tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640155163382619022024-03-05T15:10:42.765-08:00Teaching in PJ'sA teacher's exploration in the primary-junior field.Ryan Ileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11782786383328086027noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164015516338261902.post-32368451867591348782012-10-13T12:40:00.000-07:002012-10-13T12:46:11.607-07:00Time is flying by!<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizZJ0lMGKFIc1ORldi7QDgsGrxlUUnAI4nzNPRhu5dXo7ZzL-zDuUBHWzEQVqrJQKGOrtfPHwsrMKaY8meNqgPVVsyCBKgsh5i1XyY1b5pmo6BuZPHOLLfu89GHT1GWCdl7mdTdVZdhYE/s1600/camp+1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizZJ0lMGKFIc1ORldi7QDgsGrxlUUnAI4nzNPRhu5dXo7ZzL-zDuUBHWzEQVqrJQKGOrtfPHwsrMKaY8meNqgPVVsyCBKgsh5i1XyY1b5pmo6BuZPHOLLfu89GHT1GWCdl7mdTdVZdhYE/s200/camp+1.jpeg" width="200" /></a>I have a hard time believing its been six weeks since I began teaching at Mohawk College, and I honestly think I have learned as much during this time from my students as they have learned from me. I feel so fortunate to be teaching such an amazing group of individuals who all have so much to offer. I am constantly humbled by their perseverance, determination, and positive attitude about life. I have two of the nicest and happiest people I have ever had the good fortune to meet in my class, and it is incredible to see the effect they are having on the students in our class, the College as a whole, as well as all the Faculty - truly inspiring!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExqIm55GiSyGBaEKbze0iY0poSbrXUmUYklgXYPthQPwW8amuB5IbBEIMn_FlpKnluVybZTKIjP6-VRbIabiyJ4lH_T7w_ntFLnlA9hSQJNWVRyvV98mSkm5-U9VOnGLymo0lRtydwb4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-10-13+at+3.33.57+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExqIm55GiSyGBaEKbze0iY0poSbrXUmUYklgXYPthQPwW8amuB5IbBEIMn_FlpKnluVybZTKIjP6-VRbIabiyJ4lH_T7w_ntFLnlA9hSQJNWVRyvV98mSkm5-U9VOnGLymo0lRtydwb4/s200/Screen+Shot+2012-10-13+at+3.33.57+PM.png" width="200" /></a>A week into teaching at Mohawk the Associate Dean offered me another course to teach in their 'School Within a College' (SWAC) Program on the Social Impact and Ethical Issues Technology is having on Society. This course is for at-risk high school students to provide them a College experience. This is such a fascinating course and a joy to teach. Beginning with some history of technology, we have also discussed Marshal McLuhan's theory about technologies 'extending' and 'amputating' skills, and his TETRAD model for theoretically assessing, analyzing, and predicting social effects on society. Although my students found these topics quite intriguing, it has been our more recent topics of applying ethical arguments to the use of technology, as well as discussing GMOs that has really peaked their interest. I myself have a very keen interest in these issues, and love sharing and discussing the positives and negatives of these issues because generally speaking most have not considered where their food comes from, and what goes into it. Just as teaching my other courses for students with special needs, I find this course just as inspiring and challenging in finding ways to reach these students who in most cases have never had someone there to fight for them, or to provide them assurance in life. They are doing so well, and I only hope I am able to continue to inspire them to believe that they can achieve anything if they put their minds to it.</div>
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One of the biggest eye-opening experiences I have had thus far is the level of differentiated-instruction required when teaching a computer skills course to twenty special needs students. Over the weeks I have made adjustments and find I am really finding my groove now in reaching every students preferred learning style. The combination of preparing PowerPoint slides with step-by-step instructions on the projector, as well as printed off for students to follow, and encouraging students to teach the class and a buddy the skills as we proceed seems to be very effective - and a joy to teach! Absolutely love it when I crack a joke and ask a student to show the class and I get a huge smile and a "Yeah buddy!" back. These past two weeks we have been learning how to use Microsoft PowerPoint, and yesterday the students began working on their own Presentation which demonstrates all the skills learned, as well as recording the presentation to share next week. I am really proud of them, and their focus level - and although I like a chatty classroom because it feels alive and interactive; it was quite amazing whilst eery when the classroom was very silent due to the level of focus on their work.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfu3JrNaXBKg-Dr8M5XcWZ3S20cRoR2nngEEIO_coWt6bysZh34MRhmX3yh6P4qkSbCOhknYQBqCDbQt9AlbU3yKCyplU30HqpsL0E-uLPbtNgUX48s_JVAbyrGaJVSTqsv0m5FjcCONs/s1600/IMG_0440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfu3JrNaXBKg-Dr8M5XcWZ3S20cRoR2nngEEIO_coWt6bysZh34MRhmX3yh6P4qkSbCOhknYQBqCDbQt9AlbU3yKCyplU30HqpsL0E-uLPbtNgUX48s_JVAbyrGaJVSTqsv0m5FjcCONs/s200/IMG_0440.jpg" width="150" /></a>Back in May I attended the 3-day TRIBES training course, and am a huge fan of the activities, the inclusion and community it creates. I have used these activities every week in each of my classes, and I really feel as though it has brought our group together to a level that without would have taken much longer. The camaraderie and respect amongst my students is amazing, and it really does make your heart twinge a bit when you see them helping each other out. One of the best examples of this was last week we attended the Tim Horton's Camp at Onondoga Farm with the Recreation and Therapy Students from Mohawk College who we partner with. One of my students has a walker, and for the camp we provided an all-terrain wheel chair. Everyone was so accommodating and helpful in pushing the student around and making them feel welcome - just amazing! The day at the Camp was fantastic, and it was great to see friendships continue to blossom. Not to mention the fantastic activities we got to participate in. I was fortunate enough to participate in the mountain biking, flying fox, and nature walk with some of my students. It was great to see the students really start to come out of their shell, and one student in particular I had never seen smile so much - and is still smiling! </div>
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Similar to my students, I feel I am really finding my groove teaching at the College. I continue to adapt and modify my lessons and teaching strategies for each student, and this very flexibility is the same skill I am teaching them in adapting to the curveballs life throws us. As I always remind them - "Every day in every way, life gets better and better!" - a quote my Mom told me.<br />
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<br />Ryan Ileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11782786383328086027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164015516338261902.post-17556927243150624252012-09-08T12:26:00.000-07:002012-09-08T12:26:22.428-07:00I'm now an Instructor<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhptR33Piz_DI3Yl3G9J4wMwlBHVICbB3NAtRnFSDytU_eT6iso8oEMgZ3kCKvFJGIhsXLqha94Uhq7OyMhZuND_muCaJvPMvWLHp3i8TA_RaQZdi5lt_fv7NXzcsZBpUq65bKeDbdPUZo/s1600/Image+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhptR33Piz_DI3Yl3G9J4wMwlBHVICbB3NAtRnFSDytU_eT6iso8oEMgZ3kCKvFJGIhsXLqha94Uhq7OyMhZuND_muCaJvPMvWLHp3i8TA_RaQZdi5lt_fv7NXzcsZBpUq65bKeDbdPUZo/s200/Image+5.jpg" width="200" /></a>It still gives me goosebumps to call myself an instructor or teacher, and no longer a 'student-teacher', but after finishing my first week teaching at Mohawk College I indeed can do just that. I must confess it feels absolutely incredible! I feel so fortunate and privileged to be teaching an amazing group of students in the CICE (Community Integration and Continuing Education) Program. Already I can tell that I am going to learn just as much from these individuals as I hope they will from me. It is so inspiring working with these students who have all gone through great lengths, determination, perseverance, and against all odds, to attend College; and as such I feel a great responsibility to do everything I can to make them not only succeed in College, but give them the confidence to succeed in the years following their graduation.<br />
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From their first day of orientation the level of excitement amongst this group is infectious. I feel so energized by this group, and after teaching my first two classes this week: Recreation Activities and Computer Skills I think I've returned the favour. Being a huge fan of TRIBES having completed my training in May, I felt using some of those methods my first week was an obvious way to kick off. The icebreakers and group forming techniques such as "Name Wave" and "Silent line up" to get to know each other and form groups were so much fun, and quickly introduced everyone as well as creating focus and groupings.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ways to fight stress.</td></tr>
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I really enjoyed our first class topic of Stress Management techniques where we did a graffiti exercise to come up with ways to combat or deflate stress. The students came up with some fantastic ideas which I was really proud of. Afterwards we did some breathing exercises and a muscle relaxation whilst focusing on our breathing. Was so much fun, and as it was my first time orchestrating one of these I think I pulled it off! Was a fantastic start to our class.<br />
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Yesterday I taught our first Computer Skills class where after covering the course outline we learned about computer etiquette and completed an online scavenger hunt as a form of a skills diagnostic to see where everyone's strengths and weaknesses are. To complete the diagnostic I asked the students to tell me their strengths, weaknesses, and what they want to learn; and email me their responses. It was great to see everyone helping each other out, and definitely provided me with a clear idea of the pace and level of my students, as well as where their interests lay. I found using TodaysMeet to be a great way for the students to brainstorm their ideas of what Computer Etqiuette entails, and fosterred a great class discussion from it. I cannot stress enough how much of a pleasure it was to teach this class, and how amazing it was to watch the students all help each other out in the scavenger hunt, opening TodaysMeet, and figuring out how to email me their exit card. What a great bunch of students I have! So excited for next week where we're going to learn about Microsoft Word.Ryan Ileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11782786383328086027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164015516338261902.post-1109437139855192302012-09-08T11:28:00.000-07:002012-09-08T11:32:10.692-07:00Lesson's learned<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm a tad bit taller...</td></tr>
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It's been four months since my second teaching placement in a Grade 1/2 split class ended, and I thought it would be a good time to think back about the main things I learned - what stuck out in my mind.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tableau during reading of <br />
"3 Little Pigs" - the wolf <br />
fell down</td></tr>
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Lesson 1 - Have fun! I had so much fun teaching this young age group, and it was amazing how much the students could retain or learn when you made the class as exciting as possible. Whether it was through incorporating drama, art, a little theatre, technology, moving around, or singing/dancing - when the kids were laughing and moving they remembered what we were learning! One example was in dance we played "Show me how you get down!" where you go around a circle asking someone to essentially do a little dance, and then the class repeats that dance. It was so much fun, and the students loved it when I called on the classroom teacher and another teacher who entered the room to "get down". I also really enjoyed making advertising posters during our Point of View TLCP on how the big scary shark would try sell a home in the ocean to unsuspecting fish. The ideas my students came up with were ingenious - such as a secret trap door on the other side of the advertisement for the shark to sneak in through. There are so many other examples, but I want to try keep this post 'relatively' short..<br />
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Lesson 2 - Technology captures their attention unbelievably well! I used clickers, SMART Board, camera's, document camera, and livescribe pens with my class. I remember the first week I used clicker's with my students, and a lot of people thought there was no way it would work with this age group - but it did, and very well! The students were very respectful of the clickers, partly due to my discussion on how we handle them beforehand I suspect. They thought it was a game, and got really excited seeing their responses pop up and the graph results of the class responses. I used Clickers during the first week of my TLCP as a diagnostic check on what they though Point of View meant, or from someone else's point of view how would the world look, or how would they feel, etc. I found it very informative, and was quick and easy. It was essentially an exit card, but digitalized. I kept the questions to 6-10 so it didn't take long, and by the end of the week the students were great using them I only had to bring them out and they knew exactly what to do.<br />
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I've used document camera's before and always love how they don't waste so much paper, but also add a little interest to it. Especially when the students come up to interact with manipulatives underneath it during math class.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KMzyx_wm-9wTK5OHagznbi8-pAXa4odcXZnxmZEj8rm92qwz45IKT19P8O43S8Plk9NBxu440OSv7sn2wt11mGzYtMVubn7FhkAK9frirExunWfwB9VyJq_xwNrhvDjqrDDZslpoZp8/s1600/IMG_0084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KMzyx_wm-9wTK5OHagznbi8-pAXa4odcXZnxmZEj8rm92qwz45IKT19P8O43S8Plk9NBxu440OSv7sn2wt11mGzYtMVubn7FhkAK9frirExunWfwB9VyJq_xwNrhvDjqrDDZslpoZp8/s200/IMG_0084.jpg" width="200" /></a>The class absolutely loved it when I brought in camera's for them to use to take photos around the class from a different POV, such as a bee, or a giant, etc. The class was electric during this, and they were so independent in their groups. The next day I printed off some of the photos, stuck them to chart paper and we walked around graffitiing them up with ideas of whose point of view the photo was taken from. So much fun!<br />
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I've used the SMART Board many times before in my first practicum and during teacher's college, so it was natural to want to use it again. However, at my school there was only one which you had to book in advance. This made planning a little more difficult - and when you factor in walking down to it, setting up, and the walk back; your lesson time is reduced quickly. Regardless, I used it in Social Studies, and as I discovered before if you do not have the students interacting with it then you should limit how much you use it. With that said, once you get the students up and going they love dragging, dropping, revealing, etc with it. My favourite lesson I did with it was a Social Studies lesson on transportation where we did an amazing race as a dpa warmup going through the different modes of transport evolution from walking, jogging, biking, canoeing, driving, trains, planes, etc. It was great as I had the music going, a clock ticking down, and used a reveal to show what our next "transportation method" was. Got the students really energized before starting the lesson on comparing Canada to the World.<br />
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Lesson 3 - Don't sit back - get involved, interact, and participate in everything you are teaching. Every time I would jump into the game we were playing, become dramatic, act goofy or silly (within reason of course) the students level of excitement and learning increased. An easy class to spot this of course is Gym class. I loved teaching gym! Perhaps because I have always been very active, and it was my favourite class when I was younger. I always got involved in the games, acted silly, would crouch down and run with the students in invasion games. The reaction on the students faces when they saw I was playing was priceless, and they always wanted to tag me out, or the cries of "ahhh Mr. Iles is it!!" were hilarious! The other lesson was never think this they could not handle a lesson you want to teach - especially the younger age group. Trust yourself and your abilities to teach the lesson, and the students will rise to the occasion.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpr-wsZZmIYAv1n-8d_AEIPErFltLEceze2uPyHs0OF3cUPjJgILNAbpMnS_-QLsSOpiN-VIPMuuKt93Upz1HXYE0TeZjafJCe3WuoC28PTIG_eVLvbNqYZrOpqswWQMeDEax1QbG1Uig/s1600/IMG_0154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpr-wsZZmIYAv1n-8d_AEIPErFltLEceze2uPyHs0OF3cUPjJgILNAbpMnS_-QLsSOpiN-VIPMuuKt93Upz1HXYE0TeZjafJCe3WuoC28PTIG_eVLvbNqYZrOpqswWQMeDEax1QbG1Uig/s200/IMG_0154.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Math wall</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifPMZsPijccWHH_1w6ukROEybCPmZuAybMoGf0k9kNISA0ZzbInWShIugTF-HOugpwTbi8ItCtajoVlBC2KLIhaRufLGVCPnHig68VK1wSTkOVwqpOvzWCmYD08bAnUuIChWzGwXxj0ws/s1600/IMG_0112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifPMZsPijccWHH_1w6ukROEybCPmZuAybMoGf0k9kNISA0ZzbInWShIugTF-HOugpwTbi8ItCtajoVlBC2KLIhaRufLGVCPnHig68VK1wSTkOVwqpOvzWCmYD08bAnUuIChWzGwXxj0ws/s200/IMG_0112.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creating our Writing Success <br />
Criteria as a class</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirUWeTP3C1UUafByDtOR8NLEbIoEoGkjx4tWh1ASKt87H5WJDOGfR-2DByGbOX6z2ppY0KjN2CImGIuEF3ySzk4GLxtJokGW07YwuOPHqsyyG5nn7VvNZ2jDHe34dMhOYn66W0CeM2WiE/s1600/IMG_0115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirUWeTP3C1UUafByDtOR8NLEbIoEoGkjx4tWh1ASKt87H5WJDOGfR-2DByGbOX6z2ppY0KjN2CImGIuEF3ySzk4GLxtJokGW07YwuOPHqsyyG5nn7VvNZ2jDHe34dMhOYn66W0CeM2WiE/s200/IMG_0115.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Literacy wall with Learning Goals, Big Idea, and student work</td></tr>
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Lesson 4 - Never undervalue being prepared. I cannot stress this enough. The amount of time you spend assessing and providing written feedback to students every week is overwhelming at times, or perhaps I was doing too much? But if you can have your all your lessons planned out two or three days in advance it is the most amazing feeling because you are so much more relaxed and ready, and have the time for all your marking. Not only that, but you then can make the small changes you want to without thinking "bugger I've got to change everything now!" The other maybe not so obvious reason is you can spend more time thinking about your timing, your materials, and your delivery.<br />
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Lesson 5 - Your delivery is so important! If you have a great lesson but cannot deliver, then it will fall flat. This is why you have to have some good routines to make sure you get enough sleep, eat well, and stay active. I learned in my first placement how important delivery was because I took what I feared to be a boring lesson and made it into one of my best taught. I remembered that everyday during my second placement and what a difference it made! The other amazing side benefit is a lot of classroom management issues tend to fade away too because they are interested in the lesson - they do not want to miss out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9voP7J6jJlFbTqNul3uI87o8AXy4Jn34DQI0YQ6sFxiACOkfcMi6EIm6PUP_v7jd304YTTvMl8aCvPGNCFK6lwmKXnf3qAsDaZYGWTnDFclGGHlsugkG9Uiv80tEydXh-MQPGNkaOh04/s1600/IMG_0102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9voP7J6jJlFbTqNul3uI87o8AXy4Jn34DQI0YQ6sFxiACOkfcMi6EIm6PUP_v7jd304YTTvMl8aCvPGNCFK6lwmKXnf3qAsDaZYGWTnDFclGGHlsugkG9Uiv80tEydXh-MQPGNkaOh04/s200/IMG_0102.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creating monsters using 2-D shapes<br />
in Geometry</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGcZekivZm3q9BUQgT2jNIJ0WzjeI_mRDyzIADJ7zzTRBwMa4a0Frgj9kKykQeYToKUUoa3vt4HLDIVKDQGLRWn7Qr9Rm25rDT8g9b0SNqGuxRtII1rTRBeQlvWkeBvuRG9GI6OGa1JTE/s1600/IMG_0141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGcZekivZm3q9BUQgT2jNIJ0WzjeI_mRDyzIADJ7zzTRBwMa4a0Frgj9kKykQeYToKUUoa3vt4HLDIVKDQGLRWn7Qr9Rm25rDT8g9b0SNqGuxRtII1rTRBeQlvWkeBvuRG9GI6OGa1JTE/s200/IMG_0141.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our trip to the movies to see<br />
The Lorax in 3-D</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodhONiCbVX1xTWgWN3AGfwL_sXjcMQv_zEcrBTE7_FCHB-WA2aU2v-FiRo8_TUFiVYDtCcX5nqNHukoR2O4BhHi4JWHKD2yuawtSniBJ3aSp5qY4Lr0YK-c-Uzq601lyiIL-lSdM1tEk/s1600/IMG_0103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodhONiCbVX1xTWgWN3AGfwL_sXjcMQv_zEcrBTE7_FCHB-WA2aU2v-FiRo8_TUFiVYDtCcX5nqNHukoR2O4BhHi4JWHKD2yuawtSniBJ3aSp5qY4Lr0YK-c-Uzq601lyiIL-lSdM1tEk/s200/IMG_0103.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paining butterflies learning<br />
'colour value'</td></tr>
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Lesson 6 - For new teachers especially - remember to always give yourself some "me time". Its easy to get wrapped up in how much prep and work there is. But if you're stressed out, tired, anxious, and not eating well - it does not matter how great of a lesson you planned it will flop. Take some time off every day to do whatever, just sometime other than think about your class. It's all about balance, and as tough as that is it will make you a better teacher.<br />
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Lesson 7 - As obvious as this may be for some, get to know your students. Know their interests, who their friends are and who they do not get along with. You do not want to make the mistake of pairing them up with someone they will fight with. One student of mine was having a bad day, and after speaking with them they divulged they were not sleeping well at all. So I asked them to let me know in the morning if they slept or not, so I would be aware if they would be a little cranky that day or not. Just gives you a heads up on their behaviour, so you can read them a bit better. The student was very good at keeping me informed, and the behaviour improved. They always talk about differentiated instruction for your students, and all the different learning styles - and for good reason because it's true. It's so important to vary your lessons, content, and themes so that every student finds something they enjoy.<br />
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Lesson 8 - Keep the lines of communication open with the parents and respond quickly to any queries. Even though you will not hear from most parents throughout the year, by constantly sending home student work with feedback, classroom letters, announcements, etc. When the parent-teacher night comes along it will pay dividends because that is when you will meet them and they will thank you for it. If a parent writes a note in the students agenda, respond quickly and professionally and the parents will be grateful.<br />
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I'm sure there's so much more to say, but for the time being I'll leave it at that =)Ryan Ileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11782786383328086027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164015516338261902.post-63575018867142281322012-03-13T18:24:00.000-07:002012-03-13T18:24:32.253-07:00A fantastic first week teaching!<br />
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Last Monday marked the beginning of my second teaching placement in a Grade 1/2 split class, and right off the bat I feel as though I've found my teaching-niche! I am amazed by how much I am enjoying teaching this level. The students are so eager to learn, and absorb everything like sponges. I started the new literacy unit on point of view on Tuesday and the students are so quick to try and use this new term and apply it to what we are reading and learning. It's only been a week, so it's a work in progress - but I love their enthusiasm. It has been such a thrill reading the read-a-loud's too. Last week we read "Waking Beauty" and "The Jolly Postman" - the students loved how there were actual letters and postcards included with the second book, which worked so well as we were working on our letter writing at the time.</div>
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One of my favourite things I tried last week was using Clickers with the students. I used them at the end of our literacy period Wednesday through Friday as an exit card strategy. I found this worked really well providing myself a gauge on how they are grasping point of view as the questions I posed were all related to the stories we read with directed point of view questions. The students had a blast using the clickers as well, and thankfully were very careful and respectful of them too - perhaps my strict guidelines on handling them before, during, and after their use helped. I would highly recommend anyone considering using them to give it a go - I used the Turning Point set which are very basic and perfect for young students. </div>
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Another highlight my first week was the opportunity to teach gym class. My first teaching placement had a dedicated gym teacher so I never got the chance, so I am relishing the opportunity now! It was so much fun playing a few different types of games all designed to encourage 'sending and receiving' - the unit I'm starting. The students were pretty tired at the end, but were laughing and smiling the whole way through - a win in my books! I cannot wait for the weather to warm up so we can start having gym outside!</div>
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Next week when we return to the classroom after March Break I am looking forward to starting the new Math unit on Geometry, and completing the mapping unit in Social Studies so I can begin my World Communities unit. So much to do, and so little time - I know these next six weeks will fly by!</div>
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If anyone has any amazing ideas related to these units that have worked well for them in the past I would love to hear them. I am also hoping to Skype another classroom to learn about World Communities or share stories for Literacy - if anyone would be interested please send me a message. Also, if anyone has had success teaching their students how to tweet about their day and what they learned I would be very interested in how you scaffolded those lessons because I am interested in trying that out. I have a few ideas, but always keen to learn more. Cheers!</div>Ryan Ileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11782786383328086027noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164015516338261902.post-71424075487377302452012-02-13T20:01:00.000-08:002012-02-13T20:14:55.251-08:00My Education Passport<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For my Method's class we were asked to create something to depict our philosophy of education. The following is what I created and wrote:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDQWJ0-ZqEJR0g_iLkFFaIpOWR7hZgXAumwcb-lWc8UU-SkvfSGU3CXPY_g_28YKUHQqfoRFJZVhKcxWA8niyZyDPKw8vtIHcaSbAms7kUk1pFKtuEfWmu3YFil6s7tOT8nJMT0Cnv-64/s1600/photo-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDQWJ0-ZqEJR0g_iLkFFaIpOWR7hZgXAumwcb-lWc8UU-SkvfSGU3CXPY_g_28YKUHQqfoRFJZVhKcxWA8niyZyDPKw8vtIHcaSbAms7kUk1pFKtuEfWmu3YFil6s7tOT8nJMT0Cnv-64/s200/photo-1.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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Trying to find a way to describe my philosophy of education in a succinct, yet creatively ‘me’ way was a challenging endeavor. My mind sprang to ideas of creating a painting of some kind because since coming to Brock University my passion for art and creativity has been re-ignited. But I was unsure what to paint, so I started thinking of creating an interactive multimedia representation, as I am part of the Educational Technology Leadership cohort. However, I still felt at a loss for how to encapsulate my personal teaching philosophy. I then began thinking about how much I love traveling, and how it has influenced my life and values. I began sharing these ideas with my friend Adam Childs (Twitter: @adamajchilds )who is a Junior-Intermediate student at Brock in my Cohort who shares a similar thirst for travel. As we talked more about this I came up with the idea of a passport to represent our journey. Then Adam came up with the idea of making actual stamps to reflect our personal development. Together we enthusiastically collaborated in creating our own passports representing our respective journeys through education, and experiences that have influenced our teaching philosophies.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Cooperative learning is one of my principle beliefs in learning, which is why I was so thrilled to work on this project with Adam. Together we came up with ideas on how to create the passport, which individually we would not have been capable of. By working cooperatively in designing the layout with individual responsibilities, we were able to embody cooperative learning whilst creatively creating our passports. This tangible object was created through both artistic and multimedia design (Adobe Photoshop) – both the original strategies I hoped to build upon. Working together made this such an enjoyable experience, and we were able to build off each other’s ideas and enthusiasm. I strongly believe that if you want to ‘talk the talk – you have to walk the walk’. What I mean is if you say you are all for cooperative learning, then you have to want to do it yourself, or else there is no way you will be able to sell it to the students as a learning approach. Students will see right through your transparent motives if there are not authentic. I am honestly over the moon with how the final product turned out. It is far better than I could have imagined, and I absolutely love the feeling of having achieved something, and gone above and beyond your expectations. I owe a lot of this to Adam and to the process of cooperation, as I find when you work cooperatively and succeed, being able to celebrate that accomplishment along someone else is that much more satisfying.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjSz0fP1W85IH5_0AbnAiWjTo4JhQk6_WiVqc6205FtKjTBqSx6dm6uaTc38gP0K-ugMUSs3Zn4ECOSP9Gi6Za22gXHGfYRSh9SypDjyWhqKdClOkBUOtlM0OhUJXiX28PfpoJ5EfNqh4/s1600/photo2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-indent: 48px;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjSz0fP1W85IH5_0AbnAiWjTo4JhQk6_WiVqc6205FtKjTBqSx6dm6uaTc38gP0K-ugMUSs3Zn4ECOSP9Gi6Za22gXHGfYRSh9SypDjyWhqKdClOkBUOtlM0OhUJXiX28PfpoJ5EfNqh4/s200/photo2.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcMVONnQmQicikuRLojYaYNVNZtFrb1vTu6pYKnJfnsuj3cwbJj-IjvEVACV2cKVqb_hQ-PixDysIyT-RI0mqxSR9E5aU3TKKln0yeJJT8KeEC3AjneZPM8INyqVE3UtqSGkCh-20hMQc/s1600/photo3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcMVONnQmQicikuRLojYaYNVNZtFrb1vTu6pYKnJfnsuj3cwbJj-IjvEVACV2cKVqb_hQ-PixDysIyT-RI0mqxSR9E5aU3TKKln0yeJJT8KeEC3AjneZPM8INyqVE3UtqSGkCh-20hMQc/s200/photo3.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX6XRCcY_ddbK-XF0sJPw55hpvRqap4MHhEQ5-y5RYyiJJehf6kvz_dv3BMBAOPpO2NF_oAuwlmNgaTnLd3QuLXeJCCvL1_vQc53zPrRZt7PkenRtXUWPq1vAipMhwnn0_EPVRIDaJCuE/s1600/photo4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-indent: 36pt;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX6XRCcY_ddbK-XF0sJPw55hpvRqap4MHhEQ5-y5RYyiJJehf6kvz_dv3BMBAOPpO2NF_oAuwlmNgaTnLd3QuLXeJCCvL1_vQc53zPrRZt7PkenRtXUWPq1vAipMhwnn0_EPVRIDaJCuE/s200/photo4.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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I found it very inspiring creating this passport because it prompted me to take a step back and reflect on what I have learned since arriving at Brock five months ago, and what events in my life have inspired me to be who I am today. One of the strongest realizations I have had is how much of a kinesthetic and visual learner I am. I love getting involved, hands-on, creative environments. This is why I was so involved in sports and the arts as a child. I was speaking to my Mom about this the other day, and she told me that when I was a child I would study by walking around the room; that I was always moving. This reminded me of Sir Ken Robinson’s speech about creativity; and I have set a personal goal to teach with this in mind. I want to teach in a classroom that thrives on creativity, cooperation, and active engagement. I want to create a safe and inspiring learning environment, built around the principles of Tribes and energizers. I want my students to learn through authentic problem solving tasks, which I organize through the input of students. I want my classroom to be a twenty-first century inclusive classroom where students want to learn because they enjoy it – not because they have to. This is what I strive to create, who I strive to be, and the journey I strive to travel on – with my passport in hand filling up with more and more stamps as I continue along my educational journey.</div>
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Circles are effective in creating literacy learning circles, school council circles, parent circles, student circles, TLCP, etc. By doing so it allows you to control who see's what information, and communicate more efficiently with your students, peers, parents, support staff, etc. An example of how a literacy learning circle could work is to have the students create a circle, where they can share information such as youtube videos, interesting articles, questions, idea's, etc; and all can comment and work collaboratively together through this. The benefit of circles is you control the privacy of the information. This is very important due to the vulnerability of information and students, therefore this added safety allows you to share information with only who you want. For example, a conversation with a parent is a private conversation, and should not be privy to others. To highlight this, if you post something on someone's wall in Facebook, everyone who is a friend of that person can see it. In Google+, you can control this completely. Moreover, no one knows what circles you have - it is only viewable to you as a means of organization.</div>
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The benefits and flexibility of Google Hangout allows up to 10 participants in an online video conference. Unlike Skype where you can only chat to one other person, Google+ allows you to chat with up to 10 participants simultaneously. We see this as an excellent way to have students conference on projects, meet with parents outside of school hours (increased flexibility), have school staff meetings (if someone is home sick they can still participate), or discuss questions with students outside of school hours. To be clear with these outside school hours, you would set up guidelines on when you are available with all the stakeholders. This will improve transparency, and will avoid any misunderstandings. Another benefit is you can use screenshare, which allows the other video participants to view your screen to share video's, word document ideas, or anything else you wish to share. There is also the chat feature on the sidebar for those without functioning video camera's to participate with.</div>
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Google+ works seamlessly with all other Google products. You can easily incorporate, embed, and link to all other Google products in Google+, for instance add a doc, form, blogger, YouTube clip, or calendar. In our session I focused on discussing the benefits of the Calendar whereby you can create and share multiple different online calendar's with whomever you like. What I like about this is you would not want to share your calendar with colleagues, parents, and students that has your friend's birthday party on it, or a dentist appointment. So by creating say a "School Staff Calendar" and only sharing that with your school staff that calendar could include staff meetings, emergency meetings, school PD days, fundraising days, etc. Moreover, you could create a "Classroom Calendar" that includes when you have a math quiz, a field trip to the library, parent-teacher conferences, sports events, or online availability for additional help. This calendar could be shared with your students, parents, teachers, and administrative staff. This will create terrific transparency for what is going on in the classroom, and help parents be more aware of their child's learning.</div>
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It was a terrific experience presenting on this topic, and my co-presenter's and I learned so much. As the day progressed we started thinking of new and creative ways to use Google+ as a home base for all other Google products. An analogy I thought of was Google+ is the parents, and all the other Google products are the children and relatives that come home and share every once and while. So documents, presentations, flickr, blogger, etc, all are independent and grown up living their own lives; but they come home for a great <span class="s1">Sunday lunch</span> every week to share their ideas.</div>
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The Showcase had such an amazing atmosphere and buzz in the air, and I'm so thrilled I was able to be a part of it. It was fantastic walking around seeing all the different learning and centres going on, and hearing all these new ideas being discussed with such enthusiasm. I'm so proud of my fellow cohortian's who also presented at the Showcase, and cannot wait to take these ideas into the classroom.</div>
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If anyone has any other idea's on ways they have used Google+ in the classroom, or experiences on how to scaffold it I would be very interested in hearing about them. Cheers!</div>
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<br /></div>Ryan Ileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11782786383328086027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164015516338261902.post-50068312612212357962012-01-25T20:21:00.001-08:002012-01-25T20:21:02.279-08:00Some thoughts on leadership<br />
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Last week my cohort discussed qualities of effective leadership in and outside the classroom. A lot of rich discussion resulted because this is one of those topics that runs deep with all of us. We all have strong personal feelings on what effective leadership looks like, and what it takes to be a great leader. I've had some time for our discussions to settle a bit, and am going to try make some sense of it.</div>
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Initially when thinking of leadership I think of those who are the leaders in a community, whether that be a school, playground, office, or parliament. We all can associate to those roles, but I do believe leadership takes on many different faces. Sometimes it is simply being comfortable taking a stance, helping and encouraging others, or being the silent rock of the group. Leaders know when to speak up, and when it is beneficial to have some quiet time. I think being comfortable with silence says more than the urge to constantly talk from anxious nerves. Leadership is the ability to provide ideas, or facilitate a group on this. Moreover, it is being a calm persona for others to bounce ideas off of or absorb tension. It is having the ability to rise to the occasion, and turing frowns upside down. Leaders are those who we look up to and admire. Leadership takes on so many different faces it's impossible to peg down one defining characteristic or attribute.</div>
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Leadership I believe is a skill and to a degree innate quality. (The jury is still out on this one though!) And like a skill, I believe leadership abilities can be taught and learned. Just recently I ran a workshop in my Methods class on cooperative and collaborative learning. One of the important ideas we stressed is we need to explicitly teach and model for students how to work collaboratively in the classroom. We all learn from observations and experience; therefore if you have never been privy to great leadership demonstrations then it will be more difficult to cultivate your own abilities. With that said, I do believe great leadership is completely subjective, and is influenced by your environment and experiences.</div>
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Knowing when to take a step back and let others step forward is a wonderful skill as it empowers others and creates a greater community of partnership, equality, and learning. Being an active participant is just as important as leading, and to be an active participant students need to learn how to actively listen. I strongly feel one of the most important characteristics of effective leadership is the ability to support and develop people. When you succeed at this you empower the individuals, and this will create a wonderful trickle-down effect to all those around. These feelings are as contagious as laughter, and when the school is feeling great the team-bonds grow stronger and greater. This leads to everyone taking on and sharing leadership roles in their community.</div>
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Altogether I believe we are all leaders in our own right. Those moments when you witness unexpected kindness, thought, generosity, new ideas or outlooks - those are the moments of great leadership in action. Those 'wow' moments when you stop and think about your own choices and behaviours - the ability to evoke these emotions is something each and everyone of us does every day. As I mentioned laughter is contagious, well so is negativity, and so is positivity! As much as the term "reflect" is started to seem like one of the most used terms I've heard since entering teacher's college; it does seem fitting to say we need to stop and think about what we are doing and how we are affecting those around us. Great leaders understand this dynamic relationship, and practice it too.</div>Ryan Ileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11782786383328086027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164015516338261902.post-59576270363699308112012-01-16T17:45:00.000-08:002012-03-13T17:50:53.610-07:00Looking back at my first teaching practicumA little over a month has now passed since my first practicum teaching block in a grade 4 classroom. Since then I have begun a new term at University with some new courses and familiar faces. Over this time I have seen a dramatic shift in the way I am approaching my classes, for everything we are doing I am now thinking "how can I apply this in the classroom?" What's more is my next teaching placement is in a grade 1 classroom, so I am now on the constant lookout for ideas and techniques related to this age group. I am shifting my course work and projects to have a primary focus where feasible as well. In my Language Arts class the past two classes we have been modelling a writer's workshop, which has been a fantastic experience! I haven't written creatively in that capacity since I was forced to in high school! I'm pretty chuffed with the story I wrote - a parody on the Three Little Pigs - my version is the Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig who eat's their den's down. I'm hoping to finish it by next Monday, and potentially use it in my next teaching block.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A mask I created in art class - never<br />
got the opportunity to teach in to<br />
the grade 4's though sadly.</td></tr>
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Looking back at my first placement, I think the most important lesson I personally learned was to be yourself. Having your personality come through in the lessons really helps get the children excited and interested. My most successful lessons always had a personal touch to them, whether that be creatively through art or drama, or through connecting personal experiences and stories. The lessons which seemed to lack that "je ne sais quoi" were typically lessons that I adapted from textbooks or I was trying to replicate an idea my associate passed on vaguely. What this taught me was the importance of having ownership over your lessons. One of the most helpful tips I learned from my associate teacher was when he asked me at the end of the day "what did you want the students to know at the end of that lesson?" I had just started the new math unit on linear measurement a day or two prior, so I said "I just want them to know what the five ways to measure something are (length, width, height, depth, thickness)." Seemed pretty straight forward to me, but my associate tactfully told me to just teach to that then because I had also tried to introduce a new concept - decimetres. He told me I was making the same common mistake all new teachers make - trying to teach too much in one lesson. This is such a simple lesson learned, and it really also helped drive home the necessity of backward-design. Even though I had been hearing "backward-design this, backward-design that"; to finally have that 'a-ha' moment about its importance and significance was fantastic. This really helped in the last week and a half of my teaching block in all my lessons, as I feel I achieved a much greater focus and in a way, simplicity.</div>
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Another really important lesson I learned looking back is regarding classroom management. Throughout the block I created and taught the Science unit on Light, and I had an absolute blast doing so. I really enjoyed re-creating some of the experiments I remember doing as a kid. The students really enjoyed the hands-on learning that I incorporated into nearly daily science experiments. However, where my own learning as a teacher took place came from a few areas. Firstly, I taught science the final two periods of the day after the second nutrition break. By the end of the day the students often got a bit restless and tired, so their attention started to fade and they began to act out more. This was amplified if it was a black-top nutrition break, which we did have a few of. Secondly, to reinforce the classroom behaviour expectations and safety considerations before beginning the lesson are vital. It was such a fun unit to teach, and to see the excitement on students faces when they learned something new, or saw something they were never expecting in the experiment was wonderful. When I asked the students what colour they thought light was, and we brainstormed a few ideas - the overwhelming consensus was white or yellow. However, when I told them I heard a crazy rumour that it was made up of lots of colours they all became very curious. It was a simple experiment of shining a light source into water which then hit a mirror, that reflected the light onto a white piece of paper. When the students dispersed into groups of three to try the experiment, it was great to see some of the teamwork being exhibited, and the look of awe and excitement when they finally were able to see the rainbow on the white paper was fantastic. Another great science lesson I taught which to be honest was one I thought was going to be a bit drier was on light technology. My idea was to teach the students about the camera, and how it uses some of the ideas we were discussing. I spent so much time researching the camera, when it was invented, etc; and shared it with the class. What made this lesson successful was my delivery of it - I got really excited about it, and that enthusiasm transferred to the students. Then when given the opportunity to research the telescope they jumped right in. Both my associate and I were shocked by their interest, but agreed it was through my delivery that created this learning opportunity. This really taught me the importance of being excited about what you are doing - such a simple thing to say, but you really need to amplify it in the classroom for the students to really get it. </div>
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Probably one the best lessons I taught came on my final day of practicum when I taught a Language Arts lesson on organizing ideas. I told the students a story from when I lived in Australia and went on a road trip with my mate, and one of the exciting events of the trip. As I told the story I intentionally mixed up a few of the details, feigning that I wish I had my ideas in order. Then after the story I asked the students to help me organize my story so I could retell it another time, so i had an Organizational Chart printed off which as a class we completed while using a document camera. Afterwards I had all the students get out their writers notebook, and begin writing about one of their ideas using this organizational chart. I was thrilled at how attentive they were during the story, the details of the story they remembered, and then their silent individual work during their own writing. It felt so amazing after seeing the students engagement and work ethic throughout that language block!</div>
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One of the most exciting and rewarding moments for myself as a teacher during this block was teaching everyday using the Smartboard for interactive lessons. I was fortunate enough to have one in my classroom, and having been trained to a level 2 on it in September, I was eager to give it a go. The first week I only used it a few times sadly - to be honest I was more concerned about making sure my lessons worked! But by the final week I was incorporating it into every lesson throughout the day. I thought it was fantastic to teach with for two reasons. First, it really engaged and got the students attention. Even if I was only doing simple infinite multipliers or reveals, they loved it - especially when we played the jeopardy game as review for the Light Unit. The second reason I enjoyed teaching with it so much was it helped keep myself focused in the lesson. I was able to have questions pre-made ready on it to teach and solve with the class, provide visual queues, and even keep it going with instructions for students to refer to when doing individual or group work. It was amazing seeing how excited the students were when I called them up to interact with the board, and I was amazed at how careful they were with it. What I also found very useful was asking students to be my helper for the day with the Smartboard, as it kept them involved throughout the lesson, and minimized acting out.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZijS5mMopWMCiNFDU1Ppd8vo-CArZ-EAhqeAfiaFgZLPw361UlvatrMkLBQqrPzYfRLrq3smq8x16LjYN886gCAnjBV3nLWZtjGeMdUjjIb_EZ9ZUGt8vFPoG5wymQ9CTcteB6_y5mSM/s1600/stainglass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZijS5mMopWMCiNFDU1Ppd8vo-CArZ-EAhqeAfiaFgZLPw361UlvatrMkLBQqrPzYfRLrq3smq8x16LjYN886gCAnjBV3nLWZtjGeMdUjjIb_EZ9ZUGt8vFPoG5wymQ9CTcteB6_y5mSM/s320/stainglass.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Student's stainglass lightbulb's on the window.<br />
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The final thing I wanted to mention was how great it was to incorporate art and drama in the classroom. I had the class create stain glass pieces out of construction paper and tissue paper for one of the science lessons on translucency, opaqueness, and transparency. It was fantastic to teach, and the students absolutely loved it. I taught the lesson my first week, so the cleanup took a bit longer than anticipated; but well worth it!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The eyeball I created for science class,<br />
and my stainglass lightbulb example.</td></tr>
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I also came back after block to volunteer one day before Christmas, and taught an art lesson where the students painted a winter holiday theme and then applied glue and glitter to create a fantastic effect. For one of my science lessons on the human eye, I created an eyeball by cutting in half a large styrofoam ball, and painting on the parts of the eye. The students were so fascinated by what I created that the next day I brought in a smaller styrofoam balls for them to recreate themselves. We also got to do a fun drama exercise one day to learn about rhythm, tone, and pitch. Again I had done this exercise at University, but had such a great time with it I shared it with the students. They had an absolute ball with it as they clearly did not have drama regularly when one student asked "what's drama?" when he saw it on the daily agenda! This lesson was so much fun, and really taught me the importance when teaching to really put on a show for the students. They respond so well, and really enjoyed just playing as they saw it. Luckily for me though this did hit many curriculum expectations!<br />
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I think one of the most special experiences I had throughout my first teaching block was seeing the academic and personal growth of one of my low IEP students. This boy was so lovely, and it was amazing to see him start talking more and make great strides. We gave him the academic award for the month of November, and to see his beaming smile walk across the stage during the assembly was really special.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My associate teacher (left) and I (right) posing with great mustaches! Eek!</td></tr>
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One of the amusing moments during November was my associate teacher and I participated in "Mo-vember". What an experience that was. It was hilarious seeing the reactions of students in the hallways, and hearing them whisper "Why does he have a mustache?" and "I think it's for Mo-vember". Nevertheless, it was a relief to shave it off at the conclusion of the month.<br />
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Despite how much work it was during this first teaching block, and how I never saw any friends outside of a few who I lesson planned with; or how I was incredibly tired and fell asleep thinking about my lessons, and woke up thinking about how my lessons would go - I am amazed how much fun and how much I relished this experience. Now more than I ever I truly know how much I want to be a teacher. From doing prep work to walking down the hall chatting to students, to helping coach the girls volleyball team during nutrition break and staying late after school to score keep; there is nothing else I would rather be doing. Simply amazing! And now only six more weeks until my next teaching placement beings - this time in a grade one class! For those of you who took the time to read this and are fellow teachers, I would be very interested to hear how your first teaching experiences relate, and how they have changed over the years?</div>Ryan Ileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11782786383328086027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164015516338261902.post-17170901423614870732011-11-01T15:44:00.000-07:002011-11-01T15:44:50.060-07:00My first PD - Project WildOn October 22nd I attended the Project Wild professional development at Brock University's Hamilton campus. I was provided with fantastic information and resources on how to effectively teach and link the environment to Ontario's curriculum objectives (including cross-curricular) across all grade levels. We had a series of energizers to break the ice involving meet and greets, and fun facts. The session leaders were effective in their instruction illustrating how to effectively teach about the environment even if you are at an inner city school. What I took away from this is you do not need to go out into the mountains, or the Niagara escarpment to have an effective lesson. Moreover, I was amazed at how many different ways you can teach cross-curricularly when you incorporate the environment.<br />
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Our afternoon was devoted into breaking off into teams with whom we collaboratively created a lesson plan to teach the rest of the session attendees. My group taught "Quick Frozen Critters" to our class which was a great deal of fun, running around, and laughing. It was great to see 5 different lesson plans completed during the afternoon, as it really demonstrated the effectiveness and ease of combining the environment to our daily lesson activities.</div>
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We are so fortunate with the environment and landscape we have in Canada, and I feel it is incredibly important for us to share this with our students, and teach them to respect and appreciate it. This being my first PD I have attended as a teacher candidate, I feel it was a very worthwhile experience; and have come away from it with many new ideas, lesson plans, resources, and teaching strategies. The only negative I found about this PD was its location being at the Brock University campus in Hamilton. I strongly think this PD would be best facilitated at a conservation area, in the natural forests, mountains, lake; any natural outdoor habitat where we could discuss the changing environment due to human presence as well as gain a greater appreciation for its beauty.</div>
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I have attached a group photo of my colleagues and I from Cohort D at Brock University with one of the PD's facilitators Linda.</div>
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<br /></div>Ryan Ileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11782786383328086027noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164015516338261902.post-44808908799723812922011-10-12T13:32:00.000-07:002011-10-12T13:32:21.336-07:00The first days of schoolWalking into my grade 4 classroom on the first day was filled with many emotions - excitement, nervousness, adrenaline, anxiety, curiousness, and a little feeling of wonder if I've made the right decision to be here. Well it only took a few minutes for all that to fade away and turn into pure excitement, enthusiasm, and intrigue! As the kids piled into the classroom, took their seats, and opened their books, there were a few curious stares in my direction. Once class began, my associate instructor introduced me to the class, which was followed by the whole class saying good morning Mr. Iles! Wow, what a feeling that was - almost gave me goosebumps!<br />
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As that day and the following days rolled over, I found I was constantly amazed by the classroom dynamics, the daily setup and routine, watching lesson plans unfold, and the interaction amongst the students and the teacher. The students were quick to welcome me into the classroom, and share their stories with me. In no time I was helping them with their assignments, correcting work, and working with certain students who were a bit behind in some subjects.</div>
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What I found particularly interesting to watch was how the students responded differently with the French teacher who comes in once a week, as well as one afternoon my associate teacher was away and was replaced by a supply teacher. The students were very quick to point out when their normal routine was not being followed, and were definitely more "cheeky". What I learned from this is going forward when I am teaching this class I need to follow the routine my associate teacher has put in place. Moreover, in the future when I graduate I am not in denial that I more than likely will have to spend my share of time as a supply teacher; and it would be a great advantage to learn what classroom I would be entering and the routines that teacher has put in place. With that said I have also had the opportunity to exert my "teacher's voice" a few times now when the children have gotten a little loud or off-topic when my associate teacher has left the classroom, and I must confess it's a great feeling seeing the children respond well and get back on track. </div>
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One of the most eye-opening experiences I have had thus far has been the opportunity to work with an autistic child in a grade 2 art class my associate teacher covers once a week. I have not had an opportunity such as this before, so honestly I felt quite lost and overwhelmed by how I should interact. Fortunately this child has a special education assistant who has been absolutely amazing in teaching me a few things, and introducing me to this lovely child. After only a few sessions in this classroom I am still incredibly intrigued and at a loss for words on our interactions, however I have a new desire and yearn to learn more about how we can help and integrate these children into the classroom.</div>
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Another eye-opening experience has been working with a few children who have IEPs in our classroom. My associate teacher let me glance through the IEPs which was quite an educational experience. I was quite saddened by it because some of these children are so lovely, but are well below their grade level. I find it quite heart-breaking when working on a simple concept which should have been mastered a few years earlier, and there is no visible "light" on behind the eyes for the comprehension of it. It is not as though they get the wrong answer because of misapplication, but because they genuinely do not grasp the idea or concept as a whole. I fully support and appreciate the move for inclusion in the classroom, but cannot help but think and feel a few of these children would gain so much more in a specialized setting - even if it was only an hour a day. I am sure my feelings on this will sway back and forth over the following months. </div>
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Tomorrow will be the first micro-teaching lesson I will be teaching in the classroom, which will be another stride forward in my new career. I'm also very excited because I get to accompany my class on a field trip next week - now that should be interesting!</div>Ryan Ileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11782786383328086027noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164015516338261902.post-33610228321143835592011-09-19T14:54:00.000-07:002011-09-19T14:54:35.918-07:00Can we all be 21st century teachers?During these past few weeks I have been quite taken in by the benefits and capabilities some technologies possess, and seeing them as keys to unlocking some traditional teaching barriers. Not only used as keys, but also as a way to teach and present new information in a radically new and 21st century manner. It is easy to marvel at the advances in technology, but what I am more impressed by is its adaptation and usefulness in the modern day classroom. Today is a far cry from when I was in school, and I am very curious to start my first placement on Thursday to see first-hand how it has changed.<br />
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This past week I along with my Cohort classmates were SMART Board certified. We have also been learning about Livescribe, Clickers, Frontrow, Notebook for creating SMART presentations, video cameras, iPod touch's and iPads. I feel this has been an incredible learning experience and value to us. We have all been caught up with these technologies, trying to think of how we are going to incorporate these into our very own classrooms one day.</div>
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But alas arises my concerns. I am not concerned about using technology in the classroom, nor am I concerned about trying to be creative in adapting it to make the learning experience more enjoyable and thorough. No, what I am concerned about is getting out into the teaching world, and discovering that very few classrooms are actually modern. That is not to say that I would not be able to teach in that environment, however what if I was thinking of this fantastic lesson plan that involved all these wonderful technologies I have been learning about - but I cannot use them because my school board cannot afford them. Furthermore, what if I am in a school where the students are from a low income bracket where they cannot afford to have a computer at home, or access to the internet? What if that family's choice was not what new app to get, but can we afford to eat a healthy meal 7 days a week?</div>
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This raises another question - does technology benefit or isolate kids? What if I am teaching a class where half the kids all have their fancy shiny iPhone's and laptops; and the other half have the old brick Fido circa 2000 and do not have a home computer? Does that student who cannot afford to have a home computer resent me and think I'm a jerk for showing off all these technologies when I know his family cannot afford them? Clearly you design your lesson plans to accommodate this just as you would for any other learning style, but it does create some concerns. I think what is becoming increasingly clear to me is that I need to embrace all these amazing technologies and techniques I am learning about, but it should never be forgotten that the primary resource we have to teach is ourselves. Our passion to teach; our enthusiasm for acquiring knowledge; and our desire to see our students learn and succeed (among other goals) is what we will always rely upon to be great teachers. </div>
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As I continue along my journey towards becoming a 21st century teacher, I look forward to seeing how I will navigate through these concerns. </div>
Ryan Ileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11782786383328086027noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164015516338261902.post-89517274481165694582011-09-11T20:13:00.000-07:002011-09-12T16:00:16.996-07:00What a difference a week can make!Over the summer I found out I was admitted to the EdTech Cohort here at Brock University's Education Department, and we were given two tasks for the summer: create a Twitter and a Blog account. Throughout the summer I saw this as a bit of an annoyance truthfully because I had never looked at Twitter before, or followed Blog's. I was aware of them, but admittedly did not really understand what all the fuss was about. I have always been keen to follow technology and its advances, however I saw Blogs as an outlet for someone to go on a random tangent, and Twitter as an extension of Facebook status updates of "I drank tea today and walked the dog".<br />
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Now rather annoyingly I am eating my own words over these misconceptions. I now have Tweet Deck installed which is a constant fixture on my laptop, and am amazed how excited I am whenever I hear that little sound effect go off indicating a new tweet! But what I am even more amazed at is how much incredible information, literature, resources, and fantastic ideas I am now privy to. There is no way I would have found on my own some of these great sites, articles, blogs, and other fellow educators tweeting and blogging. Now I understand the true value Twitter and Blogs hold, and that is an accessible network of educators sharing and collaborating their amazing depth of knowledge and experience with one another. I think it's fantastic! In only a week I am now following - and being followed by!!; other educators I have never met, in other parts of the country and continent. (Just yesterday another educator referenced a Tweet of mine about the new LeapPad in his blog!) As a teacher in training I find it so inspiring to see such a wonderful network of teachers, all of whom are so readily available and willing to share and collaborate their great ideas. This selflessness is so refreshing after so many years of having it drilled into us on individual performance and merit.<br />
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I am reminded of when I use to teach and coach snowboarding. Those first few lessons, and years for that matter - were difficult and nerve wracking! This was attributable to having little experience, knowledge and application, understanding of games, as well as learning styles. However, as the years went on (I taught for 7 seasons) I gained so much experience - which you do not credit yourself with or realize until other instructors start looking to you for tips, tricks, and ideas. Without being fully aware of it, over those years I had been learning from my mistakes, watching other instructors and their techniques carefully so as to apply in my own lessons, spent time on sessions learning from more experienced coaches, and through sheer volume of hours spent teaching and watching so many unique individuals learn, try, fail, and succeed; was I able to compile my own bank of experience and knowledge that I was looked upon to lead sessions to help other instructors and coaches. What this speaks to me is the message and buzzwords I have been hearing for the past week - if teachers are to succeed then we must collaborate - is 100% true!<br />
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My point is that if we are able to do and achieve greater things, goals, and ultimately greater success in the classroom for students through collaboration - then whatever tools we can use to make that a reality we must fully embrace and exploit. And in today's world - those tools include Twitter and Blogging! I am now thankful that I did not miss out any longer on being privy to such a valuable network of people and knowledge, and am curious and excited about what the next bit of new and inspiring information I read about will be.<br />
<br />Ryan Ileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11782786383328086027noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164015516338261902.post-42243432273310345402011-09-04T18:08:00.000-07:002011-09-04T18:08:50.378-07:00And so it begins!The first two days of University have come and gone, and what a blast they were! I am very excited about what this program offers, and loving the buzz in the atmosphere in my EdTech Cohort group. I am particularly excited about the technology we will have a chance to use in the classroom, and learning new and creative ways in adapting and unlocking its educational and teaching merits.<br />
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From observing how to read a children's book along with the idea of "Think a loud" accompaniment; learning how to adapt the circle chair game to meet new people; to decorating our EdTech Cohort Rocks! "Rocks" - it was all a blast. It was terrific watching how excited everyone was being creative in decorating our rocks, and I loved how it helped unlock the child in us all!<br />
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Finishing off the second day we had an assembly with the most animated guest speaker. She was dressed as Mother Goose, and had everyone's sides splitting with laughter. We even all got to sing-along, and I was fortunate enough to have one of the hidden instruments under my seat to play along with! It was fantastic! It really helped reinforce the importance of having fun, and allowing yourself to drop the seriousness for a moment, and be a kid again. Time and time again it is shown that if you see other people smiling and having fun that it is contagious - and we as future teachers need to lead by example in this regard. I thought it was terrific!<br />
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What a fantastic first two days - cannot wait to see what the next week has in store for us all.Ryan Ileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11782786383328086027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164015516338261902.post-75966880502872601332011-07-05T20:35:00.000-07:002011-07-08T16:31:47.552-07:00Just getting started!This will be my blogspot to highlight my digital portfolio for Brock University during my studies in the Educational department in the Tech Cohort! Classes and projects commence September 1st, so more to come soon...Ryan Ileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11782786383328086027noreply@blogger.com0