apps_for_ipad.doc |
The attached document was created by the Toronto District School Board. I received it from a consultant with OCDSB while teaching in a Junior Autism class two years ago.
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How to Manage Your Classroom Environment (Lisa Van De Geyn)
How it was discovered. An article in OCT's Professionally Speaking magazine, August 2018. Audience New teachers. Reflection To be honest these magazines often get a quick flip before being added to a "read later" pile that once a year takes its final trip to the recycling when I finally admit that I will not have time. Today was a bit different. Camp is now over, it is two weeks until school starts and I have nothing pressing scheduled. So, during the customary flip past the bits of advice I have already adopted (e.g. differentiate, routine, creativity), one slightly new one caught my eye. "Know how you want to be perceived..." When I was a student, I clearly knew how I perceived my teachers. Mr. Eckland was the teacher who used humour to get our attention and maintain it. Her name escapes me at the moment but my grade 8 French teacher tried to be authoritarian but because every transition was taken personally she ended up leaving school mid-year. Her replacement Mrs. Hunts was older and wiser. She was firm and consistent but with a more loving edge. When our group's class assignment to make a commercial included turning a French textbook into an Apple Smasher (note that the book was covered with paper to prevent damage), her reaction was perfect. Clear enough that she was not condoning the choice but at the same time that she knew that it was not meant to be mean, just creative since we didn't have access to other "tools". To this day I still think I saw a bit of a controlled smile as we were reminded that the product being advertised needed to be practical and useful. As a class, we respected her because she spoke to us with respect. Meanwhile, poor behaviour was given opportunities to be fixed rather than punished. I have thought about how students might perceive me. The phrase "tough but loving" comes to mind, but probably more firm than tough. It has been inspired, supported and adopted from many excellent teachers, both when I was a student and even now as a colleague. Including a certain look that I adopted from Rachel, a close friend (also a teacher), that involves raised eyebrows and the body language "would you like to try that again". Merging into a bit of a smile when the student starts on a better track and finally a full smile when everything settles. The question I guess is "do I actively seek out to be perceived this way"... I find when I go into a situation focused on what other people think, I am more likely to become nervous and therefore overcompensate. I start to be like the first grade 8 French teacher, dropping the hammer instead of seeing challenging behaviour as a learning opportunity for the child. Or the opposite, in an attempt to show that I care I start loosening my reasonable expectations. Therefore, what has worked best for me is the same advice we give our students, "be yourself". There is always an adjustment period as students point out that your expectations do not match other teachers, "Ms. J lets us do that". But, I have found with a bit of time they learn an important skill, that not everyone is the same and that behaviour must adjusts to meet different requirements in different places. That being said, reflecting on how I want to be perceived and how the students perceive me is important. Through that moment of honesty, I can identify what I need to do to ensure my behaviour matches who I am. In May 2018, I was hired to cover a 50% LTO (long-term occasional) position for a Kindergarten French teacher. No one with French skills applied and thus it defaulted to monolingual me. Though I had completed the usual grade 5 to 10 French classes in my youth, my fluent husband lovingly took pleasure in pointing out how my pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary left a lot to be desired. The following is an account of those months.... Week 1, Day 1 - Panic! The principal contacted me to offer the position and was completely understanding that I will not be able to teach the topic that I was hired for. She rearranged schedules so that the core French teacher will have the students for extra time each week. Not trying to discourage my enthusiasm but gave a very practical response when I said that I will learn French well enough to teach some basics. Spent an hour tracking down French tutors and decided on Rebecca Montague of Cambridge French Tutors. Not sure why, she just felt right and was receptive when I was upfront about needing to micromanage the topics and phrases I learn because they will relate to what I am teaching my students. I'm still skeptical after many years of having poor FSL teachers who assume that I will magically learn vocabulary through osmosis..... [Three week update: Rebecca is excellent! Not only is she providing materials that are relevant to my own learning but they are also appropriate for the kindergarten students. I practice with them, print them out and bring them to use at school. Big relief. Not to mention she is completely comfortable with following my lead and patient when I need to repeat a word or phrase 20 times. Actually feeling like I might learn properly this time around. ] Week 1, Day 2 - I Can Do It! Maybe not! Maybe yes...... Week 1, Day 3 - Behaviour Routines My mission was to use the same tunes for my transition and behaviour songs. The students are familiar with "Hands on top, that means stop" sung with a G-G-C musical pattern. Translation of the words should be easy......learning translation should be easier than a whole new melody, right? Ha Worked with Rebecca yesterday to find equivalent words as direct translations did not fit, either too many or not enough syllables to match the tune. Practiced by singing it the whole weekend to my husband and cat....they were not very amused but survived. Clean-Up Song Rangez, rangez, tout le monde rangez vos choses! Rangez, rangez, tout le monde rangez vos choses! Week 3, Day 2 - Learning numbers from the basics
Inspired by the number game on digitaldialects, I've printed out flashcards of addition and subtract equations up to 12. Each night I take a few and speak them (in French) out loud with Jacky listening in and correcting my pronunciation as needed. I knew these numbers before, but found myself in class needing to count up instead of just using the word right away. This is forcing me to focus on the math rather than the words, so that the words are becoming automatic. A small step towards thinking in French rather than translating. The goal is to move to equations up to 20 then 50 and eventually 100... The original text is available through JSTOR here.
How it was added to the bookshelf. A collection of resources from Dorothy M, a retired educator, to support students' reading development in the early years. Who's Who Usha Goswami is the Director of the Centre for Neuroscience in Education at the University of Cambridge. Felicity Mead - No information was available at this time. Publisher Details International Reading Association, Reading Research Quarterly, Vol. 27, No. 2 (Spring, 1992), pp. 152-162 Audience This is an academic document about Goswami & Mead's research, so the target audience would be university or college students in the field of Education. However, the content is applicable to all educators in the preschool, primary or junior years. Highlights The word rime refers to the letters following the initial sound of a word (e.g. a t in the word cat). Pre-research Knowledge - (Study, 1989) demonstrated a relation between knowledge of rhyme at age 3 and reading ability at age 6. While, further research (1990) highlights the "crucial" role of onset and rime in this development. - Onset and rime also play a large role in students' development of spelling skills. - Beginning onset patterns are more easily identified than ending rime patterns for children. - Rhyming helps students create/read the ending of a word but not the beginning. Research findings - Awareness of the onset & rime form of words is related to the ability to recognize and use patterns at the end of words regardless of other factors (e.g. reading level to start, non-sense word reading. Other phonological measures do not show this relationship. - Awareness of end patterns are easier and develop earlier than beginning patterns. - Knowledge and onset and rime develop at an early age. Further thoughts (unproven) - The ability to delete consonants important to the ability to identify the onset or other phonemes. - Ability to manipulate phonemes forms after they have some foundational word recognition. Things to Consider This research occurred in the early 1990s and so more recent studies may provide a more recent picture of onset and rime. It also was a short-term study and the authors note that a longitudinal study would provide insight and assurance that the findings are accurate. However, it was research such as this one that shifted educators away from whole-language theories of reading and acknowledge the need for phonemic awareness activities in the classroom. Therefore, it became a foundation of our present pedagogy and system. Reflection I was and was not surprised at the finding that end patterns of words (e.g. cat - hat) develop faster than beginning patterns (e.g. cat - cap). The lack of surprise was because rhyming words seem naturally easier to me. Years of poetry, choral chants and rhyming picture books would have developed that gut instinct. Not to mention rhyming is often presented in fun and playful contexts. However while reading the results in the article, it suddenly occurred to me that when we start to teach phonemic awareness (letter sounds) we always start with the onset (e.g. b is for ball). Therefore when entering kindergarten, we may have more experience with being "taught" onset sounds through alphabet books and Sesame Street. So is the easier development of rime because of the type or quantity of experience we have, or is there something else at play? Consider speaking. Often the onset becomes masked or blurred with the ending consonant of the previous word, "It'sa gooday." A fluency skill that is often taught to second language learns but comfortably develops for primary speakers. Therefore, from the time we are born we are hearing and perhaps informally learning to focus on the rime of the word for comprehension purposes. Take the following sentences as examples: " _ow _re _ou?" and "c__ I h___ y___". We can figure out the first sentence with only the onset missing, "how are you?" But the second sentence would heavily rely on the context (restaurant) and previous sentences ("Welcome.") to maybe figure it out. I realize there is a significant flaw in this example; the first sentence is only missing one sound per word while the second omits almost all of the sounds. But the point still stands. The rime is more important than the onset for identifying and understanding each word in spoken language. Since we learn to speak before we learn to read and write, it makes sense that rime awareness would be quicker to develop because of more experience hearing and focusing on it by the age of 6. So why do we normally introduce phonemic awareness through starting sounds? And given the findings of this research, are their alternatives to the "b is for ball" methods of teaching the letter-sound correlation to students? A scanned copy of the booklet can be found here.
How it was added to the bookshelf. Materials collected by my mom Lynda U, a 30+ year educator, over the years to support best practices in teaching Literacy. Who's Who No author is provided but the booklet was created by the Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB). Audience The booklet was written for SCDB educators but would be applicable to any new Primary educator. Or educators needing further support on how to create a balanced Literacy program. Highlights - Highlights the need for the gradual release of responsibility model to develop students' skills and confidence: Teacher modelling, Shared experience, Guided practice and Independent practice. - Grade specific checklists of activities for each stage of the gradual release. Examples from the text. Think out louds. Co-writing. Levelled reading. Independent centres. 1 on 1 conferences. Chants and songs. Share the pen. Readers theatre. - "Behaviour that needs to be learned, needs to be taught." R. Morrish - Classroom management strategies that include a group meeting area, interactive and shared writing for posters on walls and introduction of new centres one at a time. - Key features of a learning environment that include a Help Wall, chart stand, browsing boxes, classroom labels and theme areas. - "The primary purpose of assessment is to gather data to inform teaching." Fountas and Pinnell - Assessment strategies such as PM benchmarks, conferences and exemplars. - Sample schedule for Literacy blocks. - Example floor plans for creating a learning-focused classroom. Things to Consider This booklet is a bit outdated as it was written in 2003 while the phonics vs whole language debate was just starting to merge. And so balanced Literacy referred to a collection of specific activities (e.g.read aloud, guided reading) that pulled from both theories of learning. All of these activities are still used in classrooms today but have been improved upon with further research and experience. Therefore this handbook is a good starting point but should not be the only source of information. Reflection This booklet presents the skeleton of a Literacy program. The "how to" list of activities that will support students' reading and writing skills. Yet, it is missing the more recent wholistic approaches to education (e.g. Reggio Emilia). In other words, a perspective that takes into consideration second language learners, cultural diversity, social issues, learning styles and fostering an overall love of learning. Take browsing boxes for an example, it is important to encourage children to read texts that they enjoy but the booklet holds no comment on how to ensure that this activity can be made meaningful for a wide variety of students. Therefore it could leave a less skilled educator with the impression that the act of having browsing boxes will lead to reading mastery without consideration of the content of the books provided. When children do not see characters who look like them, or even worse when the characters who look like them follow stereotypical roles, they are unable to connect and personalize the reading experience. They may learn to decode and pass tests but will not excel as readers. Other activities attempted to include the multiple intelligence of musicality through chanting, songs and dancing. But visual spacial intelligence (e.g. art-based Literacy activities), interpersonal intelligence (e.g. Pair Share) or naturalistic intelligence (e.g. park sign scavenger hunt) were all overlooked. These are valuable ways that student connect with the world around them and can provide a deeper insight into the reading and writing process. View original article here.
How it was added to the bookshelf. The link to this article was shared on CASLT's newsletter on Sept. 13th. Who's Who Written by Tom Ayers of The Chronicle Herald's Cape Breton division. Interview of the Cape Breaton University researchers Heather Sparling, an associate professor of ethnomusicology, and Peter MacIntyre, a psychology professor. Audience General public but relevant information for second language educators. Highlights - It is estimated that over 3,500 languages will disappear over the next 100 years. - Music lessons tend to draw more participation than language lessons for children. - Involved 10 Gaelic-fluent musicians and an artificial intelligence program called Leximancer. - “A lot of people think of language as being the words on a page and the grammar that helps you interpret them, but what we’re finding is it’s so much more than that. It goes to your core identity of self and who you are as a person, where you come from, what it means to (speak) the language, what it means to be a musician — all of that is really closely interconnected in the interviews that we saw." [Sparling] - "People tended to think of language as a skill. But in this case, language is so much more than just a skill. It’s really your connection to the past and a sense of responsibility for the future.” [Sparling] Things to Consider This is a very brief summery of the research and findings therefore for it would be beneficial to read the original report for more details. Reflection The comments in this article about language being more than a skill and learning through music resonated with me. In 2010 I spent three months studying English at a full-time day school in Okazaki. The teachers were wonderful but I struggled to keep up. Unable to move beyond the choppy sentences and constant grabbing for the next word. On the last day of classes we were asked to perform small speeches for the school; a chance to say good-bye to friends and reflect on our learning. I pulled from a Japanese song called Hajimari No Kaze (Winds of Beginning) that had been a life-song for quite some time and whose beginning lyrics were appropriate to the circumstances of the speech. My ever patient teacher Neoko-san was shocked when I quoted the song with perfect fluency. Other than two weeks of daily practice, the phrasing of the music made a difference. The words connected together naturally and that feeling gave me confidence. Unfortunately learning to sing songs in other languages remains in the primary grades or professional choirs. And often attempts at introducing music to adult second language learners is by listening rather than singing. Time and time again I have been told by students that they listen to English music to help them learn English. But as we know the process of learning through osmosis (passive learning) is extremely slow and listening to something in the background is a passive activity. It is through the active use of language that we develop our skills and singing would be a reasonable way to support fluency. Now seven years later despite the song no longer a life-song I can still quote those lyrics with confidence. For anyone interested...... The song The quoted lyrics..... hajimari no kaze yo todoke MESSE-JI "itsu demo anata wo shinjite iru kara" hajimari no kaze yo todoke MESSE-JI (MESSAGE) yume ni kakedashita senaka mimamoru kara maiagaru kaze yo omoi wo tsutaete "itsu demo anata wo shinjite iru kara" habatake mirai e Translation... Wind of beginnings, deliver this message Because I will always believe in you" Wind of beginnings, deliver this message Because I will watch your back as you run towards your dream Soaring wind, deliver this thought Because I will always believe in you" Fluttering towards the future FNMI = First Nations, Metis and Inuit
How it was added to the bookshelf. An article from the September 2017 edition of Professionally Speaking. Publisher Details Richard Lewko, Ontario College of Teachers, September 2017 edition. Audience Educators within the province of Ontario. However, relevant for any educator. Highlights - Using Anishinaabe artwork to represent the professional and sterile documents for Ontario teacher's standards of practice. - Outcome from the Truth and Reconciliation Committee's findings. - One of many steps to merge FNMI culture into a more balanced and respectful education system. - Former TRC Chief Commissioner Murray Sinclair "One teacher doing something important each day with every student....will create change." "The question is not whether we want to do the right thing; the question is 'are we doing the right thing?'" "...students need to see themselves in their teacher..." - Some universities such as Trent require all teacher candidates to complete a course on Indigenous knowledge and understanding perspectives. - Programs to support Indigenous teachers with completing education programs within their own communities. - "Half the battle for Inuit organizations and Inuit living in the south [of Canada] is that nobody knows about the Inuit." Qauyisaq Etitiq - AQ course availability for FNMI educators through the Six Nations Polytechnic in Grand River First Nation. Things to Consider This is written by OCT so it does focus on the positive aspects of their effort without commenting or areas of need. Reflection This article touched on so many important issues but with an overall theme of developing education that is FNMI driven and FNMI inclusive rather than just FNMI friendly. FNMI friendly handles the history and culture of Indigenous people as a separate subject with allotted time and token activities. Think of the Inuit unit in the classroom with marshmallow igloos and the picture book A Promise is Promise (Robert Munch & Michael Kusugak). FNMI culture is displayed as an "other" and created by those who view it from the outside in. While FNMI inclusive education, encourages educators to adopt the perspectives and practices into the daily routines and class culture. When I think of this, I think of Jimmy Hikok Illihakvik in Kugluktuk whose monthly value ceremony was based on the Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (Guiding Principals). These values are nearly identical to the usual values schools promote: hard work, leadership and environmental stewardship...etc. But by maintaining their Inuit origin as part of the school culture, they present Inuit persepctives as something that is part of our larger community. Something we all can participate in regardless of our family heritage, geographical location or experience. In the same way celebrations from Christian origins (e.g. Christmas, Easter) or British/French culture (e.g. music on the radio, legal system, marital/common law practices) have long been part of secular daily life in Canada. Imagine a school where Indigenous perspectives and practices are braided into daily life and a natural part of the students' upbringing. However, FNMI inclusive education only works if it is FNMI driven rather than created by those with good intentions. I can include literature in my classroom that represents First Nations, Metis and Inuit characters in authentic and empowering ways. I can adopt Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit as the class behaviour ideal and demonstrate respect for its wisdom. But it is not my culture and so I am essentially a passenger looking at the eye-catching sights beside the road. Whereas a driver, someone whose personally connected to the culture through family or exceptional experiences, would have a more detailed understanding of the road to and around these sights. An Inuit elder, First Nations leader or Metis youth bring a deeper and richer understanding of their culture. While teaching in Pond Inlet, I worked with Inuit kindergarten students who observed their mothers and older sisters preparing skins and sewing winter clothing. The children did not think of this as the principle Piliriqatigiingniq (building collaborative relationships) but were observing the principle being used authentically. As teachers our role is to highlight these observations, put a name to them and help our students use this self-awareness in their own decision making. By involving drivers in FNMI inclusive education we acknowledge the history that led to these practices, present the FNMI communities as an active part of Canada's community, present authentic representation of the culture and reject stereotyping. Above I referred to drivers to elaborate upon making inclusive education FNMI driven. Most people automatically think of elders and understandably so. They have a lifetime of experience and wisdom with which to pull from and share through class visits. But, I am using the term drivers to refer to anyone whose is personally connected to the culture through family or exceptional experiences. Therefore, there are no limitations on age, blood line or how their perspectives are presented. Therefore a driver could be a young Metis boy whose experience of making bannock is shared on a youtube video. An audio recording of an Inuit elder singing an Ayaya song from their childhood. Or a British Canadian wife who writes a picture book about her Anishinaabe husband and children. Each person presents a glimpse of the rich background of the culture from their own interactions with it. And therefore, the more drivers invited into the classroom (physically or through media) the better the quality of the FNMI inclusive education. Authentic resources leads to authentic learning. How it was added to the bookshelf.
General interest from bits and pieces I had heard about Finland's education system and academic success. Who's Who LynNell Hancock is a journalist who specializes in family and education. Publisher Details Smithsonian Magazine is a publication from the Smithsonian Institute that covers a range of topics from science to popular culture. Audience General public in the United States who have heard about Finland's academic success and are aware of the more recent academic initiative in the US. However the information provided would also be applicable to anyone who has an interest in this topic. Highlights Throughout the article Hancock highlights that there is a "whatever it takes" attitude towards supporting students in the classroom. A teacher interviewed highlights this ideology with his efforts to support a struggling student that involved one on one support during the regular classroom day. The article notes that 30% of students receive help between Kindergarten to grade 9. Often a statistic like this would cause concern because help indicates problems. Yet, we can think of many students who are progressing within normal parameters but would benefit from personal attention to their needs or more extensions in their learning. Therefore, the fact that 30% receive help is a good thing as it demonstrates that learning focuses on the student's needs rather than pushing them through the system. "Children from wealthy families with lots of education can be taught by stupid teachers...we try to catch the weak students." "If you only measure the statistic, you miss the human aspect." Things to Consider To be a teacher in Finland not only do you have to have a Masters but also be within the top 10% of the nation's graduates. These means that the higher order thinking skills of the educators are significantly higher than in Canada. This would have an influence on the quality of education even if the techniques remained relatively the same. Correlation does not always means there in causation therefore more research would be needed. (I will be honest that I am biased to believing that Finland's methods and ideology would have the same positive impact even if used by less-educated educators. Finland changed their programming in 1960 and Programme for International Student Assessment testing that identified them as a leading country for education started in 2000. Therefore there had been forty-years for the system to adjust and fully adopt the methodology. However, with the more recent public interest in education in Ontario, there is pressure for improvement by the next provincial testing (12 months or less). For change to happen it takes time and yet politically we may stop positive changes out of impatience. Reflection Ontario has developed a Kindergarten program that mirrors Finland's ideology of discovery, play and social development in the early years. I really feel that this is a positive change but worry that (as noted above) politics or misunderstanding will lead to a backswing in progress. I also feel that teachers should be encouraged and supported in the efforts to increase their own education. The more we develop our higher thinking the better we can assess our own practices, new methods and ultimately support students to the best of our ability. *The article mentions a 2010 documentary film called Waiting for "Superman" that I hope to view in the near future.* [Originally posted on 6/14/2015.]
The original article can be found here. This article highlights thirteen key points to consider when encouraging change of methods or ideology. Though the advice would work for any organization, this article focuses on the education system and more specifically at the school level. "Use a systems approach to ensure that all aspects of the school organization are considered when planning and implementing change." "Share power..." "Recognize that change happens only through people." "Be prepared for implementation dip." While teaching in the north I witnessed first hand how lots of funding was poured into excellent professional development but the momentum barely started and the little that did occur was not maintained. These changes came from the top down and failed to take into consideration the language and scaffolding needs of the educators who were expected to change. A lot of their resistance came from confusion, having not developed the paradigm shift from the role of the teacher as "filling empty vessels" to one of guide as students learn through their own discovery. Therefore the training was easily dismissed and older less-differentiated teaching practices methods maintained. This article sounds like common sense and yet too often we still continue to hold onto old ideas of leadership and change through top-down consultant approaches. Therefore I suspect if this document was handed to a principal without discussion or further reading, they may like the ideas but discard it as "idealistic". Therefore developing leadership to help develop staff leadership and change would be an important first step before adding this article as the cherry on top. [This blog originally posted on 7/25/2015.]
The following reflection is based on a presentation by Alison Schmerler at the International Literacy Conference in 2015. "We can try to teach a child to read but if their brain is not developed yet their brain is not ready to acquire those skills...etc." I have heard about research that found that children who are 'taught' to read too young tend to parrot and therefore fall behind peers once they reach grade 2 or 3. Time and time again I keep asking myself why we feel the need to rush children instead of seeing value in their comfortably paced development. While completing teaching credentials in Australia, I was introduced to the continuum-based curriculum used in Victoria. In their format sections of curriculum encompass two grades (e.g. level 2 = grade 1 & 2). A recommended progression is provided on how to cover the curriculum over that time but a large emphasis was placed on multi-grade teachers working together when planning. Therefore, a teacher could go deeply into a particular topic one year with less emphasis on another. Then the next year the topic with less practice would be given more time and deeper experience. Meanwhile, students with special education concerns would be located on the curriculum and their goals reflect that stage rather than grade/age-specific ones. Take this same process to support reading development. Students are assessed and located on a reading continuum. They then receive instruction, practice and support that matches their needs rather than the average for the class. Not only reducing the risk that they will learn to parrot without understanding, but also build confidence and proficiency. |
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