Hey All,
For my last post I thought I'd drop an article about current literacy levels, and how the debate about improving overall literacy levels affects all levels of education. Furthermore, it is a difficult problem to assess, as various means of measurement are often used (who is truly 'literate', who is only 'semi-literate', and how does this change in an increasingly technology-driven economy?). If you got a minute, you might find it interesting...
http://www.hoover.org/publications/policyreview/2939081.html
Other than that, I hope everyone has an enjoyable and happy winter break! See ya in January!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
The Best and Worst of the First Semester
It's the end of the semester, end of the year, and end of the decade. What a long, strange trip it's been.
A lot of people come up with "Best and Worst" lists around this time of year--best and worst movies, best and worst trends of the year, etc. So, In that spirit I've decided to come up with a best and worst list for the first semester of our program. Everybody feel free to contribute their own list of highs and lows. Personally, it's been a crazy semester. There have been a lot of great days, but there have also been plenty of days where I have wondered just what in the hell have I got myself into. Anyway, here goes.
The Highlights
--401 with Cressey
--Observation (The best learning experience of the semester)
--Philosophy with Baxter (most days)
--New Friends
--Grad Lounge afternoons (a lot of serious teacher preparation going on)
--The day we went out to the woods with Chris (even if it was a little cold)
--Alternative site visit
--The sense of community our cohort has developed
The Lowlights
--e-portfolio
--Too much busy work
--That class on Tuesday's and Friday's after 780 (although it's getting a bit better, I think)
--The feeling that we are not learning enough about teaching
--Too much emphasis on technology
--Unit Plans (mine has been left until the last second and it's driving me crazy)
--Not enough time spent getting practical experience in a school between the start of the year and the practicum
Cheers
Everybody have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
A lot of people come up with "Best and Worst" lists around this time of year--best and worst movies, best and worst trends of the year, etc. So, In that spirit I've decided to come up with a best and worst list for the first semester of our program. Everybody feel free to contribute their own list of highs and lows. Personally, it's been a crazy semester. There have been a lot of great days, but there have also been plenty of days where I have wondered just what in the hell have I got myself into. Anyway, here goes.
The Highlights
--401 with Cressey
--Observation (The best learning experience of the semester)
--Philosophy with Baxter (most days)
--New Friends
--Grad Lounge afternoons (a lot of serious teacher preparation going on)
--The day we went out to the woods with Chris (even if it was a little cold)
--Alternative site visit
--The sense of community our cohort has developed
The Lowlights
--e-portfolio
--Too much busy work
--That class on Tuesday's and Friday's after 780 (although it's getting a bit better, I think)
--The feeling that we are not learning enough about teaching
--Too much emphasis on technology
--Unit Plans (mine has been left until the last second and it's driving me crazy)
--Not enough time spent getting practical experience in a school between the start of the year and the practicum
Cheers
Everybody have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Unpleasant but all too real: Abuse and how to deal with it
Just drawing attention to a news article which came out of Ontario today, regarding the persistence of child abuse in the community of Cornwall (small industrial community, with a large francophone community). The link to the original article follows: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2009/12/15/cornwall-glaude.html
One of the depressing facts that was brought to light was the institutional inertia which often prevents individuals from pressing for answers. Nobody wants the embarrassment and shame of having a coworker charged with any form of child abuse. Yet often there was too little investigation, and as a result, many cases did not come to light quickly enough. The article touches on a few themes which have come up in a few of my classes recently, such as:
1. No community is hermetically sealed off from the bad things in the world. It is always astounding to hear responses such as 'we didn't think that sort of thing could happen here'.
2. Institutions, even public ones, seem to try to placate this sentiment. Administrators and coworkers seem reticent to follow their instincts when serious issues come to light, and often try to minimize the public impact, rather than attend to the victim's needs.
3. How does a school keep up communication? This seems to be the crucial issue; many institutions seem to get clogged by the 'business as usual' mindset. What happens at your school? Do you feel trained to handle such a situation?
One of the depressing facts that was brought to light was the institutional inertia which often prevents individuals from pressing for answers. Nobody wants the embarrassment and shame of having a coworker charged with any form of child abuse. Yet often there was too little investigation, and as a result, many cases did not come to light quickly enough. The article touches on a few themes which have come up in a few of my classes recently, such as:
1. No community is hermetically sealed off from the bad things in the world. It is always astounding to hear responses such as 'we didn't think that sort of thing could happen here'.
2. Institutions, even public ones, seem to try to placate this sentiment. Administrators and coworkers seem reticent to follow their instincts when serious issues come to light, and often try to minimize the public impact, rather than attend to the victim's needs.
3. How does a school keep up communication? This seems to be the crucial issue; many institutions seem to get clogged by the 'business as usual' mindset. What happens at your school? Do you feel trained to handle such a situation?
Monday, December 14, 2009
Nikolai Julien Primatesta
Hey guys,
I know this is quite off topic for blogs (sorry Chris) but I just wanted to share the news that most of you have probably already heard. Nikolai Julien was born on December 8th, 2009 at 2:30 am. He weighed 7 lbs 14 oz. He's a beautiful little man and I hope you all can meet him sometime in the future. Thank you so much for the card that Haley and Gillian brought to me. Made my already wide smile a bit wider. Thanks for all the support this semester as he was growing in my belly. Hope to see you all soon! If not... Happy Holidays!
Kylie
Technology: Tool or Barrier
Has anyone ever wondered why UVic employs so many online student learning "tools"? I did my undergrad here and during that time plus my time in this program I have had to use - the regular UVic Blackboard, business Blackboard, Blogger, Moodle and Sharepoint. Each of them are slightly different and offers slightly different features. In addition, I have also had to keep track of each of my courses' websites. I have to admit, having these online tools have allowed me to access information from practially anywhere - at home, school, etc. However, sometimes I feel that there are too many to keep track of. During my undergrad, sometimes, I miss information because I forget to check a blog but its difficult when there's 4 other websites to keep checking for my other classes. Why can't UVic provide its students with a student portal that consolidates these tools to make my life easier?
Thanks to our beloved tech class, we now know all sorts of tools that are available to us. But how do we keep it under control? How do we ensure that technology is serving as tools rather than barriers?
I came across this when I was compiling some stuff for the e-binder: Check it out it may give you ideas.
Thanks to our beloved tech class, we now know all sorts of tools that are available to us. But how do we keep it under control? How do we ensure that technology is serving as tools rather than barriers?
I came across this when I was compiling some stuff for the e-binder: Check it out it may give you ideas.
Culture in the Classroom
Alysson, Cameron and I went to the Native Friendship Centre for our site visit. As Alysson mentioned in class, we learned about the issues Aboriginal students face at school. It was really insightful. I learned that some Aboriginal students have difficulties succeeding at school because they think their teachers are racist. Students feel that their teachers lower expectations because they are Aboriginal.
This made me think about things we've talked about in other classes. In Sebastien's presentation for Dr. Cressey's class, he talked about how African Americans placed more value on communalistic learning vs. individualistic learning that Caucasian groups valued. In our philosophy class we also discussed the issue whether schools should establish a uniform culture or have multiple ones.
Should students be expected to abandon their own culture to succeed in the classroom? As future educators, how do we create a learning environment where students can succeed regardless of their cultural background?
This made me think about things we've talked about in other classes. In Sebastien's presentation for Dr. Cressey's class, he talked about how African Americans placed more value on communalistic learning vs. individualistic learning that Caucasian groups valued. In our philosophy class we also discussed the issue whether schools should establish a uniform culture or have multiple ones.
Should students be expected to abandon their own culture to succeed in the classroom? As future educators, how do we create a learning environment where students can succeed regardless of their cultural background?
Sunday, December 13, 2009
The Toll of Athleticism
I have a friend who I've been meaning to bring up in class one day. He is a runner, and has been running for his entire life, right from childhood. He was the captain of the Uvic running team, and absolutely excelled at it. Last year though, he quit. For his entire life he has been told that he would never be the best in the world, because A) he's not from Africa, and B) only one person out of billions can actually be the best. Last year, he realized that he was not that one person, and retired.
Recently, his old high school invited him back to Nova Scotia to coach their track team, which he still holds all the top records at. He talked to me a while after he got back and said that it was very strange going back to a small town where he has real status for following his dream, but having since given up on that dream. He is coaching kids who want to be just like him, who want to try and be superheroes, by his own description, but the odds are infinitesimal that even one of them will make it anywhere. Looking at his own life and the time he spent going hard at his sport, all of the skills he doesn't have now, and all of the opportunities he missed by having his blinders up, all he wants to tell these kids is that they have to have something else. They can't just live for running because it won't be enough. That if they neglect their academics to excel at sports, they are going to wind up miserable and useless (his words).
I'd like to ask some PE teachers about their opinions on this, but what do you guys think? If you had a student who was terrible at school but great at sports, would you encourage them to pursue what they're good at, or would you try to teach them that they need to be well-rounded to succeed?
Friday, December 11, 2009
Serious time , outdoor education
Don't forget the Geminids Meteor shower is on Sunday and Monday night. It's the best one of the year. Dress warmly. A sleeping bag rated to like -20C would be ideal.
Children Full of Life
Hi Everyone,
I wanted to give you the first of five links to an award-winning CBC Documentary called "Children Full of Life" posted in 8 minute parts on Youtube. It is a look into a grade 4 classroom in Japan over the course of a year as kids learn lessons about compassion from their homeroom teacher, Toshiro Kanamori. By sharing their lives, the children begin to realize the importance of caring for their classmates. It doesn't avoid the hard parts of teaching (like some of our classes gloss over!) and incidents of bullying, the death of a parent, and other very real-life experiences are shown as they happen. I would really encourage everyone to take a look...it is inspiring in real ways.
Alysson
I wanted to give you the first of five links to an award-winning CBC Documentary called "Children Full of Life" posted in 8 minute parts on Youtube. It is a look into a grade 4 classroom in Japan over the course of a year as kids learn lessons about compassion from their homeroom teacher, Toshiro Kanamori. By sharing their lives, the children begin to realize the importance of caring for their classmates. It doesn't avoid the hard parts of teaching (like some of our classes gloss over!) and incidents of bullying, the death of a parent, and other very real-life experiences are shown as they happen. I would really encourage everyone to take a look...it is inspiring in real ways.
Alysson
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Eagle Extravaganza!!! at Goldstream!
Goldstream Alternative Site Visit:
We went to Goldstream for the "Eagle Extravaganza". The Goldstream park is a great educational site to bring classes aged K-12. They offer various grade specific programs throughout the year at the Nature House. Each program is season specific, for example now until January is the "Eagle Extravaganza". All visits are by donation! They have a lot great information on the website. Check it out. http://www.goldstreampark.com/
We chose this site after we did environmental educationwith Chris. Its soo important to get students outside of the classroom, and in tune with nature. Learning in a natural setting is key to gain appreciation for our environment. We also really enjoyed ourselves, it was a nice destressor in the midst of a hectic school week. (although it was -2 outside!!!)
We think everyone should check out Goldstream Park, it is definitely worth the drive!
Merry Christmas!!
Haley and Gillian
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Eduation for Profit
Last week the students in the social studies method classes were exposed to a guest speaker "presenting" their civic simulation. Though his model was interesting, had many well thought out aspects and years of hard work invested it was soon obvious that the nonchalent and casual demeanor of the presenter was a carefully scripted sales pitch. This program was available to teachers at an expensive cost for the teacher edition guide book and the student books. Furthermore, there was a fee per class per semester. I believe that a person is entitled to reap the benifits of their hard work but at what cost to the ideological foundations of teaching should they be compensated? I think that we will see more of this lesson for proffit model as teachers are increasingly overworked and salaries are not sufficient to live in many of the urban centres throughout Canada.
Another aspect of education for profit is private schools. I had the opportunity to work for a year at a private ESl kindergarten in Seoul, South Korea. This situation was an interesting clash of "education" and parent satisfaction. Partially due to cultural differences, but mainly caused by the school as a business model, kids' educations were comprimised due to the priority of student retention. It may be possible to obtain a for profit school model that puts forth a quality education. However, once the main motive has shifted from educating a student to the best of their ability towards generating the most amount of profit who gets left behind? At my private ESL kindergarten I continually tried to convince the school to push their finished educated product as the beacon that would guide future parents towards the enrollment table to sign up their children for 2 years. Unfortunately the tactic undertaken to increase enrolment and maintain student retention was parental appeasement.
I have come to terms with the fact that if I am going to teach internationally that I will most likely be working within an education for profit setting again. However, I hope that there is a focus on education as opposed to profits.
What are your opinions on education for profit? Have you had any experiences with this system? Do you plan to seek employment in this system?
Another aspect of education for profit is private schools. I had the opportunity to work for a year at a private ESl kindergarten in Seoul, South Korea. This situation was an interesting clash of "education" and parent satisfaction. Partially due to cultural differences, but mainly caused by the school as a business model, kids' educations were comprimised due to the priority of student retention. It may be possible to obtain a for profit school model that puts forth a quality education. However, once the main motive has shifted from educating a student to the best of their ability towards generating the most amount of profit who gets left behind? At my private ESL kindergarten I continually tried to convince the school to push their finished educated product as the beacon that would guide future parents towards the enrollment table to sign up their children for 2 years. Unfortunately the tactic undertaken to increase enrolment and maintain student retention was parental appeasement.
I have come to terms with the fact that if I am going to teach internationally that I will most likely be working within an education for profit setting again. However, I hope that there is a focus on education as opposed to profits.
What are your opinions on education for profit? Have you had any experiences with this system? Do you plan to seek employment in this system?
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Pay Attention
"We have learned to 'play school'. We study the right facts the night before the test so that we achieve a passing grade and thus become a successful student."
-High School Student
How many of us have felt this way at some point in time during our academic careers? More importantly, how can we prevent our students from feeling this way? One of the answers (and a theme common to our 780 seminar series) is by engaging our students.
Engage - to attract and hold the attention of; engross; to draw into; involve
We all know from our psychology classes that attention is crucial in learning. So my question for you guys is this, how are we going to engage our students? What have we learned in the past 3 months that will allow us to attract and hold their attention? With only 2 weeks left of class, I thought it would be a good time for us to summarize some of the engagement methods we have learned in seminar and in some of our other classes. The video I've posted here is called "Pay Attention" and it's focus is on the use of technology to engage students (it even has a fun little cell phone experiment). It's similar to Shift Happens or Did You Know videos but I still thought it raised some good points about how technology can be used as tool for engagement. Enjoy!!
Cheers,
Erin :)
Friday, December 4, 2009
Food Bank
Hey everyone...I don't know if ya'll read my post on giving/food banks...anyways Cameron and Tara told me they would help get something started if we wanted to help out this Christmas.
Now I am putting it out here! I called the Goldstream food bank about sponsering a family. It looks like a lot to take on, so its understandable if we don't want to take on a family. Rather we could bring it food and non food items, and I could take them down to either the Mustard Seed or the Goldstream Food bank.
Here are the guidelines for a family hamper....let me know what you think???
Now I am putting it out here! I called the Goldstream food bank about sponsering a family. It looks like a lot to take on, so its understandable if we don't want to take on a family. Rather we could bring it food and non food items, and I could take them down to either the Mustard Seed or the Goldstream Food bank.
Here are the guidelines for a family hamper....let me know what you think???
THE CHRISTMAS BUREAU OF GREATER
DONOR GUIDELINES 2009
Thank you for offering to provide a Christmas hamper this holiday season. The mission of the Christmas Bureau is to help as many families and singles as possible have a merry Christmas. We also endeavour to make sure that the help provided is equitable. We hope that no family will be short changed while another family is overwhelmed by generosity. Attached are some guidelines for the hamper that you assemble.
1. You must phone the family 2-3 days after receiving their contact information - let them know that you will be helping them this Christmas and that you received their name from the Christmas Bureau. Remember to talk to adults only, not children.
2. When you contact the family, confirm their address and all members of the household.
3. If there are children in the family, check the spelling of their names, their gender and their ages.
4. Ask for gift suggestions for children and their sizes if clothes are requested. (If clothes are purchased, enclose a gift receipt.) The Christmas Bureau policy is for all children 17 and under to receive 2 new main gifts, an approximate total value of $50.00 per child. Small stocking stuffers can be added. The main thing is to make sure all children are treated equally within a family.
5. Ask if the family has any special dietary needs such as allergies, health conditions etc.
6. Arrange a date and time to drop off the hamper (3-7 days before Dec. 25 if possible).
7. Please keep the family's information confidential. If members of an office or group are assembling the hamper, provide them with a profile of the family but not their names (ie child #1, male, 14 years old). Shred the information after Christmas.
HAMPER CONTENTS
1. Christmas dinner basics - turkey, potatoes, vegetables, dessert
2. Treats - any or all of: candy, nuts, chips, oranges
3. Staples - flour, sugar, rice, noodles, soups, juices, tea coffee, crackers, cookies, pancake mix & syrup, canned fish, stew, chili
4. Options - hot chocolate, cereal, popcorn, baking mixes
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Behavioural management
Hi Everyone,
So, we have all had our bad days complaining about this our that in our program, but today I asked myself if I felt better prepared to be a teacher then I did 3 months ago. The answer is yes! I feel more prepared to enter a classroom then I ever have before. Even our crazy, yet wonderful, philosophy class has really started to grown on me and I am now seeing the benefits of it.
If I could add anything to this program it would be a class on behavioural management and special needs. Does anyone else feel that more training in these areas could be beneficial or in any other areas? Or does anyone know of any good work shops out there on behavioural management in the classroom? I feel that it will be a major issue in our classrooms and that more training would be great so if anyone has any advice please let me know.
So, we have all had our bad days complaining about this our that in our program, but today I asked myself if I felt better prepared to be a teacher then I did 3 months ago. The answer is yes! I feel more prepared to enter a classroom then I ever have before. Even our crazy, yet wonderful, philosophy class has really started to grown on me and I am now seeing the benefits of it.
If I could add anything to this program it would be a class on behavioural management and special needs. Does anyone else feel that more training in these areas could be beneficial or in any other areas? Or does anyone know of any good work shops out there on behavioural management in the classroom? I feel that it will be a major issue in our classrooms and that more training would be great so if anyone has any advice please let me know.
Philosophy, what a class!
Whammy!!!!! So the timing of this thought couldn't have been more perfect because I needed another entry that was an entry not just for the sake of making and entry (I like this last sentence by the way). So I today it dawned on me why I go to our philosophy class and thats because first off its crazy and second because as teachers we need to understand how thinking and knowledge progresses. Now my little realization of what that class is all about may be wrong, but im happy thinking that its teaching us to understand how ideas and thinking get altered and pushed forward over time. Before I was getting caught up in how all those guys we were reading about are just nuts, how old school there ideas are and they all seemed crazy to me. However the reason why I think that there ideas are crazy is because I was raised with very different values, values that are a product of crazy people thinking crazy and then other crazy people bringing forward a newer more progressive way of thinking. This post may not make sense to anyone but to me it's valuable and I don't think anyone but Chris has the ability to remove it so to bad its stuck here.
If you read nothing else here just answer this, what have you guys taken away from this philosophy class we have been taking these past 3 months? Im slow and I finally managed to take something from it so you all must have found something by now.
Peace
Rhy
P.S. Please don't burst my bubble and tell me my thought is ludicrous just leave me with it as it comforts me in these last few weeks.
If you read nothing else here just answer this, what have you guys taken away from this philosophy class we have been taking these past 3 months? Im slow and I finally managed to take something from it so you all must have found something by now.
Peace
Rhy
P.S. Please don't burst my bubble and tell me my thought is ludicrous just leave me with it as it comforts me in these last few weeks.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Alternative Site Visits
As per my last email from Monday, I'd like everyone to engage in an 'alternative' site visit to examine the type of learning that occurs outside of a traditional classroom context. I suggested that you go out in triads in order to decrease the load on the individual, however, you may also go in singles, and pairs, if that works best for you. You have the equivalent of 2 class sessions in order to do your site visit (no class Dec. 4th & 8th).
1.Visit the Moodle to see a list of possible destinations.
File name: alternative_placement_list_2009.doc located in the folder "Files" on left hand margin under "administration". Let me know where you plan to visit.
2. Make sure you contact your chosen site to arrange the necessary times/dates/permissions...etc.
3. Refer to the attachment from my last email which details a more focus look at the alternative site visit.
See you on the 11th.
Chris
1.Visit the Moodle to see a list of possible destinations.
File name: alternative_placement_list_2009.doc located in the folder "Files" on left hand margin under "administration". Let me know where you plan to visit.
2. Make sure you contact your chosen site to arrange the necessary times/dates/permissions...etc.
3. Refer to the attachment from my last email which details a more focus look at the alternative site visit.
See you on the 11th.
Chris
Alright, perhaps because it is December 2 and I totally have Christmas spirit (although it is being suppressed by school) I am going to say part of the reason I love Christmas so much is the giving aspect...I love giving! You are probably wondering where I am going with this.
It all relates back to the class we did on that Engaging Minds article we read. I know that seems so long ago, but this has been something I was thinking about since Christmas spirit arrived! Anyways, the one question, from around the room, that stood out to me was the question regarding community work we can do as a class or as a school.
One of the biggest projects I remember from high school is the food bank. Each block would sponsor a family. As a class we would be responsible for providing all the perishable, non perishable food and some toys for that family. What a blessing and a joy to that family for Christmas. My class got totally into to it and we had at least 3 boxes of food and a toy for each of the children.
I just think during this time of year when families are struggling to make ends meat (not to mention this year the recession happened) coming together as a class to sponsor a family and give them a Christmas hamper is an excellent way for the class to be involved in the community.
Since I live in the Western Communities, I follow the Goldstream Food Bank...There are plenty of other food bank organizations in Victoria, such as the Mustard Seed. The 2 links for the Goldstream Food Bank shows the struggle the food bank is having receiving enough food, because the amount of families in need has gone up. The second link is what kinds of Christmas Hamper donations the Goldstream Food Bank needs this year. The third link is from the Mustard Seed homepage, which let's us know what events and where to drop off the food and other ways to help.
Maybe there is something we want to do as a class?
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