This blog began in Room 52 at AMG Junior and Senior Public School in 2011.
This site has followed me to a few schools since then and now joined the roster of retired blogs in the social media universe. The journey and reflection will continue in different and exciting spaces.
Room 52 remains one of the most significant places of teaching and learning for me and grateful to the students and staff who supported me there. Thank you.
I am so hyped by the enthusiasm and passion displayed by Greta Thunberg but there are other voices out there that can be overlooked. CNN has profiled some of these young activists on their page.
Before I begin, if you don't already know, I enjoy taking photos with my phone and those shots may end up in a post.
One of the key things in the role of being a Student Success Teacher rests with the abilities to connect with students and have them engaged with their learning. Key to this is having them talk and make sense of things.
At Ryerson PS, one of the first learning experiences I had was with a group of Grade 8 students who were preparing for speeches for the Student Parliament elections.
I can't quite remember all of the details of the lesson but I remember playing a game, as a mind-on exercise to activate some ideas around Speeches and then spent some time looking at samples of Speeches from YouTube. As they did this, they had this placemat to jot down their observations.
It is not my intention to post all of the videos we looked at but here is one that really stood out.
It became an example of what we should avoid doing.
I know that my colleague at Ryerson will be assisting with the Student Parliament speeches this year and will be using Greta's Thunberg's powerful speech as an example of what could be done to fashion a powerful and engaging speech.
As a class, we went through the placemats and each group was able to generate what they thought were the most important aspects for writing and delivering a speech. The goal in mind was to develop a Success Criteria chart to help guide the students.
On one side, were the rough notes after our discussions and debriefing and then the final chart, in its polished form.
As I skim through some photos from last year, I will come across another lesson that I feel is worthy of sharing and engaging with. This process also serves as a reminder of what I need to remember, when supporting students the students I do.
In my role, I am exposed to a lot of learning. EQAO results will be released soon and I believe the trend continues where there is a province-wide decline in how our students are doing in Mathematics. In the video I have posted below, Jo Boaler outlines an approach to Mathematics which really resonated with me.
I have always been interested in the brain, its workings, and the relationship to learning. In a screenshot from the video I encourage you to watch, you will see the parts of our brain that can be activated, once we change up and differentiate the way we deliver Mathematics instruction.
I made a note to myself to look up the difference between the two visual pathways, so I could have a more comprehensive understanding of them. This is from the Wikipediapage.
"The ventral stream (also known as the "what pathway") is involved with object and visual identification and recognition. The dorsal stream (or, "where pathway") is involved with processing the object's spatial location relative to the viewer and with speech repetition."
The green is where and the purple is what
I bring this up because this information came rushing back to me while I was supporting some students in a Grade 6 classroom. There was an EQAO-like problem posed to the students which involved a fair bit of thinking. In the following photo, you can partially see the question. I will have to take a better photo, so I can comment on it more in-depth.
It was a great question but it was hard to understand and required the use of some reading comprehension skills. In other words, the questions, before any Math was attempted, needed to make sense. It required, to my mind, some annotating. This might involve asking questions about the statements in the question or highlighting important aspects of the question; it might even involve drawing visual representations, in order to deepen the meaning of the question.
(But that will have to wait for another post because I am getting distracted from the original point!)
As I stood with the students around the chart paper, I realized that simply relying on a piece of paper and a few pencils were not enough to concretize and make sense of the question. For Jo Boaler, some of her ideas for promoting Math Success (yes, I capitalized that), rest with using the visual, physical, symbolic, and verbal modes for learning.
The original question and initial paper response
To add a physical and symbolic component to the question, each 100 block represented 100kg in the problem.
Once we talked more about the question -- the verbal-- this student realized that 10x100 Base Ten items equal 1 large Base Ten cube.
I was not able to follow-up with the taking up of the question with the whole class. This would be key to deepen the understanding of the 2 students I worked with and for the whole class. In a subsequent post, I will get a hold of this question to highlight some possible annotation strategies that could be used to deepen the challenges that often accompany Math word-problems. I will also make it a point to open up a conversation in the classroom about different ways we can support students' understanding of Math by using the different pathways available in our brain.
One of the greatest pitfalls of Teaching is the need to cover curriculum in order to say that we did it but the problem is, it doesn't always mean the students understand it.
This chart was used to illustrate the skill of subtracting integers, which is a topic many students struggle with. It is one of several strategies and approaches that can be used to ensure that the students understand the concept. Ensuring understanding takes time and I believe all students would benefit from being able to practice, reflect, and try their thinking out in different situations.
I noticed that when the students were doing some review of Order of Operations, many of them struggled at the point where they have to subtract negative numbers. This is an example of what happens when we do not spend the time needed to ensure that key concepts are understood by our learners. With some scaffolding and reminders of various strategies, it is possible for our students to learn but this takes time and patience. The students will be better in the end because they will have understood the concept, hopefully, in a deeper manner with several strategies to draw upon.
It was too bad that we did not have more time to spend with one another today on Math. Since I do not have a Google Classroom anymore, I will slowly get back into the habit of posting on my blog.
In the case of today's lesson on subtracting integers, I will post the following information:
First, here is a review of negative numbers from an old friend.
Here is a longer video you can look at. You can "chunk" it and break it into pieces and watch a little bit at a time. There is a lot of information here about the adding and subtraction of integers.
Thanks to one of my SSTC colleagues -- Stephanie -- for pointing out this video to me. It goes a little too quick for my liking and doesn't slow down enough to explain what is happening, but it demonstrated the "zero pairs" concept using these toy soldiers.
After today's lesson, I hope you are clearer about how you can use the number line to help you solve subtracting questions. You will see, from the chart up in the class (which I will take a photo of), we solved questions using the number line and what we called the "inverse method." I hope you will continue to practice it. Below, the concept is demonstrated in a video using integer chips.
Danielle Krueger, a YouTuber has a couple of really great videos using counters to explaining adding and subtracting. Since we are discussing subtraction, here it is first. I will place the addition and the multiplication one right after.
Games! These are only a couple of many games that will help you reinforce some of the skills you are working on in class.
This is a very interesting podcast to listen to. It reminded me a lot of the term "Culturally Relevant Teaching" that Gloria Ladson-Billings first coined back in 1994. The form of elder care you will hear about takes into account the background of the residents and the communities they come from to create an environment where they see themselves and feel valued.
In the field of Education, the term "Culturally Responsive Pedagogy," or CRP, is more likely to be used instead of the one used to describe the care in this podcast. I am going to briefly reference an article I read from the Capacity Building Series on CRP to highlight why I believe it is important and something all schools should be doing.
According to the article, there are three dimensions to CRP:
1. Institutional: This is where school leaders consider if certain things that are happening in school reproduce forms of marginalization. Are the majority of students being suspended Black and Male? Are Gifted Programs overwhelmingly represented by one of 2 Ethnicities and certain socio-economic communities?
2. Personal: Educators need to be "self-aware...[and] have a deep knowledge of their students and how they learn best." This dimension is two-fold, I believe. If I am self-aware, say, of my middle-class upbringing, I can be mindful of the references I may want to comfortably default to when I am speaking with my class. This does not mean I can't speak from my life experiences, but I need to be aware of the students in front of me and the varied experiences they have which may be different than my own. I sometimes feel that teachers can make students feel that their lives are less than when a teacher is constantly using references from their own experiences.
I think the second portion is self-explanatory. Teachers get to know their classes and will have a sense of what engages the class to and promote and encourage learning.
3. Instructional: Heavy consideration is placed into what classroom practices are being used. A teacher engaged in CRP is probably one who differentiate his or her instruction.
The following YouTube video takes in dimension number 2 the most. There is not a lot of talk on the potential for the curriculum to marginalize certain groups of students nor is there a lot of talk on pedagogical approaches but it is a start. It comes from the Halifax Regional Centre for Education.
So, now we can return to the original story on the care for the Elderly. It would seem that the institutional dimension has been considered because there are culturally specific spaces for some racialized populations. The instructional dimension seems to be working with the diverse programming available at the Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care*. It also sounds like the personal dimension is being met by the staff who work at the home.
This is an excellent article and I felt it was important to add a definition of what Anti-Black Racism is:
Anti-Black Racism: Anti-Black Racism is defined here as policies and practices rooted in Canadian institutions such as, education, health care, and justice that mirror and reinforce beliefs, attitudes, prejudice, stereotyping and/or discrimination towards people of Black-African descent. (Black Health Alliance http://blackhealthalliance.ca/home/antiblack-racism/)
There is a link to a short segment from CBC's Out in Open podcast in the second part of this post. If certain culturally specific lunches are shunned and leave people ashamed, it means others are held up in high regard and can make some students feel entitled because what they eat is "normal" (the opposite of different). This form of shunning is a microaggression and sends the subtle and overt message that YOU DO NOT BELONG; that's messed up. I do not like the use of the word "ethnic food" because EVERYONE has an ethnicity but the word is often used incorrectly to refer to people who are not White.
"We expect our teachers, principals and school board officials to fulfil their obligations to parents and children when it comes to what our students learn in the classroom," the premier said in the news release.
"We will not tolerate anybody using our children as pawns for grandstanding and political games. And, make no mistake, if we find somebody failing to do their job, we will act."
I took issue with this quotation from Premier Ford. If I was to ever meet him, I would ask what he means by grandstanding and political games. The mere fact that there have been shifts to the curriculum in the areas of Health, and eventually Math, is political. To suggest that the position and actions of the Progressive Conservative government are neutral and only FOR THE PEOPLE is disingenuous.
As the days roll by, and the realities of September set in a great mass of students across the Toronto and the GTA will be going back to school. So many wonderful things can happen in school, which is a place where the imagination can be sparked and students begin to understand themselves, peers, and the world in a more engaged manner. Unfortunately, the "violence of low expectations," something Talisha talks about in this article, can afflict a number of students, particularly those who are marginalized and discriminated against. This article presents Talisha's vision for a community she grew up in and a lot of inspirational energy, which I am grateful for.
On the way to my Dad's house on Saturday afternoon, my Partner cued up the first episode of the first episode of this new CBC podcast geared to giving Canada's teens a voice to express how they are feeling. As you may have guessed, the podcast is called Mic Drop. The first episode, Who am I, was geared to the fundamental question that all humans should grapple with. I think the earlier and younger this is explored, the better. The Adolescent mind is primed for this sort of exploration and this is who this podcast is geared towards. I also think there is a lot of value in adults listening to it.
So far, there seem to be 7 episodes. I am not sure if any more are planned but it might serve as some interesting listening during the last month and a half of the school break. Enjoy.
I have found it very annoying that the discourse around the Health and Physical Education curriculum has been reduced to the simplistic misnomer of the Sex Ed Curriculum. If you look at the most recent curriculum, created in 2015, you will not find that in the table of contents or in the Healthy Living section of the document. Here are two examples of how it is framed from Grade 1 and Grade 8:
The section is called Human Development and Sexual Health. I think the PC government fanned the flames of bigotry by suggesting that this was Kathleen Wynn's document. Most people are aware of the fact that she is a Lesbian and for many social conservatives, she is somehow immoral and, by association, the curriculum is immoral and needs to be eradicated. It felt that the attacks on the document were also homophobic and misogynistic attacks on the former Premier.
I am biased. I have worked with this curriculum and think it is brilliant and developmentally appropriate. Many critics of the document have never read it and I think you should check it out before it is gone: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/health1to8.pdf
There is so much more to this document than "sex." One of the reasons I think it is a brilliant document is that it begins conversations about how we should relate to one another and how we understand the idea of difference. In my recent Grade 7 and 8 class, we had a lot of great discussions around Gender and how we defined it and are sometimes trapped by our narrow definitions. In my Grade 6 class, two years ago, we looked at how Stereotyping and the danger of "the single story" can create a lot of misunderstanding among groups of people.
Unfortunately, it seems the Progressive Conservative (PC) party would rather sensationalize a few items discussed in the document and ignore the other elements which all students, in this pluralistic society, should be aware of. The PC's approach to the Human Development and Sexual Health topic feels regressive and ignorant. It reminds me of Dicken's warning about the dangers of ignorance and it seems to me that this government's view of education is quite narrow.
If the definition of doom is something seen as being adverse or unfavourable, then I believe this move is. It feels like a backward move to a time period where we pretended like issues did not exist; I suppose that is one way of understanding ignorance.
In June, Toronto educator, Nadine Thornhill created a YouTube video, based on her fears of the change that she anticipated was coming to the curriculum:
The cancellation of this project is unfavourable, especially when we are speaking about the matters of Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. From a teaching perspective, this feels very similar to the reversion to the 1998 Health curriculum; it is a dialing back of valuable knowledge which is meant to be shared. In 1998, there was no mention of Residential Schools or talk of a student questioning his or her identity in schools.
Both issues feel regressive and conservative in a time when we know so much more and have a responsibility to introduce ideas, as challenging and difficult as they may be, to our students, who are the future citizens of this nation. Some of you may not be familiar with this story and will provide a link from CBC's The Current which will offer up a more nuanced look at this issue relating to Truth and Reconciliation: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/shows/the-current/episode/15556383
As I try to pull this entry to a close, I am feeling a little stuck. Based on the construction of this blog, it seems easy to suggest that "the people" Doug Ford champions are likely not those who have personal connections to the content or experiences found in the 2015 Health curriculum or with the teachers who are looking to be more inclusive and complete in their teaching of Canadian history. But this sounds naive and powerless. Everyone. EVERYONE has some connection to the lived realities and experiences explored in the topics deemed controversial in the "Sex-Ed" curriculum. Also, for all non-Indigenous Canadians, we are on Colonized land and need to be aware of this and how our stories have been contingent on the history of Indigenous people and the evolution of Canada. In other words, we "the people" are truly connected. A leader who smiles while playing the fear and doom card is not a part of any progressive party. I know that progressive voices, like those linked in the stories posted on this entry, will continue to offer up ideas, resistance, and teachings to counter the ignorance trickling into the rhetoric and policies at Queen's Park.
For the past number of years, I always end off with a photo of the chairs or desks being stacked up. This year, I did not close up the room. Mr. Stokic finished off the balance of the year but I did manage to snap a couple.
In my Principal Qualification Part 1 course, which I am still working on completing, you often hear that the Principal is the curriculum leader for the school. Advocacy group People for Education agree with this but have found that Principals are often bogged down with other tasks that take them away from ensuring that the best learning, and fostering a greater sense of wellness, is taking place in the school. The report can be found at this website: https://peopleforeducation.ca/reports/
I have not read the 83-page report and taking my cues from the Canadian Press article (posted on the CBC page) article that highlighted the report. The report is called "the new basics for public education," were summarized in the last section of the article involving the development of "skills in creativity, in citizenship, in social-emotional learning...[which need to be] embedded in curriculum and available for all kids."
Globe and Mail reporter Dakshana Bascuramurty explored a program that works to combat the Systemic Racism and Anti-Black racism that exists in our school systems. It sounds like an excellent advocacy group assisting parents and students who are often pathologized.
In 2012, I had the pleasure of listening to author Paul Tough discuss aspects of his new book, How Children Succeed, to an engaged and packed auditorium at The University of Toronto Schools. There are longer videos of Paul discussing his book but this is a nice summary of it.
In the book he introduced the idea of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE). According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in Atlanta Georgia, ACE are "events in childhood, like abuse and neglect, that can increase risk for future problems, but they don't have to" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gm-lNpzU4g).
Here is a visual representation of how ACE can work. This image comes from the CDC-Kaiser Permanente-Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study:
I am providing this background information to introduce a segment from the CBC program, Quirks and Quarks. Host Bob McDonald spoke to a couple of guests about the recent practice of the US government of separating children from their parents at the border with Mexico. A lot of people may have seen the horrific scenes of the children being housed in temporary "homes."
The discussion explores the concept of ACE and how it relates to brain development and how it may influence DNA. I only listened to the show once and will have to go back to process it on another level. Here is a link to the story:
The CDC video, along with the Quirks and Quarks episode, offer up some suggestions for countering the effects of ACE. I would not want to leave this post on an entirely pessimistic note:
Judge George Carter was the son of immigrants from Barbados, who arrived after the First World War, and are pictured in this wedding photo, from 1926. This church, the British Methodist Episcopal Church was in The Ward on Chestnut Street. He was born in 1921 and noted as an avid reader when he first attended school at Hester How PS. He would later go on to Harbord Collegiate, Trinity College at UofT and Osgoode Hall Law School, where he graduated in 1948.
Hester Howe PS was the school of The Ward opened in 1912 and closed in 1953. Although a few year old, here is an image of the original school and the site, which is now occupied by The Hospital for Sick Kids.
It seems fitting that in a community where he spent some of his time growing up, a new courthouse is being built in downtown Toronto. As we learned -- hopefully -- in class, this community really reflected the diversity of the city:
I forgot to mention that he was a wonderful man, always with a smile, with a lot of positivity. You will be missed but your legacy continues to inspire countless people in this great city.
3/4 of the concepts of Geographic Thinking can be found in the article and in the photo I posted from the article: spatial significance, who will be able to afford to live in this space; geographic perspective, looks at the positions of the residents and what the developer has to say; interrelationships, how will the issue of space be negotiated, given the population increase in the community?
Over the past week, there was a great discussion on Ontario Today on the debate over the best method to teach Mathematics. This YouTube method comes from CTV in Winnipeg from 2016. The 51 minute show on CBC radio is worth a listen; it does not suggest that any one method is correct. In my opinion, there should be a mix of both methods but the foundational skills really should be developed so students feel confident and competent. I think this will make the exploring that much more exciting! Here is the link to the show, hosted by Rita Celli: http://www.cbc.ca/listen/shows/ontario-today/episode/15550737
It has been a couple of months since I have posted consistently on my blog. I have been on a Medical Leave and benefiting from the time I have been away from the classroom. I haven't stopped thinking about school and have often thought about posting items but have shied away from doing so. My teaching and thinking mind is hardly ever at rest.
In terms of Geographic Thinking, the issue of recycling and plastics touches on all of the concepts in our chart.
Working from the top left and moving in a clockwise direction:
spatial significance- plastic waste being dumped in oceans and not being recycled and taking up space in landfills and storage spaces
interrelationships- human impact on the natural world with the careless disposal and overuse of plastics
geographic perspectives- this issue looks at the issue of recycling from environmental and social perspectives (there are more)
patterns and trends- sadly, this issue of problems associated with recycling and plastics are on an upward trend; apparently, there are multiple collections of plastic waste (forming "islands" found in the ocean that are held together by ocean currents)
I am certain that you will see major policy changes in the city, as they relate to the recycling of plastics. Gone are the days, I am sure, when every item of plastic can be tossed in our blue bins. This is an example of how Interrelationships work when when we think Geographically.
