Growing Pains

As my class and I continue to grow and develop our independent learning skills, we have made some great successes in the past three days.  

Our class has gone through growing pains of frustration and anger when D2L did not work or our ChromeBooks didn't do exactly what we wanted them too.  I have had students share their frustrations out loud and others take it personally and emotionally.  I have also seen these students persevere and overcome these challenges. These students are beginning to strengthen their time management and their team work skills.  I have also seen these student gain a better understanding of what they do know and what they don't and, even more importantly, how to ask the right questions to gain deeper understanding.  

I have really enjoyed seeing the students overcome their challenges.  Most of the class is enjoying the use of computers to help foster their independence in their learning but some are still hesitant to have that "messy part" of learning.  I am hoping as they develop confidence with the program and see their peers be successful they will give it a go.  

To continue the idea of learning at your own pace, the students we're asked to complete a quiz today. Instead of us writing it all together, the students go to pick when and where they wrote.  They knew they needed to get it done by the end of the lesson but they got to pick when they were ready.  Haven't marked it yet, but I think this helped boost the confidence (and grades) of those who wrote it. 

How do you help your students in becoming independent learners? 

Learning Together

Today I tried my almost flipped classroom.  It did not go how I imagined.  It was not a smooth transition from our regular classroom to a mixed online classroom, and looking back, I don't know why I assumed it would be. 

I learned a lot from the experience.  Firstly, I learned that Chromebooks do not open PowerPoints or OpenOffice documents.  This was a large cause if the students frustrations with the change.  I also learned that I am learning just as much as they are.  And that they need to know that without their input, this endeavour will not be successful.  

Many of the students felt frustration and started to give up before really trying.  This concerned me.  In life, these students are going to attempt new tasks that are not always easy or straight forward.  This was a great teaching moment! 

As a class we had a discussion that I was learning just as much as they can take away from this experience.  We talked about their ability to use this experience in job interviews or college applications, how this will help them overcome frustration and finally gaining skills in using D2L for future use.  

I also ask for them to come in tomorrow with an open mind; to give this another try.  When I asked who was willing to do this, the majority of them put up their hands. It was very encouraging. 

Tomorrow is another day and we will hope for success! 

What are your biggest challenges in bringing technology into your classroom?

An Almost Flipped Class

Tomorrow my 3C class and I are starting on an adventure together.  We are starting to flip our math class. 

Now it is not what you are exactly thinking; we are not 100% flipped yet, but we are moving in that direction. 

In talking to the students, they do not feel comfortable with going out and learning and material on their own and bringing their knowledge back to the classroom and talk and think deeper about it.  They told me that they would now know how to approach it and with finals just around the corner (and Christmas vacation), they do not want to jump into too much that they cannot handle. 

So we compromised.  Tomorrow the students will be using Chromebooks in our math classroom and using D2L to access all of their learning materials.  There are 8 activities for them to complete which will allow them to discover and learn about the world of trigonometry.  The students will complete the online activities and discussions to help strengthen their understanding.  They will be completing this in the classroom, so if anything goes wrong, or if they are stuck, they have the teacher there to help them right away.  

Although we are still not having the time for those deeper discussions, we will have "check-in" discussions scheduled throughout our classes (known in advance) when I will be able to formatively assess their understanding of the material they are independently learning. 

The benefits I hope to see from this method of instruction: 
1) Greater self-confidence
One of the biggest struggles I see with 3C students is their lack of confidence in their math work.  I am hoping by giving them the opportunity to control their learning, the students will see that they can understand it themselves and they are "smart" when it comes to math.  

2) Instruction based on student needs 
Now that the students can focus on what they understand and what they do not understand, I can help with more individualized instruction.  Instead of the entire class going over review topics, or a specific concept within a lesson, I can individually help each student with "that specific part" they are stuck on.  I can also see who is "ahead" in the class and provide them with additional learning opportunities to develop that deeper understanding. 

3) Skills for the Future 
Many Colleges and Universities are embracing the "online learning environment" so giving the students an opportunity to get their feet wet is a great skill development opportunity for them.  I am hoping that from this, the students will be less timid about learning new concepts on their own and start to foster that lifelong learner in each student. 

I am really excited to try this.  I have heard many success stories, and I am hoping that my mix of "flipped" and "regular" classroom will provide the students with their ultimate learning experience.

What have your successes and challenges be with the idea of "online learning"? 

Participating vs. Listening

This morning I took time to read some of the blog posts of amazing Educators I follow on Twitter.  Here were the posts I was reading bright and early on a Sunday morning: 
- Doug Pete
- Donna Miller

Throughout reading the posts I had an opportunity to reflect on my participation in such a great network of Educators.  Since ECOO 2013, I have taken a big leap in my professional network as well as my own professional development.  I have taken time out of my day to reflect in blogs, read other blog posts and to check out the resources and tweets on Twitter.  I was surprised with the amount of amazing   

But I feel that my learning has been limited.  I have read a ton and learned something from each thing I have read.  I have tried out some of the ideas I have read about, but I still feel that something was missing. 

I figured it out today; I was taking in the information but I was not able to talk about, evaluate it, reflect on it and create those deeper discussions.  I was able to see it but not make that strong connection.  This is what I was missing.   I was missing this opportunity because the learning was very "one way."  I was reading the information but did not choose to interact and develop the material I was learning.  I choose not to participate in those conversations which affected my ability to make the connections. 

When realizing this, I also realized that it is the same in the classroom.  As a math teacher, there is a ton of opportunity for "teacher talk" but that is not what gives students the deep understanding.  Class conversations, group/paired work, investigations and trial-and-error, provide the students with a stronger understanding.  Sharing ideas and thoughts, evaluating them, making and correcting mistakes and learning from these mistakes allow students to gain an understanding that can be transferred and adapted.  

I promote this way of learning in my classroom, but I was not embracing it.  This brings me to my challenge for this week.  I need to break out of my shell and start interacting with those great ideas and the sharers of the great ideas.  My goal is to reply with my thoughts or questions to at least 8 tweets/blog posts throughout this week.  

This is personally out of my comfort zone.  I am an outgoing lady, and in person, when collaborating, I have tons of input, but it seems that once online, and with people I do not know, I am very more reserved.  Maybe it is because I am unsure on how to start (or continue) those great conversations.  Maybe it is because I am a new teacher and not sure what is "acceptable."  But these are all feelings that we went through in school and I overcame them once, so I will be able to do them again. 

What are your thoughts on participating in conversations within your online professional network?  How do you start the conversations?   How did you feel when you first started? 

Talking with your Hands

Over the past week I have conducted an experiment with my Grade 11 College math class.  Monday, I introduced them to a new way that we would be organizing exits (washroom and drink breaks) from the classroom.  This was a suggestion that I picked up from a PD Session offered by UGDSB Administration for all NTIP teachers.  Rick Smith spoke to all in attendance sharing easy to implement classroom management strategies.

Rick suggested that she would try hand signals to indicate washroom or drink in the class.  This will stop those questions from popping into class discussions, especially at those key learning opportunities.  This week my students and I implemented four signals in total, they are shown below: 

Washroom: 


Drink: 

Yes:

No: 


So now when a student needs to leave the classroom for one of these common reasons, all they do is put up their hands with the appropriate signal.  I, from somewhere in the classroom, will respond to their signal with either a yes or a no. 

I will be honest, I did not think that this could possibly work for Grade 11 students.  Primary - Definitley, Junior/Intermediate - Maybe, Senior - No Way!  These students would not like the idea of using the signals (even if they follow ASL) even if I did come up with a creative way to present it. 

Was I wrong! 

I presented this to my class as a challenge.  It was our job to see if this would work well in a classroom at our school.  Would it be feasible to do this in all of our classrooms?  Does this help us minimize interruptions throughout the day?  I posed all of these questions  to my class and said that we would revisit this idea in a couple of weeks.  

The next day, the students were all over it!  They even helped to correct me when I was mistaken their hand-signal for a regular hand or did not respond with the correct versions of yes or no.

Throughout this week, I have seen a class take on a challenge and be successful with it.  Not only has this eliminated those annoying questions to leave the class at inconvenient time but this has improved our classroom environment.  

Before, I found that I was giving reasons for saying no to requests for leaving the classroom such as "wait until the end of the lesson" or  "there is another student out already, wait until everyone is back in the classroom."  With this new strategy, the students do not have the opportunity to argue about the answer they have been given.  The students, as there is no talking in the interaction, cannot ask for further clarification or argue the answer.  This has provided a more calm atmosphere in the classroom.  Even with my students with exceptionalities who usually argue, love this system and do not miss the arguing.  They take the answer at face value, if it is a yes they leave the classroom but if it is a no they continue on with their work.

What strategies have you implemented to remove the "arguing" from your classroom? 

The Importance of Coaching

Last night the Sr. Boys Volleyball team played their last game of the season - we were unfortunately defeated in the quarterfinals.  Truth be told, we did not win a game, or a set, all season.  This season was tough for the boys, a busy season for me, and I think that it is very important that I take a time to reflect on what we have done over the past two months. 

I came to coaching this team at the start of the year when no other teacher took it on.  Am I a volleyball guru?  Have I ever played volleyball outside of Grade 9 gym class?  No, I was completely unaware that volleyball actually had positions - I thought we just had to rotate each player out after each serve!  Was I wrong!  

I came to know the team during try-outs.  The grade 12 members of the team really stepped up and helped me out.  They came to the tryouts unknowing that their coach would have less of an idea of the sport than they were.  During the first couple of tryouts, which then turned practices, the senior members of the team came up with drills on the spot, helped me learn their previous rotations and what each position was responsible for.  They also stepped up and gave me an idea of what qualities each position should have and which player could be matched with which position. 

Our games were a mix of emotions; we would have fabulous sets with scores like 26-24, and then sets where our goal was to receive 5 points in total; most of the time these scores were all in one game.  The boys got angry with each other, down on each other and frustrated.  We had team meetings, chats individually and long practices of running to get everyone on the same page.  It was a roller coaster ride of a season. 

Throughout the season, and looking back, I could not be prouder of this team. 

They persevered through the season.  They returned after each defeat to work harder and better in practice.  When they got frustrated with each other, they allowed each other to have those negative moments, but worked together to help the team move forward.  They saw each other's strengths and worked as a team to utilize them.  They coached each other and supported one another on how to improve. 

These players came from thinking that they were the best players out there to knowing that as a team, we are the strongest.  They took their individual mindset and changed to a team think.

Growing up, I was never a part of a sports team.  I was apart of groups for dance, and for projects, but I never experienced a sports team.  I was blown away.  These guys, even on their worst days, would be supportive to one another and help each other out.  More than this, they took me on as one of them and helped me out.  Their goal was not to focus on themselves, but to focus on us as a team and that meant stepping up and helping out the coach.  

Outside of the courts, the boys are always willing to lend a hand as if we were still playing volleyball together.  Whether it is helping carrying bags and boxes to different classrooms or just checking in to see how the day has been going, these students have become a positive influence on the community.  

Without a teacher stepping up and taking on the responsibility of a coach, these boys would have never had this experience.  It is so important, that as teachers, we take on these extra-curricular activities that foster a sense of self-worth, collaboration, teamwork, and so many other soft skills, in all of our students.  There are many ways that these skills can be developed, but I know that our volleyball team was a big influence for these 10 students. 

Each student should have the chance to know what it feels like to be a part of that special team, to have the spotlight and to show off their talents.  It should not matter if they are the top students in that sport, or the worst, each student should have equal opportunity to learn from each other, overcome those challenges and feel like they have a place in the school's community.  Each student should also have the opportunity to make that connection with a teacher or other staff member.  

More than just sports, students have lots of opportunities to find their place, whether in a drama production, mathletes, computer game club or another activity, how do you help students make these important connections? 

Compliments go a long way!

Today was a recovery from the craziness of Halloween and the sugar high that most student's experienced.  There was still a lot of candy going throughout my classroom, and a lot of wrappers found their way to the trash bin.  But today, more than candy, was about the power of a compliment. 

As a teacher on an LTO, my very first LTO, I have been nervous that I am handling situations properly, giving students the right advice and moving the class at a good pace.   I have been nervous about it, outside of the classroom, and a lot of my co-teachers have been supportive. 

Today, a wonderful supply teacher came in to set-up for her class while I was finishing up with a couple of students.  The students and I were talking about their concerns for their grades as midterms are quickly approaching.  I was giving the students reassurance that they are still able to improve their mark and that I will do everything in my power to make sure they end up with the grade that they want, if they put the effort into it.  

After about 5 minutes of talking to the students, they felt satisfied and went on to their next class with a "Have a great weekend Miss. Fitz!"  I then turned to introduce myself to the supply teacher.  Before I had the opportunity to, the supply said, "You spoke to those students wonderfully; exactly what I would have done in any of my LTO's."  

WOW.  That made me feel good.  Later, I learned that this supply teacher had had many successful LTO's and was a very successful supply.  The simple compliment that she provided to me made my week and gave me confidence to go on to home instruct a student. 

Reflecting on how I felt, I have realized that giving those compliments makes a big impact on someones day.  We have the ability to change someones day with just a single sentence.  As teachers, and people in general, we should make an effort to improve at least one person's day with a compliment. 

This leads me to my goal for the weekend; my goal is to give at least one compliment to someone each day over the weekend.  I feel that if I can improve this at home, I can easily implement this into my school life.  Giving compliments to family members, I have found, is always a bit tougher than to those of strangers or friends.

What is the power of compliments in your teaching career?