Monthly Archives: September 2011

My Journey to the Middle: Update for Wednesday, 7 September 2011

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Burning questions were in short supply today so we forged ahead with our action-packed agenda.  It included…

Administrivia

Insert “laundry list” of items here.  Dave and I spoke about the following:

    • Disability Letter
    • Religious Observances Letter
    • Getting your CWL & CMS account set up
    • This Middle Years blog and its URL (which you already have or you couldn’t read this :] )
    • E-Coaching
    • TEO website and publications
    • Purchasing the EDUC 310 Reading Package at the bookstore
    • Buying a 2GB- 4GB flash drive to hold videos from class

Four-Corner Name Tags

We gave you some time to design a Four-Corner Name Tag to help everyone get to know you as quickly as possible.  In addition to your name, the name tag included – as far as I can recollect – an image related to:

  • your favourite drink
  • a hobby / favourite activity
  • place you’ve visited or would like too
  • your favourite snack [Thanks to Will T. for reminding me of the 4th item – LH]

You can find a description of a slightly modified version of the Four-Corner Name Tag activity here.  You can find the coolest name tag ever below:

My Journey to the Middle

In an effort to get to give us some insight into your background, Dave presented you with a writing task, a Where I’m From Poem.  The first Where I’m From Poem was written by George Ella Lyon and it’s read here accompanied by moving images.  I found it on the interweb and I think it’s called a video clip.  Here goes…

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdnHl_yW1dQ&feature=related[/youtube]

After showing you the model, we engaged in some pre-writing in response to prompts and, ultimately, we each drafted our own Where I’m From Poem.  After 20 or so minutes, Dave and I collected to pieces to read as a “ticket out the door“.

That’s all the goodness we could fit into today’s proceedings.  We’ll see you next week.

– Lawrence

SRL in the Middle Years TC Orientation: Update for Tuesday, 6 September 2011

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Welcome to a the 2011-2012 cohort of Midldle Years TCs.  This blog will serve as a record of what goes on in EDUC 310, EDUC 316, and LLED 320 (Term 2).  Those are the courses that Dave and I teaach.  Also, you’ll find information related to your practica in addition to bits and pieces on TC-related events.  Please note that this blog continues where last year’s and the year before that left off.  If you’re curious, you can peruse the old posts and see what cohorts in the past were up to.

Here’s what shook down on Day 1 of your “year long job interview”:

Kingpin as a Microcosm for the Year

Everything I needed to know thus far in life I’ve learned from movies.  Honest.  This clip from the Farrelly brothers comedy classic Kingpin condenses the Teacher Ed program into a tight 67 seconds.  It takes you from those nerve wracking early days on campus, to dealing with call outs in your classroom on prac, to the joyous victory that is graduation.  Enjoy!

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUSLiR0ZmbQ[/youtube]

Class Keeping

We took attendance and gathered contact information.

Instructor Introduction

Dave and I noted that we work from Monday to Thursday at UBC and spend Fridays working in schools in Coquitlam.

Perspectives on the Year

The MY program is small – 1 cohort of 27 in a sea of 38 other UBC Teacher Ed cohorts.  Be sure to self advocate so your voice doesn’t get lost.  Also, we stressed the importance of professionalism as you transition from student to professional and we set out the year-at-a-glance, indicating how coursework, practica, and breaks are spaced out over the course of 2011-2012.

In order to fully understand the requirements and regulations related to your B.Ed program, Dave and I urge you to read these publications from the UBC Teacher Education Office:

“Getting to Know You” Goal

We’d been talking for awhile at this point, so Dave and I wanted to give you a chance to get active and get to know one another a bit better.  To that end, we asked you to engage in the Newspaper Tower Challenge.  The task involved you answering the question “What’s the tallest tower you can build using only two sheets of newspaper?”  Here’s the handout I based the activity on:

You can find all the details on this Challenge and others on the PBS Building Big Educator’s Guide website.  By the way, here’s a YouTube clip showing how two groups of middle schoolers tackled the tower task:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD58pkqBXwE&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLEB8ECD7CE3ABAEC3[/youtube]

After a brief debrief, we adjourned class for the day and sent you off for a quick bite of lunch before the Faculty Orientation at the Chan Centre.

‘Til next time.

Cheers,

Lawrence