carolyn robinson – Page 2 – Carolyn's Adventures in Teaching

Sunnyside Reflection Jan 28: Chinese New Year Lesson

Today at Sunnyside was my first formally assessed lesson since November, and overall I feel extremely happy with how it went. My lesson was on Chinese New Year and the significance of Chinese hanging lanterns during this holiday.

I began the lesson by asking students to brainstorm some ideas to several questions I projected onto the board. The students discussed the questions in their small table groups and then recorded their ideas on a worksheet. For the most part I was really happy with how this portion of the activity went because I heard a lot of great ideas being discussed by many of the students; however, after receiving a little bit of constructive feedback, I would slightly change how I presented this task. Next time, rather than giving students the task of discussing and writing down ideas at the same time I would first ask students to discuss their ideas in a group and afterwards ask them to write down some of their ideas. By splitting the task into two separate parts, I think I would get better student participation in the group discussions and also better quality written work afterwards. Once students finished brainstorming their ideas in their small groups we had a whole classroom discussion about the questions. This whole-activity provided each group with the opportunity to share some of the ideas they had discussed in their smaller groups. On the whole, I was really happy with the reactions that some of my questions got from the students, in particular the question: Why does Chinese New Year change dates every year and occur later than our New Year? Although the entire class came up with good ideas as to why, no one was able to guess the correct answer. When I explained to them that Chinese New Year is based off the lunar calendar rather than the yearly calendar all of the students were astonished and you could feel the buzz of excitement within the room. This was a really special moment for me.

Once the students had finished sharing their ideas about Chinese New Year I showed the class a short video about what some common Chinese New Year celebrations look like around the world. It was great to see so many students making personal connections with the images and content they saw within the video. After watching the video we debriefed the clips that were shown and how it related to what we had discussed so far. One student even pointed out how the video showed that Chinese New Year isn’t something that is only celebrated in China, but rather, it is an event that is celebrated all around the world. This is exactly the point I was hoping would be taken away from the video, so I was extremely happy that this student was able to make this connection and share it with the class.

After we finished debriefing the video we moved onto the next portion of the lesson – learning how to make the hanging lanterns. To explain this portion of the lesson I used a couple of students from the class, one of which can sometimes be a little disruptive, to help me demonstrate the steps. I feel that this strategy not only helped me explain the craft more clearly, but it also helped to engage the students and minimize instances of disruptive behaviour in the classroom. Once students understood the different steps involved in making the lanterns, they all began making their own. Time and time again I am so impressed with how helpful the students in my class are. Many students assisted each other while making the lanterns and everyone worked well together, even students who sometimes struggle with working properly together and staying on task. I feel as if this was another really special moment in my lesson.

Additionally, while the students worked I played traditional Chinese music in the background, which I think really set a relaxing and happy tone in the room. Many students even came up to me to tell me how much the enjoyed having the music on while they worked. Based on the student feedback alone, I think that playing music while students worked was a huge success and I will definitely use it again in the future. Overall, I feel it was a great lesson and I was really happy with the end product. The lanterns are now hanging all around the room and they look fantastic!
A few questions that I am beginning to wonder more about as I begin planning for my extended practicum are on the topic of assessment. Lately I feel conflicted about how I should asses each student and how I want to asses each student.

Should I assess each student based on the standards outlined by the BC ministry of education? OR Should I assess each student based on their individual abilities and successes in the classroom?
Does it matter which way I choose to assess my class?
Am I allowed to choose which way I assess my class?

As I continue to work with my practicum class, faculty advisor, student advisor, and UBC professors I am sure some of these answers will start to become more clear, but currently they are very much so on my mind.

Developing a Philosophy of Teaching Through Inquiry

Since beginning the Teacher Education Program at UBC and completing my first practicum I have become very passionate in my commitment to several teaching philosophies. I am committed to building a strong classroom community, to making learning a transactional experience, and to encouraging students to discover and explore their own passions. Additionally I am committed to creating a safe and supportive classroom environment in which students can work together to build relationships, make connections, and foster a love of learning. Below is a visual representation of who I aspire to be as a teacher:

Although my experiences at UBC and in my practicum class have both significantly inspired my developing teaching philosophy, the personal journey that my inquiry topic has taken me on thus far has also largely influenced my developing teaching philosophy. Researching and learning about disruptive behaviour in the classroom has opened my eyes to an extremely important and relevant topic in education today. More importantly, learning about disruptive behaviour in the classroom has inspired me to be a better teacher. Thanks to the direction that this inquiry project has taken me, I am beginning to understand that all teachers have the power to positively impact every child, even the seemingly ‘difficult’ ones. Based on the research I have explored so far I believe that by creating a safe, supportive, engaging, and motivating classroom environment not only can I minimize disruptive behaviour, but I can also inspire children to pursue their passions and foster a love of learning.

I am excited to continue my research on disruptive behaviour in the classroom over the next few months, and to further develop the teaching philosophies that will one day define who I am as an educator.

Disruptive Behaviour and Student Engagement: Are They Connected?

Is there a connection between disruptive behaviour and student engagement in the classroom? A lot of current research on this particular topic reveals that yes there is, and often it is quite a strong connection.

One research article which shows this strong connection between disruptive behaviour and student engagement is entitled, ‘Effects of Response Cards on Disruptive Behaviour and Academic Responding During Math Lessons by Fourth-Grade Urban Students’ written by Michael Lambert, Gwendolyn Heward, and Ya-yu Lo. Within the article, authors evaluate and explain the results of an experiment in which two separate 4th-grade urban education classrooms incorporated the use of student response cards into the daily math lessons (Lambert et al., 2006). The two classrooms selected to partake in this experiment were chosen because of the large number of students in each class who frequently displayed disruptive behaviour (Lambert et al., 2006). Additionally, many of the students who were involved in the study also had an extensive history of disciplinary issues in school (Lambert et al., 2006).

In the experiment, laminated response cards were given to every student so they could each write their own responses to questions posed by the teaching during math lessons (Lambert et al., 2006). This method of using response cards was then compared to the more traditional method of single-student responding. In single-student responding typically only one student has the opportunity to answer the question posed by the teacher, and the rest of the class is often left bored and unengaged, whereas the response-card method allows all students to respond and participate every single time (Lambert et al., 2006).

Findings within this study show that by incorporating response cards into the classroom, student engagement went up, disruptive behaviour went down, and student responding increased significantly (Lambert et al., 2006). In fact, results from this study show that every single student who participated in the study was observed to be less disruptive in the classroom when teachers incorporated response cards into the lesson (Lambert et al., 2006). By incorporating response cards into the lesson it allowed students to become active participants in their learning, which is what ultimately lead to higher levels of student engagement and lower levels of disruptive behaviour in the classroom. As a result of the huge shift in disruptive behaviour that was observed in this particular study, the authors suggest “the need for more effective instructional environments that actively engage urban youth in the learning process” (Lambert et al., 2006).

In contrast to some research that places student self-regulation techniques at the forefront of minimizing disruptive behaviour in the classroom this article emphasizes the importance of good teaching practices over self-regulated learning. In some of my experiences in elementary classrooms so far, I have been able to personally observe the effects of incorporating student response cards into a math lesson. Each time I have observed a teacher incorporate these cards into a lesson the outcome has been fantastic. I notice that student engagement appears to increase, student participation appears to increase, and instances of disruptive behaviour in the classroom are much lower.

Although I believe that the approach to minimizing disruptive behaviour in the classroom is a highly complex one, I think that good teaching practices, which aim to increase student engagement and participation, are an extremely important part of the puzzle.
References

Lambert, M. C., Cartledge, G., Heward, W. L., Lo, Y., & Koegel, R. L. (2006). Effects of response cards on disruptive behavior and academic responding during math lessons by fourth-grade urban students. Journal Of Positive Behavior Interventions, 8(2), 88-99.

Sunnyside Reflection: January 21

Today the DPA lesson that I planned and taught the class was on movement, music, and dancing. Since beginning the Teacher Education Program at UBC I have had several opportunities to participate in the ‘Dancing for Understanding Workshops’ during professional developmental days. These workshops are amazing as they demonstrate how educators, like myself, can incorporate simple movements, rhythms and music into the classroom to get students dancing. I really took to these workshops as I believe they are a fantastic way to get students up and moving inside the actual classroom.

This is the third time now that I have taught dance and movement for DPA in my practicum class and I cannot believe how successful it has been so far. When the students see me wheeling in my big stereo into class many of them start jumping up and down in excitement. It’s really amazing to see the positive impact that music and dance can have on so many individuals within one classroom.

Today when I was teaching the dance DPA lesson to the class I allowed the students time to discuss, create, and teach some of the dance moves that we used in our dances. I think this was a really successful addition to the lesson because it gave students the opportunity to personalize their own learning and to contribute to the lesson. Overall the lesson went fantastic! After 30 minutes of jumping around, dancing, and singing at the top of our lungs to songs requested by the class, everyone was sweating and laughing. There is always such a positive vibe in the classroom after we dance.

One question that emerged for me today during my lesson in DPA is how to motivate students, in particular boys, to participate in an activity that they are unsure of? In my practicum class I feel very lucky to have such a great group of kids that are so confident and willing to take risks in front of their peers; however, there are still 1 or 2 students in the class (both boys) that have a hard time fully participating. Firstly, I am curious as to what specifically it is that is holding them back from fully participating. How can I encourage these students to participate? What is the best way for me to support them while still teaching a DPA lesson to the rest of the class?

In addition to a successful DPA lesson, I also had a really great one-on-one moment today with a student that I am still trying to establish a better connection with. This moment was during math in the classroom and this particular student was struggling with several questions about mathematical line graphs. Over the course of the past few months, I have noticed that this student tends to avoid starting assigned work until the very last moment. Additionally, once he does begin working, he rushes the assignment, trying to finish it as fast as he can. The situation today was no different. This student was assigned a math worksheet at the beginning of the class and proceeded to wait until just before class IPAD time to begin working on it so he wouldn’t have to miss playing on the IPADS. About halfway through the worksheet, he encountered a series of difficult questions and was directed over to me so I could help him. When he first came over to me, I could tell that he was not impressed with the situation, as most of this class at this time had already began playing on the IPADS. Once he sat down I asked him to tell me about the questions he was having difficulty with. From there we worked together to figure out how to create a line graph with 2 separate sets of information. At first he was a little resistant to receiving help, but as time went on he really began to warm up to me and together we were able to complete the worksheet. After completing all the questions I assumed he would immediately begin playing on the IPADs with the rest of the class, but instead I was really surprised. This student stayed and chatted with me about the line graph and several other conversational topics for about 5 minutes before going to retrieve their IPAD. Furthermore this student, who I feel I have had a harder time connecting with, genuinely thanked me for the help. This was a really special moment in my day and I really hope to continue to make more connections with this particular student over the course of my practicum and be able to help him better apply himself during classroom activities.

Disruptive Behaviour: What is it and Why Study it?

Last week on my inquiry blog I discussed how SEL self-regulation techniques are a fantastic way to improve disruptive behaviour within the classroom. This week I want to take a step backwards and introduce what exactly ‘disruptive behaviour’ is, what it looks like in the classroom, and why it is such an important topic of study for both future and current educators.

The online Farlex Medical Dictionary defines disruptive behaviour as “a group of mental disorders of children and adolescents consisting of behaviour that violates social norms and is disruptive, often distressing others more than it does the person with the disorder. It includes conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder and is classified with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder” (2016). Although the above disorders are without a doubt linked to some cases of disruptive behaviour in the classroom, I think it is important to note that not all instances of disruptive behaviour are linked to a mental disorder. In fact, the majority of literature and research around disruptive behaviour in the classroom reflects a much broader and inclusive definition then that of the dictionary. For example, the education department at Clayton State University in Georgia defines disruptive behaviour as being any behaviour that hampers the ability of instructors to teach and students to learn. Alongside this definition, they also provide a list of common examples of disruptive behaviour within the classroom. This list is inclusive of, but not exclusive to:

Eating in class
Monopolizing classroom discussions
Failing to respect the rights of other students to express their viewpoints
Talking when the instructor or others are speaking
Constant questions or interruptions which interfere with the instructor’s presentation
Overt inattentiveness
Creating excessive noise in the classroom
Entering the class late or leaving early
Use of cell phones in the classroom
Inordinate or inappropriate demands for time or attention
Poor personal hygiene (e.g., noticeably offensive body odor)
Refusal to comply with direction
Use of profanity or pejorative language
Verbal abuse of instructor or other students (e.g., taunting, badgering, intimidation)
Harassment of instructor or other students
Threats to harm oneself or others
Physical violence

Although some of these examples may be indicative of, or already in line with a properly diagnosed disruptive behavioural disorder, many are not. Thus, when examining disruptive behaviour in the classroom, I think it is extremely important to understand that not all disruptive behaviour is indicative of a mental disorder.

Why is disruptive behaviour in the classroom such an important area of study? Many studies show that disruptive behaviour, and proper management of these disruptive behaviours, are some of the biggest and most persistence problems facing educators in schools today. In fact, special-education professor Dr. M. Rosenberg and research associate L. Jackman, both of whom have conducted extensive research on disruptive behaviour and behaviour management in schools, maintain that disruptive behaviour in the classroom is the most troubling issue facing schools (2003). Additionally, their research has shown that many teachers spend as much time responding to disruptive behaviour within the classroom as they do teaching (Rosenberg & Jackman, 2003). As a result of my own experiences in the classroom, I can also attest to these findings. Disruptive behaviour in elementary school classrooms is a massive problem that needs to be examined further. Not only has current research shown that instances of disruptive behaviour in the classroom are on the rise, but it has also revealed that disruptive behaviour negatively impacts the individual exhibiting the behaviour, the teacher, and the entire classroom of students.

In a recent research paper outlining different educators’ experiences with disruptive behaviour in the classroom, author Kari Jacobsen discusses the huge increase in disruptive classroom behaviour over the recent years. Additionally, she discusses how this huge influx of disruptive behaviour has been proven to both negatively impact other students within the classroom and impair the classroom learning environment (Jacobsen, 2013). Although Jacobsen’s research recognizes the negative impact that disruptive behaviour can have on the entire classroom, she maintains that disruptive behaviour tendencies are most troublesome to the individual exhibiting the behaviour (2013). Some of the most common troublesome outcomes for the individual include low grades and higher school drop-out rates (Jacobsen, 2013). Thus, the importance of educators being able to detect and appropriately handle different situations of disruptive behaviour in the classroom is essential. For many children their teacher is the adult they see most often throughout the day; hence, this is why it is so important for educators to both educate themselves and understand the source of a child’s disruptive behaviour as they are often the first source of detection and early intervention in mental health disorders (Jacobsen, 2013).
References

Jacobsen, Kari. (2013). Educators’ Experiences with Disruptive Behavior in the Classroom: Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers.

Rosenberg, M., Michael S Rosenberg, & Lori A Jackman. (2003). Intervention in school and clinic: Development, implementation, and sustainability of comprehensive school-wide behavior management systems Pro-Ed, 39(1), 10-21.

http://www.clayton.edu/Portals/5/DisruptiveClassroomBehavior.pdf

Disruptive Behaviour and Self Regulation: an SEL Approach

Stress, anxiety, restlessness, noise, poor nutrition, and lack of engagement are just a few of the factors that can trigger disruptive behaviour within the classroom. In an attempt to tackle this growing problem of disruptive behaviour in our schools many districts and teachers have adopted a social and emotional (SEL) approach to education that relies heavily on student self-regulation.

Self-regulation puts individual students in charge of their own learning and behaviour within the classroom. It is an approach in which teachers can help students become aware of their own behaviour, what their individual needs are, and what they can do for themselves to calm down and be productive in class. Thus, self-regulation refocuses the responsibilities to learn and behave appropriately back to the child. In a report published on the CBC News Canada website, Philosophy and Psychology Professor Stuart Shanker presents the idea that Canadian students do not know what it feels like to be calm anymore because there is far to much stimulation in their lives (2013). He argues that when a child’s brain enters a state of stress, anxiety, or general overload of some sort, that the child’s ‘thinking’ part of the brain shuts off and they can no longer hear what anyone is saying to them. This is why self-regulation and teaching our students how to self-regulate themselves is so important. Shanker suggests that the best way for a teacher to manage events of disruptive behaviour is to ‘de-escalate’ the situation, or in other words, to teach the child how to calm themselves down and get them to think again.

As noted by author Karin Wells, there are many ways that teachers can help teach and implement self-regulation within the classroom. Some of the easiest and most cost effective methods include incorporating more physical activity and movement into the school day, regular brain breaks or ‘engine breaks’, and providing students with the skills to be able to implement some of the above techniques by themselves without disrupting the rest of the class. Some additional self-regulation tools that are commonly found within classrooms are noise-cancelling headphones and small toys that students can play or fiddle with.

Learning about self-regulation and the different methods that can be used to help students learn how to self-regulate is something that I am very interested in learning more about. I have noticed that students who are both educated about self-regulation, and who have been given the tools or knowledge about how to self-regulate, appear to have far less behavioural problems in the classroom then students who do not know how to self-regulate. I believe that teaching students how to self-regulate is extremely important at any age, but exceptionally important during their intermediate years. For the most part I have noticed that as students progress from primary to intermediate, often their school days become more focused on academics and they are spending more and more time sitting in desks learning and less time actively moving around the classroom. This definitely may not be true for all classrooms and schools, but as for my experiences in elementary schools so far, it is what I most commonly observe. Many intermediate students struggle with stress, anxiety, hyperactivity, frustration, and emotional issues, and these are just a few of factors that can cause disruptive behaviour and impact learning. I believe that by educating intermediate students about self-regulation and by providing them with the proper skills and tools to properly do so, we as educators can help students to relax, de-stress, calm down, and in turn, improve classroom behaviour.

Reference
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/self-regulation-technique-helps-students-focus-in-class-1.2440688

Sunnyside Reflection (January 7th, 2016)

Today was my first official day back at Sunnyside Elementary after Christmas Break. It was so wonderful to be back. During my time away from the class, I found myself wondering about the students and what they were all up to on their winter break. It was great to come back and have many of the students excited to tell me about all the various things they did while on their vacations.

Today the short lesson that I taught the class was DPA. Since the weather was nice, I decided to take the kids outside to play a game of capture the flag. I am beginning to notice each time I teach a DPA lesson that it is more organized than the last time I taught it. Reflecting on my weekly DPA lessons has allowed me to think about what I could have done differently to minimize problems that sometimes occur, keep the lesson more organized, and to make sure I am giving more individual attention to students who appear to be struggling with the instructions or the activity.

Todays game of capture the flag went really well. Several minutes in advance I asked two of the students within the classroom to retrieve all of the equipment from the gym and to take it to the field outside and set it up. Ahead of time, I also made sure that Ayla (who cannot play on the field because of her wheelchair) had chosen a couple of friends to play an alternative activity with her on the upper playground. Additionally, I remembered to ask students to put on their jackets before lining up to go outside, which made getting ready to go outside and start playing the game much more time efficient. As I establish my presence as a teacher more and more within the classroom, I notice that the students are beginning to get used to me as a teacher and understand my expectations during various activities, like today during the DPA lesson. All of the students properly followed my instructions about where to meet, how to create the teams, the rules of the game, and when to clean up after the game was over.

One question that emerged for me today during my DPA lesson was how to deal with conflicting information from students. For example, in the game today one student claimed another cheated and that they were tagged out while the other student claimed they did not cheat and were not tagged. In an event like this, where I did not see the particular event occur, how should I deal with it? It was difficult for me to know what to do in this situation without feeling like I was taking sides. Luckily for me, a similar situation happened about 30 seconds later to the other team, so I was able to defuse the situation by pointing out that the two events had evened themselves out.

Overall, my first day back was awesome. Throughout the day I continued to take on small roles within the classroom helping out with a variety of activities. I took attendance twice, brought the students in at the beginning of the day, after recess, and after lunch, helped a small group of students with math, and circulated around the classroom helping different groups of students work on their Health and Career Education Planning projects.

Sunnyside Elementary Reflection: My 2-Week Practicum

Sunnyside 2-Week Practicum Reflection: Carolyn Robinson

I have just completed the first week of my short 2-week Practicum at Sunnyside Elementary and it was amazing. I had just the most wonderful time getting to know my class, teaching my first formal lessons, and learning from Kristen.

My week (unofficially) began on Thursday October 30th when I began establishing myself as a teacher within the classroom. As I have already reflected in great detail this specific day in my reflection from the last week, I will only mention that at the end of this day Kristen and I sat down and figured out the formal lessons that I would be teaching the class during my first full week. My lessons were as follows:

Monday: DPA (30 Min)
Tuesday: Descriptive Writing (40 Min)
Wednesday: SEL Lesson ( 1h 15m)
Thursday: Peace Window Art Lesson (2h30m)
Friday: DPA (30 min)

On Monday my first real experience teaching and managing the class in an activity was in DPA. I planned a game of California kickball outside with all the students. Considering it was my first lesson and first time organizing a whole class activity, I would say that I was fairly happy with the outcome. It took a bit of time to get the game, the equipment, and the students properly organized, but after about 10-15 minutes, there was a successful game of California kickball being played by the class. I definitely learned a lot about classroom management and organization from this lesson. I noticed that there are many ways that I could have improved the organization of the game and the students by altering how and when I delivered my instructions and expectations to the class.

On Tuesday my lesson plan was on descriptive writing. I was much better prepared for this lesson in terms of classroom management and organization. I made sure to try and clearly state my expectations to the class before starting the activities I had planned within the lesson. For the lesson, I had borrowed enough books from the library so that each student was able to have their own “descriptive-style book’ to refer to during the activities. Personally I think this worked out really well. This lesson plan one that required students to write their own descriptive paragraph at the end. I am currently in the middle of marking them (using the new grading system) and I am so pleased with how they turned out. It really feels good to see a topic that I taught be so well understood and applied by the students. I’m also so impressed with the creativity of some of the students within this assignment. One student even took it upon herself to make her own book about ‘Lizzards’ in which she describes the different ‘whats’ about lizards on each page. Although I was really happy with how this lesson went, of course I also learned a lot from it. I think the most important thing I learned after reflecting on this lesson was that it is so important to go over instructions a couple of times and perception check with the students afterwards.

On Wednesday I taught my SEL lesson plan, which was also observed by Dave. On the whole, I was extremely pleased with how the lesson went. During the lesson, I could really feel myself finding my place as a teacher within the classroom. Thanks to a lot of advice that Dave provided me with beforehand, I was really surprised with how well I was able to structure and explain the lesson to the students. I feel as if the students really engaged with the book as well as the ideas and activities that followed. In the middle of this activity, students went outside for a ‘brain-break’ before returning to complete the final part of the lesson. I think this was such a good decision as it allowed the students to get some energy out, process what they had just learned, and re-focus on the lesson once they returned to the classroom. It was great to see first hand the positive impact of brain breaks in the middle of a lesson. This lesson ended with an activity that allowed students to draw something they had never drawn before. After the drawings were complete, we had a class gallery walk in which the students all walked around the room looking at and appreciating the different art work of their classmates. This was a really special moment for me. I was so impressed with the students and the positive comments they all made about the artwork.

During my week, there are so many meaningful stories that I could share, but the one the stood out the most to me was at the end of this SEL lesson on the book ‘Ish’. As the students were walking around the classroom in the gallery walk, 1 student named Nick complimented another student named Kendall about how great his drawing looked. This was a really special moment because Nick is not always the most supportive person in the classroom, and sometimes says hurtful things to other students about themselves, their work, etc. Additionally, Kendall is a student in the classroom who often gets quite down on himself and his work, thinking that it is not good enough. It was so amazing to hear Nick compliment Kendall on his artwork in such a supportive way, and then to see Kendall so proud and happy about his drawing. After he class ended and the bell rang, Kendall even came over to me and thanked me for having such a fun activity. He then proceeded to ask me for more of the drawing sheets that I had provided the class so he could continue to make more new drawings. This was undoubtedly the most special moment of my week. Kendall was just so proud and motivated, it was wonderful to see.

On Thursday my lesson was in Art making stained-glass Peace Windows, which was inspired by Marc Chagall’s Peace Window at the United Nations in New York. I knew this lesson was a big undertaking and an even bigger risk being that it was only my first week teaching, but I really wanted to challenge myself and do something that the students would remember. Kristen was unbelievably supportive during this activity. She allowed me the long periods of time needed to accomplish it, and she definitely helped me with classroom management during it. Almost every single student was really excited about the activity, and it turned out to be a huge success. Although there were a couple self-conscious students that had a hard time with certain parts of the activity, I am excited to say that every single student in the class successfully completed the activity and made their own stained glass windows. It was great to see confident students helping out some of the more self-conscious and struggling students with the art project. Additionally, I was so blown away with the amount of help I received setting up, during, and cleaning up the art activity. Students, many of which volunteered during their lunch hour, stayed inside and helped me set up this big underatking. I think the risk paid off. Below is a picture of the stained glass pictures drying and then being laminated. Just wait until you see the finished products, after they have been outlined in black, at the Remembrance Day assembly.

The risk paid off in other ways too. It taught me so much more about classroom management during special activities such as this. I learned that it is a really good idea to provide students with other fun activities (such as related word-searches, cross-words, etc) while they are waiting for their turn at the different art stations.

On Friday I taught another DPA lesson, this time capture the flag. Kristen suggested that I have the students teach me the game, which I think worked out so well. They were all so excited to tell me the rules, organize, and to ‘teach the teacher’. Compared to Monday, this DPA lesson was far more successful. I used so many of the tips I had learned throughout the week from Kristen, as well as my own experiences, to organize this lesson so much differently. It was a great game and the kids and a blast.
A few questions that I have after my first full week are as follows:
What are some of the best techniques to manage the few students that like to disrupt the class on a regular basis?
How do you discipline a student for continually misbehaving, but still motivate them at the same time?
What other things can I do to help ELL learners?
How can I encourage students to finish their work on time?

A few goals that I have for my second week of practicum are:
Continue to improve my classroom management skills.
Move around the classroom more while teaching lessons.
Hold students more individually accountable during group-work.
Try to stop using ‘You Guys’ to refer to the class.
Get to know the students even better.
Use the classroom management board that Kristen has set up at the front of the classroom.

Sunnyside Elementary Reflections Week 4 (Oct 29th, 2015)

Today was the first (unofficial) day of my 2 week practicum in Ms. McCredie’s 5/6 split class. Some teacher roles that I took on within the classroom today were: taking attendance, helping a smaller group of students with math homework, handing out field-trip permission slip forms, and moving around the classroom talking to students about their science research projects.

Today my main focus of observation was on the 2 different types of questions asked within the classroom:

1. Instructional Questions
2. Inquiry Questions

Within the class, there is pretty much a constant stream of instructional questions being asked by many of the students. Questions such as: What are we doing next? When do I hand in my assignment? Can I go to the washroom? How much longer until we start the next activity? Can I work outside in the hall? Do we have homework tonight? Can I help hand out the worksheets? Are we going to have DPA this afternoon?

These types of instructional questions within the class are usually very quick to be answered by the teacher and most times they are a simple yes/no/soon/maybe answer. What is really interesting about observing these types of questions is how often they are asked throughout the course of a school day. So much of Ms. McCredie’s time before, during, and after activities is spent answering these types of questions for all of her students. It’s really interesting to observe exactly how much of the day is spent answering these types of instructional questions, as well as observing which students most commonly ask them. On this particular day, it appears as if the students who ask the most instructional questions are those with outgoing personalities, those who have a lot of energy, those who are hands on, those who like to be involved, and those who appear to be very outwardly stimulated by the various classroom activities.

Contrary to the many instructional questions asked throughout the day, I would say that I only observed several inquiry-based questions. The inquiry questions that I observed today appeared to take place during longer activities in which the students were able to focus on and engage with the material being taught. The main activity that I was able to observe these types of questions in was during the afternoon in science, when the students had to research in pairs about the 5 Different Kingdoms of Life. During this activity the students got to use textbooks, worksheets, and iPads to research their particular kingdom. As I walked around the class, I got a chance to speak with many of the students about what types of information they had found out about their kingdom. Every single student I spoke with was extremely excited and engaged with the assignment. They were thrilled to show and tell me about information they had already researched, and additionally, several of the students had great inquiry-type questions. Questions such as: What is the biggest shark and how does it become so big? Is bacteria the same as germs that makes people sick? Is coral an animal or would it be considered a plant and why? I thought all of these inquiry questions asked by the students were fantastic!! They were all really great questions that led them to ask further questions that were related to their original question. These questions show that the students were curious and that they wondered about something, which is exactly what inquiry is. It was really interesting to pay attention to these types of questions in the classroom and to observe when these types of questions were most prominently asked.

I think it is important to note though that today was an abnormally very busy and excitable day. There were many different activities that needed to be accomplished in a short time period of time, there were guest speakers that spoke to the class, there were several individual student reactions that disrupted the class slightly, and finally, the building excitement of the halloween dance was very evident amongst the students. Their ability to focus on this particular day was slightly off, which is likely why I was unable to observe more inquiry questions from the students.

I addition to the few great inquiry questions that I was able to observe today from the students, I also wanted to note that during the financial education presentation I was so taken aback by some of the intellectual and creative answers given by many of the students. These answers showed that this class is full of not only creative and smart personalities, but that these students are also fantastic critical thinkers. I am so excited to work with them more over the next 2 weeks and for the rest of the school year.

One big question that I have after my day in the classroom today is: what are some ways that can help to motivate a student that does not want to participate in a certain classroom activity?

SUNNYSIDE REFLECTIONS WEEK 3 (Oct 22, 2015)

Today was my first full day in Ms. McCredie’s grade 5/6 split class. It was so fantastic to finally be able to observe a class for the whole day and begin to understand many of the inner workings of the classroom.

Today my main focus of observation was on 4 key things:

1. Control Cues
2, Praise Statements
3. Management Strategies and Routines
4. Community Building and Class Environment Strategies

The control cue that is most commonly and effectively used within the class is the ‘gimmi-5’ method in which Ms. McCredie says gimmi-5, and puts up her hand while waiting for all students to also put up their hands, stop talking, and pay attention. This control cue is very effective in this class, and works quickly almost every time that it is used. I was also able to use this control technique with the class a couple of times throughout the day and also personally found it very effective.

The praise statements that I noticed today within the class were many. Firstly, Ms. McCredie is very complimentary towards students who actively listen, participate, and work hard. Additionally, there is a larger chart in the room that ranges from the positive: ‘outstanding job’ all the way to the negative: ‘call home to parents’. Every student in the class has their own individual close-peg in the middle of this chart, and their behaviour and efforts throughout the day controls which direction their close-peg travels. I love the way Ms. McCredie uses this chart to praise students, but also to remind to students when they begin going off-track in the classroom. It is great visual reminder for students. One way that Ms. McCredie praises the class as a whole is through a bucket of marbles at the front of the class. When the class impresses her, she adds marbles to the bucket. Eventually once the bucket is full, the students can then vote on a fun activity or a party as their reward. I think this is a great idea for a class-motivator! Finally, at the end of the day Ms. McCredie sought out a student (who often is distracted in class, but who had today done a great job focussing and completing work) and wrote a kind message in his planner for him to show his parents. I thought this was a really great way to personalize praise in a more unconventional way. I will definitely use many of these ‘praise techniques’ one day in my own classroom.

The management strategy/routine that is most prominent within the classroom is Ms. McCredie’s organization. On the white board at the front of the class, she has the entire day’s schedule written out for the students to see and follow along. Additionally, she always gives clear instructions about her expectations for the class in terms of assignments, activities, free-time, etc. Also, it appears as if the general structure of each week remains the same with only minor changes here and there for special events. These techniques and routines in the classroom appear to have a great ‘class managing effect’ on the students. Her organization provides the students with basic day structure but with flexibility within each day. It is a nice balance.

Community building so far within this class is great! Ms. McCredie has the students participate in a lot of group work, and she has also both modelled and created a classroom environment in which students all help one another. This is so fantastic from an SEL standpoint.

In addition to observing some of the control cues and praise statements today within the classroom, I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to try some of them myself. At several points throughout the day, Ms. McCredie allowed me to independently try a few management activities within the class. She provided me with an opportunity to properly introduce myself to the class and to explain to the students what my involvement throughout the year will be. Later on in the day, Ms. McCredie allowed me to independently get the students prepared and lined-up for DPA. This was a great opportunity for me to practice using her ‘gimmi-5’ control cue, which worked really well. Additionally, at several times throughout the day, I was able to move around the classroom and help students with the assignments they were working on. These moments allowed me to try praising students myself which was nice.

Overall, it was again a great day at Sunnyside. I really enjoyed spending the whole day in my class and getting to know the students better. To me, the most memorable and important part of my day was a long chat I had with Ms. McCredie about the different students and their different needs within the classroom. It was very eye-opening to hear about the wide-variety of issues that certain students struggle with in the class, and I think that is really important for me to begin to learn how to best support each student very early on.