Reading

Conelly, Chris. (2008, August 8).
Stop Sign. (Online Photo).
Retrieved from: https://www.flickr.com/photos
/c_conn/3307405906/in/photolist

Inferring while Reading

Reading, a concept that is in our daily lives from reading road signs to cooking instructions or menu options. When it comes to reading books, and reading texts in our classrooms, how do we know students are grasping the information, taking it in and truly understanding it?

A concept that has been following me everywhere lately is Inferring During Reading. In everything we do we are inferring meaning whether it be that challenging text, or through conversations with friends. With that I feel it's an important concept to emphasize as adolescents need to learn that skills to socially infer as well as the ability to critically infer and understand longer more complicated texts. 

"Expert readers go beyond the directly stated facts of a story and make inferences- they connect seperatre pieces of information, make guesses about missing scenes and data, and elaborate on story facts to make a more complete story" (Wilhelm, 2001). 

Adolescent Literacy: Engaging Research and Teaching provided 10 important steps that students need when they infer: 

1) Figure out what the pronouns are referring to 

2) Sort out the connotations of words and phrases 

3) Figure out the meaning from words they don't know or are unfamiliar using contact clues 

4) Figure out purpose of text

5) Find the intentions of the author 

6) Decide on any biases an author has 

7) Form interpretations of the text 

8) Determine key ideas from a text by possibly noting reparation of words, phrases or equivalents 

9) Piece information together by forming patterns

10) Interprete additional information in story, and seeing if it fits with key concepts

Strategies to Implement Inferring in Classrooms: 

Alberto, G. (2011, June 17).
BookTree. (Online Image).
Retrieved from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/
albertogp123/5843147711/in/album-72157626860633221/

While evaluating the Reading Strand of the Ontario Language Curriculum, we looked at how to infer the short story Eleven by Sandra Cisneros. I really enjoyed this activity and took a lot of valuable skills from it. I like that students were able to draw and make connections right on the story itself. I think it is also brilliant that there is a note section beside it. Activities were provided on the side for the teacher to implement including: syntax, voice, similes, setting, hyperbole, and images. It was a great guide to introduce the critical thought of inferring and eventually the teacher can create autonomy by gradually releasing students based on their abilities. It is also a great way to highlight all students strengths and weaknesses. Maybe others need to focus on one component that is weak to them and others are strong in that area. It allows teacher's to individualize student's work, and focus on IEP needs. Through this students are able to think more critically and make better connections to the reading they are doing. By developing these skills, eventually students can apply their inferring skills in many ways!


I recently came across a blog called Teaching Inference to Big Kids with a Picture Book. Immediately, I was interested. In it she describes reading a book called The Lion and The Mouse by Jerry Pinkney. The unique thing about this book is that there are no words but only illustrations.

Through Claim Evidence Reasoning (CER) Method:

Claim - what you know
Evidence - how you know it
Reasoning- why you know it 

The Grade 5 class as a group completed the graphic organizer while reading the book. After each page, they would discuss what they interpreted what was happening and would converse with their elbow partner or reading buddy. What I found interesting is that she mentioned students were discussing "incredible conversations... without even reading words."

This emphasized that students infer without even knowing that they are, and it is an important skill for them to learn in academia as well as social skills. I think this is amazing concept and I definitely intend on using this a lot during my placement. The past week I noticed in classrooms from Grade 2/3, Grade 5/6 and Grade 8 all had strategies for Inferring Reading. 

This Youtube Video shows Grade 5 students creating their own interpretation of the picture book, which is a great way to assess how students are inferring!

There are many cool ways and strategies to educate students on inferring. I definitely want to implement a task like this in the future. I like the creativity and the critical thinking skills that students can expand on while inferring.

"To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting"- Edmund Burke

Weekly Report and Reflection Week #7

Patterning and Algebra: Math can have letters?!

Albright, Antho
ny. (2010, February 5).
  A Rainbow of Fruit Colours. (Online Photo)
Retrieved from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/anthonyalbright
/4713744246/in/album-72157624182277761/

When I was learning algebra, one of the biggest struggles I had was that math, a subject I originally thought could only be based on numerical values, now could have letters. What a mind-blowing and potentially scary concept for a Grade 5/ Grade 6 student to comprehend. So how can we teach our students this without creating further misconceptions? 

A great way to bring this concept into the lesson is providing everyday experiences to help them understand, and furthermore to show them that each and every day they use algebraic thinking. In Miss Bunz example when grocery shopping for specific recipes you want to combine the two for simplicity. This shows algebraic thinking. The example used in class were: 

Swayze, R. (Nov 4, 2016).
Smoothie Recipe. (Personal Photo)

From there students can combine both recipes by finding common ingredients or "collecting like terms" such as bananas, where they would write: banana(x), or Bx= B(2) because they need two bananas. I really like this exercise as it removes the scare factor of algebra. However, like the use of manipulatives, it is important that students grow and are not dependent on this concept for too long. 

Swayze, R. (Nov 4, 2016).
Smoothie Recipe. (Personal Photo)

It is important to create a comfortable environment for students to learn about algebra. We can express this to them by not even saying its algebra initially! Then after the activity they can learn that they completed it and in the end,  algebra really isn't that scary of a concept! 

Another strategy that Miss Bunz showed that I really enjoyed goes as follows: 

2a + 3 = 9: For example if we cover 2a, the student would then only look at the 3 and the 9. Then students only need to focus on subtracting the 3 from the 9, resulting in 6. 

2a=6:  Now students can divide the 2 to isolate a: 2a/2= 6/2 = 3 

Therefore a=3

I like this strategy as it removes the many steps in the equation and simplifies it to make it less intimidating for students. 

Fibonacci Sequence 

I thought the presentations this week were really great at highlighting the importance of integrating real life examples and one concept that stuck out for me was the "Fibonacci Sequence". I had never heard of this before, and after going through it, I am so surprised I haven't. I liked this mathematical concept as it very much related to art. I thought this is a great way to demonstrate to more art-minded students how math and art can be combined. As well as the many examples in our world that associate with this incredible sequence. 

Duncan, C. (2013, December 14).
Fibonacci Sequence Spiral. (Online Photo)
Retrieved from:https://www.flickr.com/photos/duncan/
16792284082/in/album-72157594472135114/

Mori, Cleber. (2012, November 12).
Sangria Familia Stairs. (Online Photo)
Retrieved from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/c
leber/8282670491/in/album-72157605201788610/

Strategies to Aid ELL (English Language Learners) Students: 

• Do not over correct mistakes 
• Differentiated learning outcomes and objectives 
• Cultural cues and content 
• Clear examples of expectations for tasks 
• Gradual release and scaffolding of tasks 
• Opportunities to ask questions 
• Use role play to act out possible new vocabulary 

Tech... The Final Post

The journey of tech has come to an "end". But has it? Really it's only the beginning! This course has taught me so much and I am so excited to integrate all this wealth of knowledge into the classroom! Initially completely terrified, I am now excited to create these projects and work with the tools to make them better each time! I really enjoyed the format of this course using Gamification and Genius Hour. Check out the TPACK page for more information on the gamification badges I earned throughout this journey.

Something I learned outside of the technology realm was the amount of support my fellow peers, and instructor offered one another. It was really cool to see people working collaboratively together, and helping whoever needed it. I thank all of the people who helped me through my not so tech-savy moments!! It is stressful when something is not going right or is a difficult concept to grasp, many of us experienced this throughout this course- but the key factor is having PATIENCE. This is a word I know will constantly be in my mind as a future educator!

This course taught me the importance of redirecting the learner from a FIXED MINDSET to a GROWTH MINDSET. Throughout the past 5 weeks this has definitely occurred for me as an individual regarding technology and making my digital footprint. With this transformation it enables me to understand how to help develop a growth mindset and I look forward to creating this in future classrooms!

Hodgson, Kevin. (2015, October 11) Growth Pedagogy. [Cartoon]. Retrieved from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dogtrax/22075424832/in/photolist-bmPVRa-53Tg1H-9WpJwB-9WsziA-7ayVmX-zCJjGY-cSkNGS-o2EFGs-LvxKXn-bN1ytr-zbB5Do-w6oPVg/

Assessment Reflection Week 1

School is not only a grade based environment but rather a holistic environment where development of many disciplines needs to be considered when making assessment on learning including; intellectual, cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development. Majority of an individual's growth and development occurs throughout their entire school journey, and as teachers, it is important that we take that into consideration. As well as the various different learning styles; visual, auditory, kinaesthetic and the many different abilities in our classrooms. With that, it is imperative that we consider all of this when making assessment.

Assessment needs to be provided in many ways to assess all learners instead of only providing standardized tests. Personally, tests were a horrible indicator of my knowledge and always has been. I am very anxious when it comes to testing and no matter how much I study, I completely blank on the test. However, if you give me written assignment or a oral presentation, I can do really well! With those experiences in school from grade school to my undergrad degree, I questioned my abilities as a student. Now, I realize the importance of having multiple ways to assess students as one style doesn't fit all. 

I do understand the need for it as it provides a guideline of student's understanding and where teachers may need to focus more on a topic. But the idea that test marks mean everything needs to be removed. It is important to create a positive growth mindset in the classroom and passionately teach our students how to think critically, enjoy learning, and be good contributing citizens in the world. It is also important to educate students on life skills as it was discussed today that not all students will go to post secondary. 

How can we Assess Students? 

Swayze, R. (October 28, 2016). Assessment Triangle.
(Personal Photo)Retrieved from personal library

By incorporating many different ways of assessment, we can evaluate our learners in multiple ways and see which areas they do well in and which they don't. It also allows them to demonstrate their knowledge on the topic. Through observation and conversation , teachers can observe and converse what students are doing and anecdotally note their progress. For example if students demonstrate good knowledge through these areas but not product, we can understand that maybe tests are not strong for students. This diagram is a great example of how students can be evaluated and should be to allow all areas to be assessed. 

Weekly Report and Reflection Week # 6

How do we get students attention? 

I am always searching for activities that will engage students in the "setting the stage" portion of the lesson. Students are already in engaged in conversations with fellow peers, and participating in social media. With that, it is very important as an educator to get the attention of our students early, and keeping them interested in the lesson.

Swayze, R. (October, 2016). Follow Me Cards (Personal Photo)
Retrieved from personal library. 

My math instructor, Rebecca Bunz does an excellent job of engaging myself and fellow Teacher Candidates. Today we learned about "Follow Me Cards". It was a great inclusive strategy that gets the class up and working together. One person begins by saying " I have __ x __". While the next person follows with the answer to that question. And they then say their multiplication question. The activity continues until everyone has had an opportunity to answer. I like the possibilities with this activity and how it eliminates students from relying on manipulatives.

The presentations this week demonstrated great examples of how to teach rates and proportions. I liked the incorporation of relating to real life scenarios and the possibilities of widening the lesson to other subjects. Recipe cards and dividing food groups were used as lesson examples. While another lesson incorporated The Price is Right in the Lesson making the lesson fun. I will definitely be taking these strategies into my future classrooms to truly engage students.

Swayze, R. (October 2016). Food Groups
Rates and Proportions. (Personal Photo)
Retrieved from personal library.

Swayze, R. (October 2016). Recipes
Rates and Proportions. (Personal Photo)
Retrieved from personal library.

           

Misconceptions 

As a future educator and especially in math, it is important to be aware that students can misunderstand a lesson and what is more important is the strategies we use to help them learn it is a misconception. 

Strategies to Help Students with Misconceptions: 

1. Identify the misconception with the student and help students rebuild from their knowledge and form correct conceptions 

2. Have them write down what they know and consider different ways to teach the subject

3. Associate real life examples or things that are meaningful to help explain to them (i.e. if your student likes hockey incorporate that into the discussion) 

4. Help students develop skills to challenge their own misconceptions 

5. It is important to not rely on one method but encompass many different strategies. 

Misconceptions are a learning experience for both the educator and the student. It's important to understand that one strategy may work for one student and not another! It takes patience and collaboration to develop strategies geared towards each student's individual needs.

"Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think"- Albert Einstein 

Weekly Report and Reflection Week #5

Integers and Exponents! 

In our last math session, we discussed integers and with that comes positives (+) and negatives (-) as well as how to decipher integers and exponents using a number line, and other manipulatives to help our students understand the topic. I have to admit I was excited for this topic... I am not great with most math topics but this one as a kid I could really grasp and understand this, and have fun with it. 

I appreciated learning about the value of manipulatives in the classroom as well as the potential negative implications they can pose. This is a useful strategy when learning a new concept, reteaching understanding of a concept, but the most important part is to ensure that students do not become dependent on a manipulative (i.e. a calculator) Many times students just rely on these and they limit their ability to form their own critical thinking skills. It's important to remove manipulatives with the dependence becomes an issue. 

Great Manipulative Examples: 

• Calculators
• Measuring Tapes 
• Base Ten Blocks 
• Virtual Manipulatives 
• Games 

One example I really liked and would use to educate students on how to figure out what positive and negative integers are is the "Town Example" where a bad person has a negative influence and a good has a positive influence. From there I would tell students the story:

Swayze, R. (October 2016). Town Example.
 (Personal Photo)
Retrieved from personal library.

• A good person coming to the town: (+) + (+) = + 
• A good person leaving town: (+) + (-) = - 
• A bad person entering town: (-) + (-)= - 
• A bad person leaving town (-) + (+) = + 

I also really liked the example using the counter that have different colours on each side which can represent positives and negatives. When finding an answer, the red and yellow cancel one another out and if there are extra reds for example that would represent a negative number and extra yellow, a positive. This allows students have a visual and kinaesthetic understanding of the problem which targets different learning styles and ensures that all students can develop a conceptual understanding of integers and exponents. Eventually when students have this level of understanding, it is important to try and have them solve the problem without the use of manipulatives 

Swayze, R. (October 2016). Counter Manipulatives.
(Personal Photo). Retrieved from personal library.

Finally, I think an important component to integrate into the lesson is really life examples like money and temperature. It allows students to make connections and think critically. Our presenters this week did a great job at showing real life examples using money, and the number line which can reflect the temperature. 

Media Literacy

Throughout the last couple of weeks we have been studying Media Literacy in the classroom, and the vast amount of information associated with that. It has been an information overload of how technology now works in a 21st century classroom. I was in Grade 8 ten years ago (yes that ages me chronologically) but what I didn't realize was that my education would be aged even more and be far different than the students of today! It is astounding that the classroom can change so much. We were lucky to have "ancient" desktop computers, let alone iPads in the classroom.

We have been introduced to many applications to integrate into the classroom including Kahoot! PowToon, Padlet and more! These tools provide a lot of value in the classroom. Media literacy provides instruction through various forms of visual images including photographs, and videos. Along with audio information, and various text formats.

The Ontario Language Curriculum describes that students from Grades 1-8 should develop media literacy skills by creating different types of media texts such as computer graphics, cartoons, graphic designs and layouts, short videos, and web pages. (2006) Throughout many of the resources we have examined thus far, we have learned how to ingrate media literacy in the classroom successfully but with that comes other important factors such as online safety.

Flickinger, Brad. (2012, January 4). Student iPad. [Online Photography]. Retrieved from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/8217817@N04/galleries/72157634464012306/ 

As students are more integrated into technology, it is important to educate them on the importance internet safety and good citizenship. With the increase in social media use such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat, I believe that it is essential that Internet safety is apart of all students curriculum at each level.

In my placement this year, I am teaching a grade 8 class. These students have been apart of the technological age for some time, but it is important to remind them of internet safety and respectful and responsible internet use.

I came across a valuable article that looks at Digital Literacy for Grades 7-8 students. Within it is discusses the importance of continuing to guide these young students especially at a time where they are more vulnerable in their social aspects of life including friendships and more personal relationships. With that it is important to emphasize healthy communication online, encourage positive attitudes, and what to share online.

An amazing component of this article is the lessons and modules that are provided for students. Examples include looking at bias, prejudice, and hate propaganda in media as well as copyright, and cyberbullying among others. This is a great tool to implement into the classroom. Although these students at this age have been using various media outlets for sometime, it is important to reemphasize to these important concepts to older students going through many social changes.

Media Smarts. (2016, October 17) Framework Icon Legend [Online Image]. Retrieved from:http://mediasmarts.ca/teacher-resources/digital-literacy-framework/digital-literacy-framework-grades-7-8 

For the purpose of my placement class being a Grade 8 level, I selected this document. However, there are other documents for all the grades. This is a great tool for teachers to create a safe cyber space for students in their class.

Media literacy is a highly important concept in the 21st learner's education, but with that the importance of online safety is just as high. It is imperative that teacher's emphasize this in their classroom. Furthermore, as teachers learn about new applications or sites for students to use, it is also important to reflect if the application is suitable and safe.

Genius Hour Adventure

My Genius Hour has definitely turned into an adventure! As with any assignment or project, things change and after researching more, I have decided to add more to my question. Instead of only looking at interior canoe trips, I really want to add kayaking trips as well as white water to the mix. I think this will add a lot to the topic and reach out to more parties.

I have been researching a lot and compiling all the photos and images I have captured on my trips to incorporate into my movie trailer... I have to admit it has been kind of fun starting to set that up (besides the bumps in the road that appear). In the end it will look really cool, and will be an awesome feeling to say I created that!

I used Blabberize to create my Learning Object which I thought was so interesting and a bit funny!! It honestly took me no more than 5 minutes (how perfect is that). I think this would be a fun feature to add to lessons in classrooms... especially when something appears to be a little "dull" to students. I only wish I could have different voice effects other than my own!... maybe one day!



I also created my movie trailer and I couldn't be more excited! It truly is amazing how simple it is to create these amazing productions... I never would have thought of uploading things to YouTube and today I have twice! Technology can be mind-blowing!

Swayze, R. (October, 2016) Beaver Valley Landscape. (Personal Photo). Retrieved from personal library.

As reading week, comes to an end I'm enjoying the last few days of the beauty my home in Grey County has to offer!

Non-stop Tech

My recent tech class provided a lot of self-directed learning, which was a great example of how it can be effective within a future classroom. Again, I worked with PowToon and added sound and narration to the video I will be posting soon! The best part... it was SOOOO easy to do! Previously, I've always been terrified to embark on these activities because I never thought I was capable of doing these "complex" things. Talk about a fixed-mindset. Now moving into a growth mindset I am excited to try these applications. For example this week, I'll be making a YouTube movie trailer and then a mini TED Talk! Stay tuned!

One site I really loved is Storyline Online. I think this could be incorporated into any classroom for multiple grades. On it, you select story of choice, and watch it in animated form as well as hear the narration. I think this is a great opportunity for reading time to be inclusive to all students of many exceptionalities. I also found it to be a relaxing and enjoyable because the narrators made the stories come to life. I highly recommend you to check it out!

Another extremely useful tool I learned about this week is Google Form. WOW is the first thought that came to mind. What an incredibly beneficial tool. Again, it was simple to use and so user friendly! I feel this will be a great way to test students or gather opinions before a lesson. After watching Library Lion, I formed a comprehensive quiz on Form for students to use.
It was a lovely story that I have to share! Following the video, check out the quiz I made!

 
In addition to the many positives Google Form has, it is also great for marking. It provides statistics of responses to give an overview on how all quiz responders did. This is amazing because it quickly tells the teacher if they need to review a topic or if the students grasped the information. Furthermore, you can see how individual students are doing. I'm impressed to say the least and I think this an extremely valuable tool!

Next week, I will be compiling all the information for my Genius Hour Project into a presentation. I'm excited to put together all the information I have learned for preparing for one's first camping trip. I also look forward to kayaking and canoeing for footage!

Stay tuned and Happy Thanksgiving!

Weekly Report and Reflection Week #4

Hello Fellow Math Educators!

This was an interesting week for me in the world of math. For my placement, I have been given an awesome Grade 8 class! This comes as a challenge for me trying to get back into Grade 8 math instead of the calculus and the biomechanics that I have done for the past 4 years! They are working on patterning, and while I was at placement, they took up a test on a SMART Board. I thought this was really cool because students were more engaged and anyone had the opportunity to write their conclusion on the board (and as we know, there is often many solutions).  Many students participated and it was great to hear how their thought process worked to achieve that answer. It definitely opened my eyes in seeing how people conceptualize math differently.

With that, my roommate was describing a book to me that she is reading called The Art of Genes by Enrico Coen. In it, Coen discusses the complex scientific development of plants and animals with the combination of art. As she discussed this, a light bulb went off in my head thinking about the importance of combining different disciplines together for students to better understand a subject. Perhaps some students are more art minded (right brain thinkers) or math minded (left brain thinkers) and I questioned how can we discuss subjects so all students can learn and understand the topic based on their way of thinking. Furthermore, this highlighted Brock University’s  “Both Sides of the Brain” motto.  This is something I want to implement within my classrooms. Yes, we are teaching students’ mathematics, or science for example but we are also creating well-rounded individuals and to do that we need to incorporate learning and lessons that utilize both sides of the brain for all learners.  Additionally the importance of different types of learning styles should be incorporated into the lesson. This includes verbal, auditory, and kinesthetic learning. By targeting students preferred styles, learning can become easier (a very important idea in math) ! It doesn’t change what they learn, just the way they learn!

           

Something really cool we did in class was called a Tarsia Puzzle where we had to match equivalent fractions. I thought this was a n awesome activity that allows students to think critically and collaborate with peers to solve it. It also incorporates engagement and excitement into the topic. It’s easy to make and a great activity for students to end a lesson or even begin a topic to create a greater challenge! I will definitely be implementing this activity into my classroom, and I hope to try it out with my current Grade 8’s!

Swayze, R. (October 2016). Tarsier Puzzle.
 (Personal Photo)
Retrieved from personal library.