Tag Archives: Reflection

12/11/14

The IB Handbook of Procedures

During class today, we collaborated together in our subject area groups and went through the different sections of the IB Handbook of Procedures for 2014. The purpose of the activity was so that we could become familiarized with how the IB Diploma Programme functions. Isobel also mentioned that we may be asked certain questions during interviews such as what conditions need to be met in order for students to receive their diplomas. Although, admittedly, most of us in the class were confused as to why we were spending time in the class doing this exercise.

I think it would be more useful if I were to read through the handbook by myself one day; it was hard to understand some of the points people were presenting about what they had read in the handbook because there are still a lot of terms that we are unfamiliar with (e.g. “school based curriculum” came up several times in my group’s sections and we were unable to quite understand what it meant until we did some research). However, the questions that Isobel asked all seemed to be quite relevant, and it would definitely be helpful to have more sessions in the future where we can learn more about the program after we’ve had a chance to learn some teaching strategies and had time go through some of the details about IB on our own.

 

The following are some notes that I took during this activity on section A11 of the handbook, which is all about the reporting of results:

A11.1 The Schedule

  • Established schedules every May and November for issue of results data, as well as times when enquiries are allowed

 

A11.2 Issue of Results to Schools

  • IB marks released on IBIS (IB Information System) July and January 5th to IB coordinators
  • stats on global and school results available a few days later (9th)
  • IB coordinators are the intermediary between IB candidates and the IBO; the IBO does not directly issue marks to or discusses marks with candidates and their parents

 

A11.3 Issue of Results to Candidates

  • IB marks available on https://candidates.ibo.org to IB candidates on July and January 5th
  • PINS for accessing website only issued once, and should only be used by the candidate, they are not to be given to universities or admissions centres

 

A11.4 Candidates and the IB Alumni Network

  • alumni of the IB programme can register at https://candidates.ibo.org, using their personal code and PIN
  • receive newsletters and invitations to conferences, and can provide feedback to improve the programme

 

A11.5 Issue of Results to Universities and Admissions Centres

  • the IBIS can send a candidate’s results directly to universities and admissions centres in both electronic and paper format
  • a candidate can request for results to be sent to 6 institutions (however, of these, only one can be in Canada and one in the US)
  • transcripts for anticipated candidates who do not continue on to complete the DP can also be request by an IB coordinator

 

A11.6 Early Session Entries

  • when a candidate completes all session components six months prior to a subject not currently available in their diploma session, the results will be issued but no certification will be rewarded until the next session

 

A11.7 The Interpretation of Results

  • if a candidate retakes a subject/level, only the highest grade contributes to their diploma
  • diploma will not be rewarded if a candidate’s results contain a requirement code
  • candidates cannot change their combination of subjects in order to receive their diploma (i.e. cannot switch an additional subject for one of the 7 that contribute to their diploma)

A11.7.1 Diploma Awarded

  • all conditions of “General regulations: Diploma Programme” met

A11.7.2 Bilingual Diploma Awarded

  • awarded if the candidate fulfills one or both of the following conditions:
  • scores greater than a 3 in two languages from group 1
  • scores greater than a 3 in their group 1 language and greater than a 3 in a group 3 or 4 subject that is not taken in their group 1 language

A11.7.3 Diploma Not Awarded (Letters given rather than a score)

  • “P” indicates the IB Assessment Centre does not have sufficient information to issue a grade
  • “N” indicates that no grades have been issued for the following reasons:
  • withdrawal from exam
  • absence from one or all of the exams
  • failure to meet one or more exam requirements
  • breach of regulations (letter will be sent to IB coordinator with details)

 

A11.8 Diploma Requirement Codes

  • diploma will not be rewarded if a candidate’s results contain a requirement code (i.e. indicate what requirements for the diploma have not been met)

 

A11.9 Candidates Affected By Special Circumstances

A11.9.1 Candidates with Learning Support Requirements

  • candidates eligible for inclusive assessment arrangements (e.g. learning difficulties, emotional or behavioural difficulties, physical, sensory or medical conditions, or mental health problems) can have reasonable accommodation authorized

A11.9.2 Candidates Affected By Temporary Circumstances

  • any circumstances during the two year programme or the examination period that could negatively affect the student’s performance will not be recorded in the candidate’s documents

 

A11.10 Candidates Suspected of Academic Misconduct

  • an “N” will appear on the IBIS, but will not be recorded in the candidate’s document that is sent to universities and admissions centres (this information is regarded as confidential)

 

11/13/14

Classroom Management (2)

Today’s class was focused on more classroom management strategies, and we were placed into groups to do a bit more research on different strategies. We each spent some time going through the information from some sites Isobel found for us, and then shared the information with one another. Each of the sites and videos presented the information in a slightly different way, but the main points that each covered were that engaging lessons are essential, communication is very important, and that troublesome behaviour must be dealt with early.

It’s good thing that it seems like all of our different classes are finally touching on classroom management because it’s what I’m most worried about for the long practicum, which is getting closer and closer. I just hope that I’ll be able to remember all this information once that time rolls around!

 

DOs:

• be engaging and have the students actively participating in class

• use a natural and loud voice, and vary your town

• address behaviour issues quickly and wisely

• be clear about enforced classroom policies

 

DONTs:

• lecture all day (students will lose focus and may become disruptive)

• shout or raise your voice at noisy students (they will only match you in volume)

• ignore behaviour issues (their behaviour may escalate until they can no longer be handled)

• not following up on classroom policies (do not enforce rules that you do not enforce, you may lose your authority as a classroom leader)

 

Sources:

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/classroom-management-tips-novice-teachers-rebecca-alber

http://www.apa.org/education/k12/classroom-mgmt.aspx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u086rr7SRso

 

11/7/14

IBeyond Conference

Some of us in the IB cohort visited the IBeyond Conference today. It was quite an amazing experience to have, and I was really impressed to learn that the entire conference was organized by the second year IB students at Churchill secondary. Although the conference was not at all aimed for those of us who are learning about the IB programme itself, it was good to see how excited and motivated the Churchill students were. This would definitely have been an event that I would have benefited from when I was a graduating student myself.

I didn’t learn quite as much as I had hoped to by attending this conference, but it was also inspiring to listen to the different speakers present at the conference. It was reassuring to hear that in this day and age, people have the ability to excel in more than one field; I love teaching, but there are also many different things I want to do in the future as well!

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Joni Mar was one of the speakers that Minhe and I listened to, and she has gone through so many different amazing careers already (news reporter, interior decorator and executive coach to name a few).

11/6/14

“The Big Picture” – My First Full Teaching Experience

The act of preparing for, versus actually carrying out a lesson plan proved to be very different experiences. Today, I finally taught my first full lesson, and there were various aspects of the lesson I had prepared for, but also many others that I had not anticipated. The eighty minutes of the two lessons I taught were both the longest and shortest eighty minutes of my life. Certain parts of the class appeared to drag on forever, but I still found that I couldn’t cover everything I had spent hours on hours preparing.

In the first class that I taught, there were only 16 students, but even so, I was still very nervous. I naturally speak in a very small voice, and sometimes feel uncomfortable speaking louder because it always feels like I’m shouting. However, this turned out to be a problem when we moved into the super lab for the students to work on their DNA extraction lab. It was difficult getting their attention in such a large space when they were all quite spread out. It was difficult to keep all the students focused on their tasks because some finished earlier than others, and I had to run back and forth between the group that had moved on to the next activity and the students who were still working on the lab. The entire thing eventually became a great big mess when all the students were gathered around the activity I had prepared for after the lab, and almost no one understand what they were supposed to do. I learned that my written instructions have to be a lot clearer in the future; I can’t assume that what I’m thinking in my head will always translate well into written instructions that the students will understand. This class obviously ran out of time before I could explain what the purpose of the activity was.

In the second class I taught, I immediately took my SA’s advice and tried to speak louder, especially because this class was a lot larger in size. I found out right away that different classes have very different demographics and cannot necessarily be taught in the same way. This second class asked a lot more questions, and the students were more likely to “goof off”. I also realized that I have to work on my presence as a teacher in the classroom. There were still students who were approaching my SA to ask questions, although I was technically in charge of the class that day. Something I think that I handled fairly well was taking care of a situation where some glassware was broken in the lab; I was able to remain calm and took care of it quickly. However, the biggest mistake I made was applying what had happened in the last class to the second class. Because we had almost run out of time earlier, I ended the second lab too early, and ended up with some extra time with the second class, during which I awkwardly tried to fill in the dead space.

There were many things that I learned today, but I don’t think that these mistakes will cause too much of an issue for me during the long practicum. This was my first classroom teaching experience, and I hope that I will only get better at it. Some things that I think I will definitely have to work on are presenting myself as a teacher in the classroom, and focusing my lessons so that I can ensure that the students can understand what the purpose of the lessons and activities are. And finally, I need to remember to actually implement some of the different strategies that we are being taught in the program to the classroom.

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The extremely large super lab where I had to project my voice as much as I possibly could.

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At least the DNA extraction was a success!

 

10/25/14

IB Biology Seminar

For the Oct.24th professional development day, as well as today, those of us in the IB cohort attended workshops hosted by experienced IB educators in our specific subject areas.

Those of us in biology attended a workshop led by Catherine Daniel, a biology teacher from Stratford Hall. During the two day-session, we covered many different areas of the IB biology curriculum, as well as different resources that we can use for teaching. It was a productive two days, and I learned a lot about how the IB programme is structured and how it has and continues to evolve.

The following are some notes that I took during the session, and some photos of what we worked on.

  • IBEN = IB educator network
    • Available to educators after working for 2 years
    • evaluate programs for different schools
    • work in curriculum development
    • working towards improving the entire program / teacher support
  • Question bank = collection of old papers & questions
    • set up by topics à choose to use on own exams
    • different types of questions available
    • mark schemes/answers given for questions
  • Mark Distribution
    • IA = 20% (usually in 2nd year)
    • 3 papers = 80% (distribution dependent on SL or HL)
      • paper 1 = multiple choice
      • paper 2 = data analysis and long answer
      • paper 3 = option
  • Internal Assessment
    • rubrics for marking just updated
    • let students know that for collecting sufficient relevant data, they need 5×5 in order to use trend lines or calculate standard deviation
    • if students are doing a bar graph, they need 2×10 in order to perform a t-test and get a p-value
    • do not mark higher than a student should be getting (moderators will mark them down and the students will be harmed in the end)
  • Teaching Hours
    • have to allocate limited hours to specific areas (i.e. try to spend time on ‘practical scheme of work’)
    • flexibility with order of teaching material
    • possibility to have students pick their own option for self-study
      • although some students really need that guidance for material
    • an option is to do the SL and HL topics together to save time
    • important to check in with students about their stress levels and time management
  • PSOW (practical scheme of work) à method of keeping track of the lab work that students are doing
    • D = design
    • DCP = data collection and processing
    • CE = conclusion and evaluation
    • 7 mandatory prescribed practicals that students will have to cover
      • students develop method that will allow them to meet these practicals
      • can have students focus on one aspect of a lab report that covers the prescribed practical (finishing an entire lab may take too much time)
    • recording
      • what was done (title and brief introduction), date and how long it took
      •  “handbook of procedures for the Diplomma Programme” gives information about everything the teacher needs to do for PSOW
  • how to prepare students for writing papers
    • mock exams
    • teaching students how to read the questions properly
    • process of elimination
      • some answers are just worded differently

 

  • school-specific issues
    • what equipment and resources are available at the school? (will they help with meeting the lab requirements?)
    • discussions about controversial topics (e.g. evolution)
      • use questioning; bring in resources such as articles

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10/23/14

Classroom Management (1)

As a collective group, our inquiry class discussed some different classroom scenarios today. We went through what we think would be the best way to handle these different situations.

 

(1) A student’s grades in your class has dropped significantly compared to last year in this subject and to other classes this year. How would you react to this situation?

  • talk to student’s other teachers and counsellor
    • is the student struggling in other classes as well?
    • is the course load for the student stressful?
    • speak with student’s former teachers and compare teaching methods; is the student not adapting to a new teacher or material?
      • would have to make class more engaging for the students if they are not interested in the subject material
  • speak with the student
    • are there any changes going on at home?
    • check to see if the student needs any extra help or resources
    • do not confront the student about their bad grades; tell the student that you are concerned about the drastic change in their grades
    • tell the student that you are available if they need help
      • lending an ear to the student can already be a lot of help
      • ask the student if they have an adult who they can speak to
    • be accommodating, and see what can be done to help the student
    • do not assume the worst is happening, the student may just be stressed

 

(2) Jens comes into the room looking ‘down’. In the middle of class she is obviously upset and tears start to roll down her face. How would you handle the situation?

  • quietly (be very gentle) ask her if she would like to step out (use open-ended questions)
    • transition the lesson into an activity of some sort so that the class has something to do while you step out with Jens
    • ask Jens if there is a close friend or someone else she would feel more comfortable confiding in
    • do not make her feel uncomfortable by stopping the class abruptly and asking if she is alright in front of the entire class
    • speak to Jens and make sure that she feels safe in the environment (i.e. there may have been something in the classroom that triggered her; remove her from the environment that is making her uncomfortable)
  • somehow determine if she would rather speak with you, a peer or counsellor
    • do not be too direct; give some space
  • never send the student out alone, always have someone accompany them (student may be ill or going through something stressful that may make the situation dangerous
    • student may be suicidal and needs attention immediately

 

(3) Aaron has been disrupting the class since he entered an hour ago. Once again he has just distracted the class when you are trying to get a key point across. What would you do?

  • student may either just be a “class clown” or there is a reason behind by he likes the attention
  • find an opportunity to approach Aaron and speak with him regarding his behaviour
    • reasoning is that he is distracting his peers
    • try to figure out why he has so much energy and possibly think of different methods to channel his energy
  • give Aaron tasks to do and make him feel important
  • “calling out” the student in front of the class may not be the best idea
    • student may either feed off the attention or feel like he is being put on the spot
    • sometimes, it is necessary to ask the students to tone down their disruptions during the class
      • ask to speak to him about his behaviour afterwards
  • just stand quietly and wait for him to stop
  • stand near the student and walk by him throughout the lesson to try and manage his disruptions
  • is this ongoing behaviour? should have dealt with the issue earlier
  • is this new behaviour? there would possibly have been something that triggered this sudden behaviour
  • make sure that whatever method you’re using to manage the student, that it is not in front of the entire class, because it wastes the entire class’s time; it is not fair to the other students
    • work with the individual, not the entire class
  • “You make me feel…” – do not confront the student or pick a fight
  • if the situation does not improve, the student may need to be removed from the room if the lesson is not moving forward
    • however, still speak gently with the student and explain why he is being removed from the class

 

(4) Josephine is treating her lab partner in an unkind way, bordering on bullying. When you approach she is as sweet as pie but when you are not vigilant she goes back to her former behavior. How would you manage this case?

  • you are “perceiving” this behaviour as bullying, and if you confront the pair about it, one or both may deny it
    • confronting this behaviour may cause the bully to become even more violent
    • if the incident is not actually bully, you can be in hot water
  • safety is always the first priority, therefore you have to immediately separate the two students
    • however, Josephine may go on to bully another student
  • not alway practical to keep in close proximity to the pair because there are other students in the lab
  • speak with the two students separately
    • the bullied lab partner may not feel comfortable confrotning Josephine with her behaviour when Josephine is also present
    • find some sort of different topic to speak with the bullied student about, and see if she will  bring it up

 

(5) Johnny is on the basketball team and is an excellent player. He is ‘popular’ because of his ability in sports. He is also known to be arrogant at times. If he were to arrive late and, when asked why, answered disrespectfully and walked past you to take his seat, how would you respond?

  • briefly ask him to see you after class, so that it does not cut into class time, but also demonstrates to the rest of the class that his behaviour is not acceptable
  • speak to Johnny; do not reprimand him in front of the entire class because the situation only relates to him and not the entire class
    • be respectful and sincere when discussing the issue with him
  • try to open up with the student and build a relationship with him
    • have a serious discussion with him, and let him know that basketball is important, but there are certain expectations for classrooms
  • ask him to come back and make up for the time that he has missed
    • do this in a very gentle manner

 

What is the first course of action in all of these situations? communication

  • watch your language and tone of voice
  • make a point of reinforcing what you say during the situation, and follow up with the student afterwards 

It is important to be both strong and kind to manage a class of students

 

10/7/14

Visiting Mulgrave

Mulgrave

Mirae, Hyosun, Minhe, Ricky and me at Mulgrave (If only we had remembered to take a photo with the actual building!)

 

Our visit to Mulgrave Independent School was a very new kind of experience for me. As someone who attended public schools her entire life, I have never been exposed to an independent school setting.

Some of the aspects of the Mulgrave school community were how the average age of the staff is lower than what I expected, and how well the teachers collaborate within their departments. Sitting in during the science department’s collaborative block was a very good chance for us to experience how educators work together to assess their own teaching and development. Before actually experience a collaborative period, I always had the impression that teachers worked independently of one another; after having seen the science teachers at Mulgrave working through student assessments together, I now see how important it is to work together as a department to ensure that assessment styles are similar. I hope to also have the chance to observe a collaborative period in a public school setting, in which the different teachers do not necessarily follow concrete rubric assessments like the ones set up by IB.

Sitting in the classrooms and observing the lessons was interesting as well, because never before have I seen high school classrooms in which all the students are expected to be using electronic devices like laptops and tablets while in class. I could see the benefit of using devices in class; teachers can have the students following along with the powerpoint slides or with the files they send out, or the students could be researching information online as the class is progressing. However, I think that there are also some drawbacks to having all students on their devices, and there is definitely more I’d like to learn about the BYOB (bring your own device) policy in independent schools.

All in all, visiting Mulgrave was a wonderful experience, and after having spent a day in an independent school, I am looking forward to having an opportunity to one day experiencing teaching in an independent school.

09/19/14

The Journey, So Far.

We are now about a month into the B.Ed program (after including the first orientation week in August), and I think I’m finally starting to get a sense of what I’m doing. Initially, I couldn’t really see “the big picture”, and it seemed that the different courses that we’re made to take, were in no way related to one another. But, I’m feeling much more confident now, about both the program and myself.

The concepts that I learned in one course are now being brought up in all of my different courses, and I know how to apply them in different contexts. My instructors are doing a fantastic job of modeling different teaching methods for us, and I’m learning so much about how to teach. It’s very helpful because the instructors actually use the various methods that they use to teach us; I never realized that there were so many different ways of scaffolding and promoting learning in students. I’ve already started incorporating some of the different methods into my own lesson planning because I found them so useful when I was sitting in class as a student.

09/11/14

Myself as an Educator

As teacher candidates, one of the most important things that we have to do is learn how to teach effectively. There are many different things that we have to take into consideration as we prepare ourselves to teach in front of actual students.

Personally, I think I would have to work on my presence in a classroom. This will definitely prove to be a challenge for me because of my tendency to be introverted most of the time. It will also be difficult for me to create that gap between the students and myself. I am still quite young, so it may be more of a challenge to establish my role as a teacher in the classroom, when I was sitting as a student in a high school classroom just a few years ago. Therefore, I think that it will be crucial for me to create a professional image right from the start so that I can clearly establish my expertise as an educator.

Another challenge I will have to overcome is how prepared I am for classes. When I sit as a student in classes, it is easy for me to simply sit there and listen to others speaking because it is not completely mandatory for me to speak. However, once I begin standing in front of a class of students, I will definitely be expected to at least mediate discussions, so it will be necessary for me to come prepared for class and anticipate any questions students may have.

09/4/14

“Preparing a Cup of Tea”

I have to admit that I was very narrow-minded about today’s in-class group activity, and this is something I really need to work on. We were given the task of teaching students “how to prepare a cup of tea”, and to create a rubric to assess the learning of the students. I, along with my group members, was completely unsuccessful at seeing the big picture. We forgot that we were supposed to be promoting inquiry, and instead focused on just instructing.

We were too focused on how to tell the students how to make tea, so that we did not stop to think about how we could gain the curiosity and attention of the students. It was disappointing to realize towards the end of the activity that we failed to remind ourselves of the importance of inquiry and engagement.

This was a mistake on our part, but that’s what being in this program is all about; this is the time that we make mistakes and learn from them. This was a sort of awakening for all of us, and I hope that for the remainder of this upcoming year, we will all remind ourselves of the importance of inquiry in education. As one of my instructors has said, “teaching is not telling, and learning is not listening”. I will definitely be reminding myself of this more often from now on, and think of creative ways to make teaching more engaging.