FIVE Strategies New Teachers Learn FAST

My student teachers in the Secondary Teaching Education Program at UBC Okanagan have just completed their first full week in the classrooms.  Their reflections on what they  learned last week have already highlighted some key aspects of good teaching practice.  The strategies that they discovered to be essential were worth repeating, so I  decided to compile their thoughts and share them.   Here’s the top five:

1.    Know Them . . . One by One

Get to know the students’ names a.s.a.p.  Everything goes smoother when you can call on a student using their name.  While you’re working at learning them, a seating plan is extremely useful and having one on hand is a lifesaver for any teacher who has to step in as a substitute.

Knowing something about them like their favorite sport or pastime can also make a difference in developing good rapport. When the opportunity is there, take the time to ask or comment on their unique skills, abilities and interests; this will help to achieve their respect and cooperation.

2.    State the Obvious . . . then Say it Again 

Even if it seems like common sense, assume nothing and tell students as clearly as possible every aspect of what they are expected to do.  Check for understanding and clarification before allowing them to start an activity or move around the room.

It may seem repetitious, but it’s beneficial to ‘tell them what they are going to do, tell them what they are doing, and then tell them what they did.’  This helps them to see the purpose and progressive nature of the plan for the class and their learning.

3.    Organize . . . Everything

A system of organization is needed for lesson plans, for unit plans, for hand-outs, for absent students’ handouts, for assignments turned in, for assignments marked, for assignments not marked, for graded assignments not yet recorded. . . . yikes!  The paper trail is endless! It ‘s essential to be able to find what you need when you need it.  Develop or borrow a system that makes sense and works.

4.    Start Strong . . . Finish Well

Getting the attention of the class at the start is not always an easy thing to do, yet it is important to do it well.  How the class begins sets the tone for later.  Expert teachers tend to do it so well, their strategy might be overlooked, but taking note of what works for them and adopting a personal version of that is the best way to tackle this challenge.

Allowing the bell to end the class leaves students without closure.  Whenever possible, it helps to recap the lesson, clarify homework, or simply comment on the topic of the day  (tell them what they did!) and set them up for next class.

5.  Discipline . . . on the Side

A common reason for inappropriate behavior in class often stems from a student’s desire to get attention.  When the teacher disciplines that student in front of everyone, the bad behavior is actually getting positive reinforcement.  Whenever possible, it is preferable to speak to the students one on one, or on the side, so that a purposeful conversation about the bad behavior can take place.  The best way to handle interruptions during a lesson, is to tell the student that they must stay after class for a private conversation.  This may cause some concern on the student’s part and end the disruptive behavior.

Reflecting on a STAR

Writing a reflection can be a daunting task.  Where do you begin?  What should you write about?  What is the purpose of it anyway?

In my work with pre-service teachers, I have realized that the students are required to write a reflection for every week of their practicums, which will require at least 12 reflective writings.  In order to maximize this writing effort, I thought it would be a bonus if these reflections could serve a dual purpose.  It occurred to me that maybe these reflections could provide concrete examples for the students’ future job interviews.

The most popular type of questions used in teacher job interviews today are the behavioral style of interview questions. This demands the interviewee to recount a personal story or incident about a topic in question.

Here are a few examples of behavioral type questions:

• Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation.   What coping skills did you use?  Were those skills effective?

• Tell me about a situation where you had to solve a difficult problem. What did you do? What was your thought process? What was the outcome? What do you wish you had done differently?

• What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example.

A format  used  to tackle these tough questions is known as the STAR technique:

Situation or Task	Describe the situation that you were in or the task that you needed to accomplish. You must describe a specific event or situation, not a generalized description of what you have done in the past. Be sure to give enough detail for the interviewer to understand. This situation can be from a previous job, from a volunteer experience, or any relevant event.
Action you        took	Describe the action you took and be sure to keep the focus on you. Even if you are discussing a group project or effort, describe what you did — not the efforts of the team. Don’t tell what you might do, tell what you did.
Results you achieved	What happened? How did the event end? What did you accomplish? What did you learn?

This same format can be use to tackle the request of writing a reflection.  Students can use the STAR format to frame their reflection:

Situation:  Describe a situation that went well or that didn’t go well in your                       class this week.

Task: Include an account of the task that your students had been requested                    to do at this time.

Action: Describe the action that you took regarding this situation.  ie.  Did you go ahead with the task as planned?  Did you stop and make changes to the task?

Result: Describe the result of your actions.  Did the students respond well?                      Why or why not?

Obviously students will choose reflections with a positive outcome for their interview answers, however, it is the situations with not-s0-positive outcomes that have the greatest learning potential.    Hopefully these reflections will not be ‘lost’ and the learning from the mistakes that has been recorded can be referred to in the future for continued growth.

16 Outcomes of Reflection

What is actually accomplished by reflecting on a document or artifact in a

     portfolio?

The conclusions below are based on  actual experiences that came from  12 reflective writings using the four dimensions of reflection. 

Thinking back to an experience may lead to the following upgrades in learning:

• The learning is clarified.
• Memories turn into specific outcomes of learning. 
• Past learning becomes meaningful to present circumstances.

 Reflecting back may also lead to learning about one’s self such as:

• A key element of personality that is a driving force in decision- making.
• A recognition or affirmation of personal core beliefs and values.
• A creation of a new learning or life goals

Thinking forward may lead to these implications of learning:

• The learning is solidified through practice.
• Gaps in learning are identified.
• The learning changes previous behaviors.

Thinking inward about prior learning may open up the following new levels of learning:

• The learning becomes more relevant and meaningful to the present.
• The learning creates new perspectives.

Reflecting inward and connecting with emotions may lead to learning such as:

• Recognition of life patterns, positive or negative.
• Development of new strategies for dealing with emotional life situations.

Thinking outward may allow for these expansions of learning:

• The learning creates a greater self – awareness.
• The learning generates understanding of others.
• New or different concepts can be more fully understood.

The Four Dimensions of Reflecting

   The use of portfolios and critical reflections on the portfolio contents has become mainstream methodology in Education today.  Teachers of all grade levels and subjects and Professors in many faculties are asking students to reflect on their work. In many cases, the instructors are making this request of students without giving them instructions on how to begin. Many students do not naturally know how to reflect or why they should reflect.

To help students come up with meaningful reflections, I have developed the four dimensions of reflection.  It is an adaptation of the best ideas on reflection by Dr. Helen Barrett (2008) that I have found so far.  The four dimensions are:

 1.  Thinking back (connecting to past memories and experiences that relate to the topic)                                  eg. What prior learning or  previous life experiences come to my mind about this topic?

2. Thinking forward (considering future implications of the topic)                                                                              eg.  What aspect of this topic would I like to study further? How might this learning influence my future?

3.  Thinking inward (recognizing feelings and emotions about the topic)                                                               eg.  Do I have negative or positive associations with this topic?  Where might that be coming from?

4. Thinking outward (considering other’s point of view on the topic)                                                                       eg. How might a person from a different culture or religion view this topic? In what ways does that view differ from mine?

Why Use ePortfolios for Assessment?

The eportfolio has been used successfully for assessment in K- 12 education as well as many faculties of higher education.  In addition to Education, it is often used in the Arts, the Humanities and Social Sciences; it is now becoming more popular with the faculties of Computer Science and Engineering. 

The Burgess Report (2007) concluded that assembling a portfolio allows a student to showcase a much wider range of achievement for assessment than traditional forms of assessment.

The use of ePortfolios for assessment fits well with the constructivist framework that has been emerging in education as the most effective teaching and learning experience. (Clark & Adamson 2009)  It provides opportunities for the formative assessment valuable to the constructivist approach.

The ePortfolio provides a tool that allows for assessment for learning since it is:

• Student centered – The learner is involved and authorized to make decisions about their learning.
• Student directed – Students can be involved in development of learning goals and in the development of assessment criteria.
• Feedback from teachers and peers – Feedback in the form of comments, as opposed to marks, is the natural and appropriate manner to help students with self-assessment and ePortfolio decisions.
• Recognition of individual learning abilities and preferences- The learners have the freedom to bring in their own interests or competencies into the assessment situation. (Hilzensauer & Schaffert (2009)
• Demonstrates awareness of learning and  growth over time – Both student and teacher can note the changes or improvements in skills  from Sept. to June.

 The most valuable aspect of ‘ePortfolio thinking’ is that students are being encouraged to think about their learning and become more reflective thinkers in general. As students increase their metacognitive skills, they make progress towards the ultimate goal of becoming more skilled life-long learners. (Clark & Adamson 2009)

Personal Response

I have watched with great interest over the last decade as ePortfolio tools have advanced. The  efolio tool developed by Ray Tolley allows for users of all ages and purposes. I have noted that some of the issues around evaluation and assessment have disappeared, however, new and different challenges have continued to emerge. More efficient marking schemes for evaluating the product are currently being developed and tested. (Clark & Adamson 2009) Improvements and progress in innovative ways to use ePortfolios effectively are evident. (Barrett 2009) Dr. Helen Barrett is currently conducting an internet based action research project that examines the use of Google Applications for creation of ePortfolios.  Following the thread of blogs around this project indicate that many complications with developing the product still need to be worked out, but questions are being answered and progress is being made.

 It seems that similar to the ePortfolio always being a ‘work in progress’, so it is with the use of ePortfolios as an assessment tool.

Creating a Service Learning Portfolio

What is a Learning Portfolio?

A purposeful collection of student learning that exhibits the student’s efforts and achievements in a specific course or project.

How can Learning Portfolios be used?

Portfolios are gaining popularity in College and University education as a means for students to demonstrate the knowledge and abilities they have acquired from a specific activity (e.g. participation in service).  Proof of this can be found at http://www.aaeebl.org 

What goes into a Service Learning Portfolio?

Documents pertaining to the processes involved in the project, as well as evidence of the project’s outcomes. For example:  
-      Service training 

 -     Journals or logs

-       Relevant academic work

-       Media coverage (including articles in the campus newspaper or website

-       Evaluations by community members and instructors

 -       Organizational brochures or other information

 -       Plan for action research or other future projects, etc.

-       Reflections that document the learning process. This could include an understanding of service learning and the student’s philosophy regarding the experience.

Benefits of a Service Learning Portfolio

• Allows the learner to demonstrate learning to the outside world; the Portfolio can become a life-long learning tool for the student’s own purpose or to showcase learning to future employers.
• The learner becomes more aware of learning in the real world as they reflect and document the learning experiences that take place in the organization or business involved.
• Learning in a social context is recognized; sharing with groups or doing collaborative projects is valued and documented.
• Students have an opportunity to reflect on who they are as a person, learning lessons from their own experiences and seeing changes and growth within themselves. 

For more information on service learning check out:  The Complete Guide to Service Learning
Catherine Berger Kaye (2004)  Free Spirit Publishing www.freespirit.com

Portfolios for Career Transition- Step 1

     The Portfolio Process 

A Portfolio will provide you with an organized electronic collection of materials, artifacts and evidence that summarizes, highlights and validates . .

-       who you are as a person 

-       what you know and can do

-       what you  hope to do.

It will be an evolving work in progress as you add or delete documents that demonstrate your most current skills.  With this in mind, you will want to follow a systematic process to help you identify what to put into your Portfolio.  The CROS (Collection, Reflection, Organization and Selection) system is a tested and tried system that has assisted many people with the development of their Portfolio. 

  Step 1:    C – Collection

Search through your file folders, boxes and computer documents for any evidence that says something about you and your skills.  Keep an ongoing list of what you have FOUND.  This will help you to keep track of what you have so that it is not forgotten later.   When you find something useful, it often reminds you of something else that you have somewhere that might also be useable.  Create another list entitled TO FIND.    This list will include those items that you know you have somewhere, but you will have to keep searching in other places (Mom’s basement?) to find it.

     Create another list of items under the heading:  REQUEST.   This list will include documents that you are not able to find, but you know that someone else may have this item.  This will save time when you begin writing letters or emails to employers or colleagues to request these documents.  You can do it all in one sitting, sending “copied” messages to several people, if necessary, to request the desired document.

     One more useful list will be entitled CREATE.  This list will include items that you know are lost or destroyed.  This may be a long list if you have experienced the misfortune of a computer crash.  The items destroyed may have to be recreated if you feel they will be a valuable addition to your Portfolio.

Reflecting on our lives in general allows us to gain a better sense of who we are, what we have done, what we know, and what our goals of the future are.  It may also help us to see patterns in our lives, and to evaluate professional and personal growth.  The reflection process is a necessary step in identifying what to put into an Portfolio.  Here are five key questions to assist you with the first step of the reflection process:

    1. What three words describe me best?

    2. What are my five top skills?

    3. What are my short and long term goals?

    4. What are my greatest strengths?

    5. What are my major accomplishments?

If you can find, create or request documents or artifacts that demonstrate the answers to these questions, you will have a great start on a useful portfolio.  
  Stay tuned for Step #2!

Portfolios for Career Transition – Step 2

 

Step 2:  Reflecting

If  you had some success with the first step of Collecting, you now have a “pile” of evidence, or a long list of documents that you will consider uploading into your Portfolio.  Chances are good that you have far too much material to work with and you now have to begin the process of elimination. To help you determine just how useful each item will be for your Portfolio, you may want to use reflective questions to help you decide. Here are some valuable reflective questions to assist you with this process:

     1.  What does this item mean to me?

     2.  What does this item say about me?

     3.  What specific skills/knowledge/attributes are reflected in this item?

     4.  How does this item relate to my short/long term goals?

     5.  In what ways does this item demonstrate my strengths? 

     6.  What is the importance of this item/activity in relation to my  

          personal or professional growth?

     7.  What barriers or challenges did I have to overcome to realize this

          achievement?

 Take your time with these questions. They might tell you a lot about yourself that hadn’t realized or that you had forgotten.  Record all thought and ideas that come to you.

Portfolios for Career Transition- Step 3

Step 3:    Organization

The Portfolio tool that you choose may determine the organizational system that you use for presenting your evidence.  If you have a choice in the organizational framework, there are several approaches to consider.

1. Chronological

The chronological approach is an effective way of demonstrating career progression by clearly showing years or time periods. Just like a chronological resume, it is easy to follow and shows career steps by positions, job titles, companies or organizations that you worked for. Evidence of skills used or developed in each time period can be displayed.

 2.  Thematic

The thematic approach is more commonly used for Portfolio organization.  Common categories that can be used are:

Skills/Competencies

Education and Training

Professional Development

Accomplishments

Projects

Community/Volunteer

Leisure/Hobbies/Travel

 3. STAR

The simple STAR format is great way to organize your documents if you don’t have a lot of evidence to display.

Skills

Training

Accomplishments

References 

4.   S.T.O.R.Y

If you haven’t been able to find or request any documents (refer  back to step 1) and  you have to resort to creating everything, you may need to do more reflective writing.  I recommend the STORY format (Max Lucado 2005)  to guide you.

S – Strengths: What are your natural strengths and abilities?  Refer back to childhood times and previous work experiences when you were complimented on doing something well.  List the verbs. 

T –  Topics:  What are you interested in? What objects do you enjoy working with?  List the nouns. 

O –  Optimal conditions:  In what type of environments do you find yourself being most productive?

R – Relationships:  Recall moments of satisfaction and success; how were you relating to people in those situations? 

Y- Yes!  Identify moments in life when you felt you were in the “sweet spot” of life.  Describe them.

For the complete Sweet Spot Discovery Guide refer to Cure for the Common Life;  Living in Your Sweet Spot by Max Lucado published by Thomas Nelson 2005.

Portfolios for Career Transition: Step 4 – Presentation

Step 4 – Selection for Presentation

The final step in deciding what to put into your Portfolio involves selecting items that will be appropriate for your audience.  Some questions to consider are:

1. Who are the key people that will be viewing my Portfolio?
2. What exactly will they want to see?
3.  What is their familiarity with Portfolios? 
4.  Will they need assistance in navigating through this item of evidence or through the organizational format used?
5. How might they evaluate my skills?
6. What questions might they ask?

 Preparing for the Presentation

 The best advice that can be given regarding the portfolio presentation is to follow the lead of the interviewer.   Some employers may be truly interested and actually ask you to show your portfolio.  This is not an open invitation to walk through every item in your collection.  Be respectful of time limitations and be ready with the top three items that say the most about you.  Then, pause and see if they are wanting to see and hear more.  Chances are they will have to move forward with the interview. 

If the employer does not invite you to show your portfolio, be ready with items that help you answer an interview question.  For example, you might say, “ I can explain that job experience more fully by showing you this. . . “  Keep your explanation short and simple.  Hopefully they will ask questions that will allow you to tell more about specific skills or accomplishments.

                          Final Portfolio Tips

 It takes time to develop a good Portfolio but the result                  will be  worth the effort!

             Think QUALITY not QUANTITY and keep your                  Portfolio simple.

       Make sure you can defend each item in your                        Portfolio.  Why have you included it?  What strength or skill does it demonstrate?

      Don’t skimp on your Portfolio budget.  Remember your Portfolio is a reflection of you.  Keep your Portfolio current; review it on a weekly basis and update as appropriate.

 You can customize your Portfolio for a specific job application.   Keep copies of everything in a general portfolio, then select specific items for a “tailored” portfolio.  

There is no law that says you can’t have more than one Portfolio!

What to put into a Career Transition Portfolio

Portfolios are as unique as the individuals who prepare them. While there are no rules about what goes into a portfolio, it should represent the best of you.   It should also  demonstrate that you have thought through your experiences and gained a clear picture of what you have to offer.   Include meaningful, relevant items from all your learning to create a clear picture of ‘who you are’ and ‘what you know you can do’.

The following list contains ideas for the general ‘working’ portfolio.  You will want to select specific items from this larger collection for the ‘tailored’ portfolio that you would use in a job interview.

• Career and professional development goals
• Your work philosophy or description of your beliefs about yourself
• A  current resume or curriculum vitae
• Copies of cover letters
• Letters of recommendation and references
• Work and learning samples
• A skills inventory
• Evidence of knowledge and abilities
• Learning narratives and reflections
• Certificates, diplomas, degrees and awards (use photographs)
• Records of community service/volunteer work (brochures, letters of recognition, etc.)
• Transcripts
• Professional memberships and service
• Work term reports
• Self-assessment records
• Works in progress (activities and projects)
• Newspaper clippings featuring you
• Letters of appreciation
• Photographs or other relevant media

The order of these items will depend on the categories or organizational system that you select. You may want to keep an ongoing Table of Contents to remind yourself of all that you have to choose from. Use a revised table of contents for the tailored portfolio that you show to future employers.

Four Ways to Reflect

Four Dimensions of Reflective Learning

I.  Thinking Back

 Returning to a learning experience or recapturing a learning event some time after it has taken place may allow the learner to revisit the entire experience from a fresh and different perspective.  Learners may uncover previous knowledge that had been learned but was now buried or simply forgotten. 

 Questions that may help uncover learning from the past are:  

• What was the original purpose of this project/experience?
• What was my motive for completion of this project/experience?
• What were the critical factors helping or hindering completion of this project?
•  What specific skills/knowledge/attributes were necessary for completion of this project?
• What did I actually learn from this project/experience?
• When did the most learning occur? How do I know this?

II. Thinking Forward

     As learners reflect on how they would do things differently in the future, it is possible that an “upgrade” of learning could occur.  This deeper level of learning has been referred to as transformative learning (King 2002).

    Questions that may help the learner to understand future implications about learning are:

• If I had chosen to do “x” or not to do “x”, what might have happened?
• How significant are the outcomes of either direction?
• If I had the chance to do this again, what changes would I make?
• How might this project or experience shape the goals that I set for my future?
• How might what I have learned affect my future learning decisions?

III. Thinking Inward

     Introspective reflections also bring the learner closer to emotions. According to James Zull (2002), reflecting on a previous experience will be meaningless unless it engages our emotions. A deeper understanding of one’s own feelings and emotions leads to a higher level of learning as described by several taxonomies of learning.

Questions that may lead to an intrinsic connection are:

• Why was this project or experience meaningful to me?
• What are my personal beliefs regarding this learning experience?
• Do I agree or disagree with the way I learned this?  Why or why not?
• What differences has the learning made in my intellectual, personal or ethical development?
• What were the highest and lowest emotional moments in my learning experience?

IV. Thinking Outward

      Reflecting on the world around us requires an extended point of view.   Identifying the attitudes and opinions of another person, such as an author, a coworker, or a person from another culture leads learners to further consideration of their own belief system. The value in these contrasts and comparisons of beliefs is that it causes the learner to either expand their personal point of view or perhaps becoming more affirmed in their reasons for believing the way they do.

    Reflecting outwardly may lead to new ideas or theories that are used to explain or make sense of something.

    Questions that allow learners to think in an extrinsic way:

• How am I looking at this topic?  Can I identify another point of view?
• How might a person from another culture or religion look at this?
• Which of these viewpoints makes the most sense?
• Is my current concept about a topic causing problems for others?
• Does the problem or question in my mind have historical, ethical, scientific,

      political or economic considerations?

It is my hope that the four dimensions of reflection will add to your body of knowledge about a learning experience and contribute to your general understanding of yourself as a learner and a uniquely gifted person (Max Lucado 2005).

In Pursuit of Personalized Learning

      The complex needs of our 21^st century learners are driving our education systems to a new focus on personalized learning.  Articles, videos and blogs with impressive examples of personalized learning are flooding the media.  Many examples involve uses of technology that amaze and motivate us to move forward in that direction, but what can we do in the meantime?  Are there basic shifts in focus we can take to move us forward without weeks of pro-D or specialized training? The four descriptions below help to clarify PL and identify some strategies that foster this preferred way of learning. These strategies are already evident in our classrooms and with more emphasis can be used as a springboard to greater personalized learning opportunities.

1. Teaching students HOW to think instead of WHAT to think

This shift changes the focus on learning outcomes that are knowledge and content based to a focus on student thinking skills that show evidence of problem solving and critical thinking.  Allowing students to conduct inquiry-based projects is a step in the right direction.   When students are required to follow up with reflections on why and how they learned, the process of teaching students how to think expands.

2. Opening the door to Choices

The role of the teacher is shifting from ‘Controller’ to Coordinator.  Giving students options in their assignments and then guiding them through the process allows them to chose formats that interest them. Even if the criteria for an assignment remain the same, allowing for variation in methods of delivery (i.e. poster, power-point, video, etc.) allows for individual skills to develop and unique strengths to shine.

3.  Creating collaborative cultures

Personalized learning does not mean individualized learning.  According to B.C. Education Minister George Abbott, “the school curriculum will continue to focus on basic core skills, but it will now emphasize critical thinking, insight and teamwork.”  This is more more fully explained in the B.C. Education Plan. Teaching and modeling effective group and teamwork skills with plenty of practice time is the only way to achieve this goal.

4. Showcasing the Learning Process

Teachers that have adopted the use of learning portfolios (collections of work that show what students have done,) have discovered a great tool for personalized learning.  Even if the format of the portfolio is very basic, the student can see and demonstrate how work has progressed and can better identify learning gaps and develop plans for future learning.

UPDATE:  I  just became aware of the four “C”s for 21st Century learning.  This diagram really helps to clarify the skills we need to emphasize with our  students, our teaching, and our administrative leadership.

Using groups to help engage and involve students in their learning has become common place in today’s classrooms.  Unfortunately, it also presents many opportunities for students to be off task and to waste time chatting.  Another danger of group work is that one or two people actually do the work and the others are there in body only, allowing the ‘keeners’ to get the task done.

A few basic strategies can help to eliminate some of the potential problems that arise, or at least smooth out some of the complications of group work and get everyone participating.

1.  Forming the Groups

The first thing to consider when setting up the groups is whether the outcome of the activity is best accomplished with students of similar abilities working together or groups of varying interests and abilities.  If  random groups of students with different levels of ability are desired, simply numbering students works well.  For example, if you have 28 students in the class, number students from 1 – 7.   This will give you 7 groups of four.

Tip: Have the students actually say their number or they will not recall what number they are and may even decide to work the system and ‘pick the number’  of the group they want to be in.

If groups of students with similar abilities are preferred, it is best to plan the groups yourself before the class starts.        

Another Tip:    After the students have been allowed to from their group, insist that each group looks like a group with all desks facing each other, forming a good conversational circle.  No one should appear left out or separated in any way from other group members.     

2. Instructions

You will save yourself many frustrations by explaining the entire activity very clearly before anyone moves an inch!  Describe the purpose, the desired outcome and the details of how the outcome will be achieved before you even form the groups.  It seems that as soon as some students know where they are going and who they are going to be teamed up with, they quit listening and lose site of the purpose of the group activity.  Use phrases like this:                                                                                                                                                             – The goal of our class time today is . . .                                                                                               –  The reason we are going to do this activity in groups, rather than on our own is . . .             –  Before your group starts the activity, make sure that you have . . .                                            –   After 10 to 15 minutes of working together as a group, you should have accomplished.                                                                                                                                                   –  By the end of today’s class, we will all have . . .      

3.  Define Roles within the Group

Not every group activity allows for this, but whenever possible it is extremely helpful to select a role for each person in the group.  Start by assigning each person a letter.  For example, if you have groups of 4,  one person will be “A”, one “B”, “C” and “D”.  Person “A”might be the recorder and write down the notes for the group.  Person “B” might be organizer who has to get the materials and set everything up, person “C” could be the take down person who has to return everything to it’s place, and person “D” might be the presenter who is in charge of reporting back to the class.

The nature of the activity will determine the roles, but if each person is responsible for something, they will engage more and might get more out of the activity.  Knowing that their role is crucial to the function of the group in general also helps them to feel valued and an integral part of the class that day.

Reflecting on Your Teaching Practice

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The time is approaching for my student teachers to be evaluated.  They will be asked to complete a self- evaluation using the same criteria that will be used for their midterm reports.    Deciding how they rate themselves in each of … Continue reading →

Teaching Portfolios: Who Needs One?

Since starting my work as a Faculty Advisor for secondary pre-service teachers, I have learned something that surprises me.  Elementary teachers are often required to develop a teaching portfolio, yet secondary teachers are not required to create one.  Often the secondary student teachers go ahead and develop one, but it is their own choice; it is not an assignment in any of the courses they take, nor is it included in their practicum requirements.  Both programs require student teachers to complete a series of reflections, but these reflections are not a part of the portfolio package. 

    In an attempt to understand what might be different between the two areas of teacher education, I decided to look at the typical contents of a teaching portfolio.  Some impressive examples can be found on the McGill University site:

The most common items found in a teaching portfolio are:  

• A philosophy of teaching  
• Sample Lesson Plans
• Sample Unit Plans
• Classroom Management Philosophy 
• Evaluations of Teaching
• Honors or Recognitions

Other categories of portfolio contents could be:  

Roles and Responsibilties:   This category could include a list of courses taught with topics or themes that were covered during the practicum. Brief descriptions of class size and make-up could be added with anecdotes of challenges faced.  

Representative Course Materials:  This section could contain a course outline with details of content and objectives.  Lists of texts and extra readings that are useful to course content could be kept here.  Methods and procedures for evaluating students would be helpful with examples of exams, quizzes or other samples of assessment strategies. 

Descriptions of Teaching Experiences:  This section could be ‘rich’ with meaningful records of peak moments of the practicum.  Personal notes or letters from students, fellow teachers or administrators can speak volumes about teaching ability and this section allows  these keepsakes to be showcased.  Video clips of teaching or interviewing students could also be housed in this section.

Professional Development:  Much learning can occur during a Pro-D day, workshop or webinar.  This informal learning won’t show up on a resume, so it is advantageous to point out this learning in the portfolio.  Any participation or membership in teaching associations could be highlighted here as well.  This indicates a commitment to personal professional development which is necessary for teachers of all levels.  

As I look over this list, I cannot see much difference between elementary or secondary teaching portfolio contents.  What I can see, once again, is that all teachers could benefit from developing a portfolio and the process would deliver rewards for many years to come.

Learning from our Emotions

The reflective narrative below has been developed using the 22 questions of the Four Dimensions of Reflection posted on the home page.  

Michelle

Writing in a diary or journal had been Michelle’s hobby since she was a young girl, so when she decided to write her autobiography, she had plenty of content to choose from.

Reflecting Back

She realized, as she looked at her journal entries as a whole, that she had typically chosen to write on low days when she was feeling sad, anxious, nervous or depressed. These entries recorded the tragic events of her life: the death of loved ones, the diagnosis of disease, the loss of jobs, and the trials of a failing marriage.  On the flip side were the other entries that were written on the good days.  These entries were full of gratitude for the high points in her life: the birth of her daughter, being hired for a new job, an opportunity to travel, and the accomplishment of a personal goal. 

Reflecting Inward

As Michelle reflected more purposefully on what the statements of emotion were telling her, she noted some interesting patterns.  She recognized that she had certain ways of dealing with negative emotions; some of those ways were fairly positive, some of them were not. She noticed that as the years progressed, she was handling negative situations in a more positive way and that she had grown personally and professionally more than she had realized.  This realization was very encouraging to Michelle. There were  days when that personal growth seemed ‘lost’ as she found herself back in the same old rut of negativity.  Analyzing how she handled this in the past gave her some specific strategies for dealing with present life emotions.   This was valuable life learning that she may have missed had she not taken the time to reflect on the highs and lows of her life so far. 

 

Four Ways to Reflect (via Stable Transitions)

These four ways of reflecting have been now been used by many profs, teachers and students. They seem to be very helpful in guiding what to say in a reflection and have often led learners to a discovery about themselves or their learning.

The 22 questions can be altered or changed to fit the type of learning experience that is requiring reflection.

Four Dimensions of Reflective Learning I.  Thinking Back  Returning to a learning experience or recapturing a learning event some time after it has taken place may allow the learner to revisit the entire experience from a fresh and different perspective.  Learners may uncover previous knowledge that had been learned but was now buried or simply forgotten.   Questions that may help uncover learning from the past are:   What was the original purpos … Read More

via Stable Transitions

Three Reasons Why Our Graduates need an ePortfolio

Despite the challenges of time and finances needed to implement ePortfolios in schools, educational instutions are still making good progress with the effective use of ePortfolio products and processes.  This success can be credited to champion educators who are forging ahead because of the undeniable benefits to them and their students. Workplaces have a long road ahead of them to reach the same goal of adequately understanding and taking advantage of the ePortfolio benefits in their world. The future is promising, however, as education leads the way.  Our current graduates who have experienced ePortfolios will become employers, human resource specialists, trainers and employees.  They will be bringing their knowledge, expertise, and ‘ePortfolio thinking’ habits with them to their future workplaces, and hopefully addressing the challenges that currently block the road of progress. Every graduate that enters the work world with an ePortfolio has the potential to lead that workplace in the following areas:

1. The graduate can show colleagues, supervisors and bosses their  ePortfolio ‘tool’ as an example to help others in that workplace understand the product, potentially opening the door to implementation of a career or work- based ePortfolio. 
2. The graduate with an ePortfolio should be able to clearly articulate his or her skills and abilities and demonstrate those abilities with some type of evidence.  This could provide examples for matching evidence of skills to positions for more effective hiring or better selection of employees for promotions. 
3. The ePortfolio graduate has developed the habit of reflecting on his or her learning.  This graduate can share thought processes with colleagues that can enrich and deepen workplace ideas and routines.  According to Dewey, a reflective person thinks about his actions attempting to understand them to make improvements in the future. In his book The Reflective Practioner, Schon describes how reflection is necessary to transfer academic knowledge to the practical use of that knowledge needed in the workplace. 

Cheers to our graduates and the positive influence they will have in their future work places!