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.

      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.

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.

Here are are some questions to guide this critical reflection:

I.  Professionalism

• What is my current attitude towards being a teacher?  Has it changed over the past 6 weeks?
• How do I feel about the comments (criticisms or positive feedback) that I have received so far?
• How would I describe my relationship with the students, my sponsor teachers, and other teachers on staff?
• What is my level of connection to the school community?

II.  Planning for Instruction

• How successful have my unit plans and lesson plans been so far?  Have I made adjustments?
• How engaged have students been in the activities that I have planned so far?  Has there been a good variety of activities?
• What accommodations have I made for a diversity of learners?
• What areas of lesson plans ( ie. opening, main activities, conclusion) have been working well? What areas need improvement?

III.   Assessment

• What practices have I incorporated to actively and continuously monitor student learning?
• How effective have these practices been to indicate if instructional goals have been met?
• What systems have I developed to evaluate student work and maintain records of their marks? Are these systems working effectively?
• What aspects of assessment am I currently doing well?  (ie. formative or summative?  “assessment “of” learning, assessment “for” learning)    What aspects need improvement?

IV.  The Learning Environment

• How organized and prepared do I feel at the start of each class?
• How responsive have the students been to me and my lessons and activities?
• What aspects of classroom management have I been trying?  Which of these have been effective?  Which of these have not been working?
• Am I developing positive and respectful relationships with most of my students?  What types of students do I work well with?  What types of student do I find the most challenging?

    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.

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:

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.

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 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. 

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

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!