My final reflection- who would have thought that this journey would have flown by so quickly! It truly felt like the 10 weeks went by with the blink of an eye. The most rewarding experience of this practicum has been the ability to connect with my students on a personal level. I have grown to learn so much about each student individually- what their likes are, what they struggle with, their passions, interests and strengths. Learning to understand their anxieties and coping mechanisms was also an integral part of my journey. Each student is unique and has to be acknowledged for their extraordinary individuality. Some of the most enjoyable teaching moments were the most challenging. You come to realize as a teacher that the amount of work put into creating that “magnificent” lesson really shows in the impact it carries with the students. From “flying” to Newfoundland, to creating our own suitcases out of cereal boxes, to building the Confederation Bridge out of Popsicle sticks, it was worth countless ours of preparation to see students inquire and delve into the world of experiential learning. Sharing personal stories about life and my family, my own likes and interests, was such an important part of my connection with the students. Having the ability to connect on that level allowed students to feel a sense of community and belonging. To share stories is a great way to form relationships and allow students to feel at ease.

The last week was exceptionally difficult saying goodbye, with many hugs that wouldn’t let go, and questions about why I was leaving. Each student had such an impact on who I have become throughout this journey, and helped affirm why I chose teaching as my career path. To give to others and to help them find their passions in life is a gift in its own. I always struggled trying to find the right path, and it is so rewarding and assuring that teaching has finally opened this door to a life-long love for educating and relationship-building.

This is one of the quotes found in my photo “memory” book that I received from my class the last day of practicum. I will always cherish the time I spent with these amazing children, and I look forward to visiting (and hopefully TOC’ing) again in the near future!

Thank you Roxanne for being such a wonderful support and guide in this journey! <3

This week was very interesting! Prior to TOC day, it was somewhat nerve-wracking heading into an unknown school/classroom. Fortunately, it was an easy transition knowing that our cohort is detail-oriented and prepared fantastic day plans for everyone. Going into a Grade 7 class was exciting for me- I really enjoy all age groups, and tutor older students outside of school-time. However, coming from a Grade 2 class, I was prepared for the kids to be focused and easy to manage- little did I know that my Grade 2 strategies were alien to these students! I was shocked when I exhausted all of my management techniques and ended up keeping them in after school for their constant chatter and disrespect when others were talking. Despite the noise, the day went smoothly, and it was nice to teach another grade’s curriculum. The class discussions were interesting, and I enjoyed observing students during their work-time. They were all very artistic, and created some amazing owl’s from a directed drawing activity that we learned from our art class at UBC. At the end of the day, I really missed my Grade 2’s and CC. It was hard not seeing them, and will definitely become even harder as I take on the final week of practicum.

Back at class on Wednesday, it was nice to get into the swing of things again after the long weekend. Students were excited to participate in some fun activities that were in store for the week. We began our 3-D diorama projects for Social Studies. Each student was to pick a province in Canada that they were interested in learning more about and create a visual representation in 3-D format using a shoe-box. Students were very excited to start the exercise, and the visuals created have been well thought-out and colorful. One of the biggest challenges that I faced during this lessons was the constant need for students to acquire more paint, and the mess that was left before home-time. Lesson learned- do not allow students to paint on their desks without newsprint underneath! Also, students need more than 15 minutes for a big clean up. Next time, I will definitely allow at least 20 minutes for paints, water cups, etc., to be organized and put away neatly. Little details like these have definitely become more apparent as time has progressed in this practicum.

For this coming week, I will have the opportunity to learn more about other classes at CC (i.e. resource room, learning assistance, other grades, etc.). We also have our class play to practice and prepare for on Thursday. We will have a full crowd as parents will be attending! The students are very excited to perform, as they have worked tremendously hard on creating props and role-playing. I can’t wait to see how they do! It has been such a long journey and it will be hard to say goodbye at the end of this week. I do look forward to visiting them again before the end of the year.

On a final note- the Cougar Canyon Carnival was a great success this year, and I enjoyed running the mini golf station on Friday evening. It was amazing to see the effort put in to creating a fun and active community event!

This week was another great experience with our field trip to Grouse Mountain. It was definitely an eye-opener to see how much work goes in to planning a large trip with 70+ grade 2 students! From ensuring that everyone has their medical kits, to bus-sick supplies, it was so important to experience a major trip like this. It goes to show that as a teacher, you must be prepared for everything and have great organizational skills. The trip itself was incredible- we took the gondola up and saw the Grizzly bears (Grinder and Koola). This was my first time seeing the bears, and they were beautiful! The kids loved them, and it was definitely the highlight of our experience up the mountain. The students also learned about animals in the Grouse Mountain environment, and we had a brilliant presentation by one of the Squamish Elders in the Feast House. It was so captivating, and we even got to perform the dance of the Raven and Coyote.

In order to follow up on the field trip, I put together a slide show of some of the photos that I took from Grouse Mountain. It was a collection of images to allow students to think about their experiences- thus, prepping them for their writing activity. I was happy with the slides that were put together, but I felt that the lesson was rushed and didn’t give the students enough time to write. Next week I will be giving them some extra time to write their reflections and possibly draw a scene of their favorite part of their trip. This lesson was one of my first lessons that I really did not feel great about. Even though there were only some minor kinks that needed to be worked out, I am beginning to feel more critical of myself and how well I deliver a lesson. It is definitely important that these lessons come and go, and that I am able to reflect on the pros and cons. However, it can be a challenge to let go of the mistakes when you are so far along in your journey. It was a good lesson to review and I’m looking forward to improving the minor adjustments that were needed in my last 2 weeks of practicum.

This week I also had the opportunity to sit in on two student meetings- one with the support staff at CC, as well as a parent meeting. The first meeting was regarding a student whom is showing signs of being on the spectrum, as well as OCD and anxiety. It was great to provide input in this meeting and be involved in having a discussion about mental health. The following meeting was a year-end meeting that discussed the student’s progress in 2nd grade. As the student has cognitive behavioral disorders, the parents felt it would be best to keep him back a year so he can re-learn and re-focus on grade 2 concepts. However, support workers felt that it would be more appropriate and a better fit if he kept with his age-group. They believe that keeping a student within their social circle has many benefits to learning than keeping him back. I do agree with the support workers and hope that the parents will agree with allowing him to progress into 3rd grade.

2 more weeks to go! I can’t believe we are finally at the end. I am looking forward to our TOC day on Tuesday! It’s going to be a great experience and will prepare us for the real world of teaching!

This week went by in a flash! With only 3 full-teaching days due to the track meet and Reading Day, it was a hectic schedule. However, it was such a great experience taking part in the regional track meet on Wednesday. A few of the SEL cohort TC’s got to reconnect with each other at the meet, which made the day even better! We were in charge of judging the finish-line, which was definitely a challenging task. We had to keep close watch on each runner that crossed, and at times it was a very close call. It was not easy determining the place for each runner! Thankfully we had 5 of us to keep a solid watch as each student completed their race. The weather was beautiful and we met a lot of great kids- CC students did terrific too, and many moved on to the district meet! This was definitely a huge highlight of my practicum experience so far, as I really enjoy participating in extracurricular activities/coaching athletics.

Our Reading/PJ Day on Friday was also a wonderful event to have had the opportunity to engage in. Most students dressed up in their pajamas and brought their stuffy in for a day full of reading. We were lucky enough to have 3 guest readers join us in our room- even a radio host from PEAK FM attended. All the readers brought some of their most favorite books to read, and the class enjoyed listening. The teachers/staff also put together a fun parody video of Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off” – changing the lyrics to “Read all Day” and sung by 2 of the Grade 7 girls. The video turned out awesome, and was such a riot to watch. It was amazing to see all the students engaged in the stories throughout the day. We even participated in a “school wide” DEAR time. Students had the chance to go sit outside in the hallways with their class buddies and read for 25 minutes at the end of the day. It was truly a great way to engage students in the importance of reading and that reading is fun! Mrs. S and I thought it would also be a great idea if they held other subject days- i.e. “Science” or “Math” day. The energy in the school was terrific and it made for a fun, lively Friday.

The last 2 weeks have also given me the opportunity to teach at 100% capacity. The feeling associated with having the classroom to myself provides a sense of accomplishment and excitement. Knowing that the students respect you as their teacher and mentor is one of the best feelings I have ever experienced. The management has become so much easier, and we have had the chance to dive into some interesting, inquiry-based lessons that have truly captivated student learning. Our Fairy Tale play has been a great success, and the roles are set. We have been preparing the props, and will be sending out invitations to our parents next week. This week will be another busy one, with our Grouse Mountain trip on Wednesday! So many great things to look forward to in the final 3 weeks!

This week went by very quickly with many extra-curricular activities. I have been coaching both Grade 6 Shot Put and Running, as well as helped out with the Primary Running Club. It is amazing how fast the time goes when picking up 80-100% of the teaching load. We are starting to prepare for an extremely busy few weeks to come, with track meets, designing our classroom fairy tale, Reading Day, and Grouse Mountain trip- there is a lot to organize with not much time left! This week we started and finished our classroom fairy tale that will be ready to perform for the parents on June 2^nd. We have the scripts ready, and the students will be starting to practice their lines. We decided to draw names from a hat so there would be less fuss about who gets what part of the play. The fairy tale is so well written and it’s exciting to see the amazing ideas that flow from the student’s minds. It was surprisingly easy to form a class fairy tale- we took 2-3 blocks of writing time to complete it. The best way was to have a classroom vote on characters, setting, problem, resolution, etc. As the ideas flowed, Mrs. S typed out what students said, and continued to vote on what students liked best. By the end, we had a very well-structured fairy tale, and the student’s cannot wait to perform for their families! We will also be making a “golden” invitation as well to send out to the parents- so much fun!

This week I also had the opportunity to team-teach with two of my teacher candidate colleagues (Ms. L and Ms. C). It was interesting to have the opportunity to see their skills in classroom management and the different approaches to teaching we all have acquired from our respective SA’s. We both worked really well together, but was definitely challenging when we co-taught PE outside on a Friday afternoon! Playing “treasure hunters” with 48 grade 2’s is definitely a challenging task that is not easily accomplished without a whistle- lesson learned! It made for a very interesting class. I also had to debrief with my students as a result of a few classmates arguing and playing “un-sportsman-like.” It is great to have these experiences, as you learn so much moving forward in lesson planning (specifically for teaching groups of 48 students)!

I am really looking forward to my last few weeks of practicum- we have many fun events planned. It is definitely very difficult knowing that I will be leaving such amazing kids at the end of the month. It has been such a rewarding experiencing being in Mrs. S’s class. Only 4 more weeks to go! 🙂

This week’s focus was primarily based on questioning- working on open-ended questions rather than rapid fire. I have found this can sometimes be a challenge- depending on the content I am teaching. In our writing lesson, I chose an “I wonder” picture that would capture the student’s attention. Mrs. S does this every week to prompt students with open-ended questions that will allow them to use their critical thinking skills. The photo I chose was of a large cat running through the air (the feet could not be seen). I started off asking students about what they saw, and to look at the setting of the photo. This allowed the students to do more of the talking, and less guided instruction by me. I really enjoy engaging students in this type of activity, as they are always excited to find out what the next “I wonder” photo will be, and then we debrief/discuss student’s ideas afterwards. They then return to their desk and write about what they saw in the photo. This activity is completed in their journals- it is not marked for spelling or punctuation, but for content. Students are asked to write down their ideas and not worry about errors. I find this generally increases the amount that students typically write, as they can feel at ease when writing their sentences (at this point- typically 5-7 sentences is expected). I feel this is one of the best ways to assess student knowledge and creative thought process, and I will be continuing to implement this technique over the next few weeks.

We also started our fairy tale unit this week which was a lot of fun! We have been reading different fairy tales and talking about the components of the tale (beginning, middle and end). We have been working on elements of a story such as characters, setting, problem, and resolution. We have eased into the unit by exploring different types of known fairy tales, and will bring in more fractured tales as the unit progresses. We have also recently started our class fairy tale, which is being composed by the students. On Friday we had a classroom vote on the characters, setting and problem in the story, and will begin the introduction this week. Students were very excited to start the fairy tale, and are looking forward to performing for their parents. As our igloo melted from “global warming,” we decided to build a castle for our story. Mrs. S’s son came in to help us build on Friday and the kids were amazed at how it turned out!

This week I also had the opportunity to experience the Author Visit and take part as a judge in “Math Celebrations” at one of the nearby elementary schools. This was a lot of fun, and I met a lot of great kids. At first I was a bit nervous walking in as a judge for grade 6/7 math, but it went smoothly and was interesting to see how students worked in teams to come up with solutions to 4 different problems. They received either bronze, silver, or gold stickers for their ability to work as a team, come up with a strategy and solve the problem correctly. It was definitely difficult not being able to help guide them through the question (judges had to keep quiet)! This was another eventful week, and I am preparing for a very busy few weeks to come!

This week was eventful and provided me with many learning opportunities. As I have been taking on more teaching, I have come to realize that instruction should be focused on quality, rather than the quantity of information. I learned through one of my lessons that perhaps trying to cover too much information in one lesson was not beneficial to the students. After reflection on the lesson, it made more sense that slowing down and opening up the discussion to more insightful questioning might lead to some interesting conversations. This week I will be focusing on slowing down my lesson pace and using more open-ended questions, rather than rapid fire. I have learned that there are definitely times that require rapid-fire questioning, but also lessons that should work on more thoughtful and engaging questions and answers. I will be working on this type of questioning, particularly in our Socials unit on Canada. There is so much to teach about each province, but I will work towards focusing on one or two main points for discussion.

This week also challenged me in terms of management, and encouraged me to look at different strategies for focusing a broadly diverse class. I am going to utilize my resources for students that require extra assistance, while engaging the rest of the class in a positive learning atmosphere. Although some students in the classroom have proved to make for a more challenging environment, I feel it has been a great learning opportunity and has allowed me to play with different techniques. Some of these strategies have not worked, but some of them have. It’s definitely a good experience testing to see which strategies I can keep as I continue in my practicum and when I have my own classroom.

Another aspect that I would like to try to improve on going forward is ensuring that I am providing more options for students who are more advanced in certain areas (i.e. mathematics), and also making sure that those who are needing extra help do not get left behind. This week I took some time to revisit “regrouping” in math, and realized that some students are finding it very difficult to make the connection with base ten blocks, while others are beginning to get bored. Mrs. S and I have devised a plan to split students up into groups so we can have a more focused learning environment with students who need the extra help, while the others can work on numeracy sheets that will be more challenging for them. I think that this is one of the most difficult tasks- ensuring that everyone’s individual learning is being accounted for, and that no one gets left behind. In the last few weeks of my practicum, this is going to be one of my major goals- to ensure that students are reaching their individual potential and making personal growth.

This week had lots in store for us! It went by very quickly, as Mrs. S was away for 1 ½ days and we had our Pro-D “New Curriculum” collaboration on Friday. When the TOC came in on Monday, I offered to take on most of the daily activities so I could get a feel for what a full-day was like. Luckily, the TOC gave me some freedom to take on most of the days lessons, which gave me a good sense of a full-teaching load. Wow, did the day ever go fast! I felt like I gained a lot of confidence this week in my ability to manage the class with little to no support from other teachers. It is a great accomplishment when you can make that teacher-student connection with the class, and feel like the students can appreciate you as a teacher-figure. I feel as though I have set my own expectations of the students, and that they understand their job within the classroom community.

On Monday, we planted our Lima beans in science, and are currently checking-in every day to see how they are growing. We have different experimental conditions to evaluate the importance of air, water, and soil. The planting experience was a lot of fun for the students, and they are eagerly awaiting their seeds to grow. This week we also took off on our “trip” to St. John’s, Newfoundland. Mrs. S took the students out to the playground while the EA and I sent up for our departure. I made a sign that welcomed students to “Cougar Canyon International Airport” where they walked through security with their suitcases made from cereal boxes (which turned out great!). They had to pass security with their passports and take their plane ticket to their seat on the “airplane”. We had the seats lined up in rows to simulate a real plane experience, and put on a YouTube clip of a plane taking off so they could visualize what it might really feel like (this was neat, as some students have never been on a plane before). We then passed over Canada, flying eastward, and saw the topography of the land (Rocky Mountains, the Prairies, and the Canadian Shield). Students were excited to learn that Canada was once covered by a glacier- they couldn’t believe that ice once covered our entire country! Next class we will be learning more about Newfoundland and will travel to all 10 Provinces and 3 Territories during the unit. This was a lot of fun for both the students and the teachers!

Mrs. S and I are planning to take on a new approach in the coming weeks for engaging all students in group discussion. We read a passage from a formative assessment book that talks about strategies for engineering effective discussion, talks, and activities that elicit evidence of learning. The strategy is called “No Hands Up” except to ask a question. This strategy allows the teacher to randomly draw Popsicle sticks with student’s names. This will monitor who’s being asked, and encourage others to participate who do not normally raise their hand. The only issue that I have with this approach is the anxiety that may be spurred on by being “picked on.” Mrs. S wants to give this method a try next week, so we will see how it goes. The most important part is to ensure a safe environment for all the students so they feel comfortable engaging in this type of activity.

As I took on more teaching this week, I began to realize how flexible and adaptable a teacher must be with their day plan. As I have progressed with teaching subtraction and addition, as well as 2-D shapes in math, I have realized that sometimes lesson plans will not always go as expected. During an entry slip activity that was completed one morning, I found that there were quite a few students who were not understanding some of the material I was teaching. As we are working on mental math strategies, I have come realize that it is sometimes difficult for students to show their work (a key component of math in higher grades). After seeing their struggles, I decided that they needed more practice, so I did not proceed with my original lesson, but back-tracked to working with ten-frames. I was not sure if it was the best decision at the time as I had nothing “planned,” but went with the flow and students communicated and showed their work in a group setting. I felt this helped students who were struggling, but I could see those that have a higher level of understanding were starting to get bored. Mrs. S mentioned that I can begin to provide more challenging (alternative) activities for students that are gifted. Mrs. S may also start a math club while I am working with other students during math class.

This week I also focused on providing my students with more open-ended questions, and ensuring that everyone was participating as much as possible. I specifically wanted students to demonstrate their thinking process, so I asked questions like: “What is it about this shape that makes you think it’s a circle?” or “In what way can you show the number story 13 + 9 with a ten frame?” I am working hard to provide students with questions that are not too difficult to understand, but those that will stimulate their minds- rather than yes or no answers. I have also been focusing on including all students within the class discussions, which can be quite difficult to do with this particular class. My main goal for this practicum is to do my best to engage all students, especially those that are lower and experience more challenges in participating. Sometimes when I see my students with behaviors not focusing I will ask them what they might think of the topic I am discussing- this usually helps them re-connect with the group. However, I have to be sensitive to whom I am targeting with this type of approach. There are a few students with anxiety disorders, so I make sure not to put them on the spot with these types of questions. As I get to know the students and their personalities better, I can gauge how they will react to certain circumstances. For the most part, however, most students are very interactive and participate well. I also do my best to scan the room as often as possible, and give everyone a chance to speak.

I am currently reading a book called “CHAMPS” – A Proactive and Positive Approach to Classroom Management, so I hope to gain some further information on behaviour management, as well as ways to set clear and positive classroom expectations. I am looking forward to practicing more next week, as well as working on lesson timing and reinforcing “green zone” behaviour.

This week was terrific! I was feeling anxious before the start of practicum, but as I got settled into the first few days of teaching, I felt at ease. Mrs. S has been so wonderful as well, and is a great mentor, so this made the transition smooth. Throughout the week, I took on Morning Meeting/Calendar and Math each day, as well as some DPA activities. Mrs. S has also given me daily opportunities to assess students during silent reading time, and I have taken reading groups for home-reading (evaluating fluency and comprehension). As I have been teaching more, it is hard to not to be teaching the entire day! So far, the lessons have worked out really well and the students have been engaged with the activities that I have planned. I feel more comfortable directing lessons, and am beginning to get a better hold of class management. This week I noticed as well that a lesson can change on a dime and that student’s might need more brain-breaks than planned- all depending on how they are feeling that day. For my first math lesson, I realized that some needed more time to practice, and so the lesson took up 2 days. The timing of lessons can be challenging depending on the student’s needs, which may change the following day-plan. This has been a good experience, and I have learned that a teacher needs to be highly adaptable.

I was very happy with my observed lesson yesterday, and had some great feedback from Mrs. S. My main focus for next week is to work on lesson timing, and to make sure that I don’t overburden each lesson with too many activities. Sometimes it is hard to gauge with primary students how much time they will “actually” need to finish off a task. As I develop my lessons going further, I will be more cognizant of their age, and to slow down, or take more time in specific areas that need to be addressed further. Mrs. S mentioned that Grade 2 is typically a “review” year for curriculum that has been learned in Grade 1, so I may not need to spend too much time explaining specific topics (i.e. 2-D shape attributes) as I did last class. As I learn about what they have be taught previously, I can make alterations to the lesson plans accordingly. For next week, I will continue to teach Morning Meeting, Math, DPA, as well as Science and Socials. I am very excited to start both Science and Socials units, as I have some great things planned! I am eager to teach more, and already cannot believe how fast time is passing by!