Tag Archives: Practicum

Looking Ahead to EDUC 315 Practicum Prep & Ropes Course on 28 Sept 2010

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We’ve got an exciting day planned for Tuesday, 28 September.  It breaks down nicely into three parts.  Here’s the scoop:

PART 1: PRE-PRACTICUM PREP AND INFO GATHERING

We will meet from 10:00 am to NOON in PONDEROSA E 123.  Here’s a map if you need help finding the building.

During this time, we will:

  • Gather Information on Your Practicum Preferences
  • Highlight the Goals and Expectations of EDUC 315, the Tuesdays Practicum
  • Discuss How to “Suck Out All the Marrow” of the Practicum Experience (with apologies to Thoreau)
  • Stress the Importance of Professional Demeanour
  • Share Tips for Classroom Observations
  • Answer Any Burning Questions

PART 2: POTLUCK LUNCH

Your friendly neighbourhood Social Committee is taking the reins on this one.  Look for more details soon via this blog or, perhaps, even old school face-to-face communication in class.

PART 3: THE UBC ROPES COURSE

We’ll hit the UBC Ropes Course from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm.  The experience promises to provide challenge, team building opportunities, and fun.   The cost is $25 per person.  Please bring your money on the day as we will pay when we arrive at the course.

Check out the facility’s website if you’d like to see some photos of course participants in action.  Also, you can view this clip of high schoolers at ropes course.  It’s different than the one we’ll visit, but the video should give you a sense of what you can expect:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_82Zr1qTp8[/youtube]

Background Information

Here is some information about the course and the philosophy that guides its operation:

The UBC Ropes Course is an entirely outdoor, forested facility located between Thunderbird Stadium and 16th Ave.  We offer a variety of great programming…

We allow all members of the team to be as active in each activity as they choose to be.  Our “Challenge by Choice” philosophy allows each team member to choose their individual challenge for each initiative– we fully understand that not everyone has the same comfort level for various challenges.  Peer pressure will not be tolerated to coerce people into doing something they do not choose to do.  However we will ask for permission to encourage all team members.

The Supply List

Here is some important information about what and what NOT to bring to this outing:

Please be sure to bring the following things to the course:

1.   Signed waiver & medical history form – we will complete these on the morning of the event

2.   Snack and a water bottle — to keep energy levels high

3.   An extra sweater or jacket — It’s always 5oC cooler in the shade of the trees

4.   Closed toe shoes — no sandals or flip flops

Optional items:

5.   Raincoat or poncho (not umbrellas) for wet days— we run rain or shine

6.   Gloves—hanging on to ropes can occasionally cause rope burn or blisters.  Mountain bike, weight lifting, or batting gloves are the best.  Something with grip, but that fits snugly.

7.   Camera – it’s great to have lasting memories of the day, but realize that taking photos will not always possible as you will need to be an active participant in the program.

Please DO NOT bring:

  • MP3 players
  • Valuables
  • Alcohol
  • Tobacco
  • Narcotics
  • Pets
  • Garden gnomes (they creep me out!)

If you have questions, please check out this list of FAQs – UBC Ropes Course FAQs.  If you still have questions, please see me in class or drop me on email.

That’s all for now.

Cheers,

– Lawrence

Completing the TC Profile (September 2010)

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TCs:

Use the link below to download a template for your Teacher Candidate profile.  By reading your answers to these questions, your School Advisor and School Principals will get to know you before you’re in the school and join the staff.

TC Profile Template – Middle Years

Please answer the questions thoughtfully but keep your responses brief.  Your profile should be no more than 2 – 2.5 pages.

In addition to the questions, there is space at the top of the profile for:

  • your contact information
  • a recent photo (a head shot is best)
  • a “Short Quote That Captures An Important Belief You Hold About Education”.  I’ve pasted a random sampling of quotes chosen by TCs in previous years:
    • “Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being”  – Goethe
    • “If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail!”
    • “The essence of teaching is to make learning contagious, to have one idea spark another”  – Marva Collins
    • “The true teacher defends his pupils against his own personal influence. He inspires self-trust. He guides their eyes from himself to the spirit that quickens him. He will have no disciple” – Amos Bronson Alcott

Here’s a link to a site with quotes about teachers and teaching.  I’m sure there are many other sites like this one.

The due date for this task is Monday, 27 September 2010.  This is a very firm deadline, as I will need to share the profile with your Sponsor Teacher and School Principals while I finalize the placements in early October.  Please email a copy of your completed TC Profile to me  (lholbrook@sd43.bc.ca).  I’ll take care of printing them off.

If you have questions, please comment on this post or email me directly.

Cheers,
Lawrence

EDUC 310 – Preparing for Practicum: Update for Wednesday, 24 March

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Here’s what happened in our last EDUC 310 class:

SCETS

Thanks for taking the time to give Shep and I your feedback.

Free Write on the Ideal Practicum

You took some time to consider how, if you were teaching in a perfect world, your long practicum would look.

Information for Parents of the Students You’ll be Teaching

We recommend sending home an introductory letter and a letter that gives you permission to take still photographs for use in your e-Folio.   Proficient wordsmiths could probably combine both letters into one.  Here are files the related files:

Practicum Calendars

There are a multitude of different calendars depending on the length of practicum you are doing and whether or not you are involved in EPBCO.  I’ve divided them up below by FA:

Cheryl’s TC’s Calendars:

Lawrence’s TCs Calendars

Pre-Prac Letter and Responsibilities Chart

Finally, Cheryl and I shared our “Top 10 Tips for a Successful Practicum”.  The tips were culled from these two documents -the  “Expectations and Advice for The Long Practicum” letter and the “Suggested Practicum Responsibilities” chart.  Here they are for each FA:

Cheryl’s TCs Documents:

Lawrence’s TCs Documents:

That about covers it.

Good luck on practicum.

– Lawrence

EDUC 310 – Pre-Prac FA Conferences: Update for Weds, 17 March & Mon, 22 March

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Cheryl and I enjoyed the time we had to sit and talk to you about your management plan, any practicum-related questions, and expectations for the final school experience of the year.

For your reference, here’s a copy of the meetings agenda and the information that we shared regarding the FA’s role during EDUC 419:

Pre-Practicum Conferences Agenda & FA’s Role Info

For your viewing pleasure, here’s a short PBS video clip from their Essential Practices series on Classroom Management:

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

– Lawrence

EDUC 310 – Bennett’s BUMP 1: Update for Wednesday, 10 March 2010

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Here’s what we managed to wedge into today’s POT class:

Planning for EDUC 419, the Long Practicum

We touched on 2 items here:

  • Submit the plan for your first unit to your SA between Thursday, 17 March and Monday, 22 March. This will allow your SA time to look at and give feedback on your planning before you start teaching.  As a guest in your SA’s classroom, it is a professional courtesy that you keep them well informed of all that you hope to do in their classroom.

  • Pre-Practicum FA Conferences
    • We asked you to sign up for a 30-minute conference with your FA to talk about the following agenda items:
      • Your Classroom Management Plan (the EDUC 310 Inquiry Task for Term 2)
        • Please bring a WORDLE of your plan as a conversation starter.  To create your WORDLE, sImply input the writing in your plan into the “Create” page of the WORDLE website.
      • Expectations for the Practicum
      • Your Planning
      • Answer Your Questions About the Practicum

Here’s an Management Plan WORDLE from last year:

Here are the conference schedules.  Please check to see that the time listed is accurate.  If you do not have a time, please email Shep or I to get one:

Classroom Management: Working with Barrie Bennett’s Theory of Bumps

Connecting

I asked you to think back to your classroom experience…

“Recall a student who was beginning to stop you from teaching or stop others from learning.  Perhaps they were pencil tapping, talking to a classmate, or calling out.  How did you respond to that student?”

We took a few responses and wrote them on the board.  As it turns out, you were already using some of the techniques advocated by Bennett in Bump 1 – Preventing and Responding to Misbehaviour Through Low-Key Responses.

Processing

I used this PPT slidewshow to give you some background with Bump 1:

Bennett’s Clasrroom Management BUMP 1 Slideshow

Next, partnerships presented short role plays demonstrating NO and YES examples on how to use each of the 14 low-key techniques (In fact, we didn’t do “Student’s Name” because we were missing one pair of students from today’s lesson).  The role play was followed up with a quick blurb on how to use the technique effectively and artfully.

The responses fall into two categories and are as follows:

Responding Strategies

  • Proximity
  • Touch
  • Student’s Name
  • Gesture
  • The Look
  • The Pause
  • Ignore
  • Signal to Begin
  • Deal With the Problem Not the Student

Matt sent me an example of The Look.  Watch this YouTube clip and determine if it’s a NO or a YES example:

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

Here’s a musical example of The Look.  Please wield this one with extreme caution:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlVI7ZNiFlI[/youtube]

Preventive Techniques

  • Transitions
  • Rules
  • Dealing With Allies
  • Winning Over
  • Pre-empting Call Outs

You can find all the low-key responses in this handout from Bennett’s book, Classroom Management: A Thinking & Caring Approach:

Bennett’s Bumps 1 & 2

Personalizing

To close, I asked you to consider the following question and took up a few responses:

“Which of the techniques we worked with today will you add to your repertoire on practicum?”

That’s a wrap.

– Lawrence