Using Stories to teach

In my experiences, I've always been a fan of explaining things through the use of examples and stories. Though, I'm not exactly the best at doing myself in big groups, I've always liked it when teachers use either stories or really practical examples in their lessons. In particular, stories work really well with teachers who've either had a lot of experience (and thus have lots of examples to work from), or teachers who have done a lot of interesting things in their life. For example, one of my english teachers in high school had worked extensively overseas in Europe and elsewhere in the world. As such, in his classrooms he was always relating things in class to his explorations in greek caves, and adventures driving across Italy. Though, I don't exactly have the experience, or breadth of worldly knowledge that these teachers had, it is my hope that one day I can use these teaching techniques myself.

Modeling

Most of my teaching experience so far has been through private music lessons and a strategy that I think is really effective for me is modeling on my own instrument and playing along with students. I like to explain to students that playing as a duet is like playing in a really small band; as soon as you play with another person you have to start thinking about such things as keeping a steady rhythm, balance, blend and tuning which are the things we work on in our band classes. It gives students an opportunity to focus on these concepts and begin to think musically. It is also very beneficial for auditory learners to hear how something is supposed to sound as well as read it from the page. I realise this is a musical example but I think the idea of modelling is important in any subject area, certainly it is important to demonstrate how to properly execute a lay-up, or to give demonstrations of a specific technique in art class.

Assessment for Learning

After taking assessment in the arts with Dr.John Fawcett I must say that my eyes have really been opened, and my philosophy really changed. The assessment for learning movement is new, exciting, and just makes sense. I don't think I really realized how to properly assess and evaluate in a way that's fair for the learner, and really shows their achievement of the learning outcomes. I want to encourage anyone who hasn't been involved with the assessment for learning experience yet to get out there and read up about it. I've really changed my teaching style and philosophy I believe for the better, and have a clear understanding of how important assessment can be and how it can be a hugely negative or positive affect on our teaching.

Teaching Strategy - work habits mark

My sponsor teacher has a particularly mis-guided grade 11/12 class. She decided part way through the semester that she would give them each a mark out of 3 for every class based on their work habits that day. She told them her plans and then implemented it right away. At the end of each class she would go around and tell the students what mark she gave them. Surprisingly, most students agreed that the mark she gave was accurate. Although my teacher can't put these marks into their grade, she can use them for reference when doing the G,S,I part of the report cards. Also, it made the students feel like their work habits were more important in the grading process and made them reflect on, at least momentarily, about how they behaved each class. I don't know if she has kept this up since October but I will be interested to know if it has helped the overall behavior since then.

Bonus Stickers

For many of us our Assessment of the arts class had completely changed and confused our thinking on how we are to evaluate and assess our students. We have been told that bonus marks are a huge no no because they skew the representation of the student's achievements. For myself, and probably some of you bonus marks were a part of my high-school experience. Now that I have been shown "the error in my ways of thinking" I have decided that bonus marks do not have to be a bad thing and if used correctly will not skew student progress. Bonus marks were a huge incentive for me and I still want to offer that for my students. I think that by changing bonus marks to bonus stickers or bonus "insert non mark related incentive" is a great way to engage your students. So instead of giving bonus marks on a test or bonus marks for doing some extra special project, or for great participation that we instead give the students bonus stickers. Make up a chart on poster board and give students bonus stickers then you can have a prize at the end of the year. It could be something you buy (if you want to spend the money) or you could set up an incentive with the class that if everyone can accumulate X number of stickers by the end of the year you will have a pizza party or it could be as simple as handing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place Bonus Sticker Awards (do them up all fancy on nice paper etc...). Or maybe you could buy a trophy and have a large plate that every year the winner gets their name engraved on it, or whatever you can think of). I think this is a great way to incorporate bonus "marks" into the learning without having it cause misrepresentation of the child's achievement.
This was just an idea I came up with the other night during our last Assessment class and I wanted to share it with you. Do with it what you will.
Good Luck on practicums and Merry Christmas

Teaching Tip!

My older sister is teaching grade 11 and 12 chemistry and I asked her the other day, her best teaching tip that she could give me. She said that over her 2.5 years of teaching, she realized that you need to establish a solid routine. You should not let your students get away with inappropriate behaviour. If you let the inappropriate behaviour slide once, everyone will expect their bad behaviour to slide and everything will just be chaotic. She said that you almost need to train your students ex. in her class, when its a lab day, the students know to bring a pencil/pen and that is it. You have to stick to your rules/guidelines.

Cellphones in schools

For those of you who are also in Tatianna's class, my group included one of these videos in our presentation. Both of these videos are about the use of cellphones in schools and the problems that have arisen from students using cellphones during school hours. The use of technologies such as cellphones, laptops, and iPods are going to be issues that are very relevant to our future teaching career. We are going to need to think about and decide how we are going to handle the problems that come with the use of these technologies and for me personally this will be an interesting topic considering I use and own all three of the technologies and use them in my everyday life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ny5Aq2G3770

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIjbnfYCDFk

The boy with the incredible brain

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=4913196365903075662&ei=0CQkS_DWJYGmqQPygsRQ&q=the+boy+with+the+incredible+brain&hl=en&view=3&client=firefox-a#

I'm guessing that everyone in Phil's class is also in Tatiana's ED-D 430 class. Anyway, I'm not sure if both classes are going to/have watched the video on Daniel Tammet the British mathematical savant, but if you haven't you definitely should. After watching the 10 minute clip Tatiana showed us in class I went online and found the full 48- minute documentary “the boy with the incredible brain” and watched it. If you're up for feeling intellectually inferior, this is an awesome watch. Enjoy!

Old school classroom management at its best

How To Maintain Classroom Discipline - Good And Bad Methods Training Educational Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHzTUYAOkPM

I was looking on Youtube and I found this funny old school classroom management video from 1947. Despite it being 60 years old, it represents a lot of good points, which I think are still relevant today. It basically shows two different versions of the same classroom scenario, one where the teacher has terrible management skills and the other where he has pretty good skills. One thing that kind of surprised me was how much it taught about humour and its importance in the classroom. Maybe I have a blurred perception of what teaching was in the 1940s but I thought that things would have been a lot more authoritarian, then this video shows. In addition to its usefulness it's also a pretty good laugh as well- the acting is so terrible!!

Teaching Strategy

I know lots of people think that "think-pair-share" is lame, but I think it's pretty effective when done right. I think it will apply really well to English, where often there is no "right answer" to a question and it gives students the chance to discuss ideas with each other and build on them. For anyone who doesn't know what the strategy is, you give students a task or question to complete on their own. They write down their response, and when they are finished they find a partner and they each share their ideas with one another. The activity can continue further by having each pair share with the rest of the class as well. I think this is a really good way to get students thinking on their own and not just banking on other student's ideas, and also provides a way for students to share ideas in a way that is less intimidating than raising a hand in class and sharing an answer in front of everyone.

Entertaining Story!

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-naked-school,0,6345652.story

Just a little story I found that is pretty interesting- a teacher caught texting and calling a student repeatedly, accused of having a fling with a different student- then later, two more teachers at the same school found naked in a room together. Ridiculous! What are people's thoughts about having students and teachers in contact by text and phone? What if the teacher is a coach of a sports team and has contact information available for athletes, who may happen to be in their classroom? Is this ever an appropriate way to communicate with students?
As for the two naked teachers in a class together, I won't even go there.

Fun History Activity

At Oak Bay, I was observing a history class and had the opportunity to see the final product of projects students had been working on for months. I am not in social studies, but I could see it being easily adaptable to English, my other teaching subject. Each student was to create a 3 minute slide show that included 50 images that went with their theme. They were each to pick a historical time period or event they had studied in class that semester, and find 50 images that related to their chosen topic. Along with the 50 images, they were to find a song that is relevant to the time period, so the slide show could be put together with music. Each student also had to submit a written assignment where they explained each of the 50 pictures they chose, and were required to reference their pictures properly. Some of the slide shows were wonderful to watch, and they were even more entertaining because music went along with them. I just thought this was a great idea- the students seemed to have put a ton of effort into them and the result was amazing.

Student's Criticism of teachers

Another issue- this time on my two week observation at Lambrick Park, where I will be doing my full practicum. My sponsor English teacher does not seem to be well liked by students. Some days I would arrive to the teacher's classroom before I got there, and kids would start bombarding me with comments about how they don't like this teacher, how students think hes racist, sexist, rude, a jerk, bla bla bla... I was absolutely stunned that these kids were openly sharing all this with me without me uttering a word. Now the problem is, I have to agree with the kids on some of the things they were saying, but I would obviously never engage in the conversation with them. How would I deal with this situation? I was terrified the teacher was going to walk in and hear them speaking about him, but at the same time wasn't sure quite what to say to them???

PDA in hallways

I just remembered something that occurred during my two week practicum at Oak Bay, and I remember I had no idea what to do about it. There was one senior student, a male, who was in a class I observed a few times, so he knew who I was. However, every time I passed him in the hallway when he was with his girlfriend, he would make eye contact with me, then drop his hand onto his girlfriend's butt and start caressing her butt or squeezing it or something along those lines, then he would look back at me again. This honestly happened like 5 times in the hallways- I feel like the student was definitely egging me on to see what I would do, if anything. Is this even an issue, or should I ignore it? Side note- the butt caressing was definitely excessive, not just a little love pat- seemed inappropriate for a school setting.

Teaching Tips

One tip for the music classroom that I have learned from observing other master teachers is don't give the kids time to misbehave, especially in big rehearsals. We have probably all been in large rehearsals where the director is obviously frustrated with the level of chatter that is going on in the room and proceeds to spend a few minutes lecturing the class on how they need to stop talking in order to get any work done, blah, blah, blah. The most effective strategy that I have seen in large rehearsals is to have every minute of the rehearsal so well planned that students don't have even a minute to stop and talk. When they do manage to sneak some disruptions in, call their name out, bring their attention back to the front of the room, and continue singing or playing. This requires a very high energy level and a lot of focus from the teacher, but I have seen it work very effectively on many occasions.

humor situation

I thought I'd share this as an example of using humor as a management tool. This works probably best with young kids because, well they just don't know any better or think about how truthful something can be. When I was on the visit, I was teaching grade 6 exploratory. The rule in the band room is no one is on the stage (we have a stage in our room) unless directed to. There's tons of things for students to hurt themselves on or damage, that's why no one's allowed up there. Well 4 grade 6 boys decided to hoof their butts up onto the stage. Of course if I say guys get down there's stuff up there, they're gonna want to look. I decided to tell them really up close "guys you can't be on the stage, you might open the trap door". They looked at me stunned and in awe... "but why Mr.K? where does it go?!" "Well if you accidentally open the trap door it goes to the basement of the school, and we can't get you out for three days". Needless to say the kids looked stunned "we won't do it again mr.k!!". Obviously this is a little playing off how they're still young, but I know they won't go on that stage again, and it was pretty funny. The grade 8's won't fall for that, nor the grade 7's, but hey, while it works for the younger guys, why not?

Life after school...

I just want to say congrats to everyone. We are a week and a half away from our lives at the University and ready to enter the 'real world' and or public schools. For weeks I have been thinking about how handing in papers, and assignments is coming to an end. Then I think instead of doing assignments we now get to create them and then mark 30+ of them :D Its a funny trade off I guess. I was wondering if people wanted to share where you are planning to go and what you want to do when we finish in April.

I'll start... My husband and I are moving to the smallish town of Hinton Alberta where I hope to sub for a couple years before going into a full time teaching position. I really want the T.O.C experience and I am excited to be able to explore and learn new things through being immersed in various different classrooms and grades. I have been working within the confines of music, which has been great, but I am interested in the opportunities to look further at my other interests such as History and Art. I will probably also look for part time work in a youth centre, daycare, or special needs centres. And thats the plan:D

Tip

One thing that I find really useful is have an educational game in your back pocket for those days right before christmas holidays or right before a break from school. Kids are usually pouncing off the walls, depending on the grade, or maybe its so for all grades, anyway have some kind of "game plan" in case your lesson goes out the window. Or perhaps think of a way to turn your lesson into a fun game for the students. When you are willing to adapt and throw things out the window for a little fun (Once in awhile/ in a blue moon- when appropriate), and if you have a good relationship/ management established in your class, the kids will love it.

My tip

Read aloud!
(This is primarily for the English classroom but could transfer to other courses).
When your class is reading novels, poems, plays, other texts, take the time to read aloud. This will help students who have difficulties with reading follow along and if you read with enthusiasm and passion this can help students become further engaged with the text. It sounds simple and it is!

Grass roots

One thing I think that's important to remember as we get ready to leave here kind of, is where we all came from. The other day a second year music education student was really struggling with an assignment for a music ed class. I didn't like seeing this person's despair so I decided to try and help them get to their end goal. I pulled out all my resources, used some good probing questions, and even allowed that student to borrow some of my resources to read through and help get the brain moving. Obviously no spoon feeding happened, but rather a guidance toward some thoughts that would help. That student now has a greater understanding of the topic and apparently really wow'd the prof with their presentation. I hope that when we all leave and become big people teachers we remember to come back and help present opportunities for those in the up and coming at the universities, because they need guidance too and we've got some special tips and experiences for them. Just a little experience I thought I'd share.

tip time with Josh

Well teaching tips and strategies, I'll give two brief ones:

Tip: one that's saved my butt several times is having not only a back-up, but a back-up back-up part of my lesson plans. Having that extension in the case that they cover everything you have is great, but also having an alternate cover is helpful as well. For example if something really bombs, and they're not working with it today, switch to Plan B for the day, reassess plan A and try it again later.

Strategy: Finish each day with an assessment, for me mostly formative, of what was learned that day and ask students if they're comfortable with what was covered. Assessment drives instruction. One of my favorites is the thumbs up/thumbs down with eyes closed to show how comfortable students are with something, or eyes closed show a 1,2, or 3 amount of fingers for level of comfort.

To everyone: good luck out there, love what we're all doing because it's the greatest thing in the world, and happy holidays.

tippity tippity tip tip tips!

Teaching tip #1: Sick of seating arrangements? When the kids enter the class have them pick a number out of a beaker (... or something meaningful to your class!) and that number corresponds to a seat around the class. PRESTO. Each student sits in a different spot every class, no one worries about who they're going to sit with, and everyone gets a chance everywhere. Just keep your students with poor eyesight or hearing in mind!

Teaching tip #2: Play some music. When the students are entering the class, when they're working, when they're leaving the class. Just make the class FUN dammit. Or play 5 min of a movie at the start of every class...what better way to get them to class on time ha.

Teaching tip #3: Smile, and mean it. This is my biggest complaint about teachers new and old... they forget to really genuinely smile.

Have fun on your practicums and have amazing teaching careers you crazy crazy bunch of teachers!

Thank you Pro-Year!

I already gave my teaching strategy and tip at the beginning of the semester when I described PACE marking in a PE setting (Check back on it if you are interested!). I just wanted to use this last blog post to say something to you guys:

I think you're awesome. I look around the classroom and I see so many teachers with so much potential. I think that we are all going to offer something different and unique, and I hope that when things get rough and we get stressed we remember that we are capable. Sounds lame, but it's true. We will all be doing things differently and may not see eye to eye on some fundamental teaching styles, but that's what makes us appeal to a range of unique students! I am so excited to see where we all go and what we do with our practicums and the following years.

All the best to you guys. I'm so glad I got to know you all!!! Thanks for keeping me going!

Teaching Tip - Don't give them a chance to act out

One of the best classroom management strategies I've seen is simply keeping the pace of the lesson fairly quick.

By moving at a fairly quick pace, you're not giving the students a chance to stop, get distracted, and act out.

diy

My teaching tip is to do it yourself. This can be in terms of what you do and also in terms of how you do. If you're asking students to go for a run, run with them. If you're asking students to write a poem, write your own poem. If you're asking them to show you respect, show them respect. I think this is really powerful in PE, although I think that it can be really effective in other areas if students see that you are doing it too instead of just standing and blowing a whistle or sending an email while they do the work. My PE sponsor teacher last year would always do the runs, strength, etc. with them and when he injured his knee he would roll out an exercise bike so he could still be active while they were. He said it made a huge difference in their effort level to have some old guy running laps around them (his words not mine!). My English methods instructor this term has also said she uses this strategy. Her example was that when she asks them to do some type of poem writing - she'll write one up on the board in the same way so they can see the process that she goes through as she writes.

I think this might seem to be common in PE classes, but in English it's not something I've ever really thought of. It's also important to do this in your general attitude, which is something that we've seen a lot, but you need to model the behaviors you expect of your students. Respect them if you want them to respect you, and so on. This is something that I think is more common sense but it's good to always keep it in mind.

My Teaching Tip

One teaching strategy that I observed during my 2-week practicum last year was the use of music in the PE classroom. It was used as a reward and it is one that the students really seemed to value. And it's super easy to implement and you don't have to get into the whole tussle of do I give them candy or don't I because let's be honest they're not gonna really give 'er for a carrot but they will for some candy. But then you have the dilemma about health. Which is why I thought that music was awesome. So all they would do is play music in the background when doing other activities. For instance the class I observed they were playing 'Dodgeball' (don't tell Sandy and Viv!) and when the class started to get a bit rowdy they would just remind them that if they didn't behave they wouldn't get music and they seemed to straighten up their acts. Then they would play the music while they were playing and then if they had anything to say they would quickly turn the music off, expalin or say whatever they needed to say, and then turn the music back on. So quite an effective tool in my opinion.

What Makes a Good Teacher?

http://www.casaaleadership.ca/mainpages/resources/handbook/examples-of-leadership/good-teacher.html

Here's a little resource I found online, which is designed to rank the characteristics deemed most important for a good teacher.

Read the following list carefully and try to determine what characteristics listed below are most important to be a good teacher. Put them in order, the most important No. 1 and so on. Place the ranking on the blank in front of the statement.

Teacher's ability to:

_____ communicate effectively with students
_____ understand feelings of students
_____ listen to other people's opinion
_____ dress neatly and attractively
_____ keep order in the classroom
_____ be fair when disciplining
_____ be informed on the latest information in subject area
_____ use many different methods (videos, overheads, books)
_____ expect high levels of achievement from students
_____ be liked by students
_____ cooperate with students' wishes
_____ communicate effectively with parents
_____ admit to error if a mistake is made
_____ keep good records

I by no means feel that this is the be all and end all of what makes a good teacher, but I think it tells a lot about what we personally value in a good teacher.

The Great Facebook Debate

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/09/08/bc-north-vancouver-facebook-teachers-guidelines-students.html

I don't know if anyone else has bumped into this article, but it deals with facebook in the classroom and how it should and shouldn't be used. Reading through I found many of the points to be quite valid and in a lot of ways common sense. The interviewer and interviewee basically talk about how teachers and student should not add each other as friends in facebook (big surprise huh), but instead if they choose to use it should create profiles dedicated specifically for school uses. Another interesting thing in the article, actually mentions that it is school board policy in the Vancouver and Langley school districts which bans teachers from adding students as facebook friends- something that I'm sure is going to become more and more prevalent in boards across the country as time goes on.

Despite the obvious risks and personal boundary crosses associated with student/teacher facebook communication, I still see facebook as a powerful academic tool. If dedicated pages and accounts are created for academic purposes, I think a lot of useful information exchange can happen if used properly. In university for instance (which I know is completely different from high school), one of my profs used facebook as a means of passing on important dates, and other information to us in class. In many ways this worked great, the information got out to us really fast, and we were able to comment on it, suggest new dates, ideas and all sorts of stuff in a really efficient manner. Granted none of us bothered to create specific academic profiles, which I'm sure we wouldn't have check as often as our regular profiles, but in theory I think it can be used as a really great teaching tool- again if used properly.

Teaching Tip: Be Your Own Teacher

I was surprised by the number of teacher who've told me to "Be your own teacher." It sounds great. But what does it mean??? Be genuine in your interactions and don't apologize for yourself.

For example, one of my sponsor teachers is a successful poet (at least by the Canadian standard), so she spends approximately 6-8 weeks on this subject, and manages to incorporate it into every novel or play study as well. I found this prospect intimidating because poetry isn't what interests me about English. Her response to my concern: "just don't." Teach what your passionate about. End of story.

Many other teachers have given me similar advise about achieving control in the classroom. As the teacher, you are responsible for creating a safe, productive classroom atmosphere, but the way you achieve this learning community is left to your discretion. Teenagers and children have an innate ability to sniff out what Holden Caulfield calls "phonies." If you're faking, you're wasting their time. For this reason, it has generally been recommended to me that the best method of establishing a productive classroom environment is to be genuine. Hopefully you are in the teaching profession because you care for and respect students, and if this is the underlying feeling in your class, students are more likely to respect you, to seek out your approval, and to want to participate positively in your classroom community. If you are very orderly, it might work for you to keep a very orderly classroom; if you are very relaxed, it might work for you to have a more co-operative classroom. If you try to crack down hard on rules you don't believe in, student's won't respect you--equally if you let students do things you don't believe in, they won't respect you either. The main point here is to make a person to person connection with students first, then both learning and order will come naturally.

Remember, there are lots of test going on in the first 3 weeks of term, and it's you who's being tested.

Micro Lesson- Learning strategies

This strategy is for the music people. It's called 'echo-reading' and is usually used in an English class. It is a call and response type deal where the teacher will read through a line of literature and the students will repeat. However in a musical sense, for a choir, the piano can replace the teacher and the student can sing the line the piano plays. It is a strategy that we have been teaching for many years. But its a great way for students to learn music.

Teaching Tip-Using music to start class

I have observed the following in action:

As part of the active living curriculum organizer in PE, students develop goals in relation to a 20 minute run which they complete every couple of months. To work towards this goal, the students run at the start of every class for about 6-10 minutes. It makes up a portion of their warm up as it is the first thing they during the formal part of the lesson. At a set time a few minutes after the bell has rung and the students are supposed to be changed, the teacher starts music on the gym speakers. Students know that this means it is time to start running. Since this is an everyday routine, students expect it and are comfortable with it. It seemed to be an effective way to get class started quickly without wasting too much time, and it (mostly) cut out any opportunity for the students to complain about running. It also increased efficiency by allowing the teacher a bit of time to take attendance without using students' time which could be spent actively. The PE department had a large selection of music so the students weren't bored hearing the same thing all the time.

Teaching Tip

So i thought i would ask a Dr. in Education what is their best tip for entering the practicum?
"BEST TIP.....have solid lesson plans (doesn’t have to be fancy).....be thoughtful.......AND set limits to your work....although the practicum is demanding it isn’t meant to kill you. All makes sense to me and it is simple if you think about it.

A teaching idea**

When assigning projects, allow students the option of how they want to express their knowledge. For example, in a socials class they can write an essay, do a painting, write a song, write a poem, etc etc... as long as they meet the learning outcomes. Usually they KNOW the content but may not be able to express their knowledge in the specific way we're asking them to. By offering our students these options, we allow them to shine in their areas of strength.

Teaching Strategy

With your problem students (those that act out, or get off task easily) set up a signal so that you can privately let them know when they are off task or out of line. Often this can be the teacher holding up a certain number of fingers that correspond to a particular rule.

Teaching strategy

I was at Oak Bay for my 2 week practicum way back when and saw an interesting strategy that they used to help teach socials. They were focusing on the trial of Louis Reil and each student was given a task to accomodate their learning. Students had to sign up for a part in a mock trial. Firstly everyone was involved and everyone had to do background research (for homework). The trial was filmed and all the participants could use any means to back up thier part. Louis was then put to the jury at the end and the verdict was given according to the evidence given.
I really like this strategy as the students were involved in their own learning and were encouraged to learn from the other students involved in the trial. The assessment was easily done as the teacher could sit and listen to what was said, they could also refer back to the video. Students also felt a connection to their role and put more time into their learning. This strategy also taught a little on the justice system and the respect that is given to each speaker. It also works well for students who dont normally talk in class and for those who love the drama.

Great wesites:Learning Disabilities & tips for new teachers

"The World's leading website on learning disabilities and ADHD"
www.Idonline.org

it even has Rick Lavoie on it ;)

Under "LD TOPICS" on left hand side offers hundreds of articles and resources for educators, parents and others concered about children and adults with learning disabilities and ADHD.

Example Topics:
classroom management
reading & dyslexia
nonverbal LD
special education
gifted & LD
IEPS

Tips for new teachers: www.teachervision.fen.com/new-teacher/resource/6495.html?detoured=1

Teaching Tip: Using your voice for control

I'm not saying this will work for every group of students...
To get your student's focus, start talking really quietly- most kids will catch on and will be really quite so that they can hear you and your next instruction.... The kids that are trying to listen will sometimes pipe up and tell the noisy kids to be quiet (peer pressure) OR the noisy kids will figure it our that it's time to listen when they are the only one talking and they quickly become quiet. Next time they don't want to be embarrassed by being the only one talking.
Even my university prof uses this technique because her voice is so quiet. The only way you can hear her is if you are absolutely silent! It can work really well with some groups. You can change the tone of your voice from loud to quiet and visa versa to sell the major points of the lesson...try it out...my younger kids I coach really buy into it. If you (the teacher) are excited, it can transfer the energy to the kids.

Be wise when you try to implement this technique, you wont get the music student's attention if the room is loud with belting music if you just start whisper ..and the same in a noisy gym

What makes a good leader? It is a wee bit long, but applicable.

These 10 core competencies comprise good leadership

Visonary
Good leaders create a vision, a picture of the future, of where they want to take their organizations. Leaders can improve both the quality and acceptance of the vision by partnering with their peers, executive team, key employees throughout the organization or outside consultants. To get the best vision you need lots of ideas, and people support what they help to create.

Inspirational.
Once a vision is established, great leaders can inspire everyone in the company to get onboard. Employees in great organizations are passionate about what they do. This inspiration extends to customers, investors, suppliers, boards of directors and all other stakeholders.

This doesn't mean good leaders have to be charismatic or great public speakers, though some are. Leaders may inspire by example or in low-key ways. Every word and action demonstrates their passion for the vision.

Strategic.
Strategic leaders are clear and directly face the strengths and weaknesses of their own organizations, as well as their external opportunities and threats. They think in terms of leverage, fishing where the big fish are and partnering to gain market advantage. While interested in one sale, they would rather create pipelines and strategic alliances that generate thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of sales.

Tactical.
Wired like businesspeople, good leaders are bottom-line oriented and extraordinarily committed to results. They thrive on facts, figures, numbers and data. They're interested in ROI, ROE and EBIDTA. If not numbers-oriented themselves, they surround themselves with strong financial talent.

Focused.
Once vision and mission (a brief, clear statement of the reasons for an organization's existence) are established, good leaders achieve what they set out to do before launching new initiatives. By contrast, poor leaders may have dozens of conflicting programs and priorities. Leaders with 20 priorities essentially have no priorities.

Persuasive.
Not necessarily salespeople, good leaders can bring others to their point of view using logic, reason, emotion and the force of their personalities. They motivate by persuasion rather than intimidation. The key here is the leader speaking from his or her heart.

Likeable.
Good leaders are people-centric. They may be scientists, engineers or technical experts by background, but they recognize interpersonal skills are paramount. They display high degrees of emotional intelligence, and thrive on finesse and likeability.

They want to be liked -- and they are. Again, the key is what's inside the leader. Likeability comes from the inside out.

Decisive.
Sometimes shooting from the hip, good leaders can make decisions quickly -- often with incomplete data. As Theodore Roosevelt said, "In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing."

Rarely is a leader able to get 100 percent of the information needed for a decision. Typically it is "60 percent and go" or "80 percent and go."

Ethical.
Good leaders are direct and straightforward. They set clear performance expectations and hold people accountable. This requires being direct and truthful, which can be difficult but -- more often than not -- is natural for the principle-based leader. Good leaders know it's hard to beat the truth.

Open to feedback.
Good leaders are open and dedicated to lifelong learning. They seek feedback about their performance through direct conversations and objective tools such as 360-degree reviews. Seeking continuous improvement in their companies, they also seek it for themselves.

The direct link to the complete article by William S.

More proof that sex with students is OK!!!

I was watching Leno tonight, and he made a joke that went something like this:

A law in Georgia has been passed where it is ok for teachers to have sex with students if the student is age 16 or older and the sex is consentual. But whats even worse is most students in Georgia are homeschooled. ah ohhh thats gross hahaha clap clap clap.

Good joke, but I found it interesting since we have been talking a lot about this kind of stuff lately in Tatiana's class, for those of you who are in her class with me. I was intrigued and I found this article about the law being passed.

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/lawmaker-worry-teachers-sex-students/story?id=9157141&page=2

From what I see in cases we have discussed and other ones in the news, there are a lot of "loopholes" where sex with students goes unpunished, either if it is a female teacher with a male student, a female teacher having a relationship with a female student, and now if the student is 16, it is ok in Georgia. I read some of the comments on this news story, it was pretty split between people who thought that 16 year olds are adults and can make their own decisions and people who thought it should be illegal. Noone really brought up the difference in power between the two, except for one comment who compared it to a psychiatrist having a relationship with a patient. Its kind of crazy that so many people in the general public don't seem to have a huge problem with this.

Poker Chips

I hope you all took the time to watch the rest of the Lavoie show, it really helped me to get a little perspective on the students that will be sitting in our classroom everyday.

His poker chip analogy is so helpful. Self-esteem is such a touchy issues these days, and often when it is addressed it is addressed in such a fluffy manner that it doesn't really get us anywhere. I think its important that we think of our students (particularly our LD students) as having a certain number of poker chips and that it is our job to give them enough to ensure that they can do the tasks that they need to do.

"Join me on my bandwagon of uncertainty..."

I know many of you have probably already seen these clips along the way... but if you haven't, Taylor Mali's dialogues are probably some of the most truthful and hilarious bits of work out there... have a look :)

the problem with teachers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxsOVK4syxU

a few words on 'the most aggressively inarticulate generation to come along'...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmLE2bliXCI&feature=related

Classroom Gem/Concerns with Lavoie

The closest thing I have to a "classroom gem" that works well is what I've seen called the "chorus effect." I tried this over my 2 week practicum and it was fantastic, and I used it in my lesson in John Fawcett's class, and while it's a little pedantic for university students, it was very effective in high school. Basically, you just get the students to all say the answer/phrase/whatever all together, like a chorus. Depending on how much they need to know it, you have them repeat it a couple times. When I tried this with grade 12 students I thought they would just laugh at me, but because I prefaced it with "I know this is a little dorky but..." they were totally fine with it. I found it was an excellent way to get them to all memorize a short, but very important, piece of information really quickly.......and they'll never forget it! I wouldn't recommend using it all the time, but once in a while it can be really effective.

As for the Lavoie video, there was one example he gave that didn't have me totally hooked. When he told the story of having to talk to the teacher who was always late for recess duty, he used the "oreo" or "sandwich" format. Start with something good, mention the stuff that needs to be fixed, then end with something good. He then said that this was a good technique to use with students. Now, I DO agree it's a good technique for using with students when you're working with them in some progressive, longer-term type thing. "Johnny, you're so good at sitting quietly at your desk now! You still need to work on not punching suzie in the face, but I've also noticed you're consistently coming to class on time now. good work" That sort of thing, I'm totally fine with, but I'm not so hot on his idea of using it with an employee.

I know we're not all going to be administrator's and bosses, but I think it's important to note. The teacher was just duffing it with recess, and all he needed to do was tell the teacher he was duffing it. By prefacing it with something good, you're going to set the teacher up to always expect a reprimand when you start with a compliment. I think it's important to compliment and affirm employees, and if you're reporting on someone's progress in an area (as with Johnny's behaviour) then the sandwich/oreo is just fine, but if someone does something wrong that's an isolated behaviour, just reprimand that. Don't degrade a compliment by sandwiching it around a reprimand. Compliments with Compliments. Reprimands with Reprimands. Oreos for progress-based things.

Just a thought. (ps that was something I'd heard from another speaker, it's not my idea but I thought it was a good idea).

Special-Ed Institue

I just wanted to remind everyone: if you're (even mildly) interested in taking some special education courses this summer... CAN YOU SEND PHIL AN EMAIL? I know many of you are interested in pursuing this field in the future, so give the courses some thought. A friend of mine is trying to compile a list of students interested in this "summer institute," before she speaks with the Dean next week. The more interest, the better.

What's in a Word or Two

This situation reminds me a lot of a situation I saw during my observation. In the case I saw, the student seemed like a normal everyday student until the teacher gave out a written assignment. As soon as she did this, the student who was normally really compliant just shut right down and refused to the work. Unlike the case study, the student didn’t swear at the teacher, but even still he got very confrontational. Like the case study, my sponsor teacher later found out from another teacher that this student has significant issues. Comparing these two situations, I think in both cases the teachers were very much surprised by the actions of the students. From a management point-of-view, it is really difficult for a teacher to deal with a problem student who spontaneously acts out, with little or no warning. As difficult as it is though, I think the teacher still need be the one in charge and call the student on any of their inappropriate behaviour. As tough as these situations are, I think it just goes to show how important effective communications between teachers in a school really is. In both this mock scenario, and my observation scenario, other teachers in the school knew about behaviour issues relating to both students. In these cases, I think being proactive in finding out knowledge of student issues is very important, as tough and time consuming as it may be

The Rad Rockies

The Rad Rockies

(My report on my two-week practicum, I realize it is slightly late, but here it is.)

The teachers on staff, the students and I made hydrogen gas, lit many fires in the forest, played flag football, went climbing, dressed up in crazy costumes, researched rare careers, took photos of modern architecture in downtown Calgary, played dodge ball (oops) and got chased around Holt Renfrew and followed into the washroom (a couple of girls REALLY needed to go before the long drive from Calgary to Golden) by suspicious sales ladies. We also made plans for the New Year to run an ice climbing camp and to go on an overnight ski trip to Lake O’Hara in Yoho National Park.

For the less positive aspects, see my posts on wild horses and physical space.

First Year Blog

Hey everybody,

I stumbled upon this website while I was procrastinating. It is a blog for first year teachers, so there are a lot of topics being discussed that have relevance to what we are feeling/doing right now. Check it out if you have time....

http://www.lessonplanspage.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=13&sid=fefd7ba5cf32ece84d5fc75280832797

Physical Space

I don't know where to find some physical space at my school to make lesson plans and keep my materials, here is the problem...
The school I am teaching at has an all-male PE department. The school was originally built with one PE office accessed through the male changeroom and one PE office accessed through the female changeroom. These offices were separated by a wall. Recently, a door has been put into this wall so that the two male teachers can access the offices from the male changeroom side. The door to the female side is still there but I always had to enter and exit very carefully to ensure that there was never a line of sight into the female changeroom. In addition, once inside these two offices it is very hard to move. They are jam packed. There is definitely no room for me in there. There is one female staff washroom in the school, adjacent to the staff room.

Where should I get changed?
Where should I keep my materials/other clothes?
Where should I plan my lessons during my spare blocks?

All in my truck since it is parked on school property, where we are supposed to be for the entire instructional day?

It is a little cold for that in the Rockies in the winter.

My best idea is to do it all in the staff room and women's staff washroom, but is it going to give a bad impression if teachers always see me "hanging out" in the staff room? How about the other female teachers getting a bit upset because they can't use the washroom because it takes me the whole 4 minutes we have between classes to get changed?

Any brilliant ideas? What kind of physical space have you obtained at your schools?

Sleep is a thing of the Past

So today is November 25th. Does that scare anyone else?! Where has the time gone? We are going to be in the classroom before we know it and honestly sometimes I feel unprepared. I mean I know what I'm doing, etc. but I'm not certain on everything. For instance, I still have no idea if I am going to let students pick between different projects they want to do, or their weighting on certain projects. Because obviously I want to try and implement everything that we are learning but there are SO many options. And they take a long time to organize. You have to make sure that each project option is equal and generate a general rubric that can be implement fairly for all so that a paper has the same chance as a video presentation. Also I briefly looked at some of the unit plans that my teacher has used in the past for the course and Holy Moly!! Each unit is a massive binder! Like probably over 500 pages - no joke. And sometimes I just don't know how it's even possible to make up 4 of these unit plans, nevermind trying to incorporate fun and relevant games into them. It just seems like it will be difficult to get everything across nevermind the added extras of letting them choose their own projects, making up fun games, getting them out and about if possible. I'm assuming that it will get easier for us to incorporate all of these things once we are a bit more seasoned but I guess I'm just impatient.

How do you tame wild horses?

I have a concern with one of the classes I plan to teach. It is my favorite class to teach in terms of subject area by far. However, the class is full of wild horses. Their current teacher does not have them tamed at all. Safety is a big concern in this class. I am wondering how I can gain a bit of control and make it through to the spring without having a serious injury when they have been running wild for five months already. The only advantage I have come up with so far is that I am tall, which isn't going to help very much at all.

Has anyone ever worked with wild horses before?
Any ideas?

Where's the Line?

Ok so one thing that I think is going to be one of my most difficult challenges on my practicum is the whole authority, don't be there friend, be a hardass thing. I would say that generally I am a pretty happy-go-lucky person but I keep hearing that you have to be super stern and strict and pretty much mean with the students at first if you want respect. They say that you can let off later on but if you start slack you're screwed. Only I'm not sure if I could teach for the first few weeks without any humour and super mono-tone. And honestly I don't think that's even good teaching as there is a good chance I would put myself to sleep! I like joking around and playing games. So what is the proper plan of action. Should I make up this alter-ego serious Izzy for the first few weeks or can I crack some humour out the first day? Because I also know that with us being younger and new the students might think that they can either get away with more or that we are in fact their friend. And don't get me wrong I would like my students to like me and whatnot but at the same time I don't want them acting around me like they do their friends i.e. swearing, talking about drinking and drugs, etc. which actually brings up another point. What are we supposed to do if a students tells you they smoked week on the weekend? Ya it's against the law, but you have no proof and it's off school property and not during school time so are we supposed to do anything? Report them to a councellor? Phone home?

Ways to form Rules and Routines

Hey Phil and 780 people, just wanted to quickly make a note of the importance of rules and routines. Obviously we are all very aware that a class needs to have rules and routines implemented at the beginning of the semester but just how do we do it?? On the observation I encountered a teacher that used humour throughout his rules list. He would highlight a rule and reinforce it with a joke. Unfortunately I don't have any examples but when I read it it made me laugh but also take it seriously. So......how do we come up with these as a class and how do we make it light enough to be fun but also touch on the seriousness of the exercise??
Any ideas?? I definitely want my class to know that rules are not to be broken but that the class environment should be positive and fun for everyone.

The Usefulness of Blogging

For a few of our classes we have had to blog, and these classes have different expectations of what counts as a 'blog'. These are the two different options.
1. Some of our classes (like this one) count comments on other peoples posts as credit for a 'blog'. 2. Some of our courses require that a 'blog' only counts if you post it yourself.

This is just food for thought, but in option 1 (above) I've noticed that I read the blog way more and learn from my peers. In option 2 (above) I rarely read other people's blogs and do not learn from my peers. However the blog grows a lot faster.

My point is that if you decide to use blogs in your classes, I would recommend option 1 and 2 together. i.e. 5 of your own posts and 5 comments on other peoples blogs.

HELP!!! First Day of Classes

Ok. So HELP!!! might be an exaggeration of my worry over this matter, but it is still something that has been on my mind.

Has anyone put particular thought into the first day of teaching a class for the semester? During my big practicum I am going to be starting 2 classes from scratch. This means they haven't had their 'real' teacher teach them at all. This means that we have to instill the rules, routines, the mood of the class, the respect, the expectations, etc. We need to make our presence felt. We need to make it so the class knows you are the teacher.
I guess I'm a little worried of messing up the first day, and playing catch up for weeks.

This is what I've been thinking.

1. Welcome class
2. Syllabus
3. Fun activity that prepares the students for the content of the course.

Any thoughts?????

What's in a word or two?

Firstly, the teacher should've known about the student anger management problems and history of violent and aggressive behaviour. Secondly, as much as many teachers have policies around being late for tests, some students are still late, and we as future teachers are going to have to deal with that. If I had a student tell me to F*** off, and walked away I would be shocked more than anything. I probably also would've notified the VP and hopefully he/she would take care of the situation. What the student did was straight out wrong and disrespectful, and if it happened a second time, I'm positive there would be major consequences. I don't think that it would be right for me to punish the student. I feel in that situation the teacher has to be the bigger person and not 'fall into the ring.' I would save it for the VP or principal to deal with and make sure the parents are notified about the students behaviour. Overall, this behaviour is not acceptible.

What's in a word or two?

The problems in this scenario are that the teacher was not aware of a student's anger issues and she/he created somewhat of a confrontational situation. It is also a problem that students still arrived late to the test, even after a discussion. The teacher should have been aware of something like an anger management issue, but at the same time if he didn't have an IEP and it hadn't presented before in this class, how would she/he know or be expected to know? Obviously, the teacher's discussion about lateness wasn't effective, but it doesn't really say what she/he said so I can't really comment on that. Looking back on the situation (knowing that the student has anger management issues) it would have been a good idea for the teacher to get someone who was aware of his issues. Maybe she/he could call a school counselor down, student could go write the test there and the teacher could express that an apology was needed by the end of the day. Important thing to do though is to not allow more confrontation and to give the student a chance to cool off. They also need to understand how saying "F*#$ off" isn't going to get them anywhere and its hurtful in unnecessary ways. In future situations, I would have some sort of signal/system established with the student so that they knew they could go grab a coke or just take 5 to cool off when it was necessary. But if they lashed out instead of taking advantage of the system that had been put in place to help them, some sort of punishment would occur.

should I stay or should I go now?

Nothing says can't sleep like blogging. Something that I think we've touched on, but would be interesting to just hear what people are planning/thinking of in regards to: should I stay or should I go now? When it comes down to our choices after we all finish, it's either going to be do you TOC in the districts where its required, or do you go where there's a job (possible not the most ideal job/location) that is full time? If John Gateman says to you tomorrow "I'd like to put you on our TOC list for SD 61" and somewhere in the Yukon offers you full time in the most rural of areas, what's your choice going to be and why? I know what my decision would be, but I think it would be interesting to hear what everyone else prefers/is thinking of and why. Let the thought process begin.

an editorial for you

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Dave Dickson Comment

Nov 19, 2009

A CALGARY FAMILY HAS COME UP WITH A SOLUTION FOR THEIR KIDS HOMEWORK WOES. THEY’VE DRAWN UP A CONTRACT FOR THEMSELVES, THEIR CHILDREN AND THEIR KIDS TEACHERS TO ESNURE THAT NO WORK FROM SCHOOL WILL BE BROUGHT HOME. I’M SURE THEIR KIDS ARE REJOICING NOW BUT THIS COULD HAVE REPERCUSSIONS LATER IN LIFE.

THEIR REASONING IS THAT WITH ALL OF THE EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES THEIR KIDS ARE INVOLVED IN, HOMEWORK IS GETTING IN THE WAY OF FAMILY TIME. REALLY? HOW MANY ACTIVITIES ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? ARE THESE KIDS PLANNING ON BEING PRO ATHLETES OR ROCK STARS? I DOUBT IT. HAVING A VESTED INTEREST IN YOUR CHILDS EDUCATION IS ONE THING BUT DRAWING UP A LEGAL DOCUMENT THAT SAYS THEY CANT BRING WORK HOME AND CAN ONLY BE MARKED ON WHAT THEY DO IN CLASS IS RIDICULOUS.

IT JUST SHOWS HOW MUCH OVER-PARENTING IS OCCURING IN OUR COUNTRY. THESE PARENTS AREN’T EXPOSING THEIR KIDS TO WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THEY ARE TO FINISH SECONDARY SCHOOL AND BEYOND. I’D LIKE TO SEE HOW THE CHILDREN FARE IN UNIVERSITY. MY MOM AND DAD SAY I DON’T HAVE TO DO HOMEWORK. THAT REASON SURE WOULDN’T FLY AT ANY POST-SECONDARY SCHOOL I KNOW OF. COULD YOU IMAGINE THE REACTION FROM A PROFESSOR? THESE KIDS WILL BE GROWING OLD BEFORE THEY EVEN GROW UP.

IT’S NOT LIKE THE PARENTS ARE UNEDUACTED SLACKERS. THEY’RE BOTH LAWYERS. I DON’T GET THE LOGIC. I WAS INVOLVED IN PLENTY OF SPORTS AND ACTIVITIES ALL THROUGH MY FORMATATIVE YEARS AND I NEVER REALLY HAD ANY ISSUES WITH GETTING MY SCHOOL WORK COMPLETED. IT’S ALL ABOUT BALANCE AND IT APPEARS THEY DON’T HAVE IT.

IT’S TIME FOR THESE PARENTS TO LET GO OF THE LEASH JUST A LITTLE BIT. IF NOT, THE MAY BE STUCK HOLDING IT FOR MANY YEARS TO COME. AS IN THEIR KIDS MAY NEVER LEAVE AND THAT’S NOT GOOD FOR ANYBODY

THIS IS DAVE DICKSON

Ecofont

Found this an checked it out. just another way to help consumption and save money.
if you are just printing out a rough draft, why deplete your ink cartridge? ecofont use up to 20% less ink by omitting parts of letters, while still being readable. downloadable for free at ecofont.eu says it is a developer , dutch design from SPRANQ --after the dutch holey cheese.

What do Teachers Make?

Here's some inspiration for everyone

What Do Teachers Make?

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.

One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"

To stress his point he said to another guest; "You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?"

Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "You want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, then began...)

"Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.

I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor winner.

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental.

You want to know what I make? (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table)

I make kids wonder.

I make them question.

I make them apologize and mean it.

I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.

I teach them to write and then I make them write.. Keyboarding isn't everything.

I make them read, read, read.

I make them show all their work in math. They use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator.

I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know about English while preserving their unique cultural identity.

I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.

Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life. (Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.)

Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant.

You want to know what I make?
I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make Mr. CEO?

His jaw dropped, he went silent.


THIS IS WORTH SENDING TO EVERY TEACHER, EVERY CEO, EVERY PERSON YOU KNOW.

Even all your personal teachers like mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, coaches and your spiritual leaders/teachers.

middle sexes documentary

So, this link is a bit random but still interesting. In our section of the philosophy class there was a presentation on heterosexism and homophobia - one example they used was how you might have a student who doesn't use the bathroom all day because they don't know if they should go into the girls room or the boys room. I think to a lot of us that seemed a little bit crazy, but it does happen and I know I don't feel ready to deal with that kind of tough situation. But I'm starting to think about it, about a lot of those oneina situations that we don't really get to talk about and dig into in any of our courses.

Anyway, someone recommended this documentary to me and I thought of that class and figured I should post it up here. The whole thing is good but if you only have a minute I'd start it at 6:30ish and just watch the last 90 seconds.

Click here to watch it.

It's from an HBO documentary called Middle Sexes: Redefining He and She and deals with issues related to gender and sexual identity/orientation. Watch it.

Green Initiative

A school in Abbotsford is running their computer lab off of of bike generators! Check it out.

http://www.globaltvbc.com/world/Abbotsford+school+runs+computer+green+energy/2124295/story.html

Feeling Doubtful?

My English methods teacher recently sent our class this link to a great article written by a lawyer that is about the value of teachers. Have a read and enjoy :)
Click here for the article

Student Choice Grading?! What?

Hey guys,

I've been thinking lots lately about student choices in regards to how they are assessed in a classroom. I understand that core subjects like math or chemistry it is not as likely to involve students in how they are assessed, but maybe not. I've been thinking about it in regards to a physical education setting to give students more meaningful assessment, but what if we used it in other classes like socials. What if students had a choice of what types of assignments and projects they did and how they were weighted. Things like tests maybe necessary (especially in a class with a provincial exam), but maybe homework assignments like papers could be switched up to posters, plays, diaramas, collages with a summary etc. Set it up so students have to select one or the other for a certain percent. OR they could choose to select how much a poster is worth and how much a paper is worth (for example they have to choose that the paper is worth either 20% or 30% and the paper is worth either 20% or 30% and they must total up to 50%) so that the students feel they have slightly more control over how they are graded.

Just a random tangent I know. Thoughts?

M.E.A.N Teachers

came across this and thought it was a blogger
I'm a MEAN Teacher!


By: Laura M Staunton/ New Jersey
Barb Erickson/ Michigan

A MEAN teacher insists that each student do the best s/he is capable of doing.

A MEAN teacher insists that students hand in their assignments on time and takes off points for late assignments.

A MEAN teacher does not accept incomplete assignments.

A MEAN teacher requires each student to think carefully and to make her/his own decisions.

A MEAN teacher holds each student responsible for her/his own behavior.

A MEAN teacher makes students keep the classroom, themselves, and their belongings neat and clean.

A MEAN teacher does not allow free time in class until all class-work is done.

A MEAN teacher gives homework regularly, sometimes even on weekends.

A MEAN teacher calls on students who don't raise their hands to answer questions.

A MEAN teacher requires all students to treat each other with respect.

A MEAN teacher makes life miserable for students by insisting that they always tell the truth.

A MEAN teacher produces students who are respectful, responsible, and successful.


THE WORLD NEEDS MORE MEAN* TEACHERS!

*(MEAN = Making Excellence A Necessity)

where the wild things are...(wild unruly students that is)

For those of you who read Connor's post on the alternative school at Kitsilano Secondary.. this is a bit of a follow up based on my topic I was supposed to (or will in the future) talk about in class.

My topic was originally diversity in the school... and what I thought I would be looking into would be the different ethnicities and cultural backgrounds within the school. After only a few days of observation I quickly realized that the real diversity that shines through at Kits is the different levels of programs available to students who are not meeting the expectations within the standard classroom.

One of the things I think is important to our work as teachers, and if anything, our responsibility as educators, is to understand what happens to students when they fall through the cracks. At Kits they seemed to develop a multi-level approach to dealing with misbehavior and/or students who fall behind in class.

The first level was SKILLS: Skills was a class where students would be required to attend a study block and work on their courses. Teachers involved in this course said it was pretty much touch and go most classes just trying to get the students to focus on their work and deal with never ending discipline problems. The teachers all agreed that the students would test you every class... interesting part about the class was the use of peer tutors. Other students would attend the block as a peer tutoring block and help out the other students... from what I saw this seemed to work really well.

The second level was MINI SCHOOL: Students who were in this program attended the majority of their classes with a team of two teachers who worked with them on variations of their courses. A large part of their work was based on practical work such as building a resume, attending interviews, and gaining work experience hours. These students seemed to be kids who learned at a slower or different pace then other kids, had difficulty concentrating on simple tasks, or had behavior problems. The teacher in this class was unreal... and really saw the kids for who they were.... nothing got by him in the classroom... and the students respected him a lot...

The third level was the VINERY: When students drop out of school and look to come back, they have a choice to attend alternative school, named The Vinery. The Vinery is not necessarily part of Kits High, but acts as a base school for the Vinery to work out from. Being at the Vinery was an amazing experience from our teacher showing us the art on the walls of his previous students (some who never made it back off the streets... others who have since graduated high school) to observing their lunch time home economics responsibilities. These programs help bring students back into the classroom where they belong, and allow them to work at their own pace as Connor described.

The biggest thing I took from those observations was that these programs thrive when teachers are informed and aware of the program and the students involved in it. I was fortunate to observe another teacher at the school bring in the kids from the Vinery for a "lab" in his biology class. The students would never have had the opportunity to be exposed to a science lab if it wasn't for another teacher forfeiting his prep-block to teach them a fun and interesting lab.

take home lesson: don't let your students disappear on you...know what options there are for them if they're falling through the cracks... and if they do....try and support the programs that might bring them back...

Sports and Education

I wanted to get some feedback on the issue of sports and class timetable conflict. Having had a semester from hell so far (in terms of work and soccer) I wanted to see how everyone viewed the issue of timetable conflict and sports. I have been speaking with my mentor teacher who occasionally has to take students out of school for games. Teachers are very understanding about this and allow students to make up the work as they go along. However, from my own personal experience some work cannot be made up. This can be due to time retrictions or because it required class participation. What then is the alternative without giving that student special treatment?? I don't want to have any bias in how I deal with this situation as my own feelings are completely tainted by this year so far.

First Nations Classes

At Esquimalt Secondary they have a very interesting first nations program. There are 170 indigenous students at this school. A very significant portion of these students are at risk of not graduating. As a result the school has tried extremely hard to find ways to make education relevant and meaningful to these students.

There is a first nations wing. In this wing there is a study room with 2 full time helpers and one of the councilors is a regular there as well. While I was in my observation I got to sit in on a Grade 9 'Circle'. At this circle the principal, the vice-principle, 2 councilors, the 2 workers, and 8 grade 9 students were present. The purpose of this 'circle' was to show the students the network of support they had at the school. The students were given the opportunity to talk about what they liked and disliked about school so far. To tell the truth it was shocking to see the responses because they were so negative. Very scary! Apparently the grade 11 'circle' was much more positive. It made me realize that with troubled students, you really have to help push them along from an early age.

There were also first nation classes. For example, there was a first nations English class which dealt with first nations poetry/novels. There was also a first nations science class which had earth science as an emphasis. Other classes were available as well. All of these classes were open to any student, but only the indigenous students took them. They tried to make the classes more relevant to the students. Thereby creating more interest, and a better chance to succeed.

Using Current Events in Social Studies Class

Hey guys. I know a bunch of us have social studies as our secondary teaching area. My sponsor teacher uses this for his Grade 10's every month. It is also appropriate for grade 8's and 9's.

This is a booklet that students read through, answer questions and complete activities. It is called 'What in the World'. Here is the information on it.

What in the World? / Le Monde en Marche (Level 2) is a photocopiable current events resource, published in English and French, for Canadian students in grades 8 through 10. Designed to enhance students' understanding of and interest in current Canadian and international events and issues, this publication addresses numerous curriculum outcomes while saving teachers time.

Published nine times a year from September to June (except January), each issue focuses on the previous month's top news stories and includes:

• Four news articles, written at a level students can understand;
• Relevant background information to enhance understanding of each event or issue;
• A content-area vocabulary assignment;
• On-the-line, between-the-line, and beyond-the-line questions;
• Analyzing a political cartoon assignment;
• Examining a news photo assignment;
• Crossword and wordsearch;
• Community Connections article and assignment;
• Quizzes;
• Map assignment;
• Answer key.

Subscribers receive one copy of each issue which they may photocopy for use by all teachers and students within one school. Subscriptions are delivered by first class mail, or via Internet download. Electronic subscribers receive a password each month enabling them to access the publication on our website as soon as it has been posted.

Cost - $126 for the year.

Link - http://www.lesplan.com/en/publication/what-world-le-monde-en-marche-level-2

Observation at Esquimalt

My observation was quite successful. The teachers and staff were very welcoming in every regard. In the first week I tried to make good contact with my sponsor teachers (of which I have 2 for P.E. and 1 for socials).
Also, I tried to get a good grasp on how the PE program is run. It is different than I expected. There are only 4 PE teachers in total, few classes, and limited resources. There are 3 jr. boy classes (grade 9 and 10 together). 3 jr. girls classes. One grade 11/12 class. 2 senior leadership classes. One fitness class. And one block that is for the curling academy. That's only 11 blocks of gym. Also, there is only one field and one gymnasium that can be divided in two. Sharing of equipment is also done in a strange manner...as there is not much sharing. Each teacher has their own pinnies and their own goalie gear. There are only 7 footballs, 2/3rd's of a basket of basketballs. Same with volleyballs. In other words equipment is limited.
As for the students...attendance is a major problem. One of the jr boys classes would only have 12/24 boys show up each day. The jr girls barely participated in thier class. In the leadership classes there were grade 9 girls competing against grade 12 boys. In other words, the whole program seems rather disorganized, but that's just the way it goes sometimes depending on many factors that are not at the teachers fault.

For most of my observation, I tried to see as many different teachers as possible in as many different areas as possible. I tried hard to get my face and name around the school and volunteered to coach the jr boys bball team. I am excited to do my practicum at this school. I feel like I will learn a lot, especially from my socials sponsor who I am looking forward to working with. He has been especially welcoming, and seems very excited to have me.

The value of the two week practicum

As I said during class, I thought the two week observation was really beneficial in getting information on what we'll be teaching so that our in-class assignments can be more applicable. Until now, I felt that I was creating a lot of unit plans, lessons and tests that I might not necessarily use. Now that I have a better idea of what content I'll be teaching it certainly makes these assignments (as well as other class content and discussions) more purposeful. It might also be important to recognize that, coming from the Art Education program, I don't have nearly as much experience in the schools as the music and PE students (except for the two week practicum). This might also be why I found it to be more beneficial and worth while compared to what I've heard from my peers in the music and PE program.

I think it would be very beneficial to have more in-school experience for the Art Ed students in the first 4 years. There seem to be a large number of NON-education students taking AE courses as an elective; I've found that quite often the professors of the AE courses adapt the content so that it isn't as geared toward education and teaching (as to not bore the students who come from other programs). As a result, those of us who are actually going into teaching, suffer.

It also really surprises me that there isn't more touched on Special Ed as this is certainly an area of education we will all encounter at one point or another in our teaching career. I know the Art Ed students with only one teaching area have a class in special ed, but it seems that those of us with two teaching areas don't have that option.... hmmmmm

Alternate School Program

During my observation at Kitsilano, I got to spend some time at the alternate program that is associated with Kits, and I wanted to let everybody know what it was all about. The program is called the Vinery program, and it is for students who have difficulty working in a normal school environment. The program is in a separate building just up the road from Kits, and has about 20 or 22 students in grades 8-10 involved who had dropped out or were in danger of dropping out of school. The program is set up so that the learning is self paced, and students work on only 1 or 2 subjects at a time so as not to become overwhelmed. The students will complete Math 9 entirely and then move onto socials, for example. The students are also able to take different grades at the same time, so if they are at a math 10 level but only an english 8 level, they are able to take both those classes. There are 3 or 4 teachers or resource workers who work with the students every day. The program seems to work really well, and the teachers have made each student accountable for their own learning, so that almost all of the students are there on time everyday and complete their work for the day before they leave at 3. The students also take turns doing chores in the building like making lunch for everyone and cleaning the kitchen and desks. The teachers have really made the place a community that the students are proud to be a part of.
The person who leads the program, kind of the lead teacher, is an amazing guy. He is on a first name basis with all the students and you can see that he is totally invested in all his students. He is friendly with all of them and for many of the kids, he is probably a stable adult figure that they really need. Even though he is friendly and more of a colleague with the students than a teacher, he still holds their respect and can lay down the law if a student is not doing their work. It was really interesting to see him walk that fine line between being a 'friend' and a disciplinarian, and is probably something that we will all need to figure out as we become teachers.

Dont Let People C_ _ P on Your Parade!

sometimes i am amazed what people say to me about teachers. i wonder are they ignorant, or just mean. today i arrived home and my neighbor approached me asking me how school is going. happily, i replied it is good i am in my last year ill be a teacher in April. she then proceeded to tell me how little teachers get paid, how teachers are underqualified, and how teachers should not be working past school hours because it is against the union. Funny? she then told me she "was" going to be a teacher, but she does not like the union. i then thought is this lady jealous? anyhow, i told her i love teaching and it is not about the money. i feel so fortuante to have the opportunity to educate myself and to do something i love and get paid for it. Plus as teachers we have the most important job in the world--to teach the youth. our youth is our future and teachers are the guides--you could classify us as "angels of matter." anyway, eventually i walked away from the conversation and shook my head. i even being the teacher that i am began to reflect on the conversation and i began to second guessed myself "is this all for nothing? should i pack it in right now?" then i thought bull_ _ _ _. i felt bad for this lady. she obviously is not working towards her own dreams or goals. actually, i believe she works at a jail. Glad its not me. so the moral of my story is DO NOT let anyone crap on your dreams (and don't kid yourself people will try) or goal in life. im proud to be a teacher and we all should be proud of ourselves for making it to where we are in our lives. cheers to the teachers of the world! now im going for a run.

The Real Deal

Looking back on my observation I really appreciate having been able to get into my sponsor school before my actual practicum. Putting aside the whole teaching classes, lesson planning, dealing with students and all of the other stuff involved with being a teacher, just getting into a school and trying to find your place in the mix of everything is a big shock and can be difficult to do. I am sure I’m not alone in feeling that when I go back in January to actually do my practicum things won’t be as shocking as they would otherwise have been. Looking forward to my practicum, I feel like I have much better sense of what things will actually be like when I’m in the schools, and what will be expected of me when I’m there. I won’t lie though, in a lot of ways I’m still scared of what things will be like in January. Doing university classes for 4 and a bit years is one thing, but actually being out in the schools teaching students is something very different. Having to teach and do classroom management at the same time is a challenge that I don’t think any amount of teaching peers can quite prepare you for. I learned this the hard way this week when I taught a warm up in one of my sponsor’s classes, and found that a lot of kids were not paying attention or messing about, even though I was trying my best to make sure everyone was on task. Another thing that I found really difficult was asking kids questions to confirm if they understood what I was explaining. When I practiced this in our mini classroom lessons in university it seemed to work pretty well, but in the real world it just bogged down the pace of the class. Overall, I’m finding the adjustment to school teaching is trickier then I initially thought it would be. Despite these difficulties though, I think this whole observation period was a really beneficial and needed thing.

Observation at Spencer Middle School

I have seen and experience a lot during the 2 week observation period at Spencer Middle School. The school system is different than most high schools I have been to. Spencer is on a linear system for their academic classes (including PE) and then they are on a semester program for their electives, except for the grade 7 exploratory classes that last around 6 weeks (I think). So when it comes time for me to teach art and PE I will have kids that have been in PE since September and then kids starting their first semester in Art. The PE teachers at the school have completely opposite teaching styles and I will be lucky to have 2 sponsor teachers. The PE director has been teaching since 1977 and it is his last year before retirement so I find his teaching methods quite old school and his views and beliefs to be quite extreme. On the other side of the spectrum my Art sponsor teacher is very young and has only been teaching for a couple of years; I feel like I can relate to her more and we share some of the same views and beliefs.
A new program that has been implemented in the middle school is a 30 minute block before lunch called Numeracy and a 30 min block after lunch called Literacy. These blocks focus on skills that will be used in the work force (if the teachers actually teach the block correctly). I have seen teacher take many different approaches to these 30 minute blocks and it looks like the principal and vice principal will have to re-examine their time table and the effectiveness of these classes. I may or may not be asked to teach a numeracy and literacy block. The observation period has been helpful and I really enjoyed getting involved in some of the elective classes including; foods, textiles, drama and dance!

Observation at Lambrick Park

My two week observation at Lambrick Park had both it's ups and downs. When we arrived, we were given a large binder by the school secretary that the VP had put together for us, containing information on school policies (such as attendance, exams, extracurricular activities, etc.), list of all the teachers at the school and their subjects, a schedule of the block order, and a calendar with all the important events that will take place this school year. We also were told what classes we will be teaching next semester. We had a couple of meetings: one with the VP, and one with the librarian, who set us up with staff login information for the computer systems, and briefly went over the library system with us. Overall, I was really impressed with their organization. However, on the down side, I find myself in strong disagreement with the teaching style of one of my sponsor teachers. I hope that I will be free to teach in my own style even though it will probably be far different from this teacher's, and he will be open to letting me try some new things I didn't observe in his classes the past two weeks. Other than that, the school is small so I am starting to recognize faces around the hallways- the kids seem nice, and I am looking forward to my practicum next semester.