Carolyn's Adventures in Teaching

Sunnyside Elementary Reflection Week 2: Carolyn Robinson
October 15, 2015

Today my day at Sunnyside Elementary was both jam packed and eye-opening. In addition to observing the 3 regular classes we have been visiting the past couple weeks, today we also got to observe a Montessori class and 2 assisted learning classes.

In the assisted learning classes I observed today, I noticed that both teachers used a lot more scaffolding with the students to help assist them in their learning. When teachers asked questions, they followed them with many prompts, clues, and varying degrees of assistance depending on the child and their specific learning needs. Additionally, I noticed that in this particular class the amount of time it took most students to answer questions was much longer then in a traditional classroom. Some of the students that I observed in the assisted learning class were ones that I had also observed within regular classrooms. What struck me as really interesting about observing these students in the assisted learning class was how much more focused and academically successful they were with stronger 1-1 attention. I assume that it also helps to have activities designed to specifically help the child with the individual difficulties they experience in the classroom.

In the Montessori class I observed today, there was not a lot of questioning done by the teacher in the short time that I was in the classroom. Instead, the children of various ages worked independently on math workbooks. This was the first time I have ever observed a Montessori class, and I was so impressed with how independent and self-motivated all the students were, even the youngest student who was only 5 years old. I was so impressed with the mature composure of all students within the classroom and with how they all helped one-another in learning. I was also really impressed with their ability to self-regulate on their own. One question that I have about this Montessori class is how do the children in this class learn to become self-motivated so successfully?

I ended the day with 3 quick visits to my regular classrooms. One major thing that I noticed, specifically in Ms Steve’s and Ms. Au’s primary classes, was how much more adjusted and settled the children were in the classrooms compared to last week. In the little amounts of time that I have spent in these classrooms, it is obvious to me that both teachers have spent a considerable amount of time creating a safe, friendly, and structured class community with all of their students. From an SEL standpoint, this is fantastic. The last classroom that I visited today was Ms. McCredie’s grade 5/6 class – which I have just found out is the class I will be doing my extended practicum in. I am so thrilled to be teaching this class of amazing students. In this class today, my classroom observations were minimal as the children had a free period in which they all played on the playground. Although I was unable to make many classroom observations with this class, I was able to observe the children in a social setting which was really unique. I was able to see who some of the dominant personalities in the class were, as well as some of the more shy personalities. Additionally, it was interesting to see how the different friendships and relationships between students in the class transferred onto the playground. As a whole, they all played extremely well together, but I did notice a few social disagreements amongst a few of the girls in the class.

Once again, my day at Sunnyside was fantastic. I can’t wait to go back next Thursday and really start getting to know my extended-practicum class better.

Reflection: Day 1 at Sunnyside Elementary: Carolyn Robinson
October 8, 2015

My first day at Sunnyside Elementary was wonderful. Upon arriving this morning, we received a full tour of the school by Vice Principle Ms. Newman, and along the way, met many of the teachers and other faculty members of the school. Everyone was so kind and welcoming.

The first class that I observed today was Ms. Steve’s grade 1 class. The kids were amazing and so full of energy from the moment they walked though the door. The major observation that I had in this classroom was that since the children were so full of energy, they needed constant control cues from Ms. Steve to stay focused and on task. I love how Ms. Steve incorporated song, music, and class participation in her control cues. Another thing I noticed in this classroom was a poster of colour zones that relate specific emotions to certain colours. Since we are in the social-emotional learning cohort (SEL) it is great to see something like this being incorporated into the classroom to better help children express how they are feeling in a social setting. Another observation that I had in this classroom was how interactive the lessons were, which I think is fantastic. Ms. Steve used so many charts, colours, songs, books, and activities to engage her students and help them learn all together as a group. One final observation that I had in Ms. Steve’s class was that she incorporated a ‘brain break’ into her lesson plan. For the brain break she got all the children to stand up and led them through an active stretching routine. From an SEL standpoint, this was great.

The second class that I observed today was Ms. Au’s Grade 1/2 split class. Another amazing, creative, and energetic group of children. In this class the main thing that we focussed on was math. During this class I got to go around and interact with the students while helping them work on their math booklets. It was so great to see the look of accomplishment on a child’s face when they figured out the correct answer to a difficult problem in the booklet. A major observation that I had in this classroom was that there were no traditional desks, but rather circular tables which each sit 4-6 kids. I love this idea of a more social and interactive seating arrangement in the classroom. On a more social note, prior to me entering the class there had been an altercation at recess between two of the boys. During this math lesson, it was clear that emotions were still running high for the two students involved, and it was really interesting to observe how much it negatively impacted how they worked and were able to focus on the lesson. Although the event ultimately was very disruptive to the class, It was definitely the observation that stuck out as the most important to me, especially in terms of social-emotional learning. I think it was good to see how an event that occurred outside of the classroom at recess could have such a strong impact in the classroom and on the lesson.

The final class that I observed today was Ms. McCredie’s grade 5/6 split. Once again, a fantastic group of kids with great energy and so much enthusiasm. This was probably my most interesting experience of the day, as a lot of the students in this class appeared to be emotionally and/or physically drained from getting 4 different vaccinations in the morning. My time in this class began with silent reading. I love how in Ms. McCredie’s class she has several corner areas in the room with cushions that students could go lay on and read. I think it created a really relaxing environment for children to interact and learn. Next in this class, we watched a movie about how different children from all over the world get to school in the morning. Ms. McCredie had created an assignment in which the children were to first watch the movie and then afterwards choose a child that was featured in the movie to relate their own lives to. It was interesting to see the students really connect to the movie and the lesson. The kids were so enthusiastic about finding these connections to children from other areas of the world and to figure out what they had in common with each other and where they differed. It was so wonderful to see an assignment that allowed children to both connect to different people from around the world and to be creative in the process. From what I observed, I think this movie and assignment had a really positive impact on the group and got them thinking critically about themselves in relations to others. From an SEL standpoint, this activity was fantastic. An observation specific to this classroom was that the desks were arranged in clumps together, creating a more interactive and social environment in the classroom, which I love. Additionally, there was a great poster on Ms. McCredie’s desk that read “The answers to life are not at the back of a textbook”. I really love this idea and the type of learning that it promotes within the classroom.

The end of the day came all to fast! I had such an amazing time on my first day and got to work with three amazing teachers in three very different classrooms. Already I feel as if I am learning so much simply through the amazing examples of Ms. Steve, Ms. Au, and Ms. McCredie.