I remember taking an anthropology course some time ago… one of the themes explored was what brings people together. The long and short of it was that there are generally 2 things: food and suffering. I’m not quite sure which one has brought this education class of mine together in such a positive manner but it is good! A true sense of friendship and comradery, and really in a very short amount of time too… it is amazing to think that only 2 months ago I didn’t know any of these wondrous and fascinating people. Thanks folks – thanks for sharing your dreams and hopes, passions and desires, strengths and weaknesses, good food and good times with me.
Q
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Integral reporting
I forgot to post this little rant yesterday.... The value of an integrated report card, is of course, valuable. The use of both percentages and comments allows both objectivity and guidance on a summative piece of evaluation. For example: it doesn't matter if I like little 'Jimmy', as long as little 'Jimmy' does his work then he deserves the mark that he earned. However, an integrated report card would allow me to also comment on his disruptive behaviour in class and make suggestions that could see him interact in a more positive manner. I really hope that I will get to use integrated report cards in the future.
Q
Q
Friday, October 26, 2007
Oh little green toad!
This is a little ode that my fellow scientists and I wrote:
ODE to a TOAD
Oh little toad, I found you outside my humble abode.
Upon the road of which I strode.
I tried and tried to keep you alive, but alas I failed, and you died, so I put you in formaldehyde.
Now you lie belly up, while I prepare to cut you up.
A single tear slides from my eye, as my scalpel slices through your hide.
You internal beauty, open for all to see,
As we study your anatomy.
Thanks for the path of learning you have showed.
Oh my, oh my, little green toad.
By Kelsie Tupkal, Qian Zhang, Anneli Schadeli, Scott Quinton, Kelly Holowka, Shaun Thomas
October 2007
ODE to a TOAD
Oh little toad, I found you outside my humble abode.
Upon the road of which I strode.
I tried and tried to keep you alive, but alas I failed, and you died, so I put you in formaldehyde.
Now you lie belly up, while I prepare to cut you up.
A single tear slides from my eye, as my scalpel slices through your hide.
You internal beauty, open for all to see,
As we study your anatomy.
Thanks for the path of learning you have showed.
Oh my, oh my, little green toad.
By Kelsie Tupkal, Qian Zhang, Anneli Schadeli, Scott Quinton, Kelly Holowka, Shaun Thomas
October 2007
A Diamante for Change
Before
I never liked it.
The work was pointless.
The knowledge was inapplicable.
The work was fairly fun.
I enjoyed this.
After
I never liked it.
The work was pointless.
The knowledge was inapplicable.
The work was fairly fun.
I enjoyed this.
After
Q
Changes
Hey there all, so as you might have noticed, I haven't been writing too much in my blog. I've been writing a fairly large essay and working on projects for my classess. As promised in the previous post, I am posting my essay on this blog.
Have fun reading folks,
Changes
by Qian Zhang Oct 25 07
I never enjoyed the Language Arts in school. English was something foreign. English was a strange language in a strange land I found myself in. English was the rain that a parched man tried to catch with his mouth upturned. Eventually, I started to discover literature and I enjoyed my walks along the strange roads of fiction. But, I still did not enjoy the Language Arts. However, I have learned five general ideas from this ‘Language in Education’ class. These ideas I learned have changed the way I think; this change will alter the way I behave as a teacher and as a student.
The first general idea that I learned from this class is the use of reflections as a daily event. This idea has changed my thinking and thus my behaviour. Reflecting upon what I have learned, experienced and encountered has taught me much. This is evident from the changes to the organization of this essay, as originally commented in my book talk reflection. I will continue to use regular reflections as a mechanism of personal and professional evolution. As a demonstration of this commitment I will be maintaining my ‘EduLog’ in the foreseeable future.
The process of reflection has such utility that I will teach my students how to apply it to their own personal and educational goals. I will try and frame reflection as a systematic process of consolidating memories, behavioural analysis and goal setting. I suspect the easiest way for me to introduce reflection is by making it seem both fun and applicable. This can be accomplished with a variety of journaling techniques, such as personal and simulated journals. Once the idea becomes habit, the value of the daily reflections will quickly become evident to the students. It is my hope that they will then continue the process beyond my classroom.
The second general idea I learned from this class is the value of self expression through poetry. This idea has changed my thinking and thus, my behaviour. Poetry has never been my forte. I never would have imagined that poetry could be a conduit of self expression. However, through some supportive experimentation with poetry, I have learned to enjoy it tremendously. For example, I never thought that a bunch of thoughts written on glass slides could be so expressive nor so well received. This experience has led me to use a diamante as part of the introduction to this essay. This encouragement has led me to believe that poetry can be used both as a tool for meeting the diverse needs of my students, and as a tool for inclusion within the classroom.
I have learned that teaching poetry and classroom management go hand-in-hand. It is not simply that a teacher must teach poetic devices and styles such as free-form poems; a teacher must create an atmosphere of mutual respect and acceptance before students feel comfortable sharing themselves with their peers. In this way, I’ve found poetry to be an interestingly sideways concept. The idea of using poetry to inspire interest in science would never have occurred to me, and yet it is highly effective in its ability to generate self expression.
The third general idea I learned from this class is the irresistible gravity of a good book; this idea has changed my thinking and thus my behaviour. This newly acquired idea changed the way I perceive books. I have always known that books were a good source of knowledge and information; however, I’ve finally discovered the sheer aesthetic pleasure of reading. The amount of pleasure that I received from reading “Life of Pi”, was as vast as the ocean Pi crossed. This particular book taught me another lesson as well: I must not allow it to interfere with my other course work!
I would like to expose my students to the gravity of literature. For this to happen, I need to be mindful of the process of reading. My students should be introduced to the five stages of reading, the difference between efferent and aesthetic reading, and theories developed by everyone from Gough to Rumelhart, in an applicable fashion and provided with much feedback. In this way, I hope to observe my students enrich their everyday lives with literary elements.
The fourth general idea I learned from this class is that language and the Language Arts serve as the vehicle for the delivery of information to other subjects and their curricula. This idea has changed my thinking and thus my behaviour. This idea has changed the way I perceive the Language Arts as a curriculum subject.
This new comprehension has induced a new understanding in the recognition and usage of rhetoric devices. The awareness of such devices as dirimens copulatio will allow understandings of issues to be rounded. The use of such devices as scesis onomaton will allow powerful and effective phrases to take on their full potential.
As a curriculum in itself however, a full awareness of the language arts cannot be realized until language learning strategies are well established. As an example, as a student-teacher, I should be aware of the cognitive structures of language acquisition. Awareness of these structures will allow me to teach the four cueing systems to a group of emergent literates. Once the mastery of the language arts as a subject curriculum has been gained, the role of language now plays the integral role in the delivery of ideas for all other curricula. Take the most famous of all mathematical phrases for example, ‘e=mc2’. This cannot be understood without language. It is the scientifically steeped words of ‘energy’, ‘mass’ and ‘speed of light’ that give the meaning to this phrase; it is the comprehension of those words that impart the idea of ‘e=mc2’.
The effective use of language in other curricula requires my awareness of psychological theories behind language acquisition. The theories as developed by Vygotsky, Gardener and Piaget will play essential roles in a deeper comprehension of language.
The fifth general idea I learned in this class is of literacy benchmarks. This idea has changed my thinking and thus my behaviour. I knew literacy consisted of the abilities to read, to write, to listen and speak. The introduction of critical viewing and visual representation into literacy is an incredibly novel concept - I always assumed these two skills belonged more in the fine and visual arts. But by learning and understanding what viewing and visual representation embodies, I now have changed my perspective on literacy. Using this new perspective, I realize that my trip to China last year was a great language learning experience. The memories of language learning experiences in China with the amalgamation of ideas presented in the plenary address at the literacy fair have made me realize that immersion, in combination with metacognitive engagement, is one of the best ways for learning and improving language. The promotion of language skills in this fashion is without a doubt, very effective.
The Alberta Education English Language Arts program of studies can be used as a guide for the planning, preparation and evaluation of language education. If a teacher was to introduce language as a means of communicating feelings to a group of grade one students, page six of the ELA program of studies includes a visual organizer for the development of a broad unit and further information on page eight would provide depth to the unit.
The requirements, as laid out by the program of studies, allow the teacher to understand the benchmarks and assessment practices they should aim for. By virtue of knowing the target, the path to the target becomes clearer. The guidance that this program of studies provides is valuable; but day-to-day assessment practices such as observation checklists and language techniques such as reader’s/writer’s workshops are the steps that a good teacher should follow to ensure success.
The final idea I learned in this class is an awareness of new media. This idea has changed my thinking and thus my behaviour. The lecture on new media awareness has imparted upon me a new view of the world of advertising. I now realize that there exists an unwritten agreement between the consumers and producers of an advertisement. This agreement generally states that there is a mutualistic exchange of ideas and valued commodities. An awareness of new media allows students to realize that such push advertising techniques as employed before the start of movies are in violation of this unwritten contract. This will allow them to be more critical consumers.
Teaching an awareness of new media can be accomplished in two ways: by extending understandings in language, and by incorporating Information and Communication Technologies into learning. Whether they are aware of it or not, every person uses advertising techniques in all persuasive activities they engage in. The advantage of persuasion is given to those who are cognizant of the various appeal techniques and propaganda devices.
Even beyond the awareness of devices and techniques, a teacher should expose students to authentic and engaging experiences with information and technology devices. A teacher who uses ICT in an integrated fashion will produce students that integrate ICT in kind. As an example, the entire format of this presentation is a demonstration of this exposure.
It might seem as though I have gleaned only five ideas from this course, but these five points have changed the way I think. These changes will alter the way I behave as a teacher and as a student. The evidence of this learning, these changes in the way I think and how they will affect my actions, has been supported by textbook references and anecdotal evidence from both established and novel sources. The various internal and external links used demonstrates a willingness to take risks and the implementation of ideas and techniques I have learned in this class.
I have presented many changes in this paper but, the most important change I take away from this class is a commitment to continuing self-improvement. This will serve to provide my students with a better experience when learning language and the Language Arts. This will change their thinking and thus, their behaviour.
References:
Tompkins, G., Bright, R., Pollard, M., & Winsor, P. (2007). Language arts: Content and teaching strategies (4th Canadian edition). Scarborough, ON: Pearson Education.
Alberta Learning, (2000). English Language Arts (K-9). Retrieved October 23, 2007, from http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/curriculum/bysubject/english/elaK-9.pdf
Q
Have fun reading folks,
Changes
by Qian Zhang Oct 25 07
I never enjoyed the Language Arts in school. English was something foreign. English was a strange language in a strange land I found myself in. English was the rain that a parched man tried to catch with his mouth upturned. Eventually, I started to discover literature and I enjoyed my walks along the strange roads of fiction. But, I still did not enjoy the Language Arts. However, I have learned five general ideas from this ‘Language in Education’ class. These ideas I learned have changed the way I think; this change will alter the way I behave as a teacher and as a student.
The first general idea that I learned from this class is the use of reflections as a daily event. This idea has changed my thinking and thus my behaviour. Reflecting upon what I have learned, experienced and encountered has taught me much. This is evident from the changes to the organization of this essay, as originally commented in my book talk reflection. I will continue to use regular reflections as a mechanism of personal and professional evolution. As a demonstration of this commitment I will be maintaining my ‘EduLog’ in the foreseeable future.
The process of reflection has such utility that I will teach my students how to apply it to their own personal and educational goals. I will try and frame reflection as a systematic process of consolidating memories, behavioural analysis and goal setting. I suspect the easiest way for me to introduce reflection is by making it seem both fun and applicable. This can be accomplished with a variety of journaling techniques, such as personal and simulated journals. Once the idea becomes habit, the value of the daily reflections will quickly become evident to the students. It is my hope that they will then continue the process beyond my classroom.
The second general idea I learned from this class is the value of self expression through poetry. This idea has changed my thinking and thus, my behaviour. Poetry has never been my forte. I never would have imagined that poetry could be a conduit of self expression. However, through some supportive experimentation with poetry, I have learned to enjoy it tremendously. For example, I never thought that a bunch of thoughts written on glass slides could be so expressive nor so well received. This experience has led me to use a diamante as part of the introduction to this essay. This encouragement has led me to believe that poetry can be used both as a tool for meeting the diverse needs of my students, and as a tool for inclusion within the classroom.
I have learned that teaching poetry and classroom management go hand-in-hand. It is not simply that a teacher must teach poetic devices and styles such as free-form poems; a teacher must create an atmosphere of mutual respect and acceptance before students feel comfortable sharing themselves with their peers. In this way, I’ve found poetry to be an interestingly sideways concept. The idea of using poetry to inspire interest in science would never have occurred to me, and yet it is highly effective in its ability to generate self expression.
The third general idea I learned from this class is the irresistible gravity of a good book; this idea has changed my thinking and thus my behaviour. This newly acquired idea changed the way I perceive books. I have always known that books were a good source of knowledge and information; however, I’ve finally discovered the sheer aesthetic pleasure of reading. The amount of pleasure that I received from reading “Life of Pi”, was as vast as the ocean Pi crossed. This particular book taught me another lesson as well: I must not allow it to interfere with my other course work!
I would like to expose my students to the gravity of literature. For this to happen, I need to be mindful of the process of reading. My students should be introduced to the five stages of reading, the difference between efferent and aesthetic reading, and theories developed by everyone from Gough to Rumelhart, in an applicable fashion and provided with much feedback. In this way, I hope to observe my students enrich their everyday lives with literary elements.
The fourth general idea I learned from this class is that language and the Language Arts serve as the vehicle for the delivery of information to other subjects and their curricula. This idea has changed my thinking and thus my behaviour. This idea has changed the way I perceive the Language Arts as a curriculum subject.
This new comprehension has induced a new understanding in the recognition and usage of rhetoric devices. The awareness of such devices as dirimens copulatio will allow understandings of issues to be rounded. The use of such devices as scesis onomaton will allow powerful and effective phrases to take on their full potential.
As a curriculum in itself however, a full awareness of the language arts cannot be realized until language learning strategies are well established. As an example, as a student-teacher, I should be aware of the cognitive structures of language acquisition. Awareness of these structures will allow me to teach the four cueing systems to a group of emergent literates. Once the mastery of the language arts as a subject curriculum has been gained, the role of language now plays the integral role in the delivery of ideas for all other curricula. Take the most famous of all mathematical phrases for example, ‘e=mc2’. This cannot be understood without language. It is the scientifically steeped words of ‘energy’, ‘mass’ and ‘speed of light’ that give the meaning to this phrase; it is the comprehension of those words that impart the idea of ‘e=mc2’.
The effective use of language in other curricula requires my awareness of psychological theories behind language acquisition. The theories as developed by Vygotsky, Gardener and Piaget will play essential roles in a deeper comprehension of language.
The fifth general idea I learned in this class is of literacy benchmarks. This idea has changed my thinking and thus my behaviour. I knew literacy consisted of the abilities to read, to write, to listen and speak. The introduction of critical viewing and visual representation into literacy is an incredibly novel concept - I always assumed these two skills belonged more in the fine and visual arts. But by learning and understanding what viewing and visual representation embodies, I now have changed my perspective on literacy. Using this new perspective, I realize that my trip to China last year was a great language learning experience. The memories of language learning experiences in China with the amalgamation of ideas presented in the plenary address at the literacy fair have made me realize that immersion, in combination with metacognitive engagement, is one of the best ways for learning and improving language. The promotion of language skills in this fashion is without a doubt, very effective.
The Alberta Education English Language Arts program of studies can be used as a guide for the planning, preparation and evaluation of language education. If a teacher was to introduce language as a means of communicating feelings to a group of grade one students, page six of the ELA program of studies includes a visual organizer for the development of a broad unit and further information on page eight would provide depth to the unit.
The requirements, as laid out by the program of studies, allow the teacher to understand the benchmarks and assessment practices they should aim for. By virtue of knowing the target, the path to the target becomes clearer. The guidance that this program of studies provides is valuable; but day-to-day assessment practices such as observation checklists and language techniques such as reader’s/writer’s workshops are the steps that a good teacher should follow to ensure success.
The final idea I learned in this class is an awareness of new media. This idea has changed my thinking and thus my behaviour. The lecture on new media awareness has imparted upon me a new view of the world of advertising. I now realize that there exists an unwritten agreement between the consumers and producers of an advertisement. This agreement generally states that there is a mutualistic exchange of ideas and valued commodities. An awareness of new media allows students to realize that such push advertising techniques as employed before the start of movies are in violation of this unwritten contract. This will allow them to be more critical consumers.
Teaching an awareness of new media can be accomplished in two ways: by extending understandings in language, and by incorporating Information and Communication Technologies into learning. Whether they are aware of it or not, every person uses advertising techniques in all persuasive activities they engage in. The advantage of persuasion is given to those who are cognizant of the various appeal techniques and propaganda devices.
Even beyond the awareness of devices and techniques, a teacher should expose students to authentic and engaging experiences with information and technology devices. A teacher who uses ICT in an integrated fashion will produce students that integrate ICT in kind. As an example, the entire format of this presentation is a demonstration of this exposure.
It might seem as though I have gleaned only five ideas from this course, but these five points have changed the way I think. These changes will alter the way I behave as a teacher and as a student. The evidence of this learning, these changes in the way I think and how they will affect my actions, has been supported by textbook references and anecdotal evidence from both established and novel sources. The various internal and external links used demonstrates a willingness to take risks and the implementation of ideas and techniques I have learned in this class.
I have presented many changes in this paper but, the most important change I take away from this class is a commitment to continuing self-improvement. This will serve to provide my students with a better experience when learning language and the Language Arts. This will change their thinking and thus, their behaviour.
References:
Tompkins, G., Bright, R., Pollard, M., & Winsor, P. (2007). Language arts: Content and teaching strategies (4th Canadian edition). Scarborough, ON: Pearson Education.
Alberta Learning, (2000). English Language Arts (K-9). Retrieved October 23, 2007, from http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/curriculum/bysubject/english/elaK-9.pdf
Q
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Virtually Bugging
Hey there folks… ever since I’ve been assigned to my practicum I’ve been thinking of simple things that would really make science fun. I was prompted to browse the internet for some ideas on interactive activities and I ran across one from Scholastic.com… so I created a quick lesson for grade 2s
Title of Learning Object: Virtually Bugging
Subject: Science – the best subject by far!
Grade Level: 2
URL: http://www.scholastic.com/magicschoolbus/games/bugs/index.htm
Description of Link: This link takes the reader directly to the Magic School Bus – Monster Bugs activity. This activity allows the student, or teacher, to pick a common insect and match the insect to its various body parts. Travelling up the hierarchy of this html will take you to various other resources such as:
- further resources on bugs and insects that are geared toward children
- a teacher’s guide including a brief overview and some general objectives
- an introduction to some animated and narrated biographies and information
- a short text interview with Ms. Frizzle (I assume she is some sort of character in Magic School Bus? - I have all her posters! – jks)
- an alternate activity that incorporates the topics of insects and ecological damage to rainforests http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/explorer/ecosystems/be_an_explorer/map/form_caterpillars.htm
Description of specific activity: This site would be a great interactive resource to accompany my instructions in lessons regarding Science 2: Topic E: Small Crawling and Flying
Animals. The students would be engaged in a metacognitive manner, with respect to my lessons, in trying to match the insects up to their body parts. Furthermore, each student can create a ‘monster bug’, an insect of their own creation, and explain why their insect is the best. This process would allow the students to reflect upon the roll of wings, mandibles, legs, etc.
Planning and Prep of lesson: I would introduce the students to a local insect, like a lady-bird beetle (depending upon the time of year). I would explain to them that insects like people are living breathing beings that have physiological and biological needs like us. Then I would explain to the students the parts of the insects that are different from us and what they are used for. I would then introduce them to the activity online (of course I would first make sure that the computers had active links, the required software). The students would be matched up in groups of 2 to 3 so that students could help each other in the activity. Once the activity is finished, I would have the students write in their journals about what they had learned about bugs. I would also tell them that once they were finished they could go back to the computer and make their own monster bug. Then once everyone was finished making a monster bug, the students can share their monster bugs with the class and describe how their monster bug works. The journal entry would a form of self-formative evaluation, the final show-and-tell would serve as a form of summative evaluation for me.
Massive outcomes: The general learner outcome that this activity engages is (2-10) the description of general structures of small clawing and flying animals. This knowledge will be applied to locally observed species. The specific learner outcome that accompanies 2-10 are:
2-10-1: the recognition that there are many kinds of small crawling and flying animals.
2-10-3: the recognition that these animals are like people in that they have habitats and have basic needs.
2-10-6: the recognition that these animals can use their physiologies to hide, escape… from predators, and that the same traits can be used in obtaining their basic needs.
2-10-8: identifies that these animals can be helpful and/or harmful and how this is so.
In addition to these outcomes, this activity also covers several division 1 ICT outcomes:
General outcome: C.1- Students will access, use and communicate information from a variety of technologies.
Specific Outcomes
1.1: access and retrieve appropriate information from electronic sources for a specific inquiry
C.5 - Students will use technology to aid collaboration during inquiry.
Specific Outcomes: 1.1 share information collected from electronic sources to add to a group task
C.7 - Students will use electronic research techniques to construct personal knowledge and meaning.
Specific Outcomes: 1.1 develop questions that reflect a personal information need
1.2 summarize data by picking key words from gathered information and by using jottings, point form or retelling
1.3 draw conclusions from organized information
1.4 make predictions based on organized information
P.3 - Students will communicate through multimedia.
Specific Outcomes 1.1 access images, such as clip art, to support communication
1.2 create visual images by using such tools as paint and draw programs for particular audiences and purposes
Q
Title of Learning Object: Virtually Bugging
Subject: Science – the best subject by far!
Grade Level: 2
URL: http://www.scholastic.com/magicschoolbus/games/bugs/index.htm
Description of Link: This link takes the reader directly to the Magic School Bus – Monster Bugs activity. This activity allows the student, or teacher, to pick a common insect and match the insect to its various body parts. Travelling up the hierarchy of this html will take you to various other resources such as:
- further resources on bugs and insects that are geared toward children
- a teacher’s guide including a brief overview and some general objectives
- an introduction to some animated and narrated biographies and information
- a short text interview with Ms. Frizzle (I assume she is some sort of character in Magic School Bus? - I have all her posters! – jks)
- an alternate activity that incorporates the topics of insects and ecological damage to rainforests http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/explorer/ecosystems/be_an_explorer/map/form_caterpillars.htm
Description of specific activity: This site would be a great interactive resource to accompany my instructions in lessons regarding Science 2: Topic E: Small Crawling and Flying
Animals. The students would be engaged in a metacognitive manner, with respect to my lessons, in trying to match the insects up to their body parts. Furthermore, each student can create a ‘monster bug’, an insect of their own creation, and explain why their insect is the best. This process would allow the students to reflect upon the roll of wings, mandibles, legs, etc.
Planning and Prep of lesson: I would introduce the students to a local insect, like a lady-bird beetle (depending upon the time of year). I would explain to them that insects like people are living breathing beings that have physiological and biological needs like us. Then I would explain to the students the parts of the insects that are different from us and what they are used for. I would then introduce them to the activity online (of course I would first make sure that the computers had active links, the required software). The students would be matched up in groups of 2 to 3 so that students could help each other in the activity. Once the activity is finished, I would have the students write in their journals about what they had learned about bugs. I would also tell them that once they were finished they could go back to the computer and make their own monster bug. Then once everyone was finished making a monster bug, the students can share their monster bugs with the class and describe how their monster bug works. The journal entry would a form of self-formative evaluation, the final show-and-tell would serve as a form of summative evaluation for me.
Massive outcomes: The general learner outcome that this activity engages is (2-10) the description of general structures of small clawing and flying animals. This knowledge will be applied to locally observed species. The specific learner outcome that accompanies 2-10 are:
2-10-1: the recognition that there are many kinds of small crawling and flying animals.
2-10-3: the recognition that these animals are like people in that they have habitats and have basic needs.
2-10-6: the recognition that these animals can use their physiologies to hide, escape… from predators, and that the same traits can be used in obtaining their basic needs.
2-10-8: identifies that these animals can be helpful and/or harmful and how this is so.
In addition to these outcomes, this activity also covers several division 1 ICT outcomes:
General outcome: C.1- Students will access, use and communicate information from a variety of technologies.
Specific Outcomes
1.1: access and retrieve appropriate information from electronic sources for a specific inquiry
C.5 - Students will use technology to aid collaboration during inquiry.
Specific Outcomes: 1.1 share information collected from electronic sources to add to a group task
C.7 - Students will use electronic research techniques to construct personal knowledge and meaning.
Specific Outcomes: 1.1 develop questions that reflect a personal information need
1.2 summarize data by picking key words from gathered information and by using jottings, point form or retelling
1.3 draw conclusions from organized information
1.4 make predictions based on organized information
P.3 - Students will communicate through multimedia.
Specific Outcomes 1.1 access images, such as clip art, to support communication
1.2 create visual images by using such tools as paint and draw programs for particular audiences and purposes
Q
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Writing and righting
Oh man again a short entry today folks… for a preview of what is to come check out this picture.
Oh yeah… and multiple choice tests are harder to construct than I had previously imagined… more practice = better writing skills I hope!
Oh yeah… and multiple choice tests are harder to construct than I had previously imagined… more practice = better writing skills I hope!
Q
Monday, October 22, 2007
Writing Organized
Short one today folks... too busy.
Writing essays is really quite a bit easier when you have an extensive amount of planning done. Humm... funny it took me 16 years of education to realize this.
Q
Writing essays is really quite a bit easier when you have an extensive amount of planning done. Humm... funny it took me 16 years of education to realize this.
Q
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Virtually Dangerous
I’m sitting here today thinking about my elementary class… and trying to count the number of times that I had to tie shoe laces. You know, how can a child who can’t even tie his or her own shoe laces be aware of potential hazards that exist on the internet? There are a few obvious things that I think we should explore. Firstly, access to explicit materials such as pornography or intoxicants are too numerous to count. Thank goodness for screened sites that are available to us as educators. Well even if our students to not go out and seek out trouble, trouble more often than not will come seeking them. Getting a child to give up personal information such as an address or a phone number is much easier than convincing an adult, and the information just as damaging. Let’s take it one step further, how about child exploitation or cyber bullying? How about, what I’ll call, ‘marginal points of view and ideas’? How about the millions upon millions of advertisements out there? How do we as educators and parents (thank goodness I’m not a parent yet) protect children from them?
I think one thing – Education - for ourselves and for our children. There’s just too much of the dangers to get specific… a gradual easing of the child into the internet and teaching them web awareness, I think is the only way to go.
Q
I think one thing – Education - for ourselves and for our children. There’s just too much of the dangers to get specific… a gradual easing of the child into the internet and teaching them web awareness, I think is the only way to go.
Q
WebQuest - ing
Hey I made a WebQuest on how to wash your hands for Grade 1 students.
Check it out at http://teacherweb.com/WQ/ElementarySchool/Infection_Prevention
Q
Check it out at http://teacherweb.com/WQ/ElementarySchool/Infection_Prevention
Q
Friday, October 19, 2007
My OH MY! The rigors of everyday life in a public school.
Orientation day at the school I will be teaching at was, to say the least, eventful. The school contains grades 1-4. There are approximately 400 students attending. I'm in Grade 1. I will be teaching some lessons in Science: Senses, Health, Art, and Phys. Ed. I'm sure looking forward to it. There is a small percentage of students with some reading difficulties, but I'm pretty fortunate in that the other students seem to be a fairly homogenous group. It seems I will be team teaching with another one of my classmates and his group of grade 1 students. This is greatly welcomed since we can lesson plan together.
Before today I could honestly say that I had no recollection of grade 1 what-so-ever…. All of my science training and management skills that I have attained over the last decade means NOTHING... lol., it is quite a challenge but it'll be a good one… So as I kickback and relax tonight, I say to you my reader: I don't know how these elementary teachers manage to keep their sanity!
Q
Before today I could honestly say that I had no recollection of grade 1 what-so-ever…. All of my science training and management skills that I have attained over the last decade means NOTHING... lol., it is quite a challenge but it'll be a good one… So as I kickback and relax tonight, I say to you my reader: I don't know how these elementary teachers manage to keep their sanity!
Q
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
The AT-Ats are coming!
So there was an ATA session today… you know, I was super tired and just not into yet another three hour session…. But surprisingly the information presented was quite capturing. The workshop was on the topic of classroom management. There was introduced a two dimensional spectrum of Reactionary or Proactive approaches to classroom management. The second dimension to the spectrum was that of a teacher or student centered management. Proactive approaches to classroom management were promoted over reactionary approaches. However, I really don’t think that you can ever get completely away from reactionary tactics… there will be things that will catch you off guard… things that you did not anticipate. An interesting thought was that of using about 3 to 5 days at the beginning of the school year to set down a clear and concise set of rules. The time needed to manage classroom should take up about 50% of the time during this period… but if it is done correctly there should be only about 5%, time, of management for the rest of the school year. Thus at the beginning of the year the teacher should lay in the proactive, teacher centred management… later in the year management should shift more toward the proactive, student centered management. Once you’ve established the rules, enforced the rules, and the students will follow the rules, the students can then be given space to put more input into their own management. Really tired so I’m not gonna do any editing to this writing…
Q
Q
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Presenting still ascending
Well I totally caught several more incredible presentations today…. It is simply amazing how effortlessly the modern languages group directed our attention around the room while they worked on logistics. The transitions that they employed within their presentation were to be envied… completely a job well done.
Q
Q
Monday, October 15, 2007
Virtuous Advertising?
Whilst I was doing an assignment on advertisement literacy for a class today… I ran across a campaign by Dove http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaH4y6ZjSfE&mode=related&search
Humm… so what do you guys think? Is a virtuous attempt by Dove to shift society’s views away from idealized body image, or is it part of a not so subtle advertising campaign by Dove, who is currently really pushing the ‘beauty from within’ idea, and thus is using this ad as a way to slam its competitors?
Seriously please respond to this blog and this ad… I’d love to hear from you guys.
Q
Humm… so what do you guys think? Is a virtuous attempt by Dove to shift society’s views away from idealized body image, or is it part of a not so subtle advertising campaign by Dove, who is currently really pushing the ‘beauty from within’ idea, and thus is using this ad as a way to slam its competitors?
Seriously please respond to this blog and this ad… I’d love to hear from you guys.
Q
Friday, October 12, 2007
Spreadsheets - now statistically significant!
I was going over some information the other day in one of my classes and the information was in relation to spreadsheets. I got to thinking about the wondrous tool that is spreadsheets. Spreadsheets really allow you to manage a large number of numerical data very efficiently. The databaseing, the manipulating, the analysis… oh my, the analysis, would all be so much easier with a spreadsheet. For example, as a biology teacher, if I have 4 classes of 35 students per class and want them to analyze the amount of eggs that a frog lays with variations in ambient temperature, the data would be best managed by a spreadsheet. An average leopard frog lays about 6000 eggs per spawn (www.dnr.state.wi.us). Taking ambient temperature variations into account and summarizing the data between all 35 students would be a tremendous task made simple by a spreadsheet. Perhaps if group work was used, the pooling of all 4 classes’ data would give more statistical significance to the collected data. The spreadsheet would have the temperature conditions on the down a column, and the number of eggs counted by each student, or group of students, arranged in rows after the appropriate column. Then the average number of eggs counted per temperature condition can be averaged, and the results be compared against other temperature conditions. Furthermore, after the students, or the teacher collects all of the data points, a simple graphical interpretation of the results can also be applied to summarize the data. So say that there are 5 temperature conditions, that is 700 data points, I couldn’t imagine trying to do all of this by hand. I pity the poor teacher that does not know how to use a spreadsheet… the hours of plotting, punching of calculators, stacks of paper….
Q
Q
Thursday, October 11, 2007
The school as a community
A very knowledgeable principle came into our class today and talked to our class regarding the profession of teaching. Wow, the talk, was to say the least, excellent. She was direct and she did not try sugar coating anything. But unlike many other speakers, she kept managed to keep our optimism regarding the profession of teaching. It really is nice to see someone who has taught for such a long time keep such an INTENSE level of passion for the profession. As soon as she spoke, she communicated an air of professional knowledge, with respect to teachers, teaching, administration, students and the profession. The amount of integration and depth of knowledge that she has is astounding. If in 10 years I can be at 1/5th the level that she is at… then I feel that I would have come a long way as a teacher.
- More specifically I noted the following points from her speech:
- To teach children and not subjects, and to make the curriculum fit the learners
- The idea of constant growth, from peers, from students, and from other sources
- To talk to students in the hallway, keep some idea of each student’s backgrounds as it will come in handy
- To be proactive about problems instead of reactive
- To pay close attention to the actions that your TA is taking and conform to those actions, so that you are on your TA’s ‘team’
- Don’t judge parents because they really are doing the best they can at that particular time
- To ask questions
Q
- More specifically I noted the following points from her speech:
- To teach children and not subjects, and to make the curriculum fit the learners
- The idea of constant growth, from peers, from students, and from other sources
- To talk to students in the hallway, keep some idea of each student’s backgrounds as it will come in handy
- To be proactive about problems instead of reactive
- To pay close attention to the actions that your TA is taking and conform to those actions, so that you are on your TA’s ‘team’
- Don’t judge parents because they really are doing the best they can at that particular time
- To ask questions
Q
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Digressing on Zionism
The book talks that I saw today were done really quite well. Interestingly two out of the six books that my group choose to use, were holocaust related. I think it is interesting that books regarding the holocaust are being released within the last 10 years. I wonder if this is due to the fact that many of the holocaust survivors are now passing away and they don’t want to people to forget the tragedy that occurred; or if the idea of holocaust from contemporary Zionist thought, that has moved into the mainstream American religious ideology, has begun moving into the educational and educational literature as well? If this is so, it may not necessarily be a bad thing, I wonder by what motivations, and political/popular forces that this changing world view is occurring?
Q
Q
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Presenting ascending
My science group for curriculum and instructions presented today… good feedback… actually nothing but good feedback. I mean, we did put a lot of work into this presentation, but I still would have liked some explanation as to why some did not get full marks. Oh well…. Three other groups presented today as well, and I liked them all, but… I really, really liked the kinesiology group’s presentation as it really opened my eyes to what they know. I’m not a very sports inclined person, and it was nice to see the range of co-operative games, kinesiology-in-society awareness-type-game, and both active and not to overly active activities that all students could participate in.
Q
Q
Saturday, October 6, 2007
The forum foray
Online discussion forums have been used extensively, especially as an extension of something like this blog. I was thinking about this topic the other day when I was on one of the many educational websites and using the still active trial version of Inspiration I jotted down a few quick notes regarding discussion forums. They are a good tool to use in a classroom, but I think there is a fine balance between full exposure to the public domain and enough openness to allow conversations and expressions. They are both informative and misleading in the same stroke… humm it’s interesting these tools that the internet and digitalized thoughts create.Q
Language Experience Approach
I was introduced to a technique yesterday called “The language experience approach”. This technique is specifically used to teach English as a second language to students who are limited in their English proficiency. I’m sure that all of us at one time or another has encountered this technique… you do something or experience something and then you reflect upon the experience in some kind of language based way. Of course this is very general but… the language experience approach specifically uses the following steps:
presentation of experience
recording of student generated sentences, with grammatical and spelling corrections
choral reading of sentences as a group
individual reading of a sentence in a group setting
teaching of specific aspects in relation to the experience, ie. Identifying phonemes, words, spellings etc.
students copy down the story
and the use of the story in various teaching aspects for 2 to 3 days only
I think it’s a general and powerful method not only for ESL learners but for learners of all kinds in all curricula. I look forward to really using it one day.
Q
presentation of experience
recording of student generated sentences, with grammatical and spelling corrections
choral reading of sentences as a group
individual reading of a sentence in a group setting
teaching of specific aspects in relation to the experience, ie. Identifying phonemes, words, spellings etc.
students copy down the story
and the use of the story in various teaching aspects for 2 to 3 days only
I think it’s a general and powerful method not only for ESL learners but for learners of all kinds in all curricula. I look forward to really using it one day.
Q
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Ad – ing in the modern classroom
It’s amazing the amount of ads that we see on a daily basis… but everyone knows this, or do they? We did a quick presentation on ad awareness today in class. My, oh my, it is so interesting that most of the ads created by my peers were that of the ‘pull’ genre! It’s frankly a bit pathetic that there are still so many ‘push’ advertisements out there, if 5 to 7 university students can come up w/ a ‘pull’ ad in less than an hour. But this exercise speaks to the effectiveness of our own ad awareness and as such it is a skill that needs to be passed onto our students.
Q
Q
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
grammer me no right well
So it has been a while since I wrote a position paper…. Wow it’s amazing how fast you lose your writing skills if you do use them on a regular basis. I finished (or so I thought) a short paper about how great science was (yeah I know, nerdy) but now as I go over some of the concepts concerning position paper structure… well, I’ve got a lot of revisions to do….
oh well, back to work,
Q
oh well, back to work,
Q
Monday, October 1, 2007
Inspired Inspiration
So on Friday my Educational ICT prof. introduced me to a program called Inspiration. He said that I should do some reading up on it and try to use it, ‘cause the schools around there use the program quite a bit. So did some digging around and downloaded the trial version. Wow… this is a cool program. I created a quick concept map involving biology – my favorite subject!The above diagram depicts a VERY SIMPLE view of how glucose is turned into ATP. This topic is covered under the Biology 20, Unit C portion of the Alberta Education Program of Studies for 2008. The complexity of glucose metabolism is obviously quite complicated, but non-the-less very important to understand. This relatively simple concept map can be integrated into the curricula to serve as a scaffold upon which students can organize more ideas as we gain more details into each of the steps. The Inspiration program is extremely useful in this scenario in that I can forward this drawing onto my students and then have them in small groups elaborate on this diagram, and make new connections. Furthermore, each of the groups can post periodically updated versions of their concept map on a bulletin board so as to allow other students to compare and contrast. Without the concept mapping and posting tools, it is harder for a student to gain a sense of the entire metabolic pathway and to assess their own knowledge based upon their peer’s understandings.
By doing both the concept mapping and the sharing of ideas students can use organizational tools to manage inquiry. They can then access and use communication technologies to communicate in an engaging manner, through multimedia presentation, their research. They can also gain feedback which will extend and communicate their understanding of a very complex idea. This feedback and extension process is aided by technology in a collaborative setting.
humm… I wonder if I should begin to feel sorry for my future students already?
lol (with absolutely no hint of evil whatsoever) till next time,
Q
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