Monthly Archives: January 2016

Personal Statements..

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–A visual to capture my personal statements.

As future educators, it’s important to have an understanding of what we value and what we will strive to build in our students. Having these goals builds a platform for what we will be working towards as we begin our journey as teachers. For me, there are five important statements that resonate with my beliefs and ultimately define my passion and goals for myself and for my students. Having an inclusive and safe environment that builds community and promotes uniqueness and voice within children is utmost important. If students cannot feel safe and belonged, they cannot flourish and grow intellectually, socially or emotionally. Moreover, teachers should be role models who influence and encourage behavior that students can mirror. Students spend more time with teachers than their own mothers sometimes so its crucial to be good examples for those young ones who often look up to you. Teachers should allow students to explore their passion and find their inner love for learning. Once this is accomplished, students become more motivated and work harder towards their goals. As educators, we should make every effort to create critical thinkers who will participate as great citizens. At the end of the day, we are striving to build hearts not just minds in our students so that they can function and work collectively to create a better society. I believe students should experience outdoors and out of classroom education that will enrich and enhance their learning. All of these beliefs will not do justice if it does not support the mental and physical health of all students which is significant in their overall learning. My inquiry project that explores inclusiveness of students especially those with special needs resonates with all my personal statements as a future educator. As I further delve into my inquiry project, I hope to increase my awareness of all these goals and find more ideas and strategies that promote these statements.

 

Weekly Practicum: Never give up..

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During this week’s practicum, I was being formally observed so I was quite nervous especially because I was stepping outside my comfort zone by teaching a different subject for the first time. I was getting very comfortable with teaching Second Step so I decided to take a risk and try something new. I am glad I did because I need to start preparing for my long practicum and what better way to do that then experiment on all subject areas.

I was disappointed with how my lesson went because I was finally starting to feel like my students were seeing me as a teacher, and I was beginning to feel more in control of management issues until this lesson which made me feel like I was back in square one. Although I was a little upset at myself for not being able to implement more of the strategies that I had learned with regards to class management, I felt better when I finished up the lesson later that afternoon. I decided that I really wanted the students to grasp the content that I was teaching for that math lesson so my SA made room in her schedule to allow me to finish off the lesson. Perhaps it was the time of day, and students were feeling more tired than earlier, or perhaps I did not want to make the same mistakes of allowing chaotic behaviour reoccur but either way, the follow up lesson went much smoother and there was a great decrease in interferences and disrespectful behaviour. Students were on task, our class discussions were engaging, and majority of the students finished their work on time. It was no doubt a much shorter lesson, but the outcome was much more successful. I was much more hopeful and less disappointed following this lesson.

I am aware of the weaknesses of the lesson this week, but I hope that for the next few weeks, I can continue to improve and grow from this experience. I am looking forward to teaching new subjects, learning new strategies, and enriching my teaching experience as I continue my journey.

Thank you Shelley Moore..

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As we were sharing our inquiry resources to other colleagues last week, one of my colleagues shared a blog that was very relevant to my inquiry project. I went home and visited this blog, and was amazed and shocked at how brilliantly put together it was and how much useful ideas and information was presented. This blog is created by an inspiring inclusion consultant, Shelley Moore, who consults locally, provincially and beyond. She runs workshops and professional development all over the country and presents on inclusion, special needs and technology. It would be an honor to attend one of her workshops or presentations. The best part is, she resides right here in Vancouver. She has many different links to her blog, including a link specifically for curriculum ideas and activities that promote inclusivity in the classroom. She provides free activity ideas and resources for every grade and all subject areas so that all teachers could benefit.

Do you remember the game “GUESS WHO?” It was a board game that I remember playing as a child and enjoyed it very much. In her blog, Shelley uses this game with some modifications as an activity for the beginning of the year to help students get to know each other. She suggests to change all the people in the card into students and teachers in the classroom. What an amazing idea! This creates a fun and authentic way for students to learn about each other and creates classroom community. This is something so simple that can be easily done within all classrooms and could be inclusive of everyone in the class. In her blogs, she provides many more activities that foster inclusion and are fun and relevant. I have only begun looking at her blog and I look forward to see what other great ideas and activities will be available as I continue surfing through her websites.

I am fortunate to have found many practical ideas that could be implemented in the classroom which promotes and encourages inclusion especially for those with special needs which is the main focus of my inquiry project.

Weekly Practicum Visits..

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During this week’s practicum, I did yet another second step lesson about being respectful listeners. This was my last second step because I really want to start trying different subjects as I prepare for my ten week practicum. I started the morning right after they put their bags away, and they usually doodle or do a puzzle to start their morning, but I decided to change it up a little bit. I had them do an activity that I was taught during a workshop, where the students greet three different classmates and are only allowed to respond to the greetings with certain words on the overhead that I had put together. They really enjoyed the activity because some of the responds were funny and exaggerated and it allowed students to move around which they always enjoy. After this activity, I had them close their eyes and deep breathe before taking a seat and starting my lesson. The lesson went very well overall and I am really starting to feel like a teacher because the students are starting to treat me like one. They are becoming more aware of my position and are realizing that I am a teacher and I will be teaching atleast once a week to them. Since the students already have two different teachers, I think it’s much easier for them accept the idea of having one more teacher.

The school had an assembly during the afternoon and as part of the assembly, one of the education assistants had put together a presentation for “Zones of Regulation” which I thought was a great idea. It introduced the basic emotions associated with each zone and a brief overview of which zone we always want to be in etc. Some parents also attended the assembly, so it allowed them to get an idea of the zones which is very beneficial because they could implement it at home for their children. At the end of the assembly, the principle played the school song that was created a while back from a band and it was so amazing to see the entire school singing the song together. One song had so much power, and it was inspiring to see everyone at every grade level come together the way they did.

I will be teaching a math lesson next week for the first time. I am very nervous yet excited to try something new.  I look forward to whats coming as I continue my teaching journey.

“Pick a Book, Any Book”

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As I was doing some research on different strategies that teachers could implement to be more inclusive in the classroom, I came across a variety of different ideas. However, one in particular that stood out to me was the use of picture books as a way to build classroom community and allow students to think about special need students in a different light. This article (reference provided below) provided an excellent starting point in addressing an important topic like special needs to primary students who might not have much awareness of it.

Through book reading and discussions, teachers can promote special needs awareness in a manner that will lead to greater understanding about individuals with special needs, and provide vocabulary that is current, appropriate, and relevant to all children in the class (Ostrosky, Mouzourou, Dorsey, Favazza & Leboeuf, 2015). This could include providing books depicting pictures and stories of children with special needs, introducing children to sign language, or using visual supports to increase understanding and participation of all children. However, choosing appropriate books and using the books effectively to facilitate understanding of children with special needs can be difficult.

Attitudes about individuals with special needs are complex, multi-component constructs learned from direct experiences (encounters with an individual with special needs) and indirect experiences (such as books, media, and conversations about individuals with special needs), and are highly influenced by the child’s primary social group (Ostrosky et al., 2015). It’s important as future teachers to be aware of these influences in approaching this sensitive topic. Recognizing this complexity when attempting to promote certain attitudes, educators should consider the fundamental influences on attitude formation and the key role that teachers play in mediating the social acceptance of young children with special needs.

This article also provides readers with specific discussion questions following reading a children’s book and explains the importance of discussion for children’s learning and understanding.  The focus of a guided discussion was to point out similarities between children with and without special needs rather than to highlight differences (Ostrosky et al., 2015).

Most importantly, I love this article because it provides readers with a page length list of children’s books associated with special needs which can be very useful for teachers! This is beneficial for new teachers who are looking for some ideas and relevant books with lots of options to choose from depending on what you want students to learn or focus on. “All Kinds of Friends, Even Green” by Ellen B. Senisi is an example of a picture book that the authors frequently used throughout the article.

Ostrosky, M. M., Mouzourou, C., Dorsey, E. A., Favazza, P. C., & Leboeuf, L. M. (2015). Pick a book, any book: Using children’s books to support positive attitudes toward peers with disabilities. Young Exceptional Children, 18(1), 30.

 

Inclusion, Inclusion, Inclusion..

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What a simple yet powerful word. I have witnessed the lack of inclusion in many different contexts, and have had personal experiences with it growing up. I am motivated to delve deeper into this inquiry of how educators could be more inclusive in the classroom especially towards those with special needs because it resonates with all my beliefs of the role of an educator. Our role as an educator is to teach children, and there is no specific category in which the term children falls into therefore, we do not educate any specific type of children, but all of them in all their shapes and sizes. Children should not be labeled, or categorized or distinguished from one another in any aspect. Children should feel safe, belonged, capable, and powerful.

In my opinion, in taking steps towards inclusion, of most importance is to remember that you as a teacher are a role model to the students. If the teacher shows unacceptance of the student with special needs, the other students won’t accept them either. Consequently, if the classroom teacher feels good about inclusion, the student with special needs will thrive. If the teacher feels resentful about the extra work, the student will likely suffer. Moreover, inclusion works better when the professionals in the school collaborate. However, not all professionals are available or are willing to collaborate. The regular classroom teacher must be prepared to continue teaching their student with special needs with or without collaboration. It is up to us future educators to not let the traditional ways of practice define our strategies for including students with special needs. We must work collaboratively to change the policies and create a more just education system for all learners.

I look forward in exploring this issue further throughout my education program and I am eager to learn more about it, implement and integrate it into my teaching.

 

Weekly School Visits..

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It was so great to come back to my practicum school after almost a month. I began the morning with my H.A.C.E lesson that approached the concept of how feelings are associated with the brain and body. After completing my lesson, my SA decided that I continue with introducing their next lesson with journal writing. While students were cleaning up, my SA gave me a quick overview of the journal writing and I had them clean up and begin a new activity. In the midst of trying to transition the students to journal writing, it had completely slipped my mind that the students had been sitting for a long time, and a brain break would have been appropriate before beginning journals. I was upset that I had forgotten to do a brain break, but my SA had assured me that the rest of the morning had gone very well. This was very comforting because I have been very nervous for my ten week practicum unsure of how I would be able to teach more than one lesson, let alone an entire day! It was a big step for me to transition from one lesson to another with very little preparation and I am very glad that I was able to accomplish it.

The rest of the day went as usual except my afternoon SA had been away, so the morning SA filled in for her. This meant that there was no library in the afternoon, and science had replaced it. I think the day was very heavy for a grade 3 class. The day schedule was as follows: H.A.C.E, Journal Writing, Recess, Math (review test), Lunch, Science, Arts and Music (which there was no time for). Even just looking at the schedule written on the chalk board made me feel overwhelmed so I can’t imagine how the students were feeling. This was evidenced when the teacher was trying to sing a song with them about the solar system before beginning the science lesson, and the students could not concentrate and just giggled their way through the first line of the song. It was becoming so chaotic that the SA decided to cut it short and continue with the lesson. My SA was aware of the energy level of the students and she had planned to take a quick break to go outside, but the weather just did not cooperate. Moreover, music was going to the enjoyable part of the day for the students, but there was not enough time for it.

It was a long day, but definitely a learning experience as are all the other days I have spent in that classroom.  I look forward to the upcoming weeks as I continue my teaching journey.