After a suggestion from a colleague, I had the opportunity this summer to read Start Here and Now: A Guide to Antibias and Antiracist Work in Your School Community by Liz Kleinrock. I highly recommend this book as it is full of practical ideas built on current research (Note: If you are an Ontario Educator, you can find it in the OCT library and have it shipped to your home with return postage for free). As we return to the classroom and think about co-creating spaces that are comfortable to learn in, here are 2 ideas that stood out from this wonderful book:

1. Shift your Lens to Community Educator

Inspired by Dr. Sara Kensey (She/Her), Kleinrock encourages us to think of ourselves as Community Educators and to view students, families and communities through an asset lens. As many educators do not live in the communities we work in, Kleinrock suggests spending some time getting to know the community. I believe this to be a great inquiry activity to engage in during professional development with educators at the start of the year. Kleinrock suggests not just driving around an area but trying to interact with the people they encounter and examining your biases. She advocates asking those you come into contact with questions such as “what do you love about your neighbourhood?” and really listen to what strengths can be found in the community.

2. Conversations on Race and Community Agreements

As a classroom educator, we often begin our school year co-creating community agreements with students such as mutual respect, while working on modelling and practising these skills in September and throughout the year. Kleinrock offers us a suggestion to also connect and introduce conversations on race into these lessons.

Here is an example from her book from a fourth-grade group that generate agreements as a sample of what can be co-created (pg. 47).

Bonus: Another simple idea that I have seen used by educators in the classroom is to have students add their personal pronouns when creating a name tags.  This activity can open up conversations around pronouns and allows all students to communicate what pronouns they would like to be addressed by.

Wishing you all a happy and safe September. Would love to hear your ideas about co-creating safe and equitable classrooms so feel free to connect with me!

Today I had the chance to work with a co-operative Jigsaw learning strategy in a virtual environment with grade 8 students for a lesson for International Day of Women and Girls. 

 

I began the lesson by asking students to list in the chat in Google Meet the name of a female working in STEM that was Canadian. The students listed a few examples such as Marie Curie. Then I asked students if they could list the names of any males working in STEM and the list was longer. I asked to students to think about why that was.

Next, I shared this document with students and explained that they would be placed in groups to work together to learn more about one of women in Science. Students were then divided into 5 groups and given a link to a video or website to read about a Canadian Women in Science. After reaching out to my professional learning network on-line, I narrowed a long and wonderful list down to: Eugenia Duodu, Jennifer Green, Katherine Jin, Roberta Bondar and Jasraj Chahal. Students were divided into 5 break out rooms in Google Meet and given 20 minutes to each prepare their own information using this organizer. 

After 20 minutes, students returned to the main room together to check in. At this point, students were placed in new break out room groups where they became the “expert” on the women they studied to share with the new group. They also had a chance to learn about four other Canadian women in STEM.

To conclude the lesson I used this interactive video Nearpod lesson on Why are there so few women in computer science? Students also had the chance to watch this video recording from the Ontario Science Centre.

I will definitely use the jigsaw method again with students  in a virtual or even hybrid learning environment to engage students and allow them to work together.

 

 

When discussing New Year’s resolutions with my family this year, my son suggested creating a theme and shared a video with me that had me change my yearly #oneword practise to #onetheme. Given that 2020 has been one of the most challenging and usual years I’ve experienced, I thought I would change course this year and focus on a theme for 2021.  When choosing a theme, the video instructs you to chose a theme that is  “broad, directional and most important resonant” and offers suggestions (see image below).

The word that most resonates with me moving forward this year is well-being.  I spent some time thinking about what well-being meant for me as well as thinking about what would help me most effectively navigate this new year bringing joy, peace and happiness. I created a graphic organizer using Canva (see image below); however, if you are creating your own image or having students create one you could use any program from Jamboard to Google Drawings.  The focus on the #onetheme is to focus on growth and adaption based on how the year progresses.

In the New Year, I hope to model this with students as I will be working with them to create Goals in myBlueprint. We will begin by watching the video and spending some time thinking about  possible themes. From there, we will create images to go along with the themes, which can then be added as a portfolio item into myBlueprint. Finally, students can create goals in the platform based on the images.

I have been working with intermediate students in some of my schools to create interactive Makey Makey Advent wreaths. I had a few people reach out and ask me how I completed the project so I created this blog post with instructions.

Step 1: Colour or Create an Advent Wreath

I usually begin with a discussion about what Advent means and show a video as a minds-on. Then students colour or draw their own Advent wreaths. You can also create three-dimensional wreaths. For the flames students cut and out and glue some aluminum foil.

Step 2: Plan out your Project

After the colouring is complete I have students plan out what they would like each of the Advent Candles to say. I provide a graphic organizer which I modify for exceptional learners as needed. I encourage the students to include biblical verses or Psalms and/or make a personal connection where possible.

Step 3: Create Scratch Accounts and Code 

The next step is to have students create Scratch accounts. I have done this in two ways: either in Google CS First or through my Scratch Teacher Account which allows me to set up classrooms in Scratch.  Next, I demonstrate to students how to download the extension in Scratch for Makey Makey.  This video explains the steps of how to add the Makey Makey extension in Scratch and the code you will need.

 

 

 

Step 4: Record Your Voice 

The next step is to have students record their voices. This is best done in a quiet environment and sometimes students ask to complete this task at home. The easiest ways I have found to record in Scratch is for students is to press the record button on their code. Students will then have to allow access to microphone before recording. This video explains this step.

 

Step 5: Connect Makey Makey 

The last step is to connect the Makey Makey to the Advent Wreath. I start out by explaining how the Makey Makey works with this introduction video. Then I demonstrate how to connect the Makey Makey to their Chromebook and connect the alligator clips.  This video demonstrates how to do this. Students will connect one alligator clip to the Makey Makey and the other end to the candle. They will repeat this process for each candle. This generally takes some problem solving and a couple of attempts, but I try to ask questions and have students problem solve. The main problem is that usually students forget to connect one alligator clip and hold the other end of the clip to complete the circuit. Here is an example from a class I recently worked with.

I’ve lost track now of how many weeks we are into remote learning in Ontario but I believe it is nine weeks and entering our tenth. I have been doing a lot of self-reflection throughout this process both as an educator and parent and felt it helpful to write this post as I consider how the rest of the year might look now that we know we won’t be returning to the classroom in June.

Privilege

 One of the areas that has really stood out to me in remote learning has been my privilege and the need to examine it carefully and thoughtfully when creating or delivering curriculum. Privilege could be an entire blog post and is an area that requires further exploration, but I would recommend watching Black Skin: White Masks Racism, Vulnerability and Refuting Black Pathology by Ruha Benjamin. Ruha states:

 One of the things that’s coming to light is how the global spread of a microscopic virus is placing the ravages of racism and inequity under the microscope. But the fact is, we don’t all see the same thing! Racism has a way of actually DISTORTING our vision. Intertwined with many other forms of social domination, racism is mercurial, innovative, even viral.

  A CBC article I read on-line referred to Pandemic Privilege,  which reminded me to be mindful that words matter more than ever and suggested maybe it’s time to “reassess the vocabulary of our pandemic”. One of my colleagues Donna Indrakumaran suggested we reassess our vocabulary altogether. On Twitter she wrote that privilege was always there and now it is just exposed at a greater magnification that we can learn from and change. I believe this statement may exemplify what many of us have come to realize during this pandemic and in education it is no different. 

Differentiation

Differentiation is key during this time and one way to approach privilege. Everyone is adapting to the current situation differently and as time goes on how we adapt is also changing. Some students are continuing their studies and adapting to the situation, while others are not. Given everyone’s unique experience, patience, compassion and empathy is needed more than ever. As time continues, it is likely that some students will lose interest and have already started to. One of the teaching strategies I have found successful and was inspired to try from Tina Zita and Melanie Mulcaster, has been choice boards which have been well received. As well, moving forward I am thinking of using genius hour/passion projects, which would hopefully help to engage students while allowing them to continue to explore who am I.  Lastly, I have learned less is more. Everything seems to take longer in remote learning and distractions are plentiful. When assigning work or interacting with colleagues I have tried to maintain a less is more attitude. 

Focus on Well-Being

Be kind to yourself and others. At the start of this pandemic I was blessed to participate in a webinar with educator Sandra Chow who was already 7 weeks into remote learning.  Sandra writes in a blog post for ISTE:

First, learn to be kind to yourself. You might feel like time is against you, and everything needs to be polished and completed yesterday, but if you let go of perfection, you’ll find that you do not need to cross all the “T’s” Waiting another day will not be the end of the world.

She stressed the importance of kindness and collaboration during these challenging times and I couldn’t agree more. I have tried to embed well-being into my lessons and delivery of materials and personally with myself and family.

Stay well friends

“If we as teachers, along with our colleagues, are not happy, how can we expect the children to be happy?”  -Thich Nhat Hanh

I have been doing a lot of reflecting this year on my #oneword and had some difficulty coming up with just one word or focus.  After doing some personal reading and reflection, I finally decided on a #oneword for 2020: Mindfulness.

One of the books I am reading that inspired my #oneword is Happy Teachers Change the World by Thich Nhat Hanh and Katherine Weare. In the book, Thich Nhat Hanh refers to the practise of mindfulness as a “practise of Joy”.  The book goes on to describe how in schools it can be seen as a mental training and education. We spend a great deal of time focusing on physical education and exercising our bodies while mindfulness looks at strengthening the muscle of the mind.

 

Back in the fall, I was lucky to have the opportunity to attend a workshop on mindfulness at the Ontario School Counsellors’ Association Conference by Heidi Bornstein and Angela Ventrice on Mindfulness in the Guidance Office.  The facilitators described Mindfulness as “awareness that arises from paying attention to our lives, in the here and now, with kindness and curiosity, so we can choose our behaviour.” The workshop provided me with an understanding of how mindfulness promoted positive health and well being in the school system and the research to support this.

This year, I am hoping to continue to develop my own mindfulness practise by continuing to read and educate myself. I hope to continue to develop my meditation practise and I will continue to use the Calm App to help me to keep to a schedule. I will also continue to incorporate lessons in mindfulness on wellness and social emotional learning, which I have found to be extremely beneficial with students.  Mindfulness has been found to help increase concentration and improve communication and cultivate a learning environment that is compassionate and understanding. What is your one word? Have you used practises in mindfulness in your own teaching or personal life? I would love to hear about it.

I recently had the chance to attend a National Geographic Summit in Washington D.C. with approximately 150 teachers and 25 National Geographic explorers from all over the world. These individuals shared stories of conservation, research, and spoke about opportunities for students to engage with them.

The summit began with a passionate talk by Valencia Clay Educator and National Geographic Fellow and a look at National Geographic Bold new education strategy by Vicki Phillips Executive Vice President and Chief Education officer at the National Geographic Society.  When speaking about our current generation, Philips referred to students as GenGEO or “Generation Geo” many of whom are active change agents in advocating for the environment and social justice. Philips stated “Give them a chance and they will lead”. One of my favourite parts of the evening was taking part in a virtual reality expedition with Marine Biologist Erika Woolsey.

On Friday I had a chance to participate in two sessions of my choice. I chose to attend the ArcGIS session as well as Story Maps session to expand my knowledge in these areas. They were very hands on and I left feeling confident that I could share out the information I learned with the teachers and students that I work with. In particular, the Story Maps session had me seeing the connections and options open when working with the Geo-Inquiry process in the phase of create where students are developping Geo-Inquiry stories. I also had the chance to try out the Portal at the summit and connect with the American School of Tampico educators at an American school in Mexico. Saturday, I had a chance to attend what I feel was the best session of the summit. Disrupting colonization in space We live and Work led by Tricia Ebarvia and Christie Nold.  The session had me continuing to question power dynamic in education and in our classrooms and provided me with futher resources to share and read.

One of the best parts of the summit was the connections and collaborations I made with other educators. One of quotes shared at the conference was that “Isolation is the Enemy of improvement” and the summit provided the opposite effect by connecting educators and focusing on innovation and best practises. I left feeling hopeful and inspired by the passion, research and work being done around the world in the area of conservation. I was also reminded of how each of us as global citizens can all do our part and must act now. Finally, I loved the quotation shared in the end of conference by Phillips: “We must stop seeing tech and nature as sparring partners and start concentrating on helping them to dance.” Thank you to the National Geographic Educator community for this amazing opportunity and for the exceptional group of educators and geographers that I had the privilege to learn with.

 

 

Many libraries today are seeing changes and becoming LC (Learning Common areas). These areas are often collaborative, inquiry based, innovative spaces with flexible seating. The librarian in the LC often works closely with teachers collaborating and co-teaching as well as providing opportunities for community partnerships.  In the article, School Libraries, librarians, and Project-based learning: ‘flexing’ library spaces for learning, author Carolyn Foote writes: “The librarian has a key role in helping provide resources for students and teachers to have a successful PBL project. Students come to the library with a big idea to creatively solve their problem. The exciting part is helping them find the research and tools to help their big idea become a reality.” Foote goes on to describe how libraries must be in “beta mode” and fluid, available to meet student needs and goals.

Similarly, in the article From Library to Learning Commons, author Lisa Mueller describes changes in her own school library. Mueller explains how she not only changed the physical layout of the library and employed design tactics,  but also how she and her colleagues created virtual and digital spaces for students using school websites and social media. The changes that were created were again based on student needs. Mueller also discussed her next steps in trying to expand learning outside of the school and LC and into the global community through technologies such as video conferencing to make meaningful connections with others.

Both of the articles described above connect closely to the Leading Learning and Together for Learning documents. In Together for learning document the virtual and physical worlds are interconnected and students have a chance to explore questions and connect with others both locally and globally. Similarly, in the Leading Learning standards words like collaboration, co-plan, community, designing, creation and empowering life-long learners  are used and provie specific examples in the see it in action area. The modern day learning library learning commons is a dynamic learning environment and will continue to evolve with technology and future school needs.