Blog – Page 86

July 1, 2019July 1, 2019 Shawna Rothgeb-Bird Assessment, Assessment and Evaluation, Report Cards

More Learning Skills Comments!

One of the most popular posts I have written over the past few years was a collection of Learning Skills comments I put together. It continues to get views and comments regularly, but like most of us, I cringe when I look back on what I wrote three or four years ago. They’re not bad comments, I just feel like I’ve learned so much since then.

So I’m back! With more comment samples for you! You’re free to use these – modify them, mix and match them, grab one or two sentences, whatever you like! These are here to help you and give you an idea of how one teacher in Ontario writes their comments. I’ve also posted some FSL comments for the Core and Immersion teachers out there.

Profile: strong learning skills, good leadership qualities, regularly engaged in class, working on developing more confidence

It has been a pleasure having (NAME) as part of our classroom community this year. She is an enthusiastic, hard-working student who always strives to do her best. During lessons, she listens attentively and regularly offers her insights, although at times she seems unsure about her answers. As her confidence builds, her active participation increases, and she should be very proud of her accomplishments to date.

When working independently, (NAME) makes good use of alternative workspaces (e.g., the library, the hallway) to provide her with a quiet space for working. While she occasionally allows herself to get distracted by socializing with her peers, a quick reminder is often all that is required to return her attention to the task at hand. She makes good use of success criteria and learning goals to ensure that her work is meeting expectations.

Collaboration is one of (NAME)’s strengths. She often takes on leadership roles when working with peers, such as organizing what needs to be done and creating a plan to ensure the group is successful. Her kind, open-minded personality allows her to work with any student without issue. On the rare occasion that conflict arises, she is always able to find a solution without assistance.

(NAME) has become a strong role model for her peers. Her dedication and cheerful disposition are great assets to our school community. Keep up the great work!

Profile: weaker learning skills, not fully engaging in French Immersion program, finds academic demands challenging, tends to shut down when encountering difficulty

(NAME) is a kind, compassionate student who is beginning to develop more confidence in his abilities. When he feels certain that he is on the right track and understanding the material, he is an active participant in class discussions. Much of the time, however, he requires frequent reminders from teachers and peers to engage in respectful listening behaviour, as he is often chatting with friends or playing with objects during lessons. Given that he often seems to feel overwhelmed by the expectations of the Middle French Immersion program, particularly during subjects where French is the language of instruction, he would benefit immensely from listening more attentively to his teachers and peers.

(NAME)’s independent work has been inconsistent this term. Much like during class discussions, when he feels confident about his abilities, he is able to complete his work with some support and extended time limits. Most of the time, however, he is quick to become frustrated if he encounters difficulty. Once this happens, even with encouragement and one-on-one support, he often refuses to complete his work. Next term, he is encouraged to seek opportunities to work with his teachers (such as sitting at the round table during independent tasks) where they can more easily check in with him and assist him with his learning.

Collaboration is similarly inconsistent for (NAME). He is most successful when working in groups created by the teacher, as he is less likely to become distracted by socializing. When working with friends, however, he needs frequent reminders to return his attention to the task at hand. He would benefit from reflecting and making careful choices about who he chooses to work with for collaborative tasks.

(NAME) is developing some self-regulation strategies to assist him with his learning skills and habits. When he chooses quiet workspaces away from friends or makes use of classroom tools like noise-cancelling headphones, he is more successful. He is encouraged to continue making use of these accommodations over the second term to help him focus on his learning.

Profile: strong learning skills, good leadership qualities, tends to go overboard on projects

It has been a pleasure to teach (NAME) this year. She is a cheerful, kind student who demonstrates great curiosity for learning. She is an active participant in class discussions and collaborative tasks, quick to make connections and think critically about what she is learning. Her leadership, reliability, and flexibility have all been wonderful additions to our classroom community.

Collaboration is one of (NAME)’s strengths. While she strongly prefers to work with her friends, she is able to work with most students without conflict. Her conflict resolution skills are well-developed and she is generally able to resolve any interpersonal conflicts without needing to involve her teachers. She is a good leader who tries to ensure that all members’ ideas are included in the planning of group tasks.

When completing projects, (NAME) is usually quick to come up with creative, outside-the-box ideas to extend her learning. That said, sometimes these ideas become too large or complex to complete within the given timeframe. When this happens, she has a tendency to ask for additional time rather than adjusting her plans. Next year, she is encouraged to plan in such a way that she can adjust and scale back the plan rather than requesting extra time, as additional work time for one project results in lost time for other instruction.

All the best next year, (NAME)!

Profile: student who tends to rush, engages in discussion on topics of high interest, needs to work on collaboration

It has been a pleasure having (NAME) as part of our classroom community this year. She is a creative, enthusiastic student who always brings a unique perspective to our class discussions. She participates actively in most class discussions, although at times requires reminders to put away her book in order to give her full attention to the lesson.

When working independently, (NAME) is at her best when she is highly engaged in a task, such as tasks involving environmental issues. When her interest in the topic is high, she puts significant effort into her work and eagerly shares her knowledge with her peers. Conversely, when the topic is less interesting to her, she has a tendency to rush through her work in order to finish quickly and move on to something new. Overall, she takes feedback well when it is about specific criteria that she overlooked, but she is reluctant to go back to add more detail or expand on her thoughts. She would benefit from taking time to review her work, ensuring it is detailed and meets the success criteria for the task.

When collaborating with others, (NAME) strongly prefers to work with her close friends and requires considerable encouragement to engage fully in other groupings. She occasionally needs redirection to stay on task during group work, as she sometimes goes to find her friends’ groups to chat. She is encouraged to approach collaborative work with a more open mind next year, as she is a valuable group member with a wealth of knowledge to share.

And a few other snippets you may find useful:

During independent work periods, (NAME) can generally be counted on to stay on task, though he needs occasional reminders not to get caught up socializing with his peers. His willingness to seek assistance or clarification has increased since the beginning of the year, and we hope that he continues to come forward when he needs guidance with a task. Though his resilience is improving as the year progresses, (NAME) continues to become frustrated with himself when he finds a task difficult. Once this happens, he is sometimes receptive to teacher assistance and feedback to help him work through the task. Next term, he would benefit from taking advantage of opportunities to work nearer to his teachers (such as at the round table) during independent work periods to provide him with opportunities to check in more regularly while working.

(NAME)’s greatest area of need this term has been in developing positive collaboration skills. She strongly prefers to work with her friends and is reluctant to fully engage in group tasks with some students, sometimes going as far as to ask to work on her own or switch groups rather than work through conflict. She is highly motivated to do well, which sometimes leads to clashes with other students when they have different plans for how to approach a collaborative task. Next year, she should continue to work on “guiding from the side” by helping her group to stay focused and on task while also allowing her peers’ ideas to take the spotlight more often.

I’ll also try to put together some of the comments I’ve written for other subjects, particularly things like French. I find it can be very challenging to know where to begin with Language comments for French Immersion – especially for smaller programs like the one I teach (Middle French Immersion). Hope these are useful to someone out there!

June 30, 2019July 1, 2019 Will Gourley Advocacy for public education, Celebrating Success, General, Making a Difference Through Education, solidarity, Why unions matter

Beyond

Did anyone else go to sleep on the last night of school already thinking about next year? I did.

It’s not the first time either. After 10 years in education, it is now a given that I will go to sleep on the last day of school reflective, happy, and excited about the past, present, and future of this calling.

2 sleeps into the Canada Day long weekend and the reflections continue. Along with my REM time retrospectives (not the band, although they are awesome) come some big looks forward to September. It’s okay if you think this is not normal. I’m good with it. It’s not above, but it is definitely beyond what I ever expected to happen the very moment I started teaching.

For me, it is a great time to look back and recognize the growth over a school year at the speed of learning. It is also a time to reflect on the emotional highs and lows and to unpack the instructional tool kit for some much needed organization and maintenance. However, this June seems a bit different because of the current political climate in Ontario. This has me thinking even more about the importance of some advanced preparations. And why not?

I do this now because the year is still fresh in my mind. Whether I can control it or not, I remain in teacher mode – my internal alarm clock is still waking me up on teacher time. Since it takes time to wind down, I might as well wean myself off bit by bit and I know there must be many others out there as well going through eduwithdrawal. Want proof? Check out #onted on Twitter. There is still so much happening on an hourly basis directly relating to eduction.

Consider this recent tweet from Sam Hammond to our newly appointed MOE Stephen Lecce. It appears that despite going on a nearly 5 month break from the legislature, the new minister was concerned that teachers did not know their schedules.
You’ll come to your own correct conclusions about the collection of castigating contrarians currently in public office. I have. With so many educators still in teacher mode, more are becoming actively engaged in challenging the effrontery of messages like Lecce’s. This is in order to protect all students from the political dynamite intended to undermine the bedrock upon which our stable and progressive society was built. It may be Summer, but time out of the classroom can be well spent in dispelling false claims and controversial assertions coming from the ruling party.

One of the biggest loads of misinformation in need of incineration has been the outright promise that no teacher jobs will be lost. This has been a massive cause of concern as class sizes have been co-opted. It has also come with the staggering and sad losses of positions for many amazing educators. Many who continued to go beyond the job in order to serve their students all the while holding the cards of an uncertain future.

Someone who is going beyond to inform us all is Andrew Campbell. He curates a comprehensive document that shows how the cuts to education are affecting our profession by the numbers and from board to board. Warning, this might provide many with night terrors if they read it before bedtime.

This is what keeps teachers awake at night. We have to deal with stunted salvos like the one above from Mr Lecce and disrupt its corrupted political narrative. We must take a stance for the students whose voices and opportunities are being stripped down to the basics in act that will only destabilize their future by limiting their access to education. This is beyond anyone’s mandate or scope of power. No decent citizen voted in the hope of shortchanging the future of our youth.

In order to get past it, we must go beyond signing petitions or retweeting.

So stay up late.
Write a letter to your MPP.
Support and encourage one another.
Read up on the issues via @ETFOeducators on Twitter or via the Building Better Schools website.

We must go beyond the government insults, the inexplicably random policy choices, the gutting budget cuts, the acrimony, the villification, the distrust, the disingenuous praise, and the indifference because the 2 million students who we are fighting for are worth it.

There is something each of us can do to make sure our collective voices are heard. Sharing yours in July and August while you rest, recharge, and prepare for September will ensure that our support of students will be heard loud and clear all Summer too.

When the bells ring again in September, our answer to the ruling party will be in the form of 83 000 + strong devoted educators each ready to teach far beyond the destructive discourse of a politician’s disputes, and instead straight to the hearts and minds of our students like we always do.

Best to you all this Summer. Thank you for a great year of interaction and inspiration. See you on Twitter.

June 30, 2019 Arianna Lambert 21st Century Learning, Constant Learning, Inspiring Students, Inspiring Teachers, Modern Learning

Risk Taking

As educators, we’ve all done it. We’ve probably said it and even perhaps written it on report cards. “So-and-so needs to take more risks.” Over the last few weeks, I’ve been contemplating what it means to take risks and how past experiences may form our propensity for future risk taking. In this post, I invite you to join me on a little journey.

I’ll admit it. I’ve often been the one who makes very calculated decisions when it comes to risks. More and more as an adult, I’ve learned to be a little more adventurous in “safer spaces” but I ultimately need to first find that space to hold some safety.

In the work that I have had the opportunity to do with educators, many have put up their hands to attend a session and are possibly ready to take some time to reflect on their own practices. The process is guided and while participants are often thrown into a place where they have to quickly create, many feel safe enough to consider and try new ideas because the scaffolding has been put in place to get to them to that point. They move from a place of being unsure of what the day may hold to quickly being excited about the potential of an idea. With this in mind, I’ve been thinking about my own learning and the learning that I have the opportunity to facilitate in my classroom with students.

As I mentioned before, I’ve always been calculated in taking risks. In school, I remember equating success with receiving high marks. High marks on the last couple of pages of the report card, not necessarily the learning skills, which I was usually able to quietly meet expectations. I think that because I knew the game of school, the learning skills were seen as perhaps the icing on the cake, while the real substance was to be found in the marks received in subject areas. These were the things that were going to help me get to my ultimate goal. I always equated the better your marks, the better your options. This thinking kept me in a space where I focused on making sure that I continued to do what I knew worked. I learned really well to safely play the game of school but at what cost?

I say all this to come back to our students. We want them to be creative risk takers but how do we do this when perhaps what is perceived to be valued is a letter grade at the end of a few months of learning about a specific subject? How do we help students to value process over product and to realize that failure is a part of the learning process? How do we help them to see that perhaps the detriment might be not in the failure itself but in perhaps failing and not learning from it or being so afraid to try that there is no room to fail? We want students to be risk takers and of course there is probably some calculation to that risk but how do we create a system that supports students in truly understand what matters most? How do we create a shift?

Clearly I don’t have all of the answers to this and I know that this isn’t the work solely of a group of educators and perhaps speaks to a larger shift in education. I wonder what changes could be made if we were to create learning environments where there are scaffolds and supports to ensure that students can safely take risks, fail, learn, try again, take even greater risks, fail or succeed and take risks again? I know this is already being done especially in elementary but imagine if there could also be a shift in secondary also. Where an exam or test mark isn’t the only thing that speaks to the success of a student. Would we have more risk takers who are excited about new challenges they will face in an uncertain future? I’m back in the classroom in September and I have learned so much about the value of a scaffolded process and the fact that it might look different for each student. I’m looking forward to using this process to helping them develop a greater ability to take some big risks to try something new.

June 30, 2019 Arianna Lambert 21st Century Learning, Curriculum Planning, Language Learning, Literacy, Modern Learning, Technology

Podcasts for Students

Excitedly, I am back in the classroom in September! Over the past few weeks, I’ve started thinking about new ways to engage my next cohort of students. As I’ve been thinking, a friend reached out to share that her son has been enjoying podcasts and that got me thinking about how they might be useful in the classroom. I started listening to the few mentioned to me by my friend and through searching, realized just how many there are for children. For this post, I’ve included a little about the few that I’ve started listening to so far and how they might be useful in the classroom. By no means is this an exhaustive list, nor have I really had the time to dig into this idea but I’m starting here and will continue to take time over the summer listening and trying to find ways to move students from podcast consumers into perhaps podcast creators.

Six Minutes

Description from Kids Listen: Eleven-year-old Holiday is pulled from the icy waters of Alaska with no memory of who she is or where she came from. Are her mom and dad really who they say they are? And when she begins to develop incredible abilities, she’ll soon discover she’s not alone in the world. Six Minutes is a new mystery adventure for the whole family. Starting on March 1st, new six minute episodes, twice a week, all year long…and beyond.

In the first episode, the Anders family goes on a whale watching trip and finds something miraculous floating in the water. While listening to this episode, I immediately found myself using my imagination to think of what the setting and characters might look like. Because there were no visuals provided, I had to envision the space as the story started to unfold. I started to wonder about having students draw their visualizations as they listened. What would they include on a page and why? What elements might be most important for some and less for others? How might students justify their reasons for adding what they did to the page. I started to think of the creativity and critical thinking skills that could be developed through conversations about what their images may include. I like the fact that the episodes are short. Six minutes is just enough time to capture your attention while leaving you wanting more. I might also think about developing key questions to ask students for each of the episodes, getting them to piece together elements of the story as they unfold, while making predictions of what might come. I only listened to a few of the episodes and this is definitely a podcast that I would listen to myself.

Tumble Science Podcasts for Kids

Description from Kids Listen: Exploring stories of science discovery. Tumble is a science podcast created to be enjoyed by the entire family. Hosted & produced by Lindsay Patterson (science journalist) & Marshall Escamilla (teacher).

As a Science enthusiast, I was intrigued by this podcast and of course I decided to listen to one of the most gross episodes, The Tower of the Vomiting Robot with Anna Rothschild. While it took some time to get into the actual episode, the podcast told how a robot named Vomiting Larry, helped scientists discover how to stop the spread of Norovirus. I thought it was great that this episode sought to find out from grade 4 students what they thought was gross. I think this could be a great way to also include answers from your own students. This episode also got me thinking about the practical applications of technology to advance research about disease prevention and possibly a new design project for grade 5 students in relation to the human body. I also thought that it was neat that there was a blog post about the episode where students could investigate more, if they wanted to. A great way to bring in real-world science to the science we do in classrooms with students.

The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel

Description from Kids Listen: The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel is a high-quality serial mystery story for middle graders, performed by actual kids. Think Goonies, meets Spy Kids, meets Stranger Things for 8-12 year-olds. Listen along as eleven-year-old Mars Patel and his pals JP, Toothpick, and Caddie set out on an audacious adventure in search of two missing friends. The mysterious tech billionaire Oliver Pruitt might have a thing-or-two to say about their quest, because as he likes to say, To the stars! In fact, that’s just where they might be headed.

With three seasons to this podcast, I love the fact that it’s narrated by actual children. It’s in their voices and I see how it might be totally relatable and of great interest to them. A little longer in length – 30 minutes – it might be a little long for some to listen to in its entirety in the classroom but I’ve heard that it’s engaging for students and time seems to pass very quickly. I like how Oliver Pruitt in the first episode drops you into H. G. Wells Middle School. Again, I can see how students could visualize what is happening as well as make predictions on what might come in the next part.

The following is a list of sites that I will be investigating over the summer to find podcasts that might be interesting to introduce to my students. That being said, I know that choice and voice are extremely important and I also look forward to having conversations with my students around what they may already be listening to. Again, while I’m new to this idea of podcasts in the classroom, these lists are simply ones that I have found online that may or may not include podcasts that are ideal for your students. I think it’s wise to take a listen first and determine that for yourself. In these lists, you’ll see that there is some overlap and perhaps that might be a place to start as you investigate.

Kids Listen – An app that has podcasts sorted in categories based on age. I found it easy to listen to podcasts on my Chromebook which also got me thinking about the ease of use within the classroom depending on the technology available.

We Are Teachers – Curated list of the 18 best podcasts for students in elementary, middle and high school and also gives a sample activity to try along with listening to the podcast.

Cult of Pedagogy – Offers a brief reason what podcasts are and how they can be listened to, along with 8 educational podcasts with a sample episode and brief descriptions of each.

Scholastic – Gives you a list of 9 podcasts, telling you what they are best for, why it’s worth it and where to find them.

Common Sense Media – With fantastic tips for parents and children, this list of the 20 best podcasts has them organized by category based on genres or activities.

Common Sense Media – Another list specifically for little kids, truly highlighting that podcasts can be for everyone.

Finding Cleo – Definitely for older students, this link is to a teacher’s guide developed by the Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board educators, for this podcast. Included are letters to parents, suggested assignments for the episodes and further resources.

Have you used podcasts with students? If so, how? What worked and what didn’t work? I would love to hear your experiences and get some ideas from you.

However you spend your summer break, I hope that it’s filled with time to relax and rejuvenate for the upcoming year. Have a happy and safe summer!

June 30, 2019 Tammy Axt General

Thank You!

Thank you for helping your students become the best version of themselves this year!

Thank you for tolerating the sound of the first day of recorder.

Thank you for giving up every lunch to help your young actors shine in the school play.

Thank you for being a safe person where students can come to talk about their identities.

Thank you for giving up your lunch and breakfast to feed your students who are hungry.

Thank you for pushing your students when they needed a good nudge to do their best.

Thank you for helping your students develop relationships with their peers.

Thank you for caring for the parents of your students and supporting them through difficult times.

Thank you for spending your free time in workshops, AQs and reading articles to learn how to support your students the best way possible.

Thank you for holding your laughter in when a student lets a very loud fart go during your lesson.

Thank you for noticing and acting when your students can’t see properly.

Thank you for recognizing and highlighting the talents of all of your students.

Thank you for supporting parents to have conversations with their daughters about their first period.

Thank you for creating an environment in your classroom where students with mental health challenges are respected and valued.

Thank you for helping your colleagues with report cards, IEPs and safety plans.

Thank you for showing up to work with a positive attitude on the day when your child has thrown up on your shoe.

Thank you for all you do every day!!

Have a well-deserved break and a wonderful summer!!

June 30, 2019 Tammy Axt General

Thriving in a New Teaching Assignment

I lead a running club for adults in my free time and many of the participants are teachers. Last week, I overheard two of the participants chatting about their teaching assignments for next year. They both were placed in assignments that were way out of their comfort zone and they were very nervous and anxious about the upcoming year. I understand how they are feeling. I took my educational career in a very different direction last year and it was probably the most challenging of my 15-year career but by far the most rewarding.

Taking on the role of teaching a class with 10 students who have Developmental Disabilities was very intimidating. I knew very little about how to plan, assess or run a program that serviced the needs of these students. It was the steepest of steep learning curves but worth every minute!!

In my board, there is a 50 percent turnover rate of teachers in my role. I can absolutely see why teachers would leave after a year. This job can be very overwhelming and incredibly different than what teachers have trained for. I understand why teachers in general are nervous about change such as when they go from grade 8 to kindergarten or from music to special education support. We are one of the only professions where we are given new assignments and are expected to figure things out on our own with limited resources, training and support.

If you are one of those people that were handed a new assignment for next year and are anxious about the change, here is how I survived the huge change in my career:

I asked around immediately for people who were experienced and amazing in the role I was taking on. I reached out to many of them right away and they were amazing!!! They shared with me everything I could possibly need and went for coffee with me when I was struggling and needed a safe place to share my challenges. Without the support network of unbelievable Intermediate DD teachers, I would not have survived.
I decided that I was giving this role 100 percent of my effort and focus. Even if it hadn’t gone well, I still was going to try my very best every day and commit to my students. That decision helped me not get distracted by challenges that came with my role.
I recognized and celebrated the successes. It could have been very easy to be hard on myself in my new role. There were many things every day that did not go right. However, I learned that unless I cheered when something went well my students wouldn’t get the cheerful and positive teacher that they needed. It kept me and the whole team giving each other high fives and laughing.
I was open to the possibility of something awesome. This was the coolest, most unique experience of my career and if I had let my fear stop me from trying it out, I would have missed this incredible experience.

Finally, right before I took my current job, I reached out to a principal that I trust and asked her for some advice. We talked through the pros and cons of the new role and finally she gave me the best advice that relieved all the pressure of the drastic change. She said simply “this job will be 10 months out of your life. If after giving it your best effort it is not a good fit, move on to something that is.”

Good luck in the 2019-2020 school year everyone.

June 29, 2019 Laura Bottrell General

Beginnings and Endings

We are so lucky to have a career that has built-in beginnings and endings.

Beginnings are inspiring and exciting. September brings us a brand new year. For some of us, it will also bring a new grade, new school, new students, new classroom, or some combination of those things. It’s a chance to start fresh, reinvent, rethink and make changes.

Endings bring about mixed emotions. Sometimes there’s a feeling of relief, perhaps after a particularly challenging year, or a year that you felt you weren’t at your best. By the end of June, many of us are exhausted. Endings bring an opportunity to slow down, reduce stress and focus on our own health and well-being. Most importantly, endings give us a chance to reflect.

The best part is that after every ending, comes a new beginning. On a personal level, I am really looking forward to a new beginning in September. I feel that I’ve learned and grown so much as an educator this year and I’m eager to get into my next classroom and apply that learning. The ending to this last school year was a sad one for me, as I said goodbye to a wonderful school and students that I love dearly, but this has only made me even more excited to see what comes next.

Are you feeling inspired by the new beginning that September will bring? What have you reflected on in June that will change you as you head into September?

June 29, 2019 Laura Bottrell General

Capturing Their Wonder

Our classroom motto is “wisdom begins in wonder”. This quote, from Socrates, represents the core of my beliefs about teaching. I believe that every child holds a natural curiosity about the world around them, and that the most powerful learning happens when that curiosity is answered with opportunity.

Many classes at my school work on a yearly book publishing project, in which each class collaborates on a book that is written and illustrated by the students. I wanted to think of a topic that would engage my students and create a beautiful keepsake for their families, but I also wanted our topic to be authentic and meaningful. I tried to think of what would represent our class, and I remembered that the core of our classroom is wonder.

So I simply asked, “what do you wonder?”. We spent a few minutes discussing some ways to word their “I wonder” statements and sharing some ideas as a group. Then, they were sent off to write.I was so enthralled by their wonderings. Some of the questions they wrote stemmed from our current learning, but most of them were genuine, authentic questions that they had about their world. I absolutely loved reading what they wrote and I felt like it really captured their bright, curious minds.

Earlier in the year we had made some beautiful owl art, so we decided to include that art as our illustrations since owls are also a symbol of wisdom. Here are some photos of our published book!

After about four weeks our published books arrived. As we read the book together as a class, my students were so pleased with themselves as they realized that even in the short time since writing the book, they had already discovered or researched the answers to some of the questions they had written about. It was the perfect illustration of just what I wanted them to see – that wisdom really does begin with wonder!

Parents were able to purchase either a hard cover or paperback copy of the book to keep. Although the compilation and final editing process before sending the package off to the publisher can be a bit tedious on the teacher’s end, it was well worthwhile just to hear that grade one student exclaim, “Wow! I can’t believe we are real authors!”.

If you’re interested in publishing a book with your class, head to Student Treasures to learn more!

June 29, 2019June 30, 2019 Will Gourley Celebrating Success, Constant Learning, General, Making a Difference Through Education, Year End Reflection

Building bridges

The Photographer [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]

Recently, I found myself staring from the platform of a steel, wood, and wire bridge at the top of Les Chutes Montmorency in Quebec. As the water spilled down the worn rock face into the St. Lawrence River, I could feel the structure moving, ever-so-slightly. Dozens of tourists were there too. I wondered if they felt it while they crossed, stopped, and admired the power and natural beauty.

To me, the vibrations were reminders that things are in constant motion and that the gentle movement of the bridge was making my senses aware of my surroundings much more than usual. What struck me in between the movements were thoughts of the incredible collaboration that went into designing and building this structure for everyone to safely enjoy the view. So much commitment, preparation, and care had to be put in long in advance of the first steps ever being taken across this spectacular wonder.

This made me think about how teachers are so very much like bridge-builders in their schools. We start laying out possible plans in late August and September. Once the first bell rings, we usually have to head back to the drawing board in order to re-coordinate, re-calculate, and reconsider it all once the classroom is filled because it is not until then that we really know the exact terrain or the distance we will need to span. Experience says that there is always a danger when we start construction too soon. Ocasionally, a demolition is required to re-start the build on a stronger and more secure footing.

Come October and November, construction of our bridges is in full swing. Shifts are organized, jobs are evolving with new work being delegated daily, and of course, focii reframed. Foundations are set and you can see signs of progress. As with any project, unknowns are constantly popping up that could not have been predicted on paper while planning. Usually these are best mitigated through preparation, experience, and flexibilty. Construction must go on.

December and January has our crews working productively in all areas. A well deserved break to rest, recharge, and regroup sees everyone returning to routines. Unlike September, the plans are not in flux. There is clear evidence of the mission, along with a sense of quasi-accomplishment, and it is encouraging to be at the half-way point. By now, some significant challenges have been overcome. Trials and tests are natural parts of overcoming impassable terrain. There is much to learn on a construction site.

It seems like we roar through February and March at school. Our bridge is really occupying the skyline now. We are able to see things from new perspectives. There are so many clubs, teams, and lessons to reckon with and distractions are not uncommon. It is important to remind everyone about the goal and the importance of the bridge they are building.

For me, these are some of the most frantic yet peaceful months of the school year. Frantic because of completing first term reports and peaceful because the rhythms of learning are clearly clicking. March Break doesn’t hurt either. Through it all brick by brick, board by board, and wire by wire it is all coming together. Through all of this time, attention is focused on safety and stability. Each day, measurements are taken to make sure everything is going as planned. In the classroom this might be a conversation, or an observation. Some times the ears and eyes of a teacher notice more and gain far more insight than is ever conveyed on a paper through a pencil.

April and May seem to happen at an accelerated pace. The end is in sight, yet somehow it can seem like the finish line is being moved further down the track. Students have become increasingly more interested in outdoor activities after being cooped up all Winter, and then kept off the grass for nearly the first 6 weeks of Spring. Movement is crucial here. Construction on our bridge is nearly complete.

Come June, our 10 month bridge building project concludes. What was once a rough and uncrossable expanse is now connected from one side to the other. As if, for the very first time, we collectively look up from our work, take a few steps back, and marvel at the work that has taken place. Our work.

By June’s end, the memories of lessons, tests, and reports are already fading, but not the positive relationships made, the acts of kindness shared, or the struggles overcome. Know that these memories will last like a well built bridge that can be crossed over years after being completed.

Thank you for being the bridge builders teachers. I look forward to building new ones with you all in September.

June 23, 2019 Shawna Rothgeb-Bird General

Playing Tabletop RPGs in the Classroom

I am a full-time geek. Anyone who knows me knows that comic books, video games, anime, board games, and sci-fi make up the bulk of my personality. What many of them don’t know, though, is that I play a lot of tabletop roleplaying games.

At this point, you might be wondering what, exactly, constitutes a tabletop roleplaying game. For me, it means that once a week, my friends and I get together and pretend to be members of a band of adventurers travelling around a fantasy world. We don’t dress up and run around in-character (that’s something else called LARP); we sit together and, with the guidance of one person acting as a storyteller or “Dungeon Master”, we tell a story. Very little is pre-determined in this game. When we try to accomplish things, we roll dice and see what happens.

I’ve been playing these games since I was a kid. I’ve played them in a lot of different formats – in-person, by e-mail, on Telnet serves, in IRC chat rooms, over video chat with webcams and microphones, I’ve even played in streaming games where total strangers can watch me and my friends live on camera. It’s a big thing in my life.

It’s also something I’m trying to bring into my classroom. This isn’t coming from a place of selfishness or obsession, where I just want to do my hobby all day. While I really love playing RPGs, they are a lot of work to put together and run for even just a small crew, and the logistics of implementing any kind of RPG in a classroom are… daunting. But the benefits outweigh the complications, and so here I am, slowly finding ways to bring the wonders of RPGs to my students.

Let’s talk about the benefits of D&D a little. (D&D isn’t the only tabletop RPG out there, but it’s the one most people have heard of, so I’ll roll with that system for this.) The most obvious benefit for any child is that it is a storytelling game where players have to listen, improvise, and react on the fly. The game rewards creativity and consistency of character. Players have to make choices about how their character would act in a given situation based on their past, their goals, their party’s plans. RPGs work wonders for improving the creative writing skills of their players.

It also encourages critical thinking and creative problem solving. Players are presented with all manner of obstacles every session, with a hundred possible solutions for every one. They have to listen closely to what they are told, search for clues in the narrative, and solve puzzles to survive encounters and work toward their goals. They also have to work together – as the players collaborate to tell a story, their characters collaborate to reach a common goal of some kind. The lone wolf doesn’t do well in this game.

Where this game really shines in the classroom, though, is in fostering confidence in its players. Many people will feel silly when they first start playing, some will always feel silly, but most will find themselves comfortable in their character’s personality after a few sessions. D&D provides opportunities to learn about socializing, leading, and working together in a risk-free scenario. Players can practice social skills knowing that it’s their character acting this way, not them, and that the worst outcome is that their character may die and they need to make a new one. I’ve seen the quietest, most reserved kids find their voice thanks to a D&D game where their character slowly becomes the leader of the crew. I’ve seen impulsive kids start to slow down and think their actions through in real life because when their character is rash and acts without thinking, they set off traps, or find themselves surrounded by monsters, or ruin their party’s carefully crafted plan.

The situations in these games are made up, but the skills they learn through playing transfer to real life. They can confidently take risks in the game because the only consequence is really that the story may not go the way they want. Over time, they start to take more risks in real life. They start to look at real life situations from multiple perspectives. They start to understand the interconnectedness of people, places, and things.

All of this to say… I want to do this more. Implementing games like D&D in the classroom is challenging. So far, I’ve had the most success with large-group one-session games like Werewolf, where students are given secret roles and must work together to help their team win while staying in character. I’ve also had success running small groups at recess time. Now, I want to try to find a way to bring a more in-depth, long-form game like D&D to my whole class.

Thinking about how I can adapt D&D for a class of 30 (yikes) is how I’ll be spending my summer – in between an AQ, a three-day FSL conference, multiple one-day workshops, a week in Toronto for the ETFO AGM, a week in Toronto for Fan Expo, my weekly D&D games, and oh, right, also being a spouse/mother/sister/daughter/friend/adult.

If someone out there has successfully implemented RPGs in their classroom on a consistent basis, I’m all ears. And if someone out there has no idea what I’m talking about but is intrigued, like any good tabletop player, I can talk your ear off about all the things you can check out to find out more about this crazy hobby!