What differences are you noticing with your students?

It’s much easier to spot differences when you’re comparing two like things, I find. That being said, I have definitely noticed differences with my grade 8 textiles blocks. As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, one group is more academically inclined and more well behaved. They also happen to be the morning block, where you can argue that students are either more tired or are more likely to pay attention. The second group is the last block of the day and the rowdier of the two blocks. There are definitely students who are motivated to do well, but the greater majority of the class is harder to handle. The two differences in the two blocks were much more glaring when I first picked up the two classes: Most of what we were doing involved lots of worksheets and required a very structured class. Now that we have started the final projects and both classes are sewing for almost the entire class, they have become more pleasant to teach. I treat both classes the same in the way I get their attention. I think I’ve become better in my wait time, in that that I’m no longer impatient and jump the gun when it comes to getting their attention. I am able to wait for as long as I need to until I have everyone’s attention, and it surprisingly works with both periods (though one period takes longer than the other). In terms of planning, I plan the lessons the same for both classes. I tend to make the changes as I see fit during the class. For example, I have found I have done fewer demonstrations for the more academic class. They seem to be more capable in following and understanding the written directions. I still offer to do the demonstration, but I am not forcing everyone to attend it if they feel like they can continue without them. I am having to do at least two demonstrations for the second block. I have tried to do what I do with the first block with the second group, however I can see some students are falling behind, so I will probably have all students watch demonstrations for every step.

As for the 12s, I don’t have another similar group to compare them to. In comparison to the 8s, however, they are much more laid back. The major differences would be that Baking is an elective they want to take and not forced to take, and they are more concerned with their academics than their electives. So far, the only change I’ve made to that class, along with my 8s, is to keep their phones away, but it’s not working. I may actually have to modify and change the rule so that phones are still kept away during labs, but when they’re completely done phones are allowed.

3 things I learned during Pro-D

1. It’s definitely a time of collaboration with those in and outside of your subject area. I actually had 2 Pro-Ds last week, one specifically for teacher candidates. This session was great because we were able to discuss issues that may have arisen with our fellow colleagues. In the district wide Pro-D, many different workshops were held by teachers in the district, which any subject area could attend. It’s a time to hear many different perspectives on the same subject or issue.

2. It’s an opportunity to learn what the district values. Two themes that arose during the Pro-Ds were the recognition of aboriginal youth in education and how we can adapt our teaching to the culture, and thinking classrooms. It’s good to see if my values match those of the district.

3. Home Economics Pro-Ds are really fun! The Home Economics Pro-D in Burnaby was a tour of the Arts Institute, and a workshop on how to make gum paste flowers. The tour actually helps us plan how to meet one of the PLOs for senior foods classes. The workshop gave everyone ideas how to implement this into the classroom (in fact, my SA already does something similar with molding chocolate instead of gum paste). It was also a time for me to get to know some of the Home Economics teachers in the district.

Please comment on classroom management.  How you are finding dealing with your classes, and any challenges or successes you already have faced?

Each class has its own unique challenges. Although I find my two classes of 8s to be challenging, they are challenging for different reasons. With one, I have trouble keeping them engaged on tasks and doing something. They can get things done so quick that I run out of extra activities for them to do. The other is difficult because there are some students who don’t seem like they want to be in the class, or are craving attention. In saying that, though, I don’t have much trouble when it comes to being the authoritative figure. They know that I am someone they should respect and listen to, and the rules I lay for the room are the rules they have to follow. I had a small success on Friday afternoon with my more difficult class. I had considered doing a seating plan change and had received confirmation to do so, so that’s what I did. The group saw pretty much saw it coming when I told them to hold off on setting up their machines. I was met with a lot of resistance, but interestingly from the more well-behaved students. I still had them change seats, and in the middle of the period noticed the room was actually relatively quiet. I don’t know if that’s the kind of atmosphere I want to set, but it was a very pleasant surprise. The one student who gave me a lot of trouble actually finished two assignments, which I saw as a huge success. I won’t know until Tuesday if this will stick or not. I really hope Friday’s class was not a one-off day because I decided to change up the room.

With the seniors block that I’ve recently picked up, I’m feeling like age plays a factor into how the class has responded to me. For the most it is very positive; they listen when I ask for their attention, even if it does take a while. The only thing I changed in the classroom was the use of cell phones. My SA seems relaxed in the use of cell phones. Her philosophy for home economics is that it should be fun, and so conversation is encouraged and that also leads to cell phone use during labs. When I first picked up the group, I asked that they put away their cell phones, and I had my reasoning (food is a social thing that people gather around). I had to ask the same student several times to put her phone away, and she gave me attitude every time. I think because of my age and my overall appearance it’s a bit harder to see me as an authoritative figure. It could also be that they are used to a certain routine and are used to getting away with certain things. I may have to wait another week to kind of feel out the class. The last thing I want is for the class to feel like I am making Home Ec more like a chore than something fun. One thing I thought about as an alternative to asking them to put their phones away is to have everyone leave their phones out in a pile in each unit. It’s an activity I do with my friends at restaurants: We all put our phones at the centre of the table, and the first person to pick up their phone either pays for the meal or is made the centre of all our jokes for the rest of the time there. I will have to find another consequence though.

What surprised you (either positively or negatively) on your first week of practicum, and why was it such a surprise?

What surprised me the most was how much variation there can be between two blocks of the same class. My first week on practicum I taught two classes of grade 8 textiles. Not having a strong background in textiles, I was nervous to pick up this group first. Despite the nervousness, I thought my first class went well considering it was my very first class. I am fortunate enough to have two sets of 8s, so what didn’t do so well with the first class, I can adjust for the second. What I wasn’t prepared for was the variation between the classes. I quickly found out that one period seemed more advanced. The students seemed to be more academically inclined, and they were finishing and mastering activities faster than I can assign them. The second class required more patience and instruction. Many kids seemed impatient and didn’t want to do the tasks. One student in particular would try to have me do everything for him.

I knew there was going to be variation when I started. No two classes are the same. I just didn’t expect the variation to be that big. The difference in behaviours could be attributed to the block rotation system. This particular school does not rotate their blocks mostly to accommodate other programs at the school. That means block 1 is always the first block, and block 8 is always the last block. Students may be more restless near the end of the day, which would explain their behaviour. I personally think it’s also due to other programs that explain why certain students are placed in certain spots. The honours program at this school has students taking classes that are only available at certain time slots. This means less flexibility when placing them in the rest of their classes, and thus having one group that is more academically inclined than the other.

Although I can make adjustments to my lessons after teaching it to the first class, I still have to keep in mind that the two blocks are different, and the adjustments I may make for one class may not work for the other. They weren’t kidding when they say teachers have to be flexible, and now I learn that it’s more than just adjusting activities for time, but being able to adjust activities for the kind of class itself. As a student, you’re not aware of how different classes are. Teachers teach a lesson, and there’s only one way to do it. But in reality there is so much to consider when planning and carrying out your lessons, and it’s something I will definitely have to keep in mind when I plan my future lessons.

Another thing that surprised me this week? My voice. I know I can raise my voice when I have to. I think a part of that comes from my playing a pretty large instrument when I was younger, which required a lot of air to make any sound. I just rarely do so, so I never realized how loud it can be until this week when I accidentally scared/ made students jump by suddenly raising my voice. As a result, my throat is now sore. I actually don’t normally talk much in a day. I feel like I can get by with saying less than 2000 words a day sometimes. So going from that to suddenly having to speak clearly and frequently surely gave my voice a shock. I actually didn’t know voice strain was a thing until very recently, and I am very much hoping that my voice will adjust. A friend suggested that I be more mindful of my diaphragm, and that the volume and air of my voice should be coming from the stronger muscle rather than my throat, which makes sense as it’s exactly the same thing you do in music. I’ll also have to start to find different ways to get the attention of the class without having to basically shout over the noise, and that I don’t consider to be annoying or cheesy.