Jul
14

Reflections on Teaching and Learning

Filed Under (General Information, Introduction) by poulingail on 14-07-2009

So summer has arrived at last and I finally have some time for the reflecting that we as teachers, never seem to get enough of during the school year. I am reading blog posts often delivered through my Twitter account and I am finding new meaning in some of the more simple aspects of learning.

  • Andrew Marcinek has facilitated reading good blog posts by creating the One Comment a Day Project. This one tool alone can help teachers find and read great posts on blogs we might not see otherwise. I learned about it from Kevin Hodgson through a post on his personal blog. Thanks, Kevin. I have signed up for the ning and will continue commenting on the blogs I follow.
  • Twitter is a tremendous vehicle for me for learning more about good teaching and learning. Since I joined in October 2008, I have taken my own learning, and therefore my teaching, into some exciting new areas. I have developed a great PLN (personal learning network) to share ideas with. People in any business or interest can develop their own network of people so they can expand their own enjoyment and knowledge base in any area of their lives. I’ve seen people using arts &crafts, medical conditions, hobbies, or humor as the foundation of their network. Because each of us is complex, we are given insight into other things as well. The people I follow also have interests in sailing, hockey, television, and spirituality so I get tweets on a variety of topics. Recently I learned about the Chuck Norris phenomenon and spent a good hour chuckling over that.
  • Blogging was once a high stakes endeavor. That has lessened considerably for the simple reason that I blog. With practice and regular communication on line with others, I have learned that a dialogue is vitally important, not because I have all the answers but because there are an endless number of topics where ideas can and should be shared. I help other teachers when I share my ideas through my examples on this blog as well as through my on-line professional development and discussions. I receive many messages from teachers all around the world and I comment on their ideas as well. I recognize how rich the learning environment has become through blogging and following blogs in my Google Reader.
  • Writing is an essential part of communication and not just for students. Typos and syntax errors are much less important than we have been led to believe. In a perfect world (not the one I live in) everyone would be able to get it right the first time. People are much more accepting of errors in both writing mechanics and our thinking once they understand that it’s the message and dialogue that matter most. I read with interest what they have to say – whether or not the message is going to be embossed on a page at the printers. Our thoughts are important and we need to share them, at least some of them.
  • It is our responsibility as teachers to dive right in and explore the world of technology. Our students are digital natives and can use the tools with far greater ease because they are willing to dive in and take a shot at it. We may not be able to use all the tools as quickly as we would like but allowing ourselves a good period of exploration will create a new level of comfort. Our Art teacher shared her thoughts with me this year as she explored several new tools and created a revised blog for her classroom. She said that now, when she runs into some trouble using the tools, she has a new attitude, a can-do attitude. She arrived at that by trying, failing, asking questions, and learning from it. Eventually you will find a way to accomplish what you want to do but you need to go through the trial and error period. Once you’ve found your way through a sticky problem, you have a change in thinking, almost like solving a puzzle.  Speaking of failure, failure has taken on a new image in the 21st century. We use heuristic failure as a vehicle for formative assessment and changing direction, not just for branding a project or idea.
    1. “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” ~ Winston Churchill.
    2. “In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.” ~ Bill Cosby.
    3. “Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.” ~ Dale Carnegie.
    4. “…actively and purposefully applauding and rewarding effort and even failure as a learning experience” ~ Malcolm Gladwell. (Thanks, Liz B Davis)
    5. “Nobelists to students: Being wrong may just be right.” ~ Peggy Ashbrook citing 97/06/09 Science News

    I will add more thoughts to this post as I spend more time reflecting this summer, so stay tuned. Please consider sharing your own comments. I appreciate the opportunity for dialogue.

    Jun
    14

    Writers Workshop – The Sharing Part

    Filed Under (General Information, Videos) by poulingail on 14-06-2009


    Each day starts with the children taking out their writing folders, perusing their in-progress work and deciding just what they need to do next. I ask each child in turn to report what they need to do for the session – write, illustrate, edit, read to an adult, or read to the class. I put their name on the white board chart under the required task.

    The following video shows the final part of a project and it highlights the work of two typical students. Writers Workshop will continue in much the same fashion through grades one and two. Every child is unique in the lessons they need to work on each day. For some, it’s composing an interesting story. For others, it’s breaking the words into parts and then individual sounds and finally letters. Everyone is a better writer because of this daily practice.
    Click on the green arrowed box for a larger picture.

    Mar
    29

    Kindergarten Science – Vernal Pool In March

    Filed Under (General Information, Podcasts, Science and Tech, Videos) by poulingail on 29-03-2009

    We made our first trip to the vernal pool this week. We were prohibited from visiting it in the fall due to concerns about a possible outbreak of the West Nile Virus in our area. The children were very excited about this impromptu trip and voiced much excitement and misinformation, as well as anxiety about what our trip would involve. Will we be taking a bus? Will there be bears in the woods? Here is a class picture taken by the biggest tree in the pool area.

    March 2009

    From beginning to end, I recorded some of the happenings and thinking going on. Here is a link to the video prepared after all was said and done. It is another wonderful example of Kindergarten science in action. A side benefit to this experience is the developing language skills of the students. More and more are asking to participate in sharing their thoughts and observations.
    Click on the Google Video logo and choose full screen for a bigger image.

    Mar
    29

    Computers In Kindergarten

    Filed Under (General Information, Podcasts, Science and Tech, Videos) by poulingail on 29-03-2009

    This week, our class used Mac laptops alone for the very first time. We explored the installed software StoryBook Deluxe. While there were a number of questions, the children seemed more than happy to click away. When they really got stumped with an error type message, they called for help. The friends at their table were also happy to jump up and show them how they could do something cool. As for Mrs. Piper and I, we were more than happy with the end result. I have signed up for the cart again this Friday afternoon for the short time we have during rest. It is reserved for big blocks of time for much of April already. We will try to steal a bit of time whenever possible. Here is a short video of some of the students as they try to explain what they are doing. Once again, I emphasize the importance of developing good language skills. Explaining their own processing requires higher level thinking skills. Great stuff from some great kids!!!
    Click on the Google Video logo and choose full screen for a bigger image.

    Dec
    05

    Want To See Where School Technology Is Going?

    Filed Under (General Information, Science and Tech) by poulingail on 05-12-2008

    Here is a link to a video presentation on a program called Eduism. “Edusim is a 3D multi-user virtual world platform and authoring toolkit for your classroom interactive whiteboard.”

    Click on the triangle play button to see some early childhood students using it. With an already overtaxed budget, we won’t be seeing much of this in the early grades. Currently we have a Smart Board in one Grade 2 classroom and one in the Library. Current funding plans include 2 additional Promethean boards, one in Grade 5 and one in Grade 6. I can only dream…..