Tag Archives: Me in a Bag Speech

Me In A Bag Analysis Task Gallery Walk & EDUC 315 Planning/Preparation: Update for Wednesday, 28 September 2011

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MIAB Gallery Walk

The cohort’s creativity shone clearly as, after a quick PMI + Metacognitive Q on the process of completing a differentiated end product, we went on a Gallery Walk to examine all the tasks.  Everything from maps to game boards to mind maps to mirrors to film canisters to toolboxes t0 Prezis to film reviews to videos to… you get the picture!  There was an incredible array of items on display thus emphasizing the exciting possibilities when students are given choices to express themselves through means consistent with their abilities and interests.

Here are a small sampling of the MIAB tasks (posted because they are on my HD or easily accessible on the interwebs at the moment -LH).  First up is Paisley’s, followed by a screen capture from Will’s Prezi and wrapping up with John and Jan’s video:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFsosVUtYu4[/youtube]

Classroom Observation Task

While on the Tuesdays Practicum, we want you to be thinking critically about the role of communication in your SA’s classroom.  To that end, we are assigning the EDUC 316: Classroom Observation Task.  This assignment asks you to analyze four aspects of classroom communication:

  • Map of the Room
  • Use of Questions
  • Interpersonal Interactions
  • Lesson Flow

The task is due on Monday, 14 November 2011.  For ease of reference, the task handout is below:

School Visits Rotation Schedule & Planning Time

Dave and I handed out the schedule for our upcoming school visits rotation and gave you time to meet with the classmates that you’ll be touring with to arrange transportation.

We asked you to arrive at the school office by at least 8:15 am on the morning of your visit.  We’ve alerted the office staff, administrative officers, and SAs to your arrival and chosen one SA to greet you and facilitate the organization of your day.

Below you’ll see the Practicum Rotation Visits Schedule and a map of the Coquitlam School District to help find out exactly where you need to go:

Later alligators.

– Lawrence

MIAB Wrap Up, Mind Mapping, & the Field Trip Fair: Update for Wednesday, 21 September 2011

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Here’s what happened today in the Wide World of POT/COM.  Luckily, there were no “agony of defeat” moments:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2AZH4FeGsc[/youtube]

Administrivia

After a short debrief of the Digital Tattoo presentation, we asked all persons interested in sitting on the MY Cohort Social Committee to seek out Andrea.  Then, we took some time to outline our plans to get you ready for EDUC 315: the Tuesdays Practicum.  Here’s the plan:

  • Monday, 26 September: Submit completed TC Profile to Dave and Lawrence vie email
  • Tuesday, 27 September: Attend Pre-Practicum Seminar (more details below in this post)
  • Tuesday, 4 October: Middle School Rotation, Day 1 (AM and PM)
  • Tuesday, 11 October: Middle School Rotation, Day 2 (AM) and Post-Rotation Debrief (PM)
  • Tuesday, 18 October: 1st Day in Practicum Placement for EDUC 315
  • Tuesday, 22 November: 6th (and final) Day in Placement for EDUC 315

Pre-Practicum Seminar

Before you enter the field, Dave and I want to cover “Everything You Wanted to Know About Having a Successful Practicum Experience But Were Afraid to Ask”. We’ll do that in a two-part Pre-Prac Seminar on Tuesday, 27 September.  Here’s how the day breaks down:

  • Part 1: Getting Energized – 11:00 am – 12:30 pm in Scarfe 204
  • Lunch: 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm in Scarfe 1328
  • Part 2: Getting Informed – 1:30 pm – 4:00 pm in Scarfe 1328

Traditionally the lunch on this day has been a potluck.  It’s up to you and the Social Committee to make this happen, of course.

More MIAB Speeches & the MIAB Speech Analysis Task

When the final four speakers per group had presented, I took some time to outline the post-speech task.

In an effort to stimulate improvement in your verbal and non-verbal communication skills, what you need to do is watch the video of your speech and consider the following questions:

  1. What are my strengths as a speaker?
  2. What challenges did I face when delivering this speech?
  3. What goals will I set for my next speech / presentation?

You can use the “Me in a Bag Speech” Assessment Criteria / The 8 Ps of Powerful Presentations as a framework for this analysis and you can touch on any other aspects of your talk that strike you.

Now, the beauty of this task is that you can present this content information – your thoughtful and detailed answers to the 3 questions above – via any end product you see fit.  This approach to the assignment is consistent with the princicples of differentiated instruction (DI):

Here’s a 6 minute clip with some basic info on DI at the K-12 and university levels:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJmEiQ4HmEc&feature=PlayList&p=4C5E68673251FE37&index=1[/youtube]

To get you personally connecting with the task, I asked you to brainstorm a list of product options in class – which I promptly forgot to write down.  That said, you could consider analyzing your speech using:

  • a map
  • a song
  • a poem
  • a comic strip
  • a dance
  • a news article
  • a poster
  • a graphic organizer
  • a Prezi presentation
  • a game show
  • a model / diorama
  • a sculpture
  • a collage
  • an interpretive dance

The possibilities are well and truly endless.  The key, however, is to ensure that whatever product you choose is conducive to clearly demonstrating the content. Some products may need  to be accompanied with a one-pager that makes all three aspects of the analysis clear.

I’m  looking forward to seeing what sort of creations you come up with by the due date, Wednesday, 28 September 2011.

Introduction to Mind Mapping

We are asking you to attend the 9th Annual Field Trip Fair for Teachers on Monday, 26 September 2011 from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm at Science World.  After the event, we are expecting you to choose one of the available field trips to mind map.  Here’s the task handout:

To prepare you for this task, Dave took some time to highlight the salient aspects & advantages of mind mapping as presented in this video clip starring Tony Buzan, the “inventor” of mind mapping and, I believe, past-president of the Hair Team for Men:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlabrWv25qQ[/youtube]

Here are some model mind maps for you to look at:

This next one’s pretty meta as it’s a mind map on how to mind map.  Whoa!  The only thing cooler is Kramer’s coffee table book about coffee tables!

If you’re interested, here’s a link to Mr. Orr’s website with instructions on The Steps in Creating a Basic Mind Map.  If you prefer your info in PDF form, here’s a two-pager on Mind Mapping.

As a guided practice piece, Dave asked you to mind map information you found on the SD43 website.

That’s all for today.

Cheers,

– Lawrence

What You Want to Learn & Me In A Bag Speeches: Update for Monday, 19 September 2011

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We had a packed class today and here’s a rundown of all the goodness we could wedge in:

Administrivia


  • Digital Tattoo Presentation
    • All TCs are expected to attend the Digital Tattoo (in essence, your digital identity) presentation that will be held on Tuesday, 20 September 2011 from 10:00 am to 11:30 am in SCARFE 100.  For more information on your DT, lease see the presenters’ website at digitaltattoo.ubc.ca.
  • TC Profile
    • Please see the previous post for information about what the TC Profile is and how to complete it.  This task is due on Monday, 26 September 2011.  Please email your completed profile to both Dave (dunnigan@mail.ubc.ca) and I (lholbrook@sd43.bc.ca).
  • Laptops and Flash Drives to Class on Wednesday, 21 September 2011
    • We will be using the flash drives to store your MIAB speech video and the laptop to surf the interwebs.  If you don’t have a laptop, that’s OK.  You’ll be able to complete the in-class task we’re working in with a partner.
  • Social Committee
    • If you are interested in sitting on the Middle Years Cohort Social Committee – a group that organizes potlucks, outings, and gatherings – please see Dave or I.

What You Want to Learn

Dave led you in a brainstorming and categorization session all aimed at figuring out the teaching-related topics you are keen to know more about.  Dave will type up the topics in their categories and we’ll post the results on the blog soon.

Me In A Bag Speeches

After considering:

  • a rationale for public speaking tasks
  • reviewing the MIAB Speech criteria (“The 8 Ps of Powerful Presentation” + Content Criteria)
  • A/B partner rehearsal
  • choosing a speaking order

    we started delivering the speeches for real!

    Thanks to all those that presented and to all those that gave feedback using a…

    We’ll finish the speeches in Wednesday’s class.

    ‘Til then.

    – Lawrence

    Name-Ball Pass, Where I’m From, Destinations, and More: Update for Monday, 12 September 2011

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    This week we really hit our stride.  Here’s what shook down:

    Name-Ball Pass

    This game is great for working on goal setting, problem-solving, and – to some degree – learning the names of classmates.  After a few tries we managed to pass the ball from person to person in a not-too-shabby 13 seconds.  Here are the instructions for this icebreaker:

    Speaking of passing, check out this clip featuring some of Magic Johnson’s best assists (NOTE:  This is an all-ages blog so I won’t include any examples of extremely prolific passer Wilt Chamberlain’s in action):

    [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz9M3_15w1o[/youtube]

    Revisiting the Where I’m From Poems

    Dave asked you to get into small groups and discuss the question:

    How do you feel your personal journey and influences have provided you with the qualities to be an effective teacher?

    Destinations for the SRL in the MY Cohort

    Clarity of purpose is important in any endeavour and it’s particularly important in education.  To that end, I shared a PPT slideshow that outlines, in very general terms, our objectives for the year.  Here’s the presentation:

    Me in a Bag Speeches

    In our ongoing efforts to get to know you all better and to give you an opportunity to hone your presentation skills, we’ve assigned a Me in a Bag speech.  Here is the outline and criteria sheet associated with the task:

    Seeing as a picture is worth 10X10X10 words, Dave and I each modeled a speech for you.  Dave spoke about his Canuck’s lunch kit, a set of ukulele strings, and a photo of his daughter.  I referenced my push up bar, a book on horse race handicapping – Commonsense Handicapping by Dick Mitchell, and my Spinal Tap concert shirt.

    Our post-speech analysis was structured into a feedback sandwich as per the structure indicated in the graphic below.

    We’ll use the “sandwich” format to provide feedback on your speeches.

    Please have your bag and three objects from your life ready for class on Monday, 19 September.  Remember that one of the objects needs to reflect your experiences in the “middle years.”

    Intro to Self-Regulated Learning

    To end class, Lynda Hutchinson delivered a short presentation on SRL.  I’ll post the PPT slideshow when I have it.

    That’s all folks.

    – Lawrence

    The Final (Practicum) Countdown & MIAB Speech Analysis Tasks Gallery Walk: Update for Monday, 4 October 2010

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    NOTE: You’ll get so much more enjoyment out of this post if you read it while the music from this video plays.  Trust me.

    [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyggY_R3jU8&p=61349DCC17CB1C98&playnext=1&index=55[/youtube]

    Clock Partners

    Clock Partners are a great way to set up partnerships in a classroom setting.  It gives students some choice over who they will speak/work with for a given activity while speeding up the partner finding process.  Here’s the Clock Parnters sheet I handed out for you to record your appointments.  There are instructions for the activity on the back of the page:

    Weekend Rating

    We found our 6 o’clock partner (I think) and rated our weekends… positively, on the whole.

    Pre-Prac Prep Wrap Up

    Improv

    In a nod to my weekend – I went to see live Improv with Ryan Stiles and Greg Proops of Whose Line Is It Anyway? fame – we did some improv to get our brains working this morning.  We started with “Hey, what are you doing?” and progressed to One Word Story.  Directions for these activities and many, many more can be found in the online Impvov Encyclopedia.

    A video clip with hilarious highlights from one of Richard Simmons’ visits on WLIIA? is below.  Watch at your own risk!

    [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTxkxG3DF4k[/youtube]

    Protocols

    Please observe the following protocols when you arrive at the schools:

    • Arrive by 8:30 am
    • Check in at the office and meet the secretaries
    • Expect to wear a Visitor Badge to identify yourself as a guest in the building
    • Smile and make eye contact with students you meet
    • After OKing it with the classroom teacher, interact with students as they work
    • Use the Staff Washrooms
    • Bring a journal and take notes in it about what you see
    • Have fun!

    SA Expectations

    A lot is expected of you during practicum.  You can expect your SA to support you as you grow into a dynamic beginning teacher, mind you.  Below is a list of the type of assistance your School Advisor should be offering:

    • Get to know your teacher candidate. Endeavour to create a warm, friendly working relationship.
    • Learn specific strengths and needs of your teacher candidate. What does s/he need to know and understand about you and your classroom to help ensure a successful working partnership?
    • Be a listener: Be empathetic, patient, and encouraging. Provide opportunities for your teacher candidate to discuss what was learned in coursework on campus.
    • Introduce your teacher candidate to your class as a “teacher.”
    • Help your teacher candidate become a welcome and participating member of the school staff.
    • Maintain open communication and consultation with the faculty advisor.
    • Ensure that the match between your teacher candidate and yourself and your class is appropriate. Raise any concerns with the faculty advisor and/or school coordinator at the earliest opportunity.
    • Provide opportunities for your teacher candidate to become familiar with the school and district personnel.

    If you feel your needs for support in the classroom aren’t being met, please advise me as soon as possible.

    Teacher Presence – Introducing Yourself

    As a dress rehearsal for tomorrow’s meetin’ and greetin’, I asked each TC to:

    • State the name they want to go by in the classroom
    • Give a brief introduction of themselves

    EDUC 315 Task Expectations

    Journal: Bob and I are asking you to keep a journal of your thoughts as you tour the school and, eventually, as you work with your SA on 6 consecutive Tuesdays starting on 19 October.  Here are some observation tips that will help you focus your classroom viewing:

    Lesson: Also, at some point, you will need to teach (a minimum of) one lesson.  The what and when of this lesson will be worked out with your SA.  We’ll be covering a lesson planning format soon in class.  We ask that you please email a lesson plan to us 24 hours in advance of your teaching and that you send us a copy of your reflection on the lesson, too.

    Me In A Bag Gallery Walk

    There was great diversity in the post-speech analysis products on display in class this morning.  We viewed them with a Gallery Walk strategy and I collected all the pieces at the end.  It was a bit hard to hear the songs, so I’ll take time next class to play them for the whole group.  Also, next class we’ll consider the benefits and drawback of differentiating end products in your middle level teaching.

    That’s a wrap.  I may bump into some of you in the morning as I visit various schools firming up the placements.  Of course, I’ll see all of you in the Montgomery Middle School Library at 1:30 for a debrief of the morning’s happenings.  (I promise to not make any mention of M. Night Shyamalan’s movie The Happening, if you don’t.  Here’s a way better Happening from The Pixies that I’d be more than happy to talk about:

    [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWNm1ZF8wwg[/youtube]

    Later alligators.

    – Lawrence

    How To Do EDUC 315: Update for Wednesday, 29 September 2010

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    Today was a follow up from yesterday’s goings on.  Here’s what shook down:

    Me In A Bag Speech Analysis Task

    I reviewed the expectations for the assignment and reminded you of the Monday, 4 October 2010 due date.

    Ropes Course Debrief

    I asked you to give me the following information:

    • List of activities you engaged in
    • Your favourite ropes course activity and why
    • A rating of the Ropes Course experience from 1 to 11 and your reasoning
    • A completion of this sentence stem… “I used to think… but NOW I think… because…”

    (I’ve left your feedback slips at home but I’ll insert it into this post when I’ve put it together. -LH)

    Professional Demeanour on Practicum

    I asked you to consider the question “What will professionalism look like in a school setting?” and to create a role play around one professional behaviour.  The role play had to give a no example and a yes example.  After developing criteria for an effecitve role play, you took time to plan, rehearse and present.  The role plays were enlightening and humourous.

    Of course, we can’t fully prepare you for the practicum through classroom work on campus.  You need to be in the schools and experience it for yourselves.  There is no “How To Do It” video for teaching like there is for these the skills covered in this clip:

    [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNfGyIW7aHM[/youtube]

    Cheers.

    – Lawrence

    Me in a Bag Speeches Redux: Update for Wednesday, 22 September 2010

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    While you rolled into class I asked you to take a small slip of paper and write on it something that you would not find in your grandmother’s kitchen.  We used these slips of paper for our first activity:

    A/B Partners Impromptu Speaking

    After brainstorming a variety of ways you could approach an impromptu speech on an object, I asked you to find a partner and speak for 50 seconds – after 10 very important seconds of think time – on the object listed on a randomly selected slip of paper. The items you had to speak about were liquor and a coffee maker.

    Me in a Bag Speeches: Take 2

    We continued with the Me in a Bag speeches today.  Thanks to all who presented.  We’ll finish the final 6 in Monday’s class.

    Administrivia

    • TC Profile: It’s due on Monday, 27 September.  Please see an earlier post for the template and more details.
    • Pre-Prac Prep & Ropes Course: I handed out the waiver and medical form that need to be completed in order to participate at the Ropes Course.  While ‘ll put up another post with more details about this day, the forms can be found below:

    Beyond Verbal Delivery: A Reading from Communication for the Classroom Teacher, 9th Edition by Simonds and Cooper

    In an effort to extend your thinking about language and its use in the classroom, I’m asking you to read Chapter 4 from the Simonds and Cooper text.  Please use the Sticky Notes strategy to pick out 3 interesting ideas in the reading and to comment on why those sections speak to you.  Write your thoughts on the text’s ideas on the sticky note itself.  You could write:

    • a conection
    • a reaction
    • a question
    • an inference
    • a prediction
    • or some other thoughts that occur as you consider the piece of selected text

    Be prepeared to discuss your 3 sticky notes and the text chunks they relate to in class on Monday, 27 September 2010.

    Sticky Notes is a simple but powerful strategy that can be used in both non-fiction and fiction contexts.  Here’s a quick blurb on how to do it:

    OK, that wraps it up.  Enjoy your weekend and I’ll see you on Monday.

    – Lawrence

    Let the Artifact Speeches Begin: Update for Monday, 20 September 2010

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    I’ll start with a big thank you to Alice for doing this morning’s videotaping.  Who will be the victim, er… budding cinematographer next class?

    Artifcat Related Warm Up

    To get your body moving and your brain fired up we played What Is It?, an object transformation drama game.  Each class member took a scarf and transformed it into another object – a kite and an elephant’s trunk, among many other things – while class members guessed about what “artifact” the scart had become.  You’ll find the guidelines for the game, along with instruction for many other drama games, in this handout:

    What Is It? & Other Drama in the Classroom Activities

    Me in a Bag Speeches

    After discussing the learning intentions – the goals – for this task, we:

    • Reviewed the task criteria
    • Rehearsed with A/B partners
    • Looked at past examples of the Post-Speech Analysis activity
    • Chose a speaking order
    • Reviewed what active listening looks like
    • Started the speeches

    Here is the full speaking order, if you’re curious about where you fit into the mix:

    1. Sarah
    2. Jeremy
    3. Maria
    4. Amber
    5. Lou
    6. Devin
    7. Melanie
    8. Jenna
    9. Jennifer
    10. Farisha
    11. Tyrel
    12. Kat K
    13. Aaron
    14. Amanda
    15. Leanne
    16. Sally
    17. Kat M
    18. Alice
    19. Lars
    20. Shaun
    21. Miguel
    22. Christian
    23. Ian
    24. Ross
    25. Caitlin

    Thanks to those who’ve already presented.  You can all take a lot of pride in the knowledge that you, while you may have been nervous at the front, none of you let the pressure get to you like it got to Miss Teen South Carolina (2007):

    [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww&p=40547FE48EBE79D7&playnext=1&index=2[/youtube]

    Please keep the video of your speech on your flash drive.  You’ll get further instructions on how to analyze it in an upcoming class.

    Administrivia

    • TC Profile: Please see the previous post – Completing the TC Profile (September 2010) – for the Word template and details on how to fill it out.  Your profile is due on Monday, 27 October 2010.
    • Social Committee: Thanks for Melanie, Miguel, Alice and Leanne for volunteering to form the Middle Years Cohort’s Social Committee.   The SC will be organizing a potluck on Tuesday of next week before the Ropes Course.  Stay tuned for more info.
    • Copying Fee: I will be charging a copying fee for copies I make during this term.  I’ll do my best to keep my copying to a minimum and, therefore, keep the fees down as low as possible.
    • Pre-Prac Prep & Ropes Course Day on Tuesday, 28 September: On this day we will have the following schedule:
      • 10:00 – Noon: Pre-Prac Workshop in PONE 123
      • 12:00 – 1:00: Potluck in Room TBA
      • 1:30 – 4:30: UBC Ropes Course Activity

    I’ll share more details on the Ropes Course- what to wear, what to bring, and what not – next class and I’ll post it on the blog.

    That’s all for today.

    Cheers,

    – Lawrence

    Ball Pass Challenge, Tattoo Review & Me in Bag Intro: Update for Wednesday, 16 September 2010

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

    Name/Ball Pass Challenge

    In an effort to review everyone’s name and to engage in a whole-class problem solving activity, we took the Name/Ball Pass Challenge.  The instructions for this task are below so I won’t go into detail about how it works.  Suffice it to say that our first effort had a time of about 30-ish seconds and through cooperative teamwork we were able to get that number down to only 8 seconds!  No small feat.

    Digital Tattoo and Professionalism Presentation Debrief

    Thanks to everyone for attending this presentation.  We debriefed it using the Walk-About Review Strategy.  This involved each TC finishing the following sentence stems with information about the presentation:

    • For me, the most interesting aspect of the presentation was…
    • One thing I will do differently after seeing the presentation is…
    • One question I have after watching the presentation is…

    and then walking around and talking to other TCs about their responses to the same stems.  After some talk time, we took up a few responses as a whole group.  While the workshop was generally well received (after scanning the show of fingers, I think it scored a 2.5 or 3 out of 5), many seemed to agree that it would have benefitted from having examples with local flavour and from including more specific advice on appropriate online and professional behaviours.

    Here’s the Walk-About Review sheet we used :

    On a related note, here’s the trailer for the amazing 1971 Australian film directed by Nicolas Roeg, Walkabout:

    [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3x186dbPIoM[/youtube]

    If you have any interest in Aussie culture or have a penchant for meditative films, this classic can’t be beat.

    Administrivia

    • Contact Info Changes:  If you have any more, please let me know.  I’ll send out the FINAL version soon.
    • ESA Rep:  Good on Jenna for expressing interest.  Make sure to get the vote out so she gets voted in!
    • Field Trip Fair on the Blog:  Please check an earlier post for info on an upcoming event featuring a variety of facilities that provide field trip destinations for K-12 students.
    • Emailing Assignment Attachments:  Please remember to include your surname and the name of the task in the document’s title.  For instance, “Holbrook Factors”.

    Me in a Bag Speeches

    In an effort to develop vocal delivery skills that will prove invaluable in the classroom, we will be delivering Me in a Bag Speeches over the next few class sessions.  Here’s how I scaffolded this task:

    • A Model from Last Year

    We watched a short MIAB speech from one of the TCs in the 2009-2010 cohort and drew conclusions about the structure and content of the speech.

    • Criteria Sheet Examination

    I handed out the task’s criteria sheet and we looked it over.

    • My MIAB Speech

    I delivered a speech on three items I had in my Saucony shoe box:

      • Running shoe
      • Homemade Spinal Tap T-Shirt
      • Plastic bowl

    Using the feedback sandwich model for feedback, you presented me with beefs and bouquets relating to my performance.  Here’s a visual of the sandwich:

    and here a link to an Ezine article with more details on Feedback Sandwiches.

    The outline that I suggest you use for your speech is below, as is the criteria sheet:

    We will start presenting the speeches in Monday’s class.  Please make sure you have your three artifacts, your rehearsed presentation, and your flash drive ready to go for that session.  We will take time to review the criteria, rehearse, and choose the speaking order before we start the speeches.

    “Nuff said true believers.  See you Monday.

    – Lawrence