Four-day weeks? Classes year-round? Hmm...

Hello there, all my class-less friends...
(tee hee, get it?! Because we dont have classes this week! Sorry- bad joke I know.)

Just wanted to throw this article up on here that was in the Tyee a few weeks ago for you all to check out- it discusses the B.C school districts modifying school calendars to assist both student achievement and tight budgets.

Some school districts have already tried some of these tactics (like the 4-day school week), with mixed results. For the Gulf Island district, in which the students have to commute on ferries every day to and from school, the 4-day week has been very successful.  On the other hand, the Coast Mountains school district tried the 4-day approach, but then switched back due to a number of concerns.

Check out the article here to read more of the pros/cons...and let me know what you think!
Would you like to teach longer days, but only 4 of them per week?
Or get one month off in the winter rather than two in the summer?

"You are a mentor- do not disappoint."

On the last day of my 2-week observation, I had the opportunity to attend an Educators Against Racism Conference that was being held at my school.  The set-up for the conference was comprised of a keynote speaker, a morning workshop then afternoon workshop.  The keynote was Staff Sergeant Baltej Dhillon, who was the first turbaned Sikh police officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.  He gave a talk on racism in the classroom and how we as educators can work to combat it.  The two workshops I attended for the day were "Working with Aboriginal Youth" and "Poverty as a Classroom Issue".  In the first workshop, we first discussed what life was like for Aboriginal people prior to contact, and how we should try and integrate those ways of knowing in various ways within the classroom.  We also discussed the issues that are plaguing Aboriginal education in the Canadian school system; the instructor showed us a video on Residential Schools, and we then discussed how this event (and similar oppressions) are the roots of many social problems that affect the Aboriginal students we will work with.  In the second workshop, we discussed the various factors that constitute poverty, how to spot students that are living it in your classroom, and some ideas/resources on how you can make their school life an enriching experience- even an escape from the realities of home. 

The conference was extremely enriching as I got a chance to explore some issues that will be of the utmost importance in our classrooms. Listening to Sgt. Dhillon speak about his experiences with racism and prejudice in school (and how it continued throughout his career) made me realize how prevalent it is and how we as educators need to vigilant as to making sure our classrooms remain a place of tolerance and respect.  In the Aboriginal workshop, I picked up some great tips and approaches for supporting those students in the classroom while keeping in mind the social factors that affect many of them.  Our instructor gave us some techniques of how to adopt Indigenous cultural practices into the classroom, as well as reminding us that we have to work to change the mindset of school itself for many Indigenous families- as school has not been a positive experience for many.  In the poverty workshop, I received a number of fantastic resources that not only explain the various factors that constitute poverty among students, but ideas/approaches on how teachers can assist in making learning easier and more accessible to those that are struggling. 



Sgt. Dhillon



I went up to Sgt. Dhillon after his presentation and asked him what he thought was a best approach to encourage multicultural tolerance in the classroom- whether it be Indigenous, Sikh, Chinese, etc.  He told me that the most important tool we can use is the very thing we are supposed to be giving students- knowledge. If you have students of diverse cultures in your classroom (which we no doubt will), give that student a chance to explain their culture/beliefs in a way so that the other students understand.  Take field trips to cultural sites, bring in cultural foods,  or have guest speakers; there are a variety of approaches to both teaching and learning that you could use to expand the knowledge of the students so that they become more tolerant individuals. "When it comes down to it", he said, " we are all human and when dialogue is made- we look past the externalities." 

NOTE: The title of this post were the final words about teaching I heard from Sgt. Dhillon in his keynote speech.

EDCI 336 Video Review

Here is my review of Mike's "G20 Protests and Arrests" video, which can be found here
.

336 G20 Review Review Podcast.egg on Aviary.

Spreadsheet Assignment.

Here are three spreadsheet-based activities I reviewed:

1.  Fast Food Fun- http://www.wmburgweb.com/Resources/Lesson/index.htm

This website gives the instructions for a lesson assignment that would have a variety of valuable teaching tools and knowledge for the students.  It outlines an assignment in which the students research the nutritional data of a particular meal from a fast food restaurant and create an Excel spreadsheet featuring statistics based on the data.  The students would then look at the information collected and test it against healthy eating guidelines.  After testing their information against the guidelines, they would then analyze their own eating habits and come up with some possible solutions to perhaps change their food consumption.

I think that this activity would be very interesting in a Social Studies class, particularly in the area of sustainable food development and media literacy.  Most students have likely not investigated the nutritional facts of their favourite fast food restaurants before, so it may be an eye-opening experience for them to realize how unhealthy some of these foods can be.  You could tie this discovery in with discussing ways to eat more healthy- and one way can be looking into organic, local foods. That topic can also spread to a variety of other discussions, such as food production and the environmental impacts that accompany it.  This assignment would also be beneficial in terms of ICT skills, as the student would be working with Excel and developing their spreadsheet skills.

I am actually creating a unit plan at the moment on GMFs (Genetically-Modified Foods), so I think this could be another creative activity to add into the lesson; it would give the students a chance to examine their own eating habits and apply the knowledge given about food processing/production to their own lives.

2. Excel Workbook Files- http://www.internet4classrooms.com/technology_tutorials/excel_workbook_files_excel_topics_technology_tutorials.htm

 This website has a multitude of Excel lesson ideas to use in the classroom, as well as some practical tools for teachers- such as spreadsheets to use as sign-ins for attendance.  One tool I particularly enjoyed was a Review Bingo Template.  Following this template, teachers would enter short answers in 30 blocks and then print 32 bingo cards (4 to a sheet on 8 sheets).  The teacher would then distribute the bingo cards to the class and begin the review. 

This would be a fantastic review technique for any subject, because the teacher would simply enter the information into the template and create the review. It would also be a fun way to go over the study material as opposed to the traditional format of simply handing out study sheets and asking students if they have any questions.  Another way you could use the Bingo template would be to get the students to create the Bingo sheets; this would get the students to think about what they believe is the most important information they need to know.  You could also get the students to create a description/definition to go along with the words they choose for the Bingo sheets so they demonstrate a clear understanding of the concepts.

3. Spreadsheet Crossword Puzzles- http://www.catawba.k12.nc.us/pages/sites/edwebsites/computerskills/quizzes/spreadsheetcc.htm

This template would be a very fun activity to do in many subject areas, but I think it could be applied very effectively to an English class for essentially any topic within the curriculum. The teacher could get the students to create their own crossword, the questions for it, and the crossword itself using Excel.  For example: If the students were working on the Short Story Unit, one of their assignments could be to create a crossword using the definitions/terms they need to know.  After creating them, the students could exchange with their classmates, or even use the crosswords as a study tool.  The crossword could serve as both a chance for the students to practice their spreadsheet skills, as well as review and test their subject knowledge.

Some Food for Thought on a Saturday Night...

I wanted to post an idea my Social Studies prof discussed on Friday in class, mostly because I found it so incredibly interesting!

Before we launched into presentations, he gave a quick talk about the hypocrisy of using candy and grades to motivate students in the classroom.  He asked us to consider this: is that kind of material motivation really needed? Here is the one point he said that really stuck in my head:

“The idea that we have to lure people to learn suggests that learning isn’t a natural state.”

   He suggested that rather than motivation in material form, we should be recognizing and celebrating the good in all of our students- and that recognition will have an even greater effect on their desire and self-motivation to do well.  This idea has really intrigued me because I can certainly see his point of view: By recognizing all student achievement- even if it is something as simple as that student having a postive attitude in class- we can continue to make that student want to be in the classroom and want to keep learning.

   On the other hand, isn’t a huge part of development (at least in an educational aspect) based on positive/negative reinforcement that in turn teaches effective behavior? (Wow, I sound like our psychology textbook...)  And if we don’t have material means (such as grades) to motivate, how do we hold onto certain students who just dont have any self-motivation or desire to learn (at least in high school)?

Those are just a couple points for each side, I know there are more...so feel free to add your thoughts on the subject!

Technology Questions Answered!

Just thought I’d throw these up on the ol’ blog as well!

 

1. What pathway has been adopted at your school?

The pathway adopted at the school I was at most closely resembles the Digital Media Development pathway. The students have to take a mandatory 4-week computer course in Grade 8 to learn the basics of such programs as Word, Excel, and Photoshop.  After that, there is a range of courses they can take where they can learn more advanced forms of Digital Media in the areas of 2/3D animation, Photoshop, Web Design, and Video programs.  There is also two senior courses- Marketing 11/12 and Entrepreneurship 12- that focus on the business aspect of ICT, as well as a Programming 11/12 course for students wishing to expand their knowledge of computer programming.  All the courses, with the exception of the Computer 8 class, are electives.

 

2. What are the benefits of this model?

The major benefit of this model are the courses themselves- there is such a range of interesting topics being offered to the students. Not only can they become familiar with popular programs (such as Word) that they will likely use for the rest of their lives, but they can take it further.  They can learn more sophisticated techniques of digital video production, or learn marketing techniques that can be used in a business context.

 

3. What are the disadvantages?

A major disadvantage of this model (and ICT courses in general at this school) is that the school isn’t wireless yet- so students can only use the internet at designated times. Furthermore, there are only four computer labs and the computers range from 2-6 years old- which is fairly old in computer years!  Because the access and current technology isn’t there yet, I think students are hesitant to sign up for those elective courses- that makes it hard to actually run them.

 

4. What changes could be made to enhance dynamic, purposeful use of technology?

I talked to the head ICT teacher at the school and he showed me the Technology Proposal he created; the Proposal has 4 phases and is intended to take about 4 years to set up.  The purpose of the proposal is to address the gap in teaching technology.  The plan is to do it through teacher/technology professional development (this part has already begun, with all the teachers receiving personal laptops), the installation of fixed technology tools (as well as wireless internet), and the creation of mobile computing labs.  Eventually, the final goal is to invest in Netbooks that students can get in Grade 8 and pay off in a 5-year purchase plan.  The reason the Internet is coming so slowly to the school is that the district is leery about putting wireless into the school because of security reasons, but this teacher assured me that it could be made safe for all students to be online at school.  I think all these proposals could ultimately benefit the school by making ICT more accessible to everyone.

 

5. How would you describe the teachers’ and students’ attitudes, skills, and knowledge of ICT?

 I would say that the attitude of the teachers and students towards ICT at this point is a bit indifferent.  The students didn’t seem overly engaged or completely bored when I saw them in Computer classes, and I didn’t meet any teachers that were really gung ho to have new technology in their classrooms. They actually seemed quite content with overheads and a DVD player! I was there the day the teachers got their new laptops, and I told one particular teacher how much technology was being emphasized in our program, and asked if she was happy that new equipment was starting to come into the school.  Her response was that “it’s all well and good to learn those digital tools, but when there aren’t enough computers for each student- and we cant guarantee they have one at home- it makes it very difficult.” The ICT teacher told me that there is a wiki-esque program set up at the school for teachers to use/edit/share ideas, but only a few teachers actually use it.  There is only one class Moodle site set up, and it is for the senior classes taught by the head ICT teacher.  I can certainly see the side of the argument that technology isn’t prevalent enough to be fully used, but I also hope that when tools such as active whiteboards one day come into the school, the teachers will be eager to try them in their classrooms.

Student Questionnaire

As I said earlier, I ran a student questionnaire last week with an Engl 10H class.  It was actually the teacher who asked me if I’d like to do it- he thought it might be something useful to not only me, but also my fellow student-teachers (all of you awesome people!)  He said he’d leave the room, I’d go over what I wanted them to do, read out the questions while they wrote out responses, and then I’d collect them and go over them later on.  I made sure to emphasize (and the teacher wanted me to as well) that they were anonymous, so I wanted their honest opinions and answers.

The first three questions were about teachers, the fourth was about bullying (it came out pretty even on whether or not they thought bullying was a problem- but leaned slightly more to NO), and the fifth question asked them to list the last book they read. I’m happy to report that only two of them (out of 27) said they couldn’t remember/don’t read outside of school. 

Like I also said in an earlier post, I’m going to post the full list of the survey answers in an e-portfolio entry (then link it on here), but for the first 3 questions I asked, here are the top-rated answers:

1) What do teachers do (or have done) that you really like?

•  Show films that are relevant to the topic (17)

·        In-class discussions- both in partners and groups (11)

·        Mix up the activities (4)

2) What do teachers do (or have done) that you really dislike?

·        Making us present in front of the class (10)

·        Lecturing for the entire period (9)

·        Giving work at the end of the class- we would like time in class to do it (6)

3) What do you think makes a great teacher?

·        Having a sense of humour (9)

·        Diverse teaching techniques/methods (6)

·        Easily approachable (4)

·        Allows us to express ideas and doesn’t put them down (4)

·        Keeps monotonous questions to a minimum, and favouring discussions instead (4)

·        Being understanding of students (4)

·        Connect with students and cares about them (4)

Some of the popular points students raised weren’t surprising (watching movies, for example), but I liked how for the third question, many of the students touched on the same qualities we did when we brainstormed about what makes a good teacher on the first day of seminar.  That means that what we recognized as a good teacher is still relevant in schools today- so we should try very hard to become a teacher with those qualities as well!