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!