Category Archives: Lesson Updates

Little u & BIG U Understandings and Assessment: Update for Wednesday, 16 November 2011

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Administrivia


  • LLED 320 Timetable (Term 2): I proposed an alteration to the LLED 320 timetable.  I’ll confirm that it works for you in next Wednesday’s class
  • 2-Week Prac Unit Plan Conference Schedule: We passed around the sign up sheet.  Conferences are held with your FA.  The goal of this meeting is to help you get your head around your upcoming unit by clarifying your KUD and possible assessment.  Please bring your completed KUD table and any ideas you have on how to assess the degree to which your students grasp the KUD
  • 2-Week Prac Unit Plan Template: Here is a copy of the unit plan template Dave and I suggest that you use: UBD Unit Plan Template – Nov 11

KUD & Assessment

Rather than give you a long blurb on the connection between KUD and assessment, I thought I’d let you see an example of how results and assessment are connected and let you draw some conclusions from that experience.  So, here’s what we did:

  1. Looked over the handout: KUD, Performance Tasks, and Differentiating Instruction found here: KUD, Performance Tasks, and DI Handout.  The example related to a Science unit on weather.
  2. Considered what KUD students would need to have worked with in order to complete the assessment task.
  3. Designed another task based on the same KUD that used a different scenario

My goal here was to further clarify your understanding of KUD and show how it’s connected to assessment.  More to come on this in next Wednesday’s class.

– Lawrence

Classroom Observation Task Talk, Aoki Debrief, Powerful Inquiry Questions, & KUD Formative Assessment: Update for Monday, 14 November 2011

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Hang on tight as there’s a lot to cover here:

Classroom Observation Task Debrief

We used the Inside/Outside Circle strategy to process the information you gathered for the Classroom Observation Task.  At the end, we asked you to debrief the pros and cons of the strategy.

Aoki Debrief

Dave asked you to bring one a short piece of the Aoki text to share in class today.  You did so as part of a small group strategy called The Final Word.  This is a great strategy to use when you desire to develop the active listening skills of your students.

What makes a powerful inquiry question?


Seeing as today was our last inquiry-related reading, we thought we’d get you to look ahead and consider what a powerful inquiry question might look like.  To that end, we asked you to look over some questions from posed by last year’s TCs and the questions that Sims asked.  Then we asked you to complete this graphic organizer – The Frayer Model – as you considered the attributes, examples, non-examples and a graphic that fit with the question “What makes a good inquiry question?”.  Here’s the Frickin’, er… Frayer Model:

KUD Formative Assessment

After a brief review of the KUD definitions and a short blurb about the importance of KUD coherence – making sure each K and D fit with a U – I asked you to jot down your PLO and one item in each of the KUD boxes so I could formatively assess your understanding of the KUD writing process.  We’ll pick this thread up on Wednesday.

– LH

UBD Stage 1 – Desired Results (KUD): Update for Wednesday, 9 November 2011

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We forged ahead with our unit planning piece today starting with a Wordle of your one-word “I feel” responses to the UBD introductory PPT last session.  Here’s the Wordle:

Wordles are simple to create and can be a powerful teaching tool.

KUD Sort

In an effort to help you recognize the difference between:

  • K- know (facts, dates, vocab, definitions)
  • U – understand (“truths”, principles, theories, generalization, big ideas)
  • D – do (skills, behavioural outcomes)

We gave you a set of KUD statements (unidentified as such) and asked you to sort them into the category that they fit best.  Afterward, we did a Gallery Walk and checked your categorization against the Answer Key.

When a C4U indicated that understanding of each element of KUD was high, we developed KUD statements consistent with this Life Sciences: Ecosystems PLO from the Science 7 IRP:

  • Evaluate the human impacts on local ecosystems

We came up with a list of items under each heading and discovered that the PLO itself is actually a D – do, as it focuses on the skill that students should develop.  A K for this outcome would be a definition of ecosystem and a U could be that human actions impact ecosystems and/or organisms in an ecosystems are linked to one another.

To close, we asked you to apply your KUD understanding by choosing a PLO you’ll use on your 2-Week prac and developing a KUD chart for it.  Please bring this KUD chart to class on Monday, 14 November 2011.

Assignement Reminders

  • Reading #5 – Aoki Entrance Slip: Entrance Slip due on Saturday, 12 November 2011
  • Classroom Observation Task: Due via email or hard copy on Monday, 14 November 2011

 

– Lawrence

 

Lesson Planning Suggestions, Sims Inquiry Questions & an Intro to UBD Unit Planning: Update for Monday, 7 November 2011

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After a reminder about the Microteaching Analysis task due today and the Classroom Observation Task due next week, we got down to business.

Lesson Planning Suggestions

Dave and I require the you include both a Teacher Activity and Student Activity column in your lesson plans.  This will allow you to imagine what you will do as you teach and – perhaps more importantly – what the students will be doing as they learn.

We also urged you to include all of the Lesson Design components – mental set, stating the objective, input, modeling, checking for understanding, practice, and closure – whenever possible.  I made reference to the fact that 62 % of my non-management related comments to last year’s TCs on their 2-Week Prac referenced issues related to lesson design.  The better the design, the better the implementation and the better the learning.

You might be interested to see what my “What To Work On” comments were for last year’s TCs during their 2-Week Prac.  The first file is the comments I showed in class – the ones missing the management comments.  The second files contains all the suggestions.  Take a look and see if you can notice what themes emerge:

Sims Article Discussion


As a means of processing the Sims reading, Dave asked you to sort all of the questions she asks in the article into categories that made sense to you.  We then wrote those categories on the board and looked for some common threads.  The goal here was:

  • to consider the types of topics inquiry questions can deal with
  • to examine how questions can evolve
  • to consider the messy nature of inquiry.

Here’s a photo of the categories you came up with courtesy of Lovey’s writing and Eric Man’s camera (with a dash of Jan the ham mixed in):

Introduction to UBD

We started our look at unit planning today.  To that end, I shared a PPT slideshow that touched on some key ideas related to the Understanding by Design model.  Here’s that PPT presentation:

Also, here are the vignettes we played with in my session:

I will take a peek through your exit slips and comment on them at the start of next class.  Also, in that class we will take a deeper look at Stage 1: Desired Results.

Reading Entrance & Exit Slips


Here’s what’s due and when:

  • Monday, 7 November 2011 = Sims Exit Slip
  • Saturday, 12 November 2011 = Aoki (Reading #5) Entrance Slip
  • Monday, 14 November 2011 = Aoki Exit Slip

’til next time.

– LH

SSC, Teacher Inquiry is… & The Coyote Project: Update for Wednesday, 2 November 2011

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Stop. Start. Continue. Results

Dave presented the results from our formative assessment and outlined our thoughts on them.  You can find all of the ideas in each column here:

Teacher Inquiry is…


We asked you to consider the essential and non-essential elements of teacher inquiry using the article your Reading #3 article as a stimulus for your thinking.

The Coyote Project


In an effort to show you how an inquiry process might play out, I read The Coyote Project and asked you to use the strategy Thinking Bubbles as a during-reading activity.  TB is a strategy I first discovered while reading Brownlie & Close’s Beyond Chalk & Talk.  Beyond Chalk & Talk It’s a great book full of hands-on and minds-on collaborative learning strategies.

Susan Close describes the TB strategy this way:

“With this tool learners generate what they think a character is picturing, sensing, thinking, saying, feeling and noticing in thinking bubbles – revealing cartoon-like representations.”

Post-reading I asked you to add any other ideas to our list of essential characteristics.  In the end, here’s what our list looked like (Thanks to Jerin for the photo – LH):

Upcoming Due Dates

  • Wednesday, 2 November 2011 = Reading #3 Exit Slip
  • Thursday, 3 November 2011 = EDUC 315 Day 3 Reflection
  • Saturday, 5 November 2011 = Sims Entrance Slip
  • Monday, 7 November 2011 = Microteaching Analysis

That’s all for today.

– LH

Microteaching Analysis, EDUC 315 Debrief, & Henderson Discussion: Upadte for Monday, 31 October 2011

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Here’s all the news that fit to print about today’s class:

Microteaching Analysis

Dave and I want you to complete the analysis task in a partnership.  Please watch the video of your lesson with the following analysis questions in mind:

Your answers to these questions can be a part of any end product that you desire.  The key is that you cover all the questions thoughtfully and that your responses are clear to the reader.  For instance, if you were to create a collage, you would need to include a one-pager of writing explaining how the collected images represent answers to the analysis questions.

This task is due on Monday, 7 November 2011.  Please submit it to the instructor who saw your original presentation on the 24th.  Remember that Dave was in room 204 and I was in room 207.

EDUC 315 Debrief

We started by asking you to complete a 3-2-1 on your practicum experience to this point.  We took some time to discuss the 3-2-1 results, and then touched on the following Tuesdays Practicum items:

– Timetable: Please submit your teaching timetable to your FA ASAP

– EDUC 315 Lesson You’ll Teach:  Please submit a lesson plan to your SA and FA at least 24 hours in advance of the plan’s implementation.

You may use whatever planning outline/format you would like but make sure you have included all of the components of effective lesson design.

The one non-negotiable for your lesson plans is this – you must include a “Teacher” and “Student” column for each stage/component of the lesson.  This will help you to avoid long spells of student (relative) inactivity that may not be obvious if your plan focuses simply on what the teacher is doing.

– Classroom Observation Task: Please continue to gather data to support the completion of this assignment.  It’s due on Monday, 14 November and can take the form of an end product of your choosing.  Please submit your task to your FA.

– Unit Plan Topic for the January Prac:  Please talk with your SA about the subject and topic you’ll be teaching during your Two-Week Prac in January.  This unit plan will be a sequence of 6-10 lessons and it should focus on one or two PLOs.  I suggest you and your SA nail down which specific PLOs you should cover ASAP.  The more clarity you have about your objectives, the easier the planning process becomes.  Trust me on this one.

Henderson Article Discussion

Now I realize most of you weren’t born when Paul Henderson scored this 1972 Summit Series winning goal against the USSR in Moscow on 28 September 1972 (Heck, I was only 2!) but I’m sure you’ve all seen the iconic photo above and heard Foster Hewitt’s famous call of the goal.  What’s that?  You’re not familiar.  Well, click below to hear all about it:

Oh, and I mocked Bob Cole while I praised Foster Hewitt.  Colesy did have his day.  Check out this collection of clips for some great calls:

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

Oh, were was I?  Yes, the article.  We focused on the four problem solving approaches outlined in Chapter 4:

  • Academic Problem Solving
  • Empirically Sound Problem Solving
  • Intuitive Problem Solving
  • Historically Aware Problem Solving

After giving you some time in a small group to refresh your memory on a particular P.S. stance, we asked you to consider the problems presented in a case study – Kelsey Cheats – from the perspective of that particular stance.

Then, you had a chance to role play a team meeting at which solutions to the problems of Sonja – the teacher in the case study – were discussed.  Feedback from the Henderson Exit Slips indicated that the role plays were an effective way to consider different approaches to solving a common problem.

Reading #3: Article of Choice

For Tuesday, 1 November 2011, please use the Vista site to post an entrance slip with some thoughts on one of the inquiry projects posted on one of these sites:

Due Date Rundown:

Here’s an image of the upcoming due dates that we presented in class:

– Lawrence

 

 

 

Microteaching Presentations & a Few Bits and Pieces: Update for Monday, 24 October 2011

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We had a full day ahead of us so we started with a bit of admin and headed right into the lesson presentations.  Here’s how it went:

Administrivia

Learning Team

The SRL Learning Team hosted by SD43 has its first meeting on Tuesday, 15 November 2011 from 4:00 to 6:30 at a site TBA.  The second session is on Tuesday, 10 January 2012 at the Four Seasons Vancouver.  Oh, what’s that, Dave?  That reservation fell through.  OK, it looks as though the location of the January meeting is still TBA as well.

SA Timetables In To Your FA

Please submit a paper or electronic copy of your timetable to your FA.  This will help us plan our observation schedules in January and on the long prac.  Here’s what we’re looking for:

EDUC 315 Reflections

Please use the What? So What? Now What? template for your reflections.  Avoid a “shotgun” approach and keep your writing focused on one key What? idea.

Here is the template – in .doc format this time (not .docx) – for your reference:

Microteaching Lessons

Thanks to all today’s presenters.  Below you will find supporting PPTs/Prezis – if the group used one – for each lesson:

[Please note:  I’m having a great deal of trouble uploading the slideshows to the blog.  If and when I can rectify the problem, I’ll post the microteaching-related presentations.  In lieu of the PPTs/Prezis, I’ve posted a video below of what appears to be quite a memorable lesson in a History class  – LH]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR3CvcOzfnE[/youtube]

Dave’s Group:

  • 1st Time Hiking – Pooja & Lovey
  • Earthquake Survival Kit – Liz & Matt
  • Fair Trade Coffee – Claire & Amy V.
  • Mojitos – Melissa & John
  • How to Bake Cookies – Ali & Nicole
  • Yoga – Paisley & Andrea
  • Nutrition on the Go – Ashley & Jerin

Lawrence’s Group

  • Dress to Impress 101 – Jan & Julie
  • Treating Shock – Carrie & Amanda
  • How to Pitch a Tent – Eric & Eric
  • Cantonese Speaking 101 – Will & Jess
  • Beer Pong – Tim & Dave
  • Settlers of Catan – Christina & Amy S.

See you on Monday, 31 October.  Have a good week.

– Lawrence

Beliefs Hierarchy Revisited, Active Listening, 315 Prep, Conceptions of Teaching, & Microteaching Prep: Update for Monday, 17 October 2011

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In the spirit of Trooper, we were here for a good time AND a long time (3.5 hours!):

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

Here’s how we spent our 210 minutes together:

Stop. Start Continue:

Dave and I asked for some formative assessment of our practice using a Stop. Start. Continue organizer.  We appreciate your comments, and we will report out on our findings in a subsequent lesson.  In doing this, we are both aiming to gather suggestions for refining our instruction and modeling the importance of seeking feedback from students.

Here’s a link to how a teacher in England uses S. S. C. with her students: Action Research – Stop, Start, Continue.

Beliefs Hierarchy Revisited & Active Listening

After a quick write on a triad of beliefs-related questions, Dave asked you to discuss your key beliefs with a partner.  Prior to the discussion, he reviewed 4 methods of active response to use during a conversation.  Those methods are:

  • Paraphrasing
  • Perception Checking
  • Ask Questions
  • Say More

These active listening techniques will prove particularly useful during discussions with your SA and the students you’ll teach.   The more you practice them, the more comfortable you’ll be sliding them seamlessly into the conversation.  Even if your aren’t the smoothest at first, you will certainly come across as more eloquent than ol’ Vicky Pollard:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mpMEnxcVkA[/youtube]

EDUC 315 Prep

We took a few questions and outlined what you can expect from your SA:

Next, we outlined the format for your weekly practicum reflections.  You are to complete a reflection after each of your 6 in-school Tuesdays and email them to your FA.  Each reflection is due on the Tuesday evening.  Here’s the template for your reflection:

Conceptions of Teaching

Having already considered the Freire piece in your Entrance Slips, Dave and I thought it would make sense to look at some other conceptions of teaching.  We chose to view / read the following with this question in mind:

  • What teacher qualities are indispensible in this conception of teaching?

Sir Ken Robinson –TED Talk (as interpreted by RSA Animate)

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U[/youtube]

Adora Svitak – TED Talk

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-bjOJzB7LY&list=PL454495DD4F6692B4&index=1[/youtube]

William Ayers – 2-pages from To Teach: The journey of a teacher

Here’s a clip explaining how Ayers’ book was transformed into a graphic novel:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2Uwcw2DzaY[/youtube]

Oh, and for good measure, here’s “an incredible conversation” with Paolo Freire:

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

After considering the key qualities of a teacher implied in each speaker’s / author’s vision, we asked you to “bring to life” each conception of teaching.  These brief presentations were a lot of fun to watch and should provide food for thought as you begin to articulate your own philosophy of teaching.

Please remember to post your Freire piece Exit Slip on the Vista site by the end of the day. In your Slip please write 2 or 3 sentences on how your thinking has changed, how your outlook has  been enlarged, or touch on any other reaction to Freire or the in-class work on conceptions of teaching.

Microteaching Preparation Time

To start, we outlined the Microteaching schedule and here it is:

 

Then we took some time to review the Microteaching Lesson Plan format and Dave and I conferenced with the groups.  We look forward to seeing the presentations on Monday, 24 October. Please be sure to bring a hard copy of your lesson plan to class, to review the criteria for the task, and to bring all required materials / resources.   Here’s the task handout for your reference:

’til Monday.

– Lawrence

Lesson Design Jigsaw & Yeti and Introduction to POT: Update for Wednesday, 12 October 2011

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Dave and I spoke quickly so we could wedge all this goodness into today’s class.  Here’s the recap:

Administrivia

Class Calendar:  We’ve rolled Wednesday’s one hour of class time into Monday’s session on October 17th and 24th.  That means you get Wednesday off (giddyup!) and that the schedule for those Mondays will be as follows:

  • 10:00 am – 12:00 pm = Class in Room 204
  • 12:00 pm – 12:30 pm = Lunch
  • 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm = Class in Room 204

Lesson Design Jigsaw & the Yeti of the Classroom

As per the images above, we played with Jigsaw as a means to process the important content around the Lesson Design.  We moved from expert groups to base groups and, in the end, grew your knowledge about each of the seven components of LD. We wrapped by revisiting the Anticipation Guide I presented as an intro to the topic.

Did you see what I did there boys and girls?  Closure.  Honest to goodness.  The only thing more rare is one of these:

You’ll get a chance to work with these components as you prepare and implement your Microteaching lesson in POT/COM class.  Speaking of which…

Intro to Principles of Teaching (POT)

After spending half an hour or so watching Cheech and Chong clips on YouTube, we got down to the real business of POT at UBC.  Here’s the course overview PPT that I presented in class:

Then, Dave showed the EDUC 310 Vista site and asked you to do the following:

1. Read the Paulo Freire piece in the EDUC 310 Reading Package – “Teachers as cultural workers: Letters to those who dare to teach”

2. Visit the EDUC 310 Vista site in the Entrance Slip: Conceptions of Teaching area in the Discussion tab.  Here’s an image to help you find the proper place to post:

3. Respond to the piece in writing in any way that suits you.  You may create an original piece of writing – the discussion questions drafted by the course overseer, Anne Phelan, and posted below might help – or you may choose to react to someone else’s response and post that reaction.

The due date for your Freire-themed piece is Friday, 14 October 2011.

Hierarchy of Beliefs

Seeing as we’re asking you to consider Freire’s conception of teaching, we thought we’d give you time to consider what you think is important in education.  To that end, we asked you to complete a “hierarchy of beliefs”, a task that involved organizing a variety of teaching and learning-related statements.  We ran out of time to process your efforts so we will revisit this task next class.

Sayonara,

– Lawrence