Thanksgiving Activity

This is just an activity I created for a social studies presentation which focused on traditions and celebrations. The class really enjoyed it! Maybe even try it out in your classes. It is simple, all you need is pinecones, feathers, pipe-cleaner, and eyes.

First Day Jitters

After weeks of anticipation, my first two observation days at Ray Lewis School have come to an end. I have the wonderful privilege of being placed in a grade one, two split classroom for my first placement experience as a student teacher. I have immense feelings of excitement and I am confident that my students and I will work together; we will learn new areas of knowledge and enrich our days with work and play.

Although I was only in the school for two days I definitely experienced and gained greater knowledge about the school environment, the classroom and routines, as well as classroom management.  Each morning after the announcements, and the singing of O’Canada, the children scramble onto the carpet and sit patiently, waiting for their day to begin.  Each day a special student helper leads the morning routine. This student models the role of the teacher, and begins by having the children review the calendar, in which they determine what day of the week it is. The children also discuss the weather for the day, and they add a number to their number chart each day. I was amazed to see that the special helper and the children automatically knew what to do after the announcements without the direction of the teacher. This just emphasizes the importance of implementing routines into the classroom. The children felt secure with the morning routine, and they knew exactly what was expected of them.  I believe having an efficient routine in place creates a productive classroom environment allowing the students to achieve more.

I also got to see the Smart board being used in the classroom. This was very exciting and intriguing. The children were learning about compound words. They played a fun game of compound word concentration in which each student had a chance to come to the board and pick a tile. After the game was finished, the children were allowed to write their names on the board in whatever creative writing style of choice. It was wonderful to see such a simple task of writing your name evolve into something so engaging.

The teacher has also implemented a token economy into her classroom. A token economy is a positive reinforcement program for building and maintaining appropriate classrooms performance and behavior. The students are rewarded with a sticker for various good work, and for good deeds, such as playing with someone who is alone, sharing, and helping one another. The children’s stickers are placed onto a chart, and when they reach twenty-five stickers they receive a small reward. I have seen the token economy in various classrooms and I definitely feel it is one of the most powerful tools for improving and maintaining appropriate school behaviour.

All in all, my first two days at Ray Lewis School were great. My associate teacher is extremely supportive and willing to assist and guide me through this new journey. She welcomed me into her classroom and I already feel at ease and comfortable.  Working with the children and being a part of the classroom confirmed my passion for wanting to teach and educate children’s young minds. 

This is a short video I created about the Livescribe Pen and its various functions. The livescribe pen makes digital copies of hand written notes and records audio at the same time. These notes and audio can be uploaded to a computer and accessed at any time. The livescribe pen is an awesome tool, that students can use to further enhance their learning, and allows them to access notes and lessons outside of school.

Embracing Diversity

After countless hours of pondering and debating on my first blog idea, the subject of diversity in the classroom came to me after an intriguing classroom discussion.

The topic of diversity in the classroom is a subject that I am truly passionate about. I have had the opportunity to take various courses in my last year of university, which focused on diversity and multiculturalism within the classroom. 

The classrooms that are occupied today by teachers and students are very different from such classrooms of decades ago. Today we see teachers residing in classrooms of unparalleled diversity. Students differ in terms of ability, knowledge, intelligence, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and various others.

When I began reflecting on the topic of diversity in the classroom I immediately felt overwhelmed and unprepared. I thought to myself, how am I ever going to satisfy the needs of each student so that they can prosper, and achieve academic success.  It was then that I realized I am AWARE of the various diversities existing in our present and future classrooms.   I feel being aware of the unparallel diversity is the first and most important step to managing student diversity and creating an inclusive classroom.

The discussion surrounding diversity in the classroom has allowed me to begin creating my personal philosophy surrounding education. I view classrooms much like a jigsaw puzzle. All the pieces of the puzzle are different yet they are unique and without all the pieces to the puzzle, the puzzle is not complete.  It is vital that teachers appreciate the diversity they have within their classroom walls.  All students are to feel welcomed, understood, and treated equally and with respect.

I have included an eye-opening clip, which focuses on the challenges of diversity and the various impacts it has on children when diversity is not embraced.