General – Page 68

November 27, 2017 Tammy Axt General, Mental Health, wellness

Taking care of yourself in December

Now that the hustle and bustle of progress reports is done and parent-teacher interview night is over, I am exhausted. I find this time of the year to be the longest stretch of the school year and these next four weeks to be the most demanding on me mentally and physically. Although my body and mind feel like they should be at home relaxing on my couch, I have four solid weeks of instruction to deliver, an AQ to complete and a Christmas concert to gear up for. There is no time to rest just yet! However, this is my eighth time through December at school and I have learned a few things along the way. Below are my survival tips for the next four weeks.

Survival Tip #1: Keep to your regular routine in class as much as possible. This is tough with concerts, sing along assemblies and parties in late December; however, kids get cranky and forgetful of the school rules when so many routines are disrupted. To limit the amount of negative interactions with your students, continue with normal Math lessons and guided reading circles throughout the month to mitigate all the changes happening.

Survival Tip#2: Continue your exercise routine as much as possible. Just like the kids, there are so many disruptions to our lives in December. I have multiple holiday parties that I am committed to attend, baking to do, and presents to buy. It is really easy to get overwhelmed at this time of year. However, no matter how busy I get, I drag myself to my swimming and spin classes this time of year as I always feel better when I am done. I also am a better partner and teacher when I have had one hour of a spin instructor yelling at me (I guess when you are trying your best just to keep your legs moving, you don’t have time to worry about anything else).

Survival Tip #3: Do assessments in class. This is a great time of year to have students do oral presentations, skits, or hands-on math activities in class to demonstrate their knowledge. Have your rubric/checkbric/criteria checklist etc. ready and mark them in the moment. This will encourage you to take home less marking and keep you fresher for student feedback during the day.

Survival Tip #4: Choose your battles. This tip really applies to every day of the school year but I really try to remind myself of this in December. Some students have a really hard time with the transition into the break. For students who are going home to a two-week holiday filled with fighting, substance abuse or neglect, this break can be really long and stressful. That anticipatory anxiety and stress can display itself in behaviour that is really challenging to deal with. Try your best to stay calm and choose your battles if the student’s behaviour is not impacting your ability to instruct the class. Talk to the student at a quiet moment to see if they need support.

Survival Tip #5: Attempt to eat right. I say attempt, as my mother-in-law’s sausage rolls and jam tarts always get me. However, weight gain, upset stomachs and crazy sugar crashes that are very prevalent this time of year are not great factors for running the marathon that is the last four weeks of December.

Ultimately, it is very important to take care of you in December. I know it may seem selfish, but you will have so much more to give to your students, family and friends. Good luck and have a great December!

November 24, 2017 Will Gourley General, Modern Learning, Professional Judgement, self reflection

Call the cops

Call the cops

I’m guilty, and intend to re-offend. I will not be pleading innocent or apologizing either. So call the cops because I confess to caring about the well being of my students. And I think there are other recidivists like me out there. Yet, how would we know since so many educators spend their time siloed in self-sentenced solitary confinement?

Maybe, the problem is attributable to my particular approach to pedagogy? I write my tongue in cheek admission because I believe that student well being needs to be the foundation upon which all student success is built. Ensuring that my students know that they matter comes first and foremost. If not, it would be like building an upside down pyramid. It will not stand the test of time. (insert imaginary picture of an upside down pyramid here) In other words, it’s about relationships.

Is that a siren in the distance?

My instruction is student centred, connected, and committed to their success far beyond the marks on a report card. I want them to learn how to be awesome at life. That means taking time to invest in learning what makes my students tick as learners first. Not to mention, by the creation of safe, failure tolerant spaces for them to share what they hate about school. Before you let the police in, think about this.

My students are also asked to share what they love about school, and what they would like to have happen more often. I am trying to democratize the classroom here by listening to and valuing their voices. Let’s call this time Septovember. When it comes to their futures I’m guilty of involving students in the conversations that affect this part of their lives too.

Many of our Septovember discussions circle around activism, advocacy, and learning to think about one another. In the past year, I decided to throw all of the cards on the table. I announced that we were going to have a challenge task in our language block. I started the lesson off by saying, “The adults in your life have failed you. I have failed you. My parents have failed you. And a whole lot of people before us have failed you too.” Once they picked their jaws up off of their desks, I asked, “What are you going to do about it?”

We established a few parameters, discussed possible learning goals, and students set out to identify and solve one of the many problems they are inheriting from us (e.g., environment, political strife, human rights issues, equity). Almost immediately my students were engaged and motivated and there it was: inquiry, empowerment, and authentic learning.

I hear handcuffs rattling.

Naturally, whenever life learning like this happens, it puts me behind any traditional instructional schedules, but thankfully it also allows instruction to happen much more effectively over the remaining months of our year. That’s right officer, it’s spelled G-O-U-R-L-E-Y

My students are going to learn that I care about them long before ever being expected to care about what I know or have to teach. If that means shaping the curriculum around them first rather than bending them around the curriculum, so be it. I know I’m not the only one. Have I mentioned that it’s about relationships first?

I have an accomplice.

In his 2017 TEDxKitchenerEd Talk, Andrew Campbell shares a very informed opinion about why he meets his students at the door every morning. And it’s not to check whether they’ve completed their homework. Campbell eloquently meshes his TEDx Talk with complete emphasis on connecting with his students. In it, he shares how his students changed his outlook after a tragic event involving a student in their class. He shares;

“the most important thing I can do as a teacher are the relationships I form with my students and the relationships I help them form with others. When the students come to me in the morning, I don’t know what they’re coming from or what they’re carrying. And when they leave at the end of the day, I don’t know what they’re walking into.”

There is no doubt that all students who pass through Andrew’s classroom door are welcome and valued regardless of the fact he is not a fan of well planned lessons. Imagine the power and potential in the simple act of meeting students at the door with a smile and a kind word? That is a “noble purpose.”

I knew there was another recidivist out there. Are you one too?

They better call for back-up.

November 21, 2017November 22, 2017 Arianna Lambert Constant Learning, General, Inspiring Teachers, Professional Learning and Growth

It’s Conference Time!

My presenter journey started a couple of years ago when I thought, “why not take a chance and share my work with other educators?”. My first conference was Bring It Together in 2015. Funnily enough, I find myself starting to write this blog from this year’s BIT conference.

In 2015 our school was involved in a school-wide Water Inquiry and I had just begun working with students on Entrepreneurial Thinking in the classroom. It was something new in our board and I was excited about this work and naturally thought the conference would be a great way to share it.

In Marketplace style, I set up my booth and had an hour filled with inspiring conversations with other educators about similar work that they were doing with students in their classrooms. Initially I thought I was there to present our work but found such value in learning from the experiences of others and gained great insight on how to take this work further. I caught the conference bug then, I’ve still got it, and I’m not letting go.

Over the years, I’ve learned 3 things as a presenter and attendee:

The Power of Story
Being Open to New Learning
Network, Network, and Network

The Power of Story

Sessions that have inspired and impacted me the most have been ones where the presenter has connected with me through the power of story. Either through taking me on their journey or sharing their students’ journey, these sessions have brought life to the material that the presenter is sharing. Seeing a real application and/or the humanness and messiness behind the implementation of ideas or projects makes it real and tangible. As an educator, I’ve realized, the realness of the struggle and the ability to overcome makes the process inspiring. I’ve tried to implement this in my presentations and am learning that it’s not just about me, but more so the amazing students who I am privileged to work with and whose work I am sharing that are the power in my presentation. As I presented at STAO a couple of weeks ago, I realized that I was most passionate when I was sharing my students’ work on hurricane solutions and the learning that I gained from them. If ever you are considering presenting, tell your story; and with their permission, tell the story of your students. It’s some of the best PD I have ever experienced.

Being Open To New Learning

It’s inevitable. At every conference, I end up attending a session where I think it might be on a particular topic and find out that it’s really about something else. In the beginning I would get discouraged and tune out if I found that I wasn’t getting what I thought I was supposed to be. Then I learned that I could get up and find another session that might better suit my needs. While I thought the second “strategy” was effective/useful, I’m learning the importance of seeing a session through and finding new learning. Whether there is a new tip or trick used by the presenter or participants or a strategy to avoid, there is always something that I can learn. Fortunately, this happened a couple of weeks ago during a session. I learned that it’s essential to test a demonstration before facilitating a session and to ensure that I truly understand all the steps involved when I’m asking participants to take a risk and try something new with me. Presentations can be tough and many of us are just learning about how to give them. Bear with us. Consider sticking it out and perhaps you may just learn something that will be of value to you in the long run. By being there you’ve already opened the envelope. Why not read its contents to the end?

Network, Network, and Network

Ok…It may be no secret but I love Twitter. I have to say that all credit goes to my former Principal, Greg McLeod, who suggested I hop on a few years ago to participate in a Twitter chat. I hesitantly agreed to join the Twitterverse and little did I know, it would be a revolutionary tool that would connect me to educators all around the world. I’ve gained tips and ideas by seeing the work of others online and during conference time, it’s my opportunity to seek them out and meet them in person. It’s also my chance to find new people to connect with and learn from. Last year, I attended a workshop at STAO where I met Shari Green-Brown who is the Principal of RJ Lang Elementary & Middle School. Who would have thought that learning about hand tools during a session would lead to the opportunity to collaborate with her – and others – to help facilitate our STEM Certificate Course or our current PD series – Tinkering Thursdays? I’ve grown as a teacher, presenter and facilitator by building a relationship that began on Twitter, was strengthened through an experience at a conference and developed over time. If ever you decide to take advantage of presenting or attending a conference, take the leap! Talk to a stranger or a Twitter friend. You never know who you might meet & what journey you’ll have the chance to take with them.

Fall conference season is almost done for me. As I look forward to the fun of conferences this spring, I’ll keep in mind: The Power of Story; Being Open to New Learning; and Network, Network, and Network. Consider taking advantage of conferences and events offered by ETFO. Last year I had the opportunity to present at ETFO’s ICT Conference. The energy was simply amazing and the sessions offered many new learning opportunities for participants.

I look forward to learning from and with you soon!

November 19, 2017November 19, 2017 Michelle Fenn Celebrating Success, Combined Grade Classes, Constant Learning, General, Inspiring Students, Inspiring Teachers, Integration, Learning About Your Students, Math, Mentorship, Professional Learning and Growth, The Arts

Connecting Area and Perimeter to Art-Piet Mondrian

Whenever possible, I search for ways to integrate the curriculum to create deeper learning opportunities for students and connect to the world around them. It has always been easy to make connections between geometry and art. Measurement and art wasn’t something that I had integrated much before. However, in working with my Teacher Candidate from the Trent University Faculty of Education program, we were excited to see what the students would create. It only goes to show you that when teachers are able to work collaboratively, wonderful programming ensues for students.

We have been working on perimeter and area for a little while, but students were still having trouble figuring out the difference between the two concepts. We started by giving the students 9 square tiles. Students were asked to create a 3 x 3 array of square tiles and determine the perimeter and the area. The perimeter was determined to be 12 and the area determined to be 9. From there, students were given a number of different challenges to reduce the area but maintain the perimeter of 12. The challenges grew increasingly difficult.

1. Reduce the area by one square unit but maintain the perimeter of 12 units.

2. Reduce the area to 7 square units while maintaining the perimeter of 12 units.

3. Reduce the area to 6 square units while maintaining the perimeter of 12 units.

4. Reduce the area to 5 square units while maintaining the perimeter of 12 units.

5. Reduce the area to 4 square units while maintaining the perimeter of 12 units.

6. Reduce the area to 3 square units while maintaining the perimeter of 12 units.

After having the students share their different solutions we thought we would show the students artwork that Ms. Marchiori created inspired by Ellsworth Kelly’s “Colors for a Large Wall”. In a guided math lesson the students figured out the area and perimeter of different parts of the artwork. The way in which students figured out the answers to the area demonstrated that they had a much better understanding of the difference between area and perimeter than they had previously.

At this point, we wanted to get into the artwork and considered the work of Piet Mondrian. Piet Mondrian is famous for the work that he created using primary colours, horizontal and vertical lines and squares and rectangles. Perfect for working with area and perimeter and for incorporating the different elements of art.

Ms. Marchiori showed the YouTube video of Piet Mondrian’s artistic life in a nutshell. Afterwards, the students then created their own Mondrian inspired artwork using chart sized grid paper (6’X6′) and crayon. To continue our math focus, the students then had to calculate the area of each of the colours that they used and write that on the back of their art “plan”. From there, the students used acrylic paint on canvas with grids drawn in pencil to recreate their “plan” for their art.

A few of the finished artwork samples;

This artwork would also connect to fractions. Students could express their colour content in a fraction, reducing it to it’s simplest form and then compare which colours covered the largest fraction of the area of the painting. When the artwork is complete, the students will be adding an artist’s message about what they learned during the process about area and perimeter, about the elements of line, colour and shape and about Piet Mondrian. This week we will be creating Mondrian inspired artwork while exploring balance and colour in art using much of the same grid technique but with the medium of crayon resist and watercolours.

October 31, 2017November 1, 2017 Laura Bottrell General

Project Based Learning: Host a Book Swap!

I love project based learning. It’s so important to get kids thinking “outside the curriculum” and immerse them in real-world experiences in which they can apply learning and be challenged by new things. Not to mention, the level of engagement that we see with kids when they are working on something meaningful is incomparable.

I had heard of schools hosting “book swaps” and thought it was a great idea. Since I was looking for something extra-curricular to take leadership on within my school, I suggested the idea to my principal. As soon as I started thinking of the logistics of planning an executing such an event, it hit me that if I planned it all on my own I was wasting such a valuable learning experience for my 5/6 class!

So, I proposed the idea to them the next morning. They pretty much took it from there! From our very first class discussion about the event, everything about the book swap was completely child-directed and a complete collaborative effort. They presented ideas for almost everything – when should it take place, how will we organize it, how will we get the word out, how will we make sure the process is fair, who will do which tasks, who will gather materials, how should we organize and sort the books, what jobs will everyone have on the day of the swap? Everyone in the class had something to offer to the conversation. By the end of it, we had a pretty good plan going forward.

Each student designed a poster for the hallways [visual arts, media], some wrote and performed commercials on the announcements [media, oral communication]. We had discussions about marketing and what strategies we could use to make our event a success. After they created a flyer, a few students counted the total number of students in the school, photocopied them and sorted them into piles for each classroom [number sense, problem solving].

Next, they designed a system for tracking how many books each student brought in and how many tickets they would receive on the day of the swap. A few students created ticket tracking forms for each classroom teacher [data management], and a few others designed tickets [visual arts]. Since there were three different students who each made a design on a page of 10, they did some problem solving to find out many times each design would need to be photocopied in order for us to have enough tickets for the event, estimating how many tickets each student might need [number sense, problem solving].

Throughout the collection week, my students visited each classroom at the end of the day to collect any books that had been brought in. The biggest challenge they overcame was sorting the estimated 900 books that were brought in! I overheard some great conversations about quantifying, visualizing and estimating large numbers [number sense, again!].

We spent an entire afternoon sorting the books by genre. The students did some great research about how books are sorted in libraries and book stores, which genres exist and how books are usually classified by genre [literacy]. There were so many valuable conversations about stories, elements of texts, illustration and marketing of books as they sorted the 900 books into genre categories. Our classroom looked like a jungle of books but the experience was so rich!

Some students created signs to help with the flow of traffic, label where certain genres would be and help younger students navigate the event [visual arts, literacy]. They made a list of jobs for the event and worked together to create a plan, with “shifts”, for who would take on which task. We had door greeters, ticket takers, cashiers, sales associates, tidying staff and shopping assistants [an array of personal and learning skills here].

On the morning of the big day, students came to school absolutely beaming. They took so much pride in their hard work and couldn’t wait to take on the leadership of running our school’s first-ever book swap. The entire day flowed seamlessly with very little guidance from me! The students arranged tables, carted all 900 books from our classroom, hung up signs, arranged the displays and were in position, ready to go, within half hour!

As classes came to the gym to visit the book swap, I observed so many wonderful things happening. Not only were the children in the school given an opportunity to trade in an old book for something new and exciting to them, they had an opportunity to interact with each other in a whole new way. Some students took on roles of leadership, others took on the role of customers. Students of all ages received their tickets at the door, shopped around for new books of interest, discussed books with peers, made tough decisions, tried something new and then went through the check-out process (so similar to what adults do at stores). It was quite interesting to watch what some students chose to take home with them, especially without their parent or teacher’s involvement in the choice making process!

Our book swap was a huge success! Every student got to take home a new book, or ten, and my students went home with a sense of pride and accomplishment. I, myself, went home with an even-more fuelled passion for what I do and an inspiration to find more ways to make all of my teaching based in real-world, authentic and meaningful experiences.

If you have any questions about running a book swap at your own school, please leave a comment below!

October 31, 2017 Will Gourley Classroom Management, Constant Learning, General, Mentorship, self reflection

Here’s your test

The good old days are a product of a bad memory

Sept 2009 – I remember entering the classroom like it was yesterday. For this new teacher, the night before my first day was understandably complete with a several concerns: Would I wake up on time? What if the staff weren’t nice? Am I prepared? Thankfully, I woke up before my alarm and my new colleagues were incredibly welcoming. I was breathing a little easier, but there were still a few doubts to overcome on the day.

Most pressingly, I wondered whether I was going to have any disciplinary issues with students? What was going to happen if it became an issue? Would I keep my cool? Would I lose the room? Would I default to my parenting brain or my parents’ parenting brains? Fortunately, the students were amazing and my first 4 days as a teacher served to cement my love of education for life.

As a Prep Coverage teacher in a French Immersion school, I taught classes from Grades 1 to 8. On Days 1 – 4, I taught English to grades 4 – 8. I never knew it could be so much fun. From the start, we created classroom culture, shared our ideas, and set goals. Day 5 was my day to teach in the Primary Division en Français. So what could possibly go wrong after 4 amazing days? Then came Day 5 – a Monday to boot.

Oh wait, did we forget the lesson?

You know how in Physics there is matter and anti-matter? That was how Days 1 – 4 felt compared to Day 5. By that day ‘s end I was exhausted, confused, and discouraged. The cherry on that fun sundae came when I fell asleep at a stop light on the way home after school; much to the displeasure of the rush hour commuters behind me. This experience did not diminish my love of education, but it sure made me dig in to learn and improve. I was going to need it to survive and thrive.

First things first

Things began to settle into place and I was fortunate to receive excellent guidance from my admin, NTIP mentor, and experienced colleagues. However, I still wondered about the best way behavioural expectations could be met while honouring the needs of each learner.

After all, behaviour is communication. What were students telling me by their actions? Then it happened, a yet to be identified student destroyed the classroom and I needed help. I’d always worked hard to avoid losing my temper or sending students to the office, but this time was different. My old grade 1 teacher would have tied that child to a chair (true story) and that would have been that. Yet, that never crossed my mind until I began drafting this post and reflecting on my own educational experiences.

I remember physically shaking as I dialled the office for help. I felt ashamed that I could not manage this little student, but at the same time knew help was necessary. I removed the students from the class, for their safety, and waited for backup – which was there in a heartbeat. What would my admin think? Would I be judged for not being able to handle the situation?

Supported, safe, and secure in the care of experienced CPI trained educators, the student was de-escalated and escorted out of the classroom. And then, as quickly as it started, it was over. We returned to the class, but my thoughts were still focused on what had happened 10 minutes beforehand. This singular event consumed many subsequent moments of the days that followed as I wrestled with what happened. I wanted to be able to do what they did. Was their skillset only achievable through experiencing it in person? Would I be better next time because of it? Wisely, I’ve sought the wisdom of my SERT and admin ever since(many lessons learned).

For most new teachers, the test always comes before the lesson when it comes to discipline and responding to students in various states of distress. Theories are read, strategies planned, and words of advice are offered. Yet, until an educator is in the classroom, no amount of tool box equipping will prepare them for the individuals and situations they’ll encounter in our schools. We have to lean on one another in these times. This is why it is so important for teachers at all stages of their careers to find support and wisdom in their fellow educators. It does not mean you are weak to ask for help.

It means you, like your students, are constantly learning.
That is the true heart and art of teaching and learning.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Please share and add your comments to continue the conversation.
Thank you for reading.

October 30, 2017 Arianna Lambert General

Entrepreneurial Thinking In The Classroom

3 years ago, I participated in a Teacher-in-Residence Program on Entrepreneurial Thinking at the MaRS Discovery District. It was a 4-week program designed to determine how we as educators might be able to use the skills of Entrepreneurial Thinking with students in the classroom. While there, I worked with a colleague – Alison Fitzsimmons – ona Water Inquiry Project that we used in our classrooms. This was the beginning of what has been a journey in discovery for me. While I work on the skills with students and try to show their transferability no matter the subject area, the part that I still need to dig deeper into is how might I connect my students and their ideas to actually bring about change or create a difference through the solutions that they are designing.

In view of the rash of recent hurricanes, we started the year by exploring Forces Acting on Structures. I currently have a group of grade 5 students who are working on hurricane solutions. Through videos and online and print texts, we’ve taken the time to investigate the devastation caused by the most recent hurricanes – Harvey, Irma, Jose & Maria. We’ve studied the forces acting on structures and what might make for a more sturdy construction through our Straw Tower Building Activity. After a deeper understanding of the problem, students were tasked with participating in a “Crazy 8s Activity” where they had to come up with 8 of their wildest solutions to either minimize the devastation of future hurricanes or to assist with cleanup and support for those already affected. They came up with some amazing ideas! After having the chance to discuss their ideas in different pairs, students selected the idea that they would like to further research and design.

We’ve been building our solutions ever since. Students have worked to create solutions such as:

a program that gets volunteers into areas where they are most needed to provide food and clean-up;
a poster campaign to inform viewers of the connection between littering and global warming;
structures that can withstand the impact of a hurricane;
and food delivery systems to get food to those who need it most.

Now that we are nearing the end of our building phase, students are working on presentations identifying the problem, their solution and justifying why it is the ideal solution for a specific group of users. Exciting as this is, it has now created a new challenge for me. How might I connect my students to people or organizations in order to have their ideas come to fruition in the real world? I’ve empowered them to consider that they may be able to make a difference and they have created amazing solutions and pitches for their ideas but how do I connect them to people or agencies that might be able to bring these ideas to life? How do I get them to really have an impact in the world? I know that part of it is networking but where do we begin? This is the piece that I am still wrestling with and would love to have some input on how we might be able to really have students bring about the change that we would like them to be able to have in the world. Let’s start a conversation. Please share your thoughts and ideas of how we might guide students further along in this area. I’m open to any suggestions!

October 29, 2017 Tammy Axt General, Indigenous Perspectives

Honouring Indigenous Veterans

We are busy getting ready to observe Remembrance Day at my school. In the past, this ceremony has been a simple one with a wreath procession, a small performance and a moment of reflection after singing the national anthem.

This year, a teacher new to our school had a different idea of what our Remembrance Day ceremony could look like. He suggested that we add a section of our ceremony to honour our indigenous veterans. I welcomed the idea and I can already feel how impactful that suggestion was to both the students and me.

In order to prepare meaningful presentations, first the students and I needed to do some research. The Veterans Affairs Canada website was a great starting point for us. Under the Veterans Affairs Canada website, there is a section that provides videos, audio clips and a lot of information about the contributions of Indigenous veterans. Below, see some links for teachers and students to get you started with your preparations.

Short video about the National Aboriginal Veterans Monument

Veterans Affairs Canada Page about Indigenous Veterans

http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/those-who-served/indigenous-veterans

But what made this preparation so impactful was helping students understand the context in which this sacrifice was made. Learning about residential schools was very emotional for the students. To help the students understand what residential schools were and the impact of them on our indigenous community we used the websites “100 years of loss” http://100yearsofloss.ca/en/ and “Where are the Children?” http://wherearethechildren.ca/en/. The students openly discussed how angry they would be at Canada if that happened to them. The also stated how sad the children’s parents must have been and how they couldn’t believe that the veterans went to fight for this country that treated them so poorly. We also have been looking at some of the other contexts at this time such as “The Enfranchisement of Aboriginal Canadians: Virtual Exhibition from the Diefenbaker Canada Centre” https://www.usask.ca/diefenbaker/the-enfranchisement-of-canadas-aboriginal-peoples/13.php Because of the limited amount of rights given to indigenous people, many didn’t receive the same support that non-indigenous people did after their service.

This is just the beginning of my learning journey and I am looking forward to sharing the experiences of me and my students while we deepen our knowledge about our indigenous people of Canada.

On November 8^th, it is National Aboriginal Veteran’s day in Canada. I encourage you to watch the news and newspapers in order to share the country’s activities with your students in honouring this day.

October 28, 2017October 28, 2017 Will Gourley Challenging Topics, Classroom Management, Constant Learning, General, Making a Difference Through Education, self reflection

Discipline is a noun and a verb

This post picks up from Why then? What now?
It is an ongoing reflection through my lenses as a student, educator, and constant learner.

Discipline has been a misused and misunderstood concept in education. It is an evolving remedy for a host of behavioural issues? Simply put, it’s difficult to discuss and describe. Yet, education as we know it is often defined by it in so many forms. Take this snap shot of instructions/behaviour management commands that are used daily, to some measure, in classrooms;

Listen, line up, sit here, be quiet, watch this, do this, respond now, co-operate, snack now, clean up now, play now, stop playing now, line up, sit here, listen, watch, be quiet, do this, respond now, eat now, clean up now, get dressed, line up, sit here, do this, work together, respond, clean up now, get dressed now, get your agenda signed, do your homework, hurry to your bus, and no running in the halls.

Talk about a running list of marching orders? Out of it’s context, it would be easy to imply that there doesn’t seem to be much time for learning. But, that is not true at all. Within these lines can also exist beautiful universes of learning where students are engaging in hands on learning, creating, and collaboration. The problem is the scope of what we see is on the student(s) who are not working in these magical inner spaces of education.

Same planet, different world

I am a co-SERT at my school and there have been times, due to extraordinary circumstances, when I am unable to greet my own students at the door of our classroom after they return from their Arts classes. However, it is during this time that I have been able to witness, without them knowing, their ability to return to class, begin an activity without prompting, and wait until I made it back to our room. This is the discipline which I have been working with my students to achieve.

You see, a key goal for all my students is for them to do the right thing even when no one is watching. That isn’t only discipline, but true freedom. Consider the power in this quote from Abraham Lincoln;

Freedom is not the right to do what you want, but to do what we ought.

When we give students the time, tools, and our trust there comes an incredible discovery that they are capable of so much more. If we spend our time over-instructing, we miss the opportunities to witness this.

Am I a tough disciplinarian? Most consider me a pushover, however, I have asked and empowered my students to be decision makers capable of great things at all times. This requires high expectations and a great deal of patience. As a result, students receive a great deal of positive attention for their ability to choose to act(not behave) so wisely. This is not in the form of a bribe, but in recognition and satisfaction that as my students demonstrate strong skills of responsibility, then opportunities for more independence and greater amounts of trust, are not far behind.

I believe that if we establish high expectations for our students, and give them the trust and encouragement they will rise to meet them far more often than not. Yes, they will fail. Yes, students will forget, and will require a pep talk, but it has never been a deal breaker in my classroom.

What does discipline look like in your learning space?

While you wrestle with an answer, here’s another tidbit for context.

Growing up in the 70s left me with a share of emotional and physical scars from grade school. In grade one our teacher tied us to chairs or put us in a dark closet when we misbehaved. Other years were trouble free and filled with care, support, and grace. And then there was the 1000s of lines and broken rulers from middle school. Somewhere the paddlings became supplanted by writing cramps and time theft. All of this, meted out to me and my classmates as part of the acceptable educational landscape when I went to school. (And I was one of the good kids.)

Then there was the year, our school had a vice-principal who used to make students, who were caught fighting, fight without a crowd. Most times nothing would happen, but there were a few times when the fights continued before he would intervene. After it was all over, he made them shake hands. True story.

Barring extreme circumstances, issues of discipline usually level off as each year progresses. Granted, there will always be isolated incidents, collegial discord, and disruptions too. Thankfully, schools are quickly becoming the places to offer/provide the help/structures necessary to support students in need who are struggling to communicate through their behaviour. We have to remember that behaviour is communication (L.R. Knost).

Sadly, no amount of support or discipline can supplant the harsh realities of mental illness, apathy, addiction, neglect, abuse, despair, or poor choices that can spare our youth from a bleak future. Whether the destination is the streets or the justice system there will still be some who fall through the cracks. Despite our collective best efforts, no amount of discipline, instruction, empathy, or act of punishment that will succeed in curbing or changing behaviour. I would like to hone my skills at understanding their actions as communication in order to support and build discipline through education, in their lives. It is the thought it continues to happen despite access to education that breaks my heart the most and led to my 2016 TEDxKitchenerEd Talk.

That used to be a paddling

With years of public education under our belts, pardon the pun, discipline should be employed as a noun long before it is ever used as a verb. Instruction and knowledge were at the heart of its original use in Latin – disciplina. And along this fine line we all walk as new teachers. Thankfully, the violence of corporal punishment has been struck in favour of more holistic and civil practices, but without compassion in our classroom, no amount of discipline will ever matter.

We must also embrace new approaches in our pedagogy that are first founded in respect, relationship building, and resiliency. Inside of all this is the need to share discipline as instruction and knowledge rather than punishment and intimidation.

In my next post I want to share about restorative approaches and mindfulness as part of my classroom management and my effort to build up discipline the noun and tear down discipline the verb. Thanks for reading. Please share and comment. It keeps us going to know you’re out there and along the journey of education. Will

October 22, 2017July 6, 2018 Deb Weston General

Qualified to Teach Math?

$Teaching Math$

During a professional development session in math, I recently heard a person note that there is no link between good math instruction and teacher university qualifications in math. My BSD detector went up … not what you are thinking BTW … banal statement detector (BSD).

The statement de-linking math knowledge with good math instruction makes no sense to me. What I do know is that many of my colleagues have not taken math since grade 10 and dropped math because they lacked confidence in the subject. These teachers were assigned to teach math at the junior and intermediate level. To further add to the challenges of instructing math, in the recent inquiry approach to math, teachers now cannot simply hand out worksheets and mark tests … they have to check for students’ understanding of what a math concept means. Understanding math concepts involves understanding relationships and interconnections among and between math strands.

An example of concepts in number sense is that multiplication is a form of repeated addition and that subtraction is an opposite function of addition. e.g. 12 = 3+3+3+3 or 12 = 3 groups of 4 or has the factors of 3 x 2 x 2 or 12 = 24 – 3-3-3-3.
An example of a concept in fractions is that common fractions are related to decimals and percentages. e.g. ¾ = 75/100 = 0.75 = 75% which can be shown using discrete models, number line models, area models, and volume models. I once knew a teacher who always made her math tests out of 100 as she had trouble calculating percentages.
An example of an algebraic concept is that “x” represents real numbers and that subsets of real numbers can be natural numbers, whole numbers, integers, rational numbers, and irrational numbers. Confusion occurs between the concept of a constant like 4 is always 4 and a variable x can represent any number.

I did a quick literature review on the subject of math teacher qualifications. Researchers found that “teacher experience, education, and licensure test scores have positive effects … These effects are large for math” (Buddin & Zamorro, 2009). University of Toronto researchers found that teacher candidates in the Master of Teaching degree lacked basic math competencies to be considered literate (Reid & Reid, 2017).

Other researchers emphasized that “content knowledge in math is an important construct that can either support or hinder progress toward exemplary classroom instruction” (Philipp et al., 2007 cited in Reid & Reid, 2017).

Ball, Thames, and Phelps (2008) suggest that the absence of improved math instruction is resultant from teachers’ lack of content knowledge within this subject area. “Teachers who do not themselves know a subject well are not likely to have the knowledge they need to help students learn this content” (p. 404).

Reid and Reid (2017) highlighted that 50% of Canadian high school students drop math as soon as they can only taking compulsory courses in grade 10 or 11 (Amgen Canada Inc, 2013). This information was reinforced by a quote from a research participant in the elementary stream explaining math anxiety and dropping high school math as soon as possible … “And then when math became an option, like enough … I’m done with math!”

Reid and Reid (2017) recommended that teacher education programs establish a minimum of math competency standards, enhance coherence between Master of Teaching math courses and practicum placements, and provide additional support for teacher candidates with low math proficiency (with scores of 75% or below on the Math pre-test).

So where does the information state that math teachers do not have to have a math background. According to Sean Cavanagh, an associate editor for Education Week, math majors or test scores are not a good indicator of quality math instruction (Cavanagh, 2009). But teachers who have math-based majors such as science, computers, and engineering, did provide quality instruction in math (Wu et. al., 2017). Betty Ray, edutopia’s senior editor at large, wrote that “It seems there’s no strong evidence that teachers who have college math degrees get better results with students than teachers who don’t, at least in elementary and middle school.”

Or maybe there’s a lack of qualified math teachers? I could continue with my investigation but I’ll stop here.

Things I know:
I am a better science teacher because I learned about science in my science degree. I am a better math teacher because I took many grade 12 math courses with a qualified math teacher. My understanding of math continued to grow with a math related business degree. But because I have an ancillary understanding of French does not mean I should be teaching French.

Your turn to be heard. What do you think?

Collaboratively Yours,

Deb Weston

Teachers Need to be Taught Math

Teachers Shortage in Math

Should Math Teachers have Math Degrees

For Many Math Teachers, Math Just Doesn’t Add Up

Amgen Canada Inc., & Let’s Talk Science. (2013). Spotlight on science learning: The high cost of dropping science and math. Retrieved from http://www.letstalkscience.ca/images/SpotlightOnScienceLearning-2013.pdf

Cavanagh, S. (2017). Majoring in Math Not Always a Classroom Plus downloaded at https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/11/25/13mathteach.h29.html?qs=majoring+in+math+not+always+a+classroom+plus

Resources from Peer Reviewed Journals

Ball, D. L., Thames, M. H., & Phelps, G. (2008). Content knowledge for teaching: What makes it special? Journal for Teacher Education, 59(5), 389-407. doi:10.1177/0022487108324554

Buddin, R., & Zamarro, G. (2009). Teacher qualifications and student achievement in urban elementary schools. Journal of Urban Economics, 66(2), 103-115.

Desimone, L., Hochberg, E. D., & McMaken, J. (2016). Teacher Knowledge and Instructional Quality of Beginning Teachers: Growth and Linkages. Teachers College Record, 118(5), n5.

Philipp, R., Ambrose, R., Lamb, L., Sowder, J., Schappelle, B., Sowder, L., . . . Chauvot, J. (2007). Effects of early field experiences on the mathematical content knowledge and beliefs of prospective elementary school teachers: An experimental study. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 38(5), 438-476.

Reid, M., & Reid, S. (2017). Learning to be a math teacher: What knowledge is essential?. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 9(4), 851-872.

Wu, L. C., Chao, L. L., Cheng, P. Y., Tuan, H. L., & Guo, C. J. (2017). Elementary Teachers’ Perceptions of Their Professional Teaching Competencies: Differences Between Teachers of Math/Science Majors and Non-math/Science Majors in Taiwan. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 1-14.