All posts by kristofer svorinic

3rd practicum experience – Permanent Placement

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Oct 21st, 2016

Today went by really fast. The third day of practicum was spent very efficiently and a lot of housekeeping got done. I got assigned an SA (school advisor) and have a decent vision (at the moment) of what I can do for this class as well as others to come. I look forward to learning from my SA in hopes to better my own practices as a professional. I made a real effort to get to know the names of the students in the class. Almost all names have been learned. I’m glad I’ve exercised my mind in such a manner as this will help build better relationships with the students. The SA also helped build that relationship by asking them to use their name-card and allowing me to introduce myself.

I really have to start giving consideration to my name. I have had teachers used their first name, an initial, just their last names or use entirely creative titles. My SA today helped me decided (simply by fluke) that I should simply use my traditional Croatian name. It started out with Mr. Svorinic in a plain old English accent which most people mispronounce. The SA used interdisciplinary connections by writing my name out linguistically as everyone was pronouncing my name in a variety of ways. I then figured why not tell them how to really say it? The SA wrote down my name again and everyone seemed to agree with this new version of my name. The harsh “S” and “eeech” sounds were a perfect segway into a French pronunciation and conversational lesson.

I was fortunate enough to be incorporated into this lesson in a smooth manner. The kids certainly appreciated my fake French name as I did theirs. The SA introduced the activity to her classroom by using a worksheet the students were already familiar with from a previous lesson. This incorporated introducing themselves, asking what the name was of the person next to them, and then continuing this cycle. Some students really got into their roles which took the engagement level of other students to a higher ground. Before the activity started, the teacher reminded the class to be respectful of one another when speaking. She asked how the class would feel if someone would speak while they were speaking. Answers were obvious (I don’t like it) and simply reminded them of being courteous and respectful. The SA throughout the whole day was very effective in implementing preventative measures that could incite possible behavioral problems. It’s amazing; simply by addressing this in advance can be a whole game changer. I’ve always heard from my old Sport Science professor that prevention is always greater than a cure!

I was asked specifically to observe classroom management and to note anything significant. I noticed with the first activity of the day that a bar/policy/regulations have to be set almost instantly, and at times reminded. Where the teacher was standing to placement of activities was very interesting to see. For example, when I first entered the classroom I noted five figures painted in every odd corner of the classroom. I thought a student may have drawn on the window or the board, but it was the SA. She stated that this was a way for students to focus in on their groups and attempt to have their own space in order to avoid distractions. It was quite effective overall. The class is quite high energy and there are a few students who have quite the teacher voice. This can be an issue as it can lead to one group speaking louder than other groups. This simple drawing is an effective tactic in teaching subtle personal and social responsibility.

It is always nice to be able to see other people’s strategies in action. It’s exceptional to see them succeed (and usually this success is backed by a lot of experience or research)! I’ve learned basic classroom management skills, but have always looked to enhance them. Small tactics like this make me take a step back and realize how something so simple can be effective. By itself, it’s not extremely effective; it needs to be accompanied with proper instruction and guidance for it to be successful. An activity seems to be only as good as its teacher. It seems as anything can work if implemented in an appropriate manner. I’ve noticed that most of the time, adaptions are required to properly tether knowledge for certain dynamics.

The quality of the lessons also depend on the quality of the teacher. A teacher can’t effectively deliver a lesson if there are certain distractions that are present. There is always an opportunity for people to fall off task, but it’s up to teachers in their creative ways to figure out how to keep everyone engaged. Using classroom management strategies mixed in with building relations really helps create an engaging and effective learning environment. The students respect the rules as they know what to expect. It is pointed out before-hand and elaborated on through questioning to establish a common ground of courtesy. I would definitely like to finesse and perfect this portion of my practice as it is half the battle in winning a student’s cooperation.

At the end of the school day, I offered any help to the SA before leaving. The SA took up my offer and asked me to work with a student in organizing (and finding) his homework. To do this, we went to their version of homework club. They gave out juice boxes and cookies to the students working in the room. I was offered the food and said no to feel like a responsible adult leaving more for them. This student and I got through organizing and thanked me before homework club was finished. Remembering preventative measures from earlier in the day, I asked the student if he could make an agreement with me in which he would put every paper he received into his binder right away (in the proper category as well of course)! We’ll see if this agreement system works! I also really admire such programs as they gave me a place in the past to go study and seek help with ease. I even made friends with tutors who were a few grades older than I was. Interestingly enough, I can see myself volunteering for such a program.

2nd practicum experience – 2nd school visit

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Oct 13th 2016 –

Today marked the second practicum visit. This will be the last visit before teacher candidates are to go off and explore education from a first person perspective (in two weeks ~)! I felt spoiled from my last school visit to be in such an environment where theories I was learning about were being taught in the student’s classroom. Nonetheless, I am eager to see what a new system looks like and am excited to be a part of someone else’s learning environment. I was welcomed with a great smile followed by some prep before going to class. I got a nice tour of the school and was given a guide booklet describing school protocols that was amazingly organized. As a certified safety inspector, I am very happy to see schools providing such crucial knowledge (especially about safety) so efficiently and in a punctual manner.

This morning could have not started better. It started with French! Yes, French has grammar. Yes, French may have many tenses. Yes, French may have funny sounding phonemes, but by golly good gosh it’s one of Canada’s official languages. It also provides a beautiful opportunity to practice something completely foreign using language. Additionally, it allows for conversation that people of all ages absolutely love. The beauty of the challenge is trying to add that key vocabulary (to add value and relevancy). If one were to study linguistics, that one could see that there is a relationship between languages old and new. Mrs. B modeled a great example using relations today with an activity she asked her class to do.

Mrs. B took the attendance in French and asked the class how they were doing today. She spoke quickly of the weather in-between names and key objects in the room (such as desks). She started with her activity lesson and had my full attention as I was about to learn something new. Mrs. B told the students that they already knew 20% of the French language. The students laughed and doubted it, but she was ready to prove herself. Using words the students already know (in English), she began to name off a few French words and asked what they meant in English. Easy word and common words were used and the class got 80% of the words right without scaffolding. There were some words that caused confusion like “sentiments” (say that in French, not in English)! This conversation led to the awareness of the term “faux-amis”, words that seem similar but are not in meaning. I found this approach to language a very efficient one judging by the student’s reactions and enthusiasm.

French was over before I knew it and I was off to the next block. Explorations were next and I was excited to see what this school did for their student’s interest.  I had the opportunity to explore a tech ed room, home ec room (which I didn’t have the fortunate opportunity to wrap the string around the spool), arts room (in which the teacher was absolutely amazing in her classroom management skills and interaction with students), and finally the music/drama room. I wanted to continue exploring, but couldn’t resist the opportunity to play journey on guitar with 31 other people in the room singing. I politely approached the teacher and asked if I could join in on the session. He had a huge smile on his face and handed me a few sheets of paper and a pick.

I was amazed at the patience and understanding this teacher demonstrated. Mr. Music (as I would like to call him) was always on his feet moving around trying to help students all the while playing was going on from all directions. The students gave him a lot of respect when they saw him standing at the front of the class with his arms in the air and quieted down quite quickly. The class, Mr. Music and I couldn’t help but laugh when there were two students with their guitars up in the air, shaking them trying to get their picks out. His instructions were very clear and very visual. Cues such as (for swing stroke) “up-up-down-up-down” helped students stay on rhythm. For additional support, he had charts, drawings, scales, and notes on the board regarding the pieces of a guitar as well as the string letters. It was amazing to see that each student already knew how to play each chord of the songs. It was certainly awesome to rock out to such an experience.

The art teacher had a different approach. She had a lot of enthusiasm not only for the subject, but for what the students had to say. It was amazing to see how naturally animated she was with her interactions. While the students were busy working, she admitted that her art program would change to her student’s needs. As a teacher, she did not have an issue with that as it only enriched her knowledge in the subject. The student’s bring all their unique ideas to the table. There are times where she tossed entire lesson or unit plans and decided to run with the students’ interest and values. This reminded me of a time I suggested a software game design program to my Information Technology teacher. I was determined to make video games, but didn’t have enough autonomy to go at it alone. I won over the teacher quite quickly as the following week he told me he would implement this idea instead of his original in the New Year (which was coming up quick).

I found it admirable of the teacher to do such a thing. It is certainly not easy as it takes time, but it does take the right time and right person to spark an interest. The art teacher is always inspired by new projects or ideas her students come up with. My previous IT teacher was only going to spend five minutes on software a student showed him and ended up programming 3 quick games. This makes learning/education real, adds value and allows students and people alike to develop their drive to learn. Knowledge is truly something that raises awareness in an individual. It allows them to see more dimensions of a topic or subject. Developing that awareness to a point where acquiring knowledge becomes an intrinsic motivation is priceless. What better way to do it than starting somewhere good?

I didn’t hear much of “why are we doing this today”, but did see a few students off task. I’m not sure if this is bad as they were still working on something. One student was doing Math while another was reading. Can I get mad at a student for that? I think that question can only be answered with “depends” as all other complicated things can be answered. Just as I’m always looking to challenge myself in physical literacy, I’m looking to challenge myself to see if I can get students to challenge themselves. I believe by incorporating their interest can be that marble stone that can start a beautiful carving.

To use, or not to use, that is the question.

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Do we abandon something we no longer need anymore?

Depends…

Old clothes can be donated. If they are too damaged, they then are thrown out. If there was a program in place, the damaged cloth may be put to some other type of use. Again, that only depends if there is some sort of recycling program in place.

Do we throw out old ways of teaching and learning?

Depends…

There is research out there that is dated, but still quite valid. There are old teaching methods that are old, but still quite valid. There are old French books from my childhood that are dated, but still grab the attention of the modern generation. The old isn’t necessarily bad; the issue comes when it tries to mesh with the new. People have a tendency to be in the either/or category and have difficulty synthesizing the best of both while shaving off the worst.

Technology in the classroom is becoming a more discussed topic every day. Innovations in technology are becoming quite unbelievable, from quantum computing to having more power in a small compact cellphone than a desktop computer in 1995. It is making our lives easier all the while changing our habits. We are now able to communicate our message in many different ways and, for teachers this has certainly impacted their realm. Laptops, cellphones, ipad’s and software used for presentations are all becoming more frequent in class. Teachers are in a sense forced to deal with this by perceiving it as a potential epidemic or blessing.

My biggest issue with technology in the classroom is cellphones. I think its cool students can talk to their friends in different classes, but there isn’t much self-regulation being exercised with the tech. From my personal observations, I find cellphones get abused at most crucial times. “I’m just sending a quick text” turns into an entire day of back and forth conversation while disengaging from the world around. It happens most often during lectures, group discussions and presentations. Can I blame the kids for being bored and wanting to act on an impulse to do something?

My hope is that they simply learn that self-control not to act on certain impulses. I believe it is harder than ever to put such an exercise into practice, especially for young developing minds. The demands with the various social networks put students in a hot seat to participate in the activities. Snapchat, Instagram, Whatsapp, texting and Facebook are only the few major distractions that can pull anyone into their black hole. Do those applications have potential positive contributions? I believe anything does with the right perception.

What is my solution to such a thing? I don’t have an issue letting students use their phone for educational purposes, but then the question of “how do I monitor if they are on task” comes up. Information Technology teachers can access any students screen at a whim. It’s a bit issue of privacy when it comes to a personal phone. On a phone it is super easy to start doing something else than what one is supposed to be doing. My solution to this is laptops (school laptops preferably that have pre-installed protocols and programs). Not every student may afford a laptop or would like to work with one; I believe providing a terminal gives them quick access to information and removes the need for the cellphone. I understand that there is a social aspect electronically, but I wish for students to realize the importance (or even benefits) of being here and now completely present and engaged.

Ideally, I would allow everyone access to the internet to pursue any research they deem necessary. Ideally, I would like students to stay off their phones while in an education setting. Ideally, I would like the world to be at peace, but being ideal only goes so far. There is a requirement for action for a consequence or reaction to occur. If a student learns to ignore such impulses to check their phone every few minutes, I’m sure their attention span will increase as well as their appreciation for life in general. Hopefully they will see the greatness that is around them and recognize the greatness within themselves. I can do my best to stay off my phone and ask my students to try theirs.

Technology is nothing to fear. The only thing we should fear is ourselves as Humans have a habit of stirring the pot too hard and knocking it over at times. It is something that can certainly add benefits to the classroom, but like anything can come with its drawbacks. I like to see technology incorporated into classrooms more. I also fear that having access to such equipment may be abused rather than used for productive purposes. It’s not only up to the students to use the technology properly; it’s up to the educators in all disciplines as well to adapt to such demands.

Below is a video of a futuristic “modern day” classroom that could potentially exist very soon. What problems do you think arise with such technology? What about the maintenance and cost? What sort of rules would an educator have to establish? Would this completely eradicate pencil and paper (or even laptops) from the classroom?

 

1st practicum experience – 1st school visit

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OCT 6th 2016 –

I had the opportunity today to visit a middle school. I feel very blessed being given such an opportunity to see a great school. We have been talking about the new curriculum at my university since I’ve heard about it. I want to see it in action as I am a kinesthetic learner so I need to see or do to acquire knowledge. Luckily for me, I was in the best place most likely possible to see it in person. I had the opportunity to meet a few potential SA’s and they are all wonderful people. As soon as me and my cohort colleagues stepped into the building, we we’re greeted with a great big welcome and smiles all around. I knew I was in a good place!

 

I started my day with Ms. C who could scaffold like it was no one’s business. She allowed me to introduce myself which I thought was very nice on her part. I said a few words about how I ended up where I was and offered any assistance. I made it a point that if anyone needed French help or had questions in the realm of Physical Education to ask me. I got a few questions on sports instantly and kids we’re asking me to go to the washroom in French. I know that keeping a straight face comes with the job, but I couldn’t help but laugh!

 

After introductions were settled, Ms. C went into her agenda. She started the day asking how everyone was doing and if they could say something quickly after they heard their name for attendance. I caught a few names and was able to use them throughout the day. I made it a point to exercise my memory and improve my strategies for remembering names. The first thing on the agenda was Math. I think I went red in the face when I knew I was going to be asked math questions. I figured it would be best to stop taking my own notes about her class management skills and get up and watch the lesson. I could also help Ms. C have a few of her students quiet down in the back by simply being in proximity.

 

I was put on the spot when I was asked to do a Mad Minute with the students. I couldn’t say no as I’m sure the students would get a kick to see how slow an adult’s math could be.  Needless to say, I got my butt kicked (but in my defense Ms. C and I were talking about the new curriculum)! After the Mad Minute was over, algebra started. The students were grouped in groups of four and five while some students worked in pairs and sat on a ledge on the side of the room. It was interesting to see Ms. C set-up as I saw it as different and unfortunately I did not get a chance to ask her about it. It didn’t take long for questions to start rolling in and for a bit of anxiety to kick in. Although I was worried of being asked a question I didn’t know, I had strategies in place by either incorporating other students or checking examples to guide me.

 

Needless to say the morning was busy and amazing. It felt very natural and humbling to be of service. I felt very blessed. The self-regulation ability of these students was definitely something to note. I saw a few students walk out of class and was dumbfounded for a moment. I noticed while walking around the school there were plenty of places to study and students were definitely using the amenities. The teachers allowed students to find their space, but would make it very clear when they needed to be back and to notify them of where they were. I thought this was cool as I was never allowed to move around with such freedom. It was even more remarkable to see students not take advantage of it (from what I saw)!

 

Seeing the new curriculum in action was extremely interesting as it surpassed the walls of the classroom. It seemed as if the whole school dedicated every detail to create a space for students to enrich their learning. Art space was available during lunch as well as tech (if a teacher was available). The students had access to the gym as well as had space behind the gym where pool tables, Ping-Pong tables and all sorts of other games were available. I had the opportunity to work with Ms. M and Mr. M as well and their approaches to SRL was an experience. Ms. M’s classroom setting was a different dynamic completely with a nice reading corner while Mr. M knew how to assign roles and set up quickly for Physical Education and maximize time.

 

I felt old stepping into what almost seemed like a foreign education program compared to my past education. Students had work-shop like activities set up in the afternoon around the school regarding their interest, be it brain-games, knitting, tech, art or almost literally anything. I was in awe all day and had to use every muscle in my jaw to keep it from dropping too often. This place was definitely promoting a community and it really felt like students were getting the education they wanted while the staff was more than happy to deliver it. I should also note a lot of classrooms have open door policy and all invited me to take a look at any time. It was very nice to be offered opportunities from every angle!

 

I look forward to tackling any fears or anxiety I have about teaching a subject I’m not completely familiar with. Using some of my strategies that I used today definitely helped keep my composure. This definitely will be a refining process as every new situation can present an opportunity to adapt. I also look forward to exploring this new curriculum as I was completely sold by it today. I hope to engage with the students more in the future and hopefully be involved in more teaching opportunities. I hope to also recognize different patterns and methods in which a lesson is delivered. I also look forward to learning new strategies to quieting down students. I’ve definitely noted Ms. C’s method in which she thanks students for settling down (individually calling their name). I thought it was very cool of her to do it in such a manner.

 

The teachers seemed to be involved in every aspect of forming a SRL environment. It required and challenged them to be creative with their methods. Watching them do it seemed so natural. This would definitely be a challenge to me to move away from traditional teaching methods I’m familiar with and come in with a very open mind to a new method. I believe the biggest challenge I will face will be keeping the students engaged while doing meaningful activities. I heard two comments during the day saying “I don’t know why we’re doing this”. I’m thinking to myself either the objective wasn’t made clear or perhaps it isn’t modified to their liking. I find these difficulties to be only challenges in further bettering my practices as a teacher.

Ever wonder how blind athletes participate in Physical Education?

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In the process of forming an inclusive environment, educators, coaches and athletes alike have created many great modified activities to accommodate athletes, students and citizens of all sorts and sizes alike! Goalball is an adapted physical activity that blind athletes participate in at a professional level but anyone can play! There are bells within the ball so athletes can hear where the ball is. This is just one of many modified activities to create an inclusive physical environment for everyone to participate in!

There are all sorts of activities and modifications available. Wheelchair basketball is another modified activity :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiza34wNEbM

…and even if you don’t have enough (sport) wheelchairs to go around, feel free to adapt! This is a beautiful example of ingenuity at it’s finest.

The purpose of incorporating such activities into a Physical Education environment is to ensure that everyone has a chance to participate as well as includes students who are not regularly able to participate in traditional PE activities. Students in wheelchairs or with certain disorders can easily be excluded in PE environments as traditional games and activities do not take account their personal condition. Then, there are also students who do not agree with traditional drill and game methods or simply do not like sport but may be interested in a modified physical education session. These activities can alleviate pressure to win as they focus on the process and allow students to enjoy through more learning opportunities. I never thought about modifying traditional games to such an extent to incorporate students of all shapes, sizes and abilities.

For me, inclusive physical activity is something I can keep in mind when designing lesson plans to try to move away from traditional drill and game method and turn it into an activity! Turning something into an activity removes the pressure of having to compete competitively and allows students to focus on the process. Skills, movements and tactics CAN still be practice within this method to improve physical literacy. Most importantly, students are still engaged and are still getting their required exercise. Additionally, there is an opportunity here for students to raise their awareness about certain challenges people face. Games like Goalball are fun to play but allow students to reflect on how hard the task at hand was. This physical experience allows them to understand certain struggles people with disabilities have while seeing that opportunity still exists for them. Inclusive physical activity is a good way to modify a P.E lesson plan to accommodate any personal needs students have.

Rock out!