Texting Teacher

It has been weeks since my pre-internship at Campbell Collegiate has been done, and I finally feel like I have the chance to reflect on a great experience.  I was able to try many things while working at Campbell, the most exciting thing being a cell phone math lesson.

I have felt a lot like doing all the research I have done over the last semester has made me feel confident in using a tool like cell phones in the classroom, except I hadn’t really had an opportunity to try it and see what it was actually like.  From day one at Campbell I knew that I could use the cell phones.  Looking at the classroom it is easy to see how crucial students feel cell phones are in their life.  Almost every single student used the phone instead of a calculator and it was nice to see that the teacher was alright with this.  You can tell when the students are actually using them as calculators and when they are texting or doing something off task.  At first I thought that most students would be texting, but I found that most of them were only using their phones when they needed to make a calculation.

I turned to cell phones when I didn’t have anything to plan.  I was supposed to be introducing slope, but my partner and I switched classes for the last week so I was without the textbook or anything that was supposed to be planned for the unit.  The unit they were working on was slope.  It was a perfect unit for me to work with the kids with because I had just went over rate of change with them so it was easy to make the transition.  I started my lesson off with a guided inquiry handout that I had the students work on their own with to discover slope, which also turned into their notes for that section, then had them do a journal on what they thought slope was.  I then did a quick overview of what slope was and described to the students what positive, negative, and neutral slopes were.  My lecture time didn’t last very long.

As soon as  I asked the students to pull out their phones they thought it was a joke.  Once I convinced them we were using them, they became much more excited.  What I had prepared was ten stations (which I have below) that they could decide if the slope was positive, negative or neutral.  It described slope in multiple different ways like a graph, points and in words.  I used the website called Poll Everywhere.  What this did was create a poll that the students could decide whether they thought each station was positive, negative, or neutral and then they texted that number and answered the question.  Many students, because we hadn’t done anything like this before, were confused why they were texting the number because they didn’t get a text back, but this was easily cleared up at the end of the lesson.

The students worked quickly through the stations and were 100 percent engaged.  Some of the students who have trouble focusing on an assignment for the whole class got through the questions quickly and on their own.  I was a little worried that some of the students were just walking around guessing, but this wasn’t the case.  Once everyone had time to go to all of the stations, i brought up the completed polls on the board.  This was beneficial in multiple ways.  Not only did the students get to see if they got the answer right, but I also got to assess as well.  I could see which problems the students had difficulties with and if they understood the concept.

 In the above poll there was differences in the answers, so I could go over it instantly as a class to see where some of them were going wrong.  As we went along through the stations they got more consistent and 100% of the class was answering the question correctly.  The most interesting part of this was the students reactions (I have a video I just can’ t put it online).  They  started getting excited each time I went to show them the answer.  I had them do a written copy of the stations so they knew what they had answered for each question, so before I showed them the poll I asked them what they thought it was going to be.  At around five questions in they started clapping for themselves, and on the last ones they were cheering.  It was amazing to see them get so excited over their math assignment.

There was a moment that really stuck out where a girl congratulated everyone after they got the question right, and I was just very proud of the students at that exact moment.  I was a little worried that my assignment had no connections to what they needed to have done for their teacher (aka the text) so I looked at the questions.  Each station covered every type of question that was in the assignment so I assigned them some questions that they did very easily.

Of course this assignment could be done without cell phones, but I think it would lose the engagement.  The class responded really well to this assignment, but obviously many other classes wouldn’t.  It was a really nice way to work in some cell phone use in the classroom and see how it went over.  I could have easily used a QR code with this making it that much easier for the students.  There is a generator that will send a text when you scan the code, so I could have had them just scan the code and click send for their decision.

Using the cell phones has really shown me that there is a need to incorporate the technology that appeals to the students.  The technology component of the curriculum requires so much more than just graphing calculators now, and as educators we need to find ways to use these different technologies effectively.  I can see that cell phones are important now and it is great to find ways to use them, but I can also see that it is going to change and adapt even more.  Technology is quick, and it replaces itself so quickly, what works right now isn’t necessarily what will work in the near future.  I feel the need to be very on the ball with these things because once I feel like I have perfected the use of one technology it is probably going to be out dated.  For now, since I am not in my own class, I just need to try to think about the different ways to incorporate technology, and be aware of how it is changing.

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A History Of A Teacher

EPS 350 required us to make a documentary of our growth over this last semester.

Wow.  What a lot of work…

I created this video called A History Of A Teacher.  It is my reflection on what I have done for this semester.  Of course, I had to edit out a majority (basically all) of my actual experiences because there were students in the clips or pictures.  What is left is basically the introduction and conclusion.  I wanted to try and do something different… so I guess you just have to watch it to understand what I mean.. yes I am a huge dork.  The intro has more of my own reflection on how teaching has developed before I even got a chance to be involved. So I hope you enjoy!

I learned a lot doing this assignment.  Mainly that editing video drives me nuts.  It’s a really cool process and fun to work with, but since I had basically no video editing experience whatsoever there were a lot of frustrations.  I got it to look how I want it to, mostly… I used Windows Movie Maker, I wish I could try using some different programs.

A Reflection

During pre-internship I learned a lot of things about myself.  I found that my expectations of myself, going into the experience, were very high, which probably forced me to try and do more each day.  Some of my ideas of what I thought education was changed, and others were reinforced.  I got to experience teachers out in the field and see many things that I like, but more likely than that was seeing thing that I didn’t like.

My main focus for this field placement was assessment.  I really wanted to try and actually do some assessing because this has been the real first chance I have got to do it.  I wanted to over do it, if anything, since we were only there for a short period of time.  I tried many different things like exit slips, entrance slips, anecdotal notes, observation, assignments, homework, quizzes, tests, projects and probably even more.  Each day I tried to make note of the assessing I planned to do as well as what I thought I had actually accomplished.  I made a detailed log on my online learning portfolio .

Not only did I try to vary my assessment tools, but I tried varying my teaching strategies as well.  Since my EMTH class researched using different online things, I tried hard to incorporate two of the strategies.  I made a What Can You Do With This video and used that as a point of inquiry with my math nines, as well I did a cell phone activity with my math tens.  Finally, after all that research, I was able to put it in action and actually see first hand how students responded to the strategy.  I tried a bunch of different inquiry lessons and the more I did the more successful they become.  My students were not used to any variance in their teaching so I had to make them comfortable first and create a better risk free environment for them.

I found myself trying to differentiate a lot.  There was a student with Aspbergers in my class, as well as FASD, and those were the things I was told about.  I made separate lessons for them to work on, that appealed to them better, as well as made extensions for my higher level students.  I taught all my lessons in a way that was meant to be understood by all and I was very conscious of  everything I said and did.  I had created a series of arm signals that the students new to show their understanding.

Some days I tried a little two hard with some of my lessons.  I think that my greatest weakness from this experience is that I really need to plan everything through.  There are lots of changes to my lessons that I could have avoided if I just spent a little bit more time critically thinking about them.  I had two difficult classes for classroom management, which I think I handled well most days, but this was also another thing to improve on greatly.  I need to vary my techniques on how I handle a class and become more familiar and comfortable using these different ways.  I am also worried about bullying.  I actually witnessed some minor bullying, and was able to stop it for the time being, but I am overwhelmed with not knowing how to handle it.  I have no clue!  I used to think I knew how to handle some of these things but now that I am actually in the school setting I am very worried I won’t actually know when the opportunity presents itself.

I learned so much from the experience, and was lucky to have a co-op who let me try everything I wanted to try.  I was able to go into some extra-curricular settings as well and get a feel for that.  My main focus for the future, now, is knowing that I have to be constantly thinking about what I’m doing and if I can do that and continue to build on my teaching, I feel like I will be become more of a teacher.

Easy Assessment Vs. Easy Marking

Which would you choose?  The ability to assess easily, or the ability to mark easily.  I suppose for some teachers this could be a difficult decision for them.

I just don’t see how though.  If the only reason for making a “test” or “assignment” the way you do is because its easiest to mark, who is that benefiting?

I have been marking multiple choice tests recently, and doing them myself also, and find that I can’t even figure out what the question is asking me some times.  I also find that I know nothing about what my students know or don’t know from these questions.

So I ask myself, why would I choose the easy marking?  Sure it might take longer to go through different assessment tools, or even just making notes about the students from day to day, but it’s easier for me to assess in the end.  The actually assessment, not the evaluation of marks, but the assessment, is incredibly easier when I can see the progress my students have been making every step of the way.

The easy marking might save the time when having to fill a report card with marks.  If I’m filling this report card with numbers that don’t mean anything, what is the point?  I can see that my students are purely motivated by the marks that they get, but there are still ways to give marks for authentic assessment.

Some may think that giving marks for the things a teacher observes isn’t as credible as having concrete marks from an assignment or an exam.  The numbers might seem to be “made up” by the teacher.  My question is:  What is the difference between numbers “made up” by teachers from their actual assessment of a students progress, and the numbers given from a multiple choice.  A number given from a multiple choice test can be just as pointless, considering you can’t really see the knowledge from a multiple choice question.  What is more beneficial for the student?

It’s sad to think that a reason someone would do less actual assessment because its less work than marking, say, a multiple choice test.  I choose to do more work, if by more work it means more time on my students, because it will be easier to assess, because I can see much more clearly what my students know and, more importantly, need.

Multiple… Choice?

We have all taken them, and probably given them, the dreaded multiple choice test.  Although they are convenient, how much do they actually assess?

Recently I have been in a class that had only multiple choice tests and I found myself wondering what the point was of even doing them?  If they are made good, they can show some things, but if they are made badly, then they seem to be completely useless.

I understand that in some cases a multiple choice test are the only option necessary (or so the teacher might believe), but if they can be avoided then why aren’t they done so?

The first type of assessment I have encountered in my pre-internship, not administrated by myself, has been multiple choice.  While going through the quiz I wondered how much I could actually understand of the students knowledge depending on which letter they circled.  The only beneficial aspect of this quiz was going over it question by question, and actually seeing if the students could do the questions when they were asked.

So if that is the purpose of the quiz then why do it at all?

The real purpose of the quiz is quite simple: a grade.  There needs to be a numerical number to attach to a students name in order to make up the grade for the course.

If we are teaching students to understand we should be teaching for understanding not teaching for a grade.

Why We Share

This semester I have realized how much sharing is important.  I have become very dependent on my peers for ideas and support throughout this semester especially, and the growth I have gone through because of this has been unlike any other in my university experience.

My presentation on QR codes has taken a vast majority of my interest the last couple of months.  It all started on my blog so I thought I would finish it here.  Except, I’m never going to finish it.  This project has become something I am so incredibly interested in, I want to keep going and become on expert.  I want to know what I’m doing, and look at all the pros and cons of its uses.  By researching just this one type of technology I can apply the process and many of the same skills used it to other technologies, and hopefully be able to learn as much about technology as I can.

My favourite part of this project has been my ability to share it.  Tomorrow is our presentation on what I have learned, and I have never been more excited to present something… ever.  I want to be able to show everyone the wonderful things I have found and hope to spark interest in them to do the same, and that is what teaching is all about.

My wiki, Education QR Codes,  has become my pride and joy.  I want to keep adding to it whenever I can.  I also want to try and use these things in the classroom and share what I do.  I want to share it all.  The most rewarding thing for me is knowing that I can share the information I have and have just one person be grateful for it.

What I would really love is if people all over would do the workshop we have planned for tomorrow.  It is a set of 7 QR “stations” that utilize QR codes and cell phones in different ways.  Some of them include posting your name and where you are from to a PollEverywhere survey, and uploading a picture to our class flickr.  It would be really cool to show my class how you could make that connection with people and have multiple people doing the same lesson.

Regardless of how the presentation goes, and especially the mark I receive, I have satisfied my hunger to learn more this semester than I have in a very long time… and that’s enough for me.

Myth Buster

What makes a person a good teacher?  I recently read an excerpt from Deborah Britzman’s Practice makes Practice which talked about some of the myths that affect teachers.  I looked specifically at the myth that teachers are naturally born.  Not only was I affected by the repercussions this myth but also by how my peers reacted to what we had read.

I have heard that teaching is genetic for many years.  There are certain aspects of a person that are going to help them become a teacher, but can we say that teachers are naturally born?  What would that say about the pressures placed upon teachers?  How does that affect how teachers learn?

Saying that a teacher is naturally born leads to the idea that teachers form themselves.  This idea that teachers form themselves creates a lot of pressure.  When we say things like this we are taking importance away from the education program we are in  and how we train, and saying we already possess all the knowledge necessary to be a teacher.

I know that I don’t know everything.  I know that over the last three years I have been exposed to education that has fostered great growth within me.  I have been in great experiences teaching in a classroom, and learned many things from that, but without the combination of my education classes I would not have had the same experience.  I am not an expert in absolutely everything, and because I have been given the time to learn from many of the experts I have learned so much more.

The thing that I found most interesting when responding to this reading was the way my class reacted.  Instead of talking about the myth and the negative outcomes it creates for teachers, they chose to support the myth itself.  No one seemed to have anything to disagree with the myth, but completely agreed with it.  It blew my mind.  It makes me think about how much everyone around me seems to much more confident than I do.  I’m scared to teach, I’m worried, but also excited.  Lots seem to think everything besides that teaching experience is a waste of time.  I’m sick of hearing people say how much they hate reflecting.  I am the exact opposite, clearly, otherwise I wouldn’t be blogging so much.  I try to concern myself with just what I feel and what I am going to do while teaching.  It’s difficult to not compare myself with the people around me.  I’m getting much better at being confident with my own work though.

Breaking Out Of The Box

A couple weeks ago my entire math education group was fortunate to go on our OCRE.  Don’t ask me what the acronym is, because I honestly have no clue.  What we got to do was plan a “bonding time” where we were able to bring in guest speakers of our choice to speak with us.  We had someone come in and talk about brain based learning, a speaker about grief, an incredible skype session about assessment, a talk about sexuality, and finally a talk about FASD.  Every single presentation was incredible and I learned so much in those two days it was amazing.  It was also an opportunity to get closer with the students who are also in math, we are just one big happy family.

There were certain points in those two days that I felt like I had really had a huge “A-Ha” moments.  During our talk about grief, given to us by The Greystone Bereavement Centre I realized that although I have felt grief in my life, it isn’t something I really actually understand.  Our class opened up entirely and it made me realize that I am going to have to support children who have gone through some very difficult things.  I also really enjoyed knowing what the Centre had to offer and some of the beautiful activities that I would incorporate into my own lessons, especially in the arts.  In our session about sexuality, given to use by the UR Pride Centre I realized that a big thing I will need to focus on is something as simple as my language.  Language can be taken in so many ways, and for someone in a class who could be confused or feel different, they aren’t going to care about that schooling necessarily and I will need to help them feel safe.  It reminded me of all the research I have done on oppression and of how I want to be able to create the safest environment for all students as possible.

Our talk about FASD was also incredible because it gave so much insight to something I didn’t know before.  Sometimes things like extrinsic motivation are crucial and sometimes they are not.  Our presenter gave us lots of examples and scenarios of things that she has encountered and really gave us a captivating talk.  I am happy to know that there are people like her that work for the school system who are ready at your disposal to help you when you have children in your class that need that help.

The last thing I want to talk about is really a turning point in how I feel about education.  It made me think.  Maybe more than any other time in my education thus far.  We had a skype session with Joe Bower about assessment.  I was lucky to be familiar with his blog, For The Love Of Learning, so I already knew what he had to talk about.  Joe Bower is a teacher who assesses his students, but does not grade them.  What a crazy concept in a society we have today.  I have thought numerous times before this that grading is something that is done wrong, I don’t know if I ever thought it was something you could actually do without though.  But really, what is a grade anyways?  Bower talked to us about how he doesn’t grade, why, and how we could go about doing this too.  A big focus is that we need to get students intrinsicly motivated to learn, and everything else comes from that.  It was an amazing talk, and I could probably go on for days about this so I will just end with something he said during our talk that really stuck with me.

There’s a word that starts with L that we don’t use enough in school, it’s called Learning.

What It Means To Inquire

Inquiry Based Lessons have been a topic in all of my education classes right now, it’s the way to teach.  This theory of constructivism has been something that has been discussed multiple times, though i may not have known it, throughout my education career, but very heavily this semester.  The first thing that I have looked at, in response to hearing of this way of teaching, was how much I have been exposed to this in my high school and elementary career.

The interesting thing is that I have had quite a few memorable lessons in my middle years schooling that were inquiry based, even though that was longer ago.  My greatest inquiry lesson was cookie mining, and nothing comes as close to that memory.  In high school I can think of few things that were more inquiry based than others, but very few actual experiences.  I was asked once to create my own science lab once, and the assignment may have been more by accident than anything.

Thinking about making a lesson more inquiry based has a lot of repercussions of how I look at education and especially what my role will be as a teacher.  A big thing with the inquiry based lessons is that the students are asking questions and coming up with the knowledge as themselves.  My role will be to guide and facilitate this inquiry.

After the last couple of weeks we have seen multiple inquiry based lessons and I have noticed how very crucial questioning is.  Wording a question is something that might seem very simple, but can really make or break a lesson.  After my inquiry lesson I was frustrated because after doing it I could see where it went wrong, but the wonderful thing that happened was we did it for our class so I could actually modify my lesson.  Questioning  in a way that helps students connect to the information they need is something that I’m not terrible at but I could use a lot of work.

Constructivism is student centered and is what drives students to explore through a topic.  Success is a big factor in students, especially with people’s such poor math attitudes.  If a student has success when they start a lesson it affects various aspects of what happens like how they are going to continue on with the lesson, how much they will learn, and their behaviour, to name a few.  Building on what a student knows and slowly adding in new concepts is beneficial because both the student and teacher know where the prior knowledge is coming from and it leads into knowing where they are going to go with this knowledge.

If I can foster success within a student, that will be the first step in being able to foster any growth within them.

Mobile Education

One of my classes has required us to do a very open ended assignment about integrating technology in the classroom.  It is a math education class so we are trying to integrate the technology into math but not specifically.  The group that I am in is looking into using cell phones in our classrooms.

The big question is: Distraction or Tool?  Cell phones are becoming more and more a part of daily life and is something we have to think about.  While it is important to think about the negative aspects of them the question really should be how we use it.  Cell phones could be a dangerous tool if they aren’t used properly but also an incredible asset if incorporated properly.

I found a website about Thinking Mobile Phones For Learning and there seems to be a lot of good things on there.  I’m pretty overwhelmed with the amount of resources there are and really don’t know where to start.

I really want to not only research how the cell phones can be used but also how teachers right now are using them.  I want to know about their reactions to these things and ask questions.  I want to know if it works, what works good, what works bad and go from there.

This is just a starting point for me, I’m just going to have to dig in and start learning.  If anyone has any feedback, resources, stories… anything, it would be greatly appreciated!

All of the information we are collecting is going onto our wiki 2011emth351.