I am putting these in this forum so that there is a place to link to them as I expect some will ask me for them.
Here is the overview of the RATS program.
And this is the template spreadsheet to create the question and navigation templates to print out and cut up ready for the lesson/game.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Friday, August 5, 2011
Day Fourteen - learning day
Started today with computers and science for the kids and then we did a lesson the Race Around the School (RATS) feedback.
So I had the kids tells me two things:
I also got them to make posters to represent their teams and we have put them up on the classroom walls.
The feedback from the kids and teachers that help supervise RATS has been great and I am now preparing a report for the school to see if we can extend it as a regular program for teachers at least in Primary school if not above.
I presented the winners with a trophy that they could put their names on and I also gave out a "best team" trophy. These are just old trophy's of mine ( I knew they would eventually come in handy Dad! It has just taken 30 years!).
The kids loved it with only one kid not enjoying it. I had a talk to him and we have agreed that he needs to "try" as he is going into many things as negative. Mrs C. was listening into the conversation I had with him and liked it. I have started building Episode 2 and also automating the material so that teachers can just input the questions, the area where they will go (eg. Gym, Hall etc) and then hit print.
Sad to see another week go by ... I asked the kids if they wanted to come in on Saturday and Sunday to learn, they said "no!" ... I do not understand.
I also ran the spelling test and the new spelling words lesson in the morning and afternoon. Easier words this week ... 'kaleidoscope' was doing my head in last week.
Lastly, we got to the 'Goal setting' lesson that Mrs C. has been wanting to run before I came for Prac. I got the chance to talk about Tim Levy's 'The Life Summit' book that is fantastic for goal setting - the kids loved how Tim is overseas doing his passion after achieving many of his goals - the book is a great read too (and yes, Tim is my cousin and yes, it is a great read!)
So I had the kids tells me two things:
- What did they like about RATS
- What would they improve
I also got them to make posters to represent their teams and we have put them up on the classroom walls.
The feedback from the kids and teachers that help supervise RATS has been great and I am now preparing a report for the school to see if we can extend it as a regular program for teachers at least in Primary school if not above.
I presented the winners with a trophy that they could put their names on and I also gave out a "best team" trophy. These are just old trophy's of mine ( I knew they would eventually come in handy Dad! It has just taken 30 years!).
The kids loved it with only one kid not enjoying it. I had a talk to him and we have agreed that he needs to "try" as he is going into many things as negative. Mrs C. was listening into the conversation I had with him and liked it. I have started building Episode 2 and also automating the material so that teachers can just input the questions, the area where they will go (eg. Gym, Hall etc) and then hit print.
Sad to see another week go by ... I asked the kids if they wanted to come in on Saturday and Sunday to learn, they said "no!" ... I do not understand.
I also ran the spelling test and the new spelling words lesson in the morning and afternoon. Easier words this week ... 'kaleidoscope' was doing my head in last week.
Lastly, we got to the 'Goal setting' lesson that Mrs C. has been wanting to run before I came for Prac. I got the chance to talk about Tim Levy's 'The Life Summit' book that is fantastic for goal setting - the kids loved how Tim is overseas doing his passion after achieving many of his goals - the book is a great read too (and yes, Tim is my cousin and yes, it is a great read!)
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Day Thirteen - Race Around the School
Yep, I know, I missed a day, yesterday's post should have been Days 11 and 12 and I missed Monday but anyway ... the show goes on ...
Today was Race Around The School (RATS) day a program that I have built based on the Amazing Race TV show where the kids walk around the school going to different areas (countries) and complete tasks (revision from previous week). They answer 5 questions and it takes about 30 minutes to complete. We then debrief (what went well, what could be improved, how did your teams go).
Learnings: putting kids into team is problematic - one kid did not get the role he wanted and so went off and cried. I spoke to the child (asked him what his first and second preference was for a role) and his team ... then he wanted to talk to Mrs C. Mrs C. said no, they had to work it out themselves. I like this. In fact, at the end of the game the kid was so happy with how it went and his second choice of role was great for him. So my learning, no need to solve the whole problem for the kids (unless really young), they will generally work it out.
Outcome: RATS was great, the kids loved it, and it has given us lots to talk about - the fastest team around the course was not the top overall team, the team that got all of the answers right did not come first. In fact, the best team was third to finish the game and was consistent in the questions (but not the top scorer). Second place went to the team that came back last into the room but was also consistent in the questions. Team dynamic was very interesting with one team coming back and realising that they had not answered a question and so they went back and answered it (costing them finishing places). They took charge and agreed they had to finish the game. Great stuff.
I taught maths in the morning - we are starting to get into Algebra and did a fun game call "Petals around the rose" - two of the kids worked it out. It took me just under 10 minutes to get it - not easy. We went on to do some visual stuff like the "Function Machine" and "Number Cruncher".
Learning: Today I have had the kids firing answers and questions at me at an increasing rate. Mrs C. suggested that I could set the expectation up front - 'we are going to review RATS and I would us to respond with hands up to give me suggestions'. Or, 'today we are going to review RATS, and I would like you to all talk to me at once in a whisper on your ideas' (get it out of your head) 'and now tell me with hands up'.
The head of Primary is very interested in using RATS in other classes and Stages - so hopefully tomorrow I can see what he thought and what feedback he got from other teachers and staff (as some were watching the game as it went on).
So, a great day, good fun, kids got a lot out of it ... tomorrow is feedback day to see if I can do 'Episode 2' next week (my last week).
Today was Race Around The School (RATS) day a program that I have built based on the Amazing Race TV show where the kids walk around the school going to different areas (countries) and complete tasks (revision from previous week). They answer 5 questions and it takes about 30 minutes to complete. We then debrief (what went well, what could be improved, how did your teams go).
Learnings: putting kids into team is problematic - one kid did not get the role he wanted and so went off and cried. I spoke to the child (asked him what his first and second preference was for a role) and his team ... then he wanted to talk to Mrs C. Mrs C. said no, they had to work it out themselves. I like this. In fact, at the end of the game the kid was so happy with how it went and his second choice of role was great for him. So my learning, no need to solve the whole problem for the kids (unless really young), they will generally work it out.
Outcome: RATS was great, the kids loved it, and it has given us lots to talk about - the fastest team around the course was not the top overall team, the team that got all of the answers right did not come first. In fact, the best team was third to finish the game and was consistent in the questions (but not the top scorer). Second place went to the team that came back last into the room but was also consistent in the questions. Team dynamic was very interesting with one team coming back and realising that they had not answered a question and so they went back and answered it (costing them finishing places). They took charge and agreed they had to finish the game. Great stuff.
I taught maths in the morning - we are starting to get into Algebra and did a fun game call "Petals around the rose" - two of the kids worked it out. It took me just under 10 minutes to get it - not easy. We went on to do some visual stuff like the "Function Machine" and "Number Cruncher".
Learning: Today I have had the kids firing answers and questions at me at an increasing rate. Mrs C. suggested that I could set the expectation up front - 'we are going to review RATS and I would us to respond with hands up to give me suggestions'. Or, 'today we are going to review RATS, and I would like you to all talk to me at once in a whisper on your ideas' (get it out of your head) 'and now tell me with hands up'.
The head of Primary is very interested in using RATS in other classes and Stages - so hopefully tomorrow I can see what he thought and what feedback he got from other teachers and staff (as some were watching the game as it went on).
So, a great day, good fun, kids got a lot out of it ... tomorrow is feedback day to see if I can do 'Episode 2' next week (my last week).
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Day Ten and Eleven - how to deal with issues
So the past two days have been interesting and this time is still going way too fast ...
One of the kids comes in and says there is a rumour going around and that kids are crying about it. (I am not going to mention what it was about as I am not sure it really matters).
Turns out most of the class is talking about this and the noise level is beyond a 5 year old's singing - ie. too much to handle.
Learning: Mrs C. asks the kids to write down what they saw happened on a piece of paper in their own words. no talking to your mates, just your view. She then tells them she will review what they have written and come back to them. So, like any good investigator (I assume) the story comes together with different views of what happened, who did what and when. The kids get it all off their chests and feel better and we now have the story straight - enough to talk to a few kids and get the facts. Also, the kids are asked that if they are going to discuss this at home that they need to make their parents aware that the teachers are dealing with it. We will see how it goes tomorrow as it may need a note home if it does not settle but I expect it will.
Apart from that I have finalised the Race Around the School (RATS) program and spoken to all that need to know - PE dept, Art dept, Library, other teachers .... an email has been sent this afternoon to all involved as we will run Episode 1 tomorrow. Here's crossing fingers ...
One of the kids comes in and says there is a rumour going around and that kids are crying about it. (I am not going to mention what it was about as I am not sure it really matters).
Turns out most of the class is talking about this and the noise level is beyond a 5 year old's singing - ie. too much to handle.
Learning: Mrs C. asks the kids to write down what they saw happened on a piece of paper in their own words. no talking to your mates, just your view. She then tells them she will review what they have written and come back to them. So, like any good investigator (I assume) the story comes together with different views of what happened, who did what and when. The kids get it all off their chests and feel better and we now have the story straight - enough to talk to a few kids and get the facts. Also, the kids are asked that if they are going to discuss this at home that they need to make their parents aware that the teachers are dealing with it. We will see how it goes tomorrow as it may need a note home if it does not settle but I expect it will.
Apart from that I have finalised the Race Around the School (RATS) program and spoken to all that need to know - PE dept, Art dept, Library, other teachers .... an email has been sent this afternoon to all involved as we will run Episode 1 tomorrow. Here's crossing fingers ...
Friday, July 29, 2011
Day Nine - Grandparents Day
Ah, grandparents Day ... a lesson for one hour (including spelling test) then the mayhem starts - grandparents, parents, friends, sausages, merchandise and lots of kids moving around the school.
On our side we had many grandparents who wanted to be there but just could not - so I was the token 'grandparent'. Ash and I visited "The White House" (Archives for the school) as well as the Gallery where we have Australian history on display at the moment. Had a few snags and some juice, daughter and I decorated a pot plant pot together and bought a pot plant ... then we went to the Book Fair and spent "Grandpa's" money to buy daughter some books (Dad, I will have a word to you on this!). We had a great day ..
We got the kids into a game - "Multiplication rush". Kids get in two even lines and the first person on each line runs forward to a teacher who holds up a multiplication question and if they get it right they keep the multiplication card. If they do not the the teacher keeps it. Kids run back once they have answered the questions and the next person goes like in a relay. The game keeps going until the kids look out of breath. Count up the cards that the kids got and see which line won. Winning team gets skittles (no chocolate or nuts here). Great game to tire them out and learn at the same time. (By the way, both teams got 31 cards each so it was a tie).
Kids went up to music for the last part of the day with another teacher. I spent some time with Mrs C. to understand how she plans for a day and the process she uses - very interesting.
Lastly, I am close to finishing my "Race Around The School" (RATS) program. I have spoken to the library, Drama, PE and IT to support it. Kids will have questions to answer (based on the work they have done during the previous week) at each area around the school.
I am sad the week is over as I want to be back there ... but I am completely exhausted. So bring on the weekend. I am still waking up at night thinking about school and not golf ... what is the world coming to!
Bring on the golf ... see you Monday.
On our side we had many grandparents who wanted to be there but just could not - so I was the token 'grandparent'. Ash and I visited "The White House" (Archives for the school) as well as the Gallery where we have Australian history on display at the moment. Had a few snags and some juice, daughter and I decorated a pot plant pot together and bought a pot plant ... then we went to the Book Fair and spent "Grandpa's" money to buy daughter some books (Dad, I will have a word to you on this!). We had a great day ..
We got the kids into a game - "Multiplication rush". Kids get in two even lines and the first person on each line runs forward to a teacher who holds up a multiplication question and if they get it right they keep the multiplication card. If they do not the the teacher keeps it. Kids run back once they have answered the questions and the next person goes like in a relay. The game keeps going until the kids look out of breath. Count up the cards that the kids got and see which line won. Winning team gets skittles (no chocolate or nuts here). Great game to tire them out and learn at the same time. (By the way, both teams got 31 cards each so it was a tie).
Kids went up to music for the last part of the day with another teacher. I spent some time with Mrs C. to understand how she plans for a day and the process she uses - very interesting.
Lastly, I am close to finishing my "Race Around The School" (RATS) program. I have spoken to the library, Drama, PE and IT to support it. Kids will have questions to answer (based on the work they have done during the previous week) at each area around the school.
I am sad the week is over as I want to be back there ... but I am completely exhausted. So bring on the weekend. I am still waking up at night thinking about school and not golf ... what is the world coming to!
Bring on the golf ... see you Monday.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Day Eight - Athletics Day
7:45am at school, onto bus, off to Homebush for carnival. One of the great things about this school is their inclusiveness ... I was rostered as part of all staff onto an activity ... Long Jump in my case. Great fun and best still I got to see some of the teachers I wanted to talk to about a thought I have had.
I want to run a "Treasure Hunt" or "Race around the School" where kids get into teams (that I choose to show the various talents that you need in a team), and move around the school solving problems - I have spoken to the PE dept, drama and science and they are keen and have great ideas. So now I need to write the program - it will be based on Bloom's Taxonomy and Multiple Intelligence so we can get the best out of the kids and stretch them.
I also got the chance to sit next to a couple of kids on the bus that I wanted to have some one-on-one time with to get them more involved - so have shared the "Race around the School" idea and asked for their thoughts back to me.
I want to run a "Treasure Hunt" or "Race around the School" where kids get into teams (that I choose to show the various talents that you need in a team), and move around the school solving problems - I have spoken to the PE dept, drama and science and they are keen and have great ideas. So now I need to write the program - it will be based on Bloom's Taxonomy and Multiple Intelligence so we can get the best out of the kids and stretch them.
I also got the chance to sit next to a couple of kids on the bus that I wanted to have some one-on-one time with to get them more involved - so have shared the "Race around the School" idea and asked for their thoughts back to me.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Day Seven - Desk changes and jump rope
Started today by completing the HSIE lesson that I ran short of time on Monday. We were looking at how to use a glossary, index, table of contents etc. One of the kids asked why did they need to do this and I answered based on their knowledge of indexing will help them to be efficient in searching in google and in anything they choose to search for - different books, magazines etc.
Learning: We then started reading the Government textbook that Mrs C had chosen. We broke up into two groups and I took one. We read aloud taking turns and the kids asked questions. My group were discussing local, state and federal governments and we drew up a Venn diagram to show the relationships. Mrs C liked it so we did the same exercise with the whole class. It felt like we were losing some of the kids and the behaviour level was not great. In hindsight Mrs C suggested we should have broken them up into smaller groups to do the Venn Diagram - I could see them dropping when I was facilitating the class but did not know what to do in the heat of the moment. A great learning for me.
We went off to PE and the kids did practice for Jump Rope for Heart. When we got back the room had been rearranged by Mrs C as she mentioned to me that she was not happy with the behaviour and wanted to shake things up - I love it.
See how we go tomorrow with a new desk arrangement and new seating!
Learning: We then started reading the Government textbook that Mrs C had chosen. We broke up into two groups and I took one. We read aloud taking turns and the kids asked questions. My group were discussing local, state and federal governments and we drew up a Venn diagram to show the relationships. Mrs C liked it so we did the same exercise with the whole class. It felt like we were losing some of the kids and the behaviour level was not great. In hindsight Mrs C suggested we should have broken them up into smaller groups to do the Venn Diagram - I could see them dropping when I was facilitating the class but did not know what to do in the heat of the moment. A great learning for me.
We went off to PE and the kids did practice for Jump Rope for Heart. When we got back the room had been rearranged by Mrs C as she mentioned to me that she was not happy with the behaviour and wanted to shake things up - I love it.
See how we go tomorrow with a new desk arrangement and new seating!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Day Six - Observation day and a breakthrough
Got in at 8:10am to ready myself for my Maths lesson today ... but I had prepared for it yesterday so just went through the handouts again (and again) and checked the computer was ready to present. Practised with E (one of the students) as she was starting my lesson playing a pattern on the guitar while I asked them to repeat the pattern and work out what was next in the pattern - not hard but aim here is simply to get them involved rather than me just talk. Aim is to play some XTC to them so they can see what patterns are in music (and because everyone should at least listen to "Dear God" once in their life - awesome!) Anyway, onto the teaching ...
Kids went off to Science with a specialist science teacher ... we did sound and filled test tubes and other containers to make music. Nice lesson. I left a little early so I was ready.
9:55am, kids arrive back and we are go. Kids get settled and I start on the dot of 10am with a quick chart and then I intro E. to play guitar. Beverly (observation teacher from UNE) arrives and the class greet her, E plays, all goes well. We get into the lesson ... then Bieber arrives ...
Well, not literally, but I ask the kids to pick a group - they can be in one of the following groups:
Once they are in their groups I give them 4 images repeated that I have cut up and made multiple colour copies. So Bieber Group has 4 images of Justin (the girls were very excited) and the technology group has 4 images of computers, insides of computers etc etc (also very excited). I give them a big grid (A3 page) that has two rows for them to put their images on to make patterns. Within the group they break up into pairs and one person puts down a pattern - for instance they might put Image 1, Image 2, Image 1, Image 2 and so on. Second person has to complete the pattern. They do three patterns and then swap roles. The kids loved it ... cannot believe a number of things:
Brought the class back and we did another exercise together as a group that they also loved - "in or out". So I am thinking of a pattern (eg. even number) and they call out numbers and I either put them on the "in" circle (eg. 2,4,6,8) on the board or the "out" circle. They have to guess my rule.
Feedback from Beverly ... well it was lovely and as many of you know I am not backward in coming forward - so try this ... "comfortable, clear voice, controlled, thoughtful to different kids needs, an asset to the school. Only concern is that I will not be teaching for 6 years!". Very nice, Mrs C. said it was brilliant and she is very lucky to have me in the classroom ... I must say it is very rewarding and even better is when I see the difference in individuals ... which brings me to my last story of the day ... my project ...
Two kids in class that are okay in class but I am looking to see if I can get more out of them. Mrs C. has been very supportive and so I have written a Lesson plan where these two (call them M&J) will research a computer ad (I found it at Aldi on the weekend) and tell me if it is "value", research it and make notes using mind-mapping software and then present it back to the class in PowerPoint. Second part of this work will be to create an advertisement or brochure of a computer that would be great for a family (with 2 kids aged 10 and 12) and then a second ad aimed at a 17 year old HSC student and gamer. This will involve analysis, comparison, synthesis and higher level thinking according to Bloom's Taxonomy. So, how is this going? Well today, they had some reading time and I took them out of the classroom and gave them the ad. I asked them to write down what they thought about its value and layout (that is the baseline). Then they started their research ... I asked them how would they know value and they started to research other competitors (Dell, Lenovo, HP etc) with the same (approx.) configuration. Then they started their mind-mapping notes and presentation. I asked Mrs C. to look over at the two boys who were deep in thought and then had a great discussion on what was more important ... the engine (processor) or the road (memory, graphics card etc etc). It was an analogy I had given them a day before. They were not disrupting the class and were starting to have some deep interactions. More to come ... I am also about to build another lesson based on Sport (for two other kids) and maybe one based on Music (Justin Bieber might make it again). Any suggestions of topics would be welcome - it all links back to Multiple Intelligences theory..
Great, great day, loved it ... this is going too fast ... so much to do with the class and individuals.
Kids went off to Science with a specialist science teacher ... we did sound and filled test tubes and other containers to make music. Nice lesson. I left a little early so I was ready.
9:55am, kids arrive back and we are go. Kids get settled and I start on the dot of 10am with a quick chart and then I intro E. to play guitar. Beverly (observation teacher from UNE) arrives and the class greet her, E plays, all goes well. We get into the lesson ... then Bieber arrives ...
Well, not literally, but I ask the kids to pick a group - they can be in one of the following groups:
- Sport
- Bieber
- Horses
- Technology, or
- Music
Once they are in their groups I give them 4 images repeated that I have cut up and made multiple colour copies. So Bieber Group has 4 images of Justin (the girls were very excited) and the technology group has 4 images of computers, insides of computers etc etc (also very excited). I give them a big grid (A3 page) that has two rows for them to put their images on to make patterns. Within the group they break up into pairs and one person puts down a pattern - for instance they might put Image 1, Image 2, Image 1, Image 2 and so on. Second person has to complete the pattern. They do three patterns and then swap roles. The kids loved it ... cannot believe a number of things:
- How quickly they settled into the activity once I prompted them - 4 groups of varying sizes was fine as I could go around to each one to check without having to look at each couple as a subset of the groups
- How they managed to have even numbers in each group so the coupling worked! (love Murphy's law)
- How many kids wanted to keep the images so they could play with them
Brought the class back and we did another exercise together as a group that they also loved - "in or out". So I am thinking of a pattern (eg. even number) and they call out numbers and I either put them on the "in" circle (eg. 2,4,6,8) on the board or the "out" circle. They have to guess my rule.
Feedback from Beverly ... well it was lovely and as many of you know I am not backward in coming forward - so try this ... "comfortable, clear voice, controlled, thoughtful to different kids needs, an asset to the school. Only concern is that I will not be teaching for 6 years!". Very nice, Mrs C. said it was brilliant and she is very lucky to have me in the classroom ... I must say it is very rewarding and even better is when I see the difference in individuals ... which brings me to my last story of the day ... my project ...
Two kids in class that are okay in class but I am looking to see if I can get more out of them. Mrs C. has been very supportive and so I have written a Lesson plan where these two (call them M&J) will research a computer ad (I found it at Aldi on the weekend) and tell me if it is "value", research it and make notes using mind-mapping software and then present it back to the class in PowerPoint. Second part of this work will be to create an advertisement or brochure of a computer that would be great for a family (with 2 kids aged 10 and 12) and then a second ad aimed at a 17 year old HSC student and gamer. This will involve analysis, comparison, synthesis and higher level thinking according to Bloom's Taxonomy. So, how is this going? Well today, they had some reading time and I took them out of the classroom and gave them the ad. I asked them to write down what they thought about its value and layout (that is the baseline). Then they started their research ... I asked them how would they know value and they started to research other competitors (Dell, Lenovo, HP etc) with the same (approx.) configuration. Then they started their mind-mapping notes and presentation. I asked Mrs C. to look over at the two boys who were deep in thought and then had a great discussion on what was more important ... the engine (processor) or the road (memory, graphics card etc etc). It was an analogy I had given them a day before. They were not disrupting the class and were starting to have some deep interactions. More to come ... I am also about to build another lesson based on Sport (for two other kids) and maybe one based on Music (Justin Bieber might make it again). Any suggestions of topics would be welcome - it all links back to Multiple Intelligences theory..
Great, great day, loved it ... this is going too fast ... so much to do with the class and individuals.
Day Five - Shaving Cream
Monday, feel nearly ready ... teaching my first lesson. It is the Government unit and I am simply giving an introduction to the book helping the kids understand how to navigate the book (Contents, glossary, index etc).
I had 15 minutes and got through just over half of the work I had prepared - I had prepared for 30 minutes so timing was okay and we will finish it off today or tomorrow. But ... I just have to tell you about shaving cream.
In the morning I got into class at 7:50am (I thought there was a staff meeting but it was in the afternoon). Mrs C was putting items in her "Goodie box" (kids get their names for being good during the week in a container and then at the end of the week Mrs C pulls out 3 or so names to pick a prize from the goodie box). Part of her purchases was shaving cream ... I did not ask why I just assumed it was for home.
Mid-morning ... I have done my lesson and Mrs C asks everyone to clear away their tables. She gets out shaving cream and puts a strip on their desk - I kid you not. They can play with it and they know not to throw it around or put it off their desk.
We then get down to work ... Mrs C calls out a spelling word and the kids write in the shaving cream with one hand (well two sometimes get involved). Once finished they put both of their hands up (I will try and attach a picture so you can see this). It was amazing. Once we had done about 10 words she allowed everyone to play again and then we wiped it up with paper towels. Absolutely awesome lesson and the tactile response, listening and learning that involved so many senses was fantastic.
Finally, I am pulling together two of the class to do a special assignment on computers as they are not as engaged in the class as I would like. I found a brochure on the weekend and an ad linked to the brochure and am going to ask the two kids to research one computer in the brochure to compare it to others on the market and tell me if it is good value or not. I also want them to look at how the ad is laid out and why they do it in a particular way, what audience are they trying to sell to etc. Mrs C is excited about it, so that is a good start.
I am getting assessed today in my Maths lesson - a external teacher is coming in that represents my University ... my lesson is on Patterns (2, 4, 6, 8 etc) - but let me just say one word .... Bieber ... be afraid.
I had 15 minutes and got through just over half of the work I had prepared - I had prepared for 30 minutes so timing was okay and we will finish it off today or tomorrow. But ... I just have to tell you about shaving cream.
In the morning I got into class at 7:50am (I thought there was a staff meeting but it was in the afternoon). Mrs C was putting items in her "Goodie box" (kids get their names for being good during the week in a container and then at the end of the week Mrs C pulls out 3 or so names to pick a prize from the goodie box). Part of her purchases was shaving cream ... I did not ask why I just assumed it was for home.
Mid-morning ... I have done my lesson and Mrs C asks everyone to clear away their tables. She gets out shaving cream and puts a strip on their desk - I kid you not. They can play with it and they know not to throw it around or put it off their desk.
We then get down to work ... Mrs C calls out a spelling word and the kids write in the shaving cream with one hand (well two sometimes get involved). Once finished they put both of their hands up (I will try and attach a picture so you can see this). It was amazing. Once we had done about 10 words she allowed everyone to play again and then we wiped it up with paper towels. Absolutely awesome lesson and the tactile response, listening and learning that involved so many senses was fantastic.
Finally, I am pulling together two of the class to do a special assignment on computers as they are not as engaged in the class as I would like. I found a brochure on the weekend and an ad linked to the brochure and am going to ask the two kids to research one computer in the brochure to compare it to others on the market and tell me if it is good value or not. I also want them to look at how the ad is laid out and why they do it in a particular way, what audience are they trying to sell to etc. Mrs C is excited about it, so that is a good start.
I am getting assessed today in my Maths lesson - a external teacher is coming in that represents my University ... my lesson is on Patterns (2, 4, 6, 8 etc) - but let me just say one word .... Bieber ... be afraid.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Day Four - Prep for first and second lesson
I completed the preparation for my first lesson last night where I will be teaching this with my assessor in the room on Tuesday at 10am. They will observe for 1 hour and then debrief Mrs C (my Supervising Teacher) and then me.
Action: Today I learnt that there was some testing done on some of the kids and that if they read off red or green paper that it helps their reading. Last year they used blue paper. - must look into this.
I also approached another teacher today to see if I could observe her teaching as she was always well liked by the kids. She was stand-offish and I was not sure why. Seems like some of the teachers are concerned with others in their class - it was explained really well by one of the heads of school that I spoke to this about - they spend their whole days by themselves dealing with day to day issues, changes and lots of kids - so they are so self-sufficient that another adult in that routine can be too much.
I agreed with Mrs C that I should do a lesson before Tuesday so I am practiced. So I spent 30 minutes this afternoon and some of tonight putting together the first lesson for HSIE on Government.
I also spent about an hour today printing and then cutting up photos for my Mathematics lesson on Tuesday - and I was lucky, as I just took time out of the class to do it. Normally I would have to do this at home as I would not have time.
Two other things that went on that I forgot to mention when I first posted this ... Mrs C asked the kids to write a "reflection" on their recent Aztec module that they did. The key to this learning was that they self-directed it - there was little "telling" from the teacher - the kids decided how they wanted to research and what they wanted to research and present back in terms on the topic.Mrs C first showed her own reflection on the topic and how the kids coped. Some (10%) got how to write a Reflection quickly but most struggled. We brainstormed ideas with them and I gave them "Who, what, where, when, how" questions to answer for their reflection. They were better after that but many still struggled (20%).
Lastly, Mrs C organises her days in baskets. She puts all of her Monday work that the kids will go through into the "Monday" basket. If she does not get through it she moves it to the "Tuesday" basket. Nice idea - I like it.
Looking forward to next week ... First and second lesson to do, Book Week, Athletics Carnival Thursday and Grandparents day on Friday.
Action: Today I learnt that there was some testing done on some of the kids and that if they read off red or green paper that it helps their reading. Last year they used blue paper. - must look into this.
I also approached another teacher today to see if I could observe her teaching as she was always well liked by the kids. She was stand-offish and I was not sure why. Seems like some of the teachers are concerned with others in their class - it was explained really well by one of the heads of school that I spoke to this about - they spend their whole days by themselves dealing with day to day issues, changes and lots of kids - so they are so self-sufficient that another adult in that routine can be too much.
I agreed with Mrs C that I should do a lesson before Tuesday so I am practiced. So I spent 30 minutes this afternoon and some of tonight putting together the first lesson for HSIE on Government.
I also spent about an hour today printing and then cutting up photos for my Mathematics lesson on Tuesday - and I was lucky, as I just took time out of the class to do it. Normally I would have to do this at home as I would not have time.
Two other things that went on that I forgot to mention when I first posted this ... Mrs C asked the kids to write a "reflection" on their recent Aztec module that they did. The key to this learning was that they self-directed it - there was little "telling" from the teacher - the kids decided how they wanted to research and what they wanted to research and present back in terms on the topic.Mrs C first showed her own reflection on the topic and how the kids coped. Some (10%) got how to write a Reflection quickly but most struggled. We brainstormed ideas with them and I gave them "Who, what, where, when, how" questions to answer for their reflection. They were better after that but many still struggled (20%).
Lastly, Mrs C organises her days in baskets. She puts all of her Monday work that the kids will go through into the "Monday" basket. If she does not get through it she moves it to the "Tuesday" basket. Nice idea - I like it.
Looking forward to next week ... First and second lesson to do, Book Week, Athletics Carnival Thursday and Grandparents day on Friday.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Day three - wet
Felt ready to go today ...
Learning: We got in and we started as normal with reading. Each child can read their accelerated reader for 10 minutes to settle things down. I like it.
I talked to the class about yesterday and what we learnt - linking our library lessons, maths and pieces together.
Then we got stuck into Line charts.
Learning: Photocopies are made of the text book in red and blue for some kids - it apparently makes it easier for people to read.
Bolting rain today and so, again, these teachers got no break - just looking after their classes all day ... amazing.
Kids went off to PE, Music and French today and that gave me and Mrs C time to plan my first lesson. This will be on Tuesday next week on (you guessed it) maths - Sequencing and patterns. This is when my evaluation is due to occur from my Uni.
Anyway, I have spent at least 3 hours preparing for a 1 hour lesson - gosh, this is hard! Yes, yes, I know, it gets faster ... but what a dunce I am!
I also got a memo today (classic!) with me being assigned to the Long Jump with two other teachers for the Athletics Carnival next week - how good is this school to include me?!
Looking forward to tomorrow. Oh, and we had the guy from the Book Fair come in and talk to us about the new books to the 5th and 6th graders - great speaker and the kids loved it. Should be a good book fair starting now until the end of next week.
Learning: We got in and we started as normal with reading. Each child can read their accelerated reader for 10 minutes to settle things down. I like it.
I talked to the class about yesterday and what we learnt - linking our library lessons, maths and pieces together.
Then we got stuck into Line charts.
Learning: Photocopies are made of the text book in red and blue for some kids - it apparently makes it easier for people to read.
Bolting rain today and so, again, these teachers got no break - just looking after their classes all day ... amazing.
Kids went off to PE, Music and French today and that gave me and Mrs C time to plan my first lesson. This will be on Tuesday next week on (you guessed it) maths - Sequencing and patterns. This is when my evaluation is due to occur from my Uni.
Anyway, I have spent at least 3 hours preparing for a 1 hour lesson - gosh, this is hard! Yes, yes, I know, it gets faster ... but what a dunce I am!
I also got a memo today (classic!) with me being assigned to the Long Jump with two other teachers for the Athletics Carnival next week - how good is this school to include me?!
Looking forward to tomorrow. Oh, and we had the guy from the Book Fair come in and talk to us about the new books to the 5th and 6th graders - great speaker and the kids loved it. Should be a good book fair starting now until the end of next week.
Day Two - Tired day
So Day One was built on adrenaline and Day 2 was wet (very wet) and I am exhausted. Nanna nap was needed when I came home!
Morning was maths and english (each morning is compulsory to do that). We did Graphs (bar, pie, line) and spoken about how you can use them most effectively and got the kids to label a blank graph and write questions they could ask of their graph. Then their neighbour got to answer the questions to see if they worked. I got a chance to give some examples to the kids of how I would use these graphs and we spoke about (and showed them) how graphs can be used to mislead. Lovely how my head teacher (I will call her Mrs C) invites me to participate.
Before lunch we took the kids up to the library and asked them to pick a person's biography to do some research on. This is part of a major topic on biographies and autobiographies. Librarian presented on how to use Encyclopedia Brittanica (yep, still used in softcopy form). Then each kid was asked to find a book with a biography that they wanted to do. I helped them find this ... some were distracted and found the task hard and I found the trick was to find them in the library to help them out. Lots of fun and they found a biography of a person that they liked.
Did I mention it was raining today and it was sport day?!
So what do you do with 20 kids when you cannot go to the oval - oh well, make up a lesson, of course! Mrs C continued with the play that we had done the day before and the kids practised that.
3:10pm could not come faster ... oh, another thing, these teachers use their lunch break like a running pit stop - in, lunch, out, back to class - they do not stop ... might try to work on grabbing one of them each day to talk about their experience and thoughts for a new teacher ...
Morning was maths and english (each morning is compulsory to do that). We did Graphs (bar, pie, line) and spoken about how you can use them most effectively and got the kids to label a blank graph and write questions they could ask of their graph. Then their neighbour got to answer the questions to see if they worked. I got a chance to give some examples to the kids of how I would use these graphs and we spoke about (and showed them) how graphs can be used to mislead. Lovely how my head teacher (I will call her Mrs C) invites me to participate.
Before lunch we took the kids up to the library and asked them to pick a person's biography to do some research on. This is part of a major topic on biographies and autobiographies. Librarian presented on how to use Encyclopedia Brittanica (yep, still used in softcopy form). Then each kid was asked to find a book with a biography that they wanted to do. I helped them find this ... some were distracted and found the task hard and I found the trick was to find them in the library to help them out. Lots of fun and they found a biography of a person that they liked.
Did I mention it was raining today and it was sport day?!
So what do you do with 20 kids when you cannot go to the oval - oh well, make up a lesson, of course! Mrs C continued with the play that we had done the day before and the kids practised that.
3:10pm could not come faster ... oh, another thing, these teachers use their lunch break like a running pit stop - in, lunch, out, back to class - they do not stop ... might try to work on grabbing one of them each day to talk about their experience and thoughts for a new teacher ...
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
First day of prac
So, my first day of 4 weeks of prac teaching Stage 3 at a local school.
Unreal experience and I can really feel my mum's background and passion for teaching coming through me. After the day was done and I was reflecting with my brother and my son on the day, I got a shiver up my spine and realised that I was really looking forward to waking up tomorrow and seeing the kids again ... I want more, I love it.
Learning: An interesting way a teacher dealt with a difficult class - she asked the kids to sit in alphabetical order and inevitability this led to friends not sitting next to each other. If they were well behaved then they got a choice of sitting next to their friends. It did turn out that three of the friends did end up sitting together (go boys for picking friends by alphabet!). There was a complaint in the class with one student saying it was not fair. The teacher moved one of the boys away. It caused some angst with the boys but the complainers were happy. I wonder what cost this movement had on the original great original idea to set up the seating arrangement in alphabetical order?
Learning: In drama we were doing a play. Love the way students were put into groups based on reading ability and so they could share a common interest at the right level. They really excelled at finding a leader to assign parts of the play and went about going through the play with some little distractions.
Learning: Having two "teachers" (well one and a bit) in the class is very useful - typical me, wanting to get involved straight away and so am helping the kids get through their work - loving it.
My day:
2 hour induction, Art class, comprehension, interrogate Brett (ie. ask me any question they like), do the play.
Student questions of me:
Unreal experience and I can really feel my mum's background and passion for teaching coming through me. After the day was done and I was reflecting with my brother and my son on the day, I got a shiver up my spine and realised that I was really looking forward to waking up tomorrow and seeing the kids again ... I want more, I love it.
Learning: An interesting way a teacher dealt with a difficult class - she asked the kids to sit in alphabetical order and inevitability this led to friends not sitting next to each other. If they were well behaved then they got a choice of sitting next to their friends. It did turn out that three of the friends did end up sitting together (go boys for picking friends by alphabet!). There was a complaint in the class with one student saying it was not fair. The teacher moved one of the boys away. It caused some angst with the boys but the complainers were happy. I wonder what cost this movement had on the original great original idea to set up the seating arrangement in alphabetical order?
Learning: In drama we were doing a play. Love the way students were put into groups based on reading ability and so they could share a common interest at the right level. They really excelled at finding a leader to assign parts of the play and went about going through the play with some little distractions.
Learning: Having two "teachers" (well one and a bit) in the class is very useful - typical me, wanting to get involved straight away and so am helping the kids get through their work - loving it.
My day:
2 hour induction, Art class, comprehension, interrogate Brett (ie. ask me any question they like), do the play.
Student questions of me:
- Why do you want to be a teacher?
- Have you done teaching before (Testing me out obviously!)
- Do you get paid to do this teaching? (No)
- Followup question: so how do you earn money?
- Follow, followup: so how much money do you earn per day in your IBM job?
- (I got them to work out what IBM stands for)
- What does IBM do?
- What is the best thing you are working on?
- How big is the biggest computer?
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