Curation of Artifacts

Vic. (November 3, 2009). Journaling. (Flickr Image).
Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2fXJU6G

For my curation I decided to use artifacts that I was able to find on Pinterest, I find that this site is very useful when trying to find great activities, posters, and strategies to use within the classroom. 

My curation will focus on the Four Levels of Reflection including: Surface Reflection, Critical Reflection, Pedagogical Reflection, and Self Reflection. 

Reflection is an act of reflecting upon a vast array of practices, by using thoughts of consideration and observations. For example a lesson plan Teachers can reflect prior to the lesson by asking themselves what could go wrong? What could be successful? Teachers can reflect during the lesson by asking themselves is everything going as planned? How are the students reacting? Lastly, teachers can reflect after their lesson, what could be improved?

Surface Reflection:

Focuses on strategies and methods that teachers can use to get to pre-determined goals. Teachers achieve this by knowing their learners, what they are learning and how they are learning it by reviewing what works best within their classroom and how to meet students needs.

Questions to ask yourself:

1. Did I spend too much time on group-work today?
2. How can I keep students on-task?
3. Did I have enough (too many) activities?

Critical Reflection:

Teachers are reflecting on moral, political, social and ethical consequences in the classroom.  Teachers are aware that their actions in and out of the classroom have a range of consequences.  Teachers are aware that classroom and school practices cannot be separated from political and social realities.

Questions to ask yourself:

1. Who is being included and who is being excluded in this classroom practice?
2. How might the ways I group students affect individuals student's opportunity for success?
3. Does this classroom practice promote equity? 

Pedagogical Reflection: 

Reflecting on educational goals, understanding the theoretical basis for classroom practice, and find a balance between what they say they do and believe, and what they actually do within the classroom. Teachers are practicing what they preach. 

Questions to ask yourself:

1. How can I improve learning for all of my students?
2. Am I giving my students the opportunity to develop decision-making skills?
3. Is there a better way to accomplish this goal?

Self-Reflection: 

Deep examination of how one’s beliefs, values, expectations, assumptions family imprinting, and cultural conditioning impact students and their learning. Us as teachers need to remember our classroom is filled with variety of backgrounds and we need to emphasize on the importance of creating an inclusive environment.

Questions to ask yourself:

1. In what ways might I be modelling disrespect?
2. Are there things I am doing that inhibit student self-management?
3. Why am I so intolerant of Adam's inappropriate behaviour? 

Oral Communication

Ron Mader. (December 8, 2011). Let's Talk. (Flickr Image).
Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2fDfwOf

Speaking...one of the most important ways individuals communicate daily, whether it be over the phone, face-to-face, through video chat, acting, or on the field. Communicating is how individuals are able to express how their feeling, what their thinking, their knowledge about a concept etc. Individuals may have different communication skills based on the audience they are speaking to. For example, kids communicating to other kids is different from a child communicating to an adult. The same applies for university students talking amongst their peers opposed to talking to their boss. We create these environments where language can be more relaxed, and use slang or where theres environments that are more professional, and where slang is frowned upon. Knowing how to communicate respectfully within these different environments is important for individuals to realize when they need to be professional when it comes to getting a job.


Knowing basic communication skills when you first see someone, "Good morning, how are you?" Also knowing how individuals are expressing their thoughts, are they happy? sad? frustrated? The use of non-verbal actions while people talk are usually a good indicator. Do people receive information you are saying the wrong way? Or...lets say you went away on vacation to Italy but cannot speak Italian, how can you communicate to others? Let's just say it would be hard.

                        via GIPHY


Communication as you can see if a very complex thing, but we do it daily, so realistically we are getting more practice than we think. Building our vocabulary while talking to others, learning how to express ourselves better to avoid giving off the wrong impression, and most importantly listening to others enhances not only your ability to speak but also how you are going to respond to what they said. I would have to say out of all the strands in language and literacy, oral communication is the most practiced, and is not only tested through presentations and speeches. Oh speeches... I do not miss those days, I would have to say that was the most terrifying thing as a kid.

I personally did not enjoy speaking in front of a crowd, which majority of students can relate to so I think that although I got through them I never gained any confidence after. Every year I would get stage freight, nothing ever changed until I got to university and was in my fourth year when we had to participate in debates. Now this is where I gained that confidence to speak in front of my peers, because lets face it, its WAY less intimidating. Debating is a fun way for students, like myself, to gain confidence in speaking in front of their peers. Students are not centred out, they are allowed their material they have prepared and with the support of their partner (which I would recommend for students just learning how to debate) could be very comforting knowing you aren't alone through it.

An activity that you can use in the classroom (preferably the gym) would be:

Blind-fold game:

• Students need to get into partners 
• One partner will volunteer to be blind folded, the other partner will be the instructor 
• Partners will then stand on opposite sides of the gym
• As the teacher, you will set up the area in the middle of the gym with bean bags, rubber discs, or cups scattered throughout this particular section
• The instructional partner will then have to guide their blind folded partner from one side of the gym to the other without stepping on any of the objects 
• If the blind folded partner steps on an object they must start over 
• COMMUNICATION IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS ! 

Here is a video to get an idea, however they do not perform it in pairs, they have a group focusing on only one blind-folded individual. This is another approach if students are finding it difficult to communicate 1 on 1.  

Blog 2

          Regarding the Growing Success (2010) Document it has impacted my beliefs about assessment by providing me with more information developing a better understanding. My original beliefs were that assessment should be more than just a test to gain an insight of a student's knowledge about a subject. Within the text it supports my thoughts and goes more in-depth as it states that there should be fairness within assessment, and students should be able to demonstrate their learning no matter what their socio-economic status, ethnicity, gender, learning style or learning needs.
           This document has provided me with a better understanding of assessment as and for learning. Assessment as learning helps students to become independent, set goals for themselves, monitor their own progress, and reflect their thinking with the help of the teacher. Assessment of learning Assessment for learning is providing students with descriptive feedback to help guide them to improvement.  Assessment for and as learning has three key process to be effective within the classroom that includes:

1. Establishing where students will go with their learning 
2. Establishing where students are in their learning 
3. Establishing what needs to happen to get students to where they are going with their learning

Something I found interesting reading this document is that the code "R" if found on a report card, represents that students average is below 50%, NOT that they are failing. 

Week 10!

This week: focused on Data Management and Probability and its 3 sections:

• Collecting Data 
• Data Relationships 
• Probability: how likely something is supposed to happen.

I personally loved this section within the math curriculum as a kid, and so I pursued my interests and took a data management course in high school. Its a section within math that students are easily capable of seeing how it could be applied to real-life situations. I think this is a reason why I enjoyed it so much, because I got to see the application of it outside of the classroom. I believe by incorporating real-life situations into the lessons other than data management, it really engages the student and makes it more meaningful for them to learn.

Some fun ways to incorporate probability within in the classroom is to teach lessons based on the weather, sports such as batting averages, chances of winning the lottery, rolling a number of the dice and flipping heads or tails. Within our presentations this week, one of the teacher candidates had 3 different groups focusing on either flipping a coin, rolling a dice, or using a deck of cards. Each group had to predict the likelihood of the events listed on the sheet provided to occur. After each group predicted, they were then asked to complete the task to see if our predictions were correct. I thought this was beneficial because students were able to see more than one option if each group had the chance to rotate tables.

Duncan Hall. (December 6, 2010). Dice. (Flickr Image). Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2gkWNry 

Click here to see some great probability and statistics activities for kids!

Lesson Plans 

One of the challenges I have faced within creating a lesson plan is figuring out some accommodations and modifications to use. Since the audience is not specifically stated, I find that there can be multiple of answers to this, and I am just writing down a broad answer. I find that creating lessons are beneficial. however without actually implementing them within the school it is hard to think if it is even a good lesson plan or not until we actually go into a classroom. This gives us the time to reflect on some things that worked or did not work as well as we planned. Another positive aspect to writing lesson plans is that we are able to look at the curriculum and become familiar with it. One thing that I hope we are taught is how to create unit lesson plans, this has always been something I have thought about. 

Week 9 Online Session!

Measurement 

There are 3 stages to teaching measurement:

           1) Definition/comparison: comparing two things to determine which has a greater measure

           2) Nonstandard units: scoops, cubes

           3) Standard units: cm, g

The following link provides create resources to teach measurement to students in grades 4-6 

http://www.eworkshop.on.ca/edu/resources/guides/Guide_Measurement_456.pdf 

I thoroughly enjoyed the scavenger hunt provided in this week’s online session, as I believe it is a great way for students to be active and outdoors. I think it is a fun and engaging activity that students are capable of competing in a friendly competition while learning as well. Students are able to measure real-life objects, and can easily see the application of what they are learning within the classroom into the community. I also liked the scavenger hunt because it can be applied to many other concepts, lessons, grades, and subjects. It doesn't always have to be applied outdoors, it can also be a scavenger hunt within the classroom, the gymnasium, the library or the school. Overall, it is a very flexible tool that many teachers can use!

        Nicolina Strkalj. (November 17, 2016). Area Blocks. (Personal Image). Retrieved from personal

                                                                        photo library. 

Throughout the Forums this week, I wasn’t impressed with the activities this week but have decided to share the activity Shape Explorer that allows students to practice area and perimeter of any given shape. Students are capable of seeing what answers they have received right or wrong, and can try multiple shapes. Students are capable of hitting an outline button that highlights the outline of the shape to help calculate the perimeter. Although this activity can help students practice their area and perimeter, I believe there could be better games out there that students could be more engaged to.

Here is a game I found online called Area Blocks, this game allows students to compete with either the computer or a friend to see who can cover their grid with shapes before their opponent can. This game focuses on Area and Perimeter that can be used in the classroom for friendly competition while practicing their math in a fun and engaging way! This activity helps students become quick with their thinking, and become strategic learners.  

 

       Nicolina Strkalj. (November 17, 2016). Area Blocks. (Personal Image). Retrieved from personal photo library. 

Until next week!