make a difference.  In ETFO, there are over thirty standing committees to choose from – many of which have openings right now.  

A standing committee is a space for educators to make their voices heard.  Committees discuss so many different issues, from Indigenous Education to Library to Human Rights, you will be able to find your passion represented in an ETFO Standing Committee.  The role of a standing committee is to:

• To develop policy recommendations for consideration by the Executive and Annual Meeting.
• To develop program recommendations for consideration by the Executive and the Annual Meeting.
• To provide the perspective of the member on Federation initiatives and programs.
• To provide advice on the content, delivery, and design of Federation programs.
• To advise the Executive on matters relating to the work of the committee.
• To liaise when appropriate with other ETFO standing committees.
• To provide advice on issues as requested by the Executive.

Your perspective and experience is valued in this space.  Through advice and recommendations, you can help to shape the direction of our federation. Many of the resolutions put forward at the annual meeting each August come from the hard work of standing committee members who identify issues and ask the delegation for support. It’s a truly grassroots movement with member experience and engagement at the centre. 

Working on a team of four to five individuals from across the province, you will have a chance to discuss with one another and a staff liaison to help guide you through the process. Most committees meet together in person twice per year.  If selected to be part of a standing committee, you will serve a two year term before re-applying for a second term. After serving two consecutive terms, committee members take a minimum of one year break before applying to serve another term.  

While there are a number of different options for standing committees from curriculum to awards there are also some that are identity-based.  To be respectful of authentic lived experiences, these committees require applicants to self-identify.  For example, the Indigenous Education committee requires members to identify as First Nations, Metis, Inuit, in order to provide advice on issues that pertain to Indigenous Education.  

This year there are a number of vacancies on standing committees.  If you are interested in getting more involved with ETFO and letting your voice be heard, simply log in to the ETFO secure site and find the link in the top left hand corner of the screen named Standing Committee 2025-2027 Vacancies and consider submitting your application by March 1st, 2025.