Podcasts and Audiobooks

A month ago I started listening to podcasts and an audiobook. Previously, I had mostly been attempting reading during my eternity 4 hours of commuting each day. Because of all the great things I have been hearing about podcasts and audiobooks this term, I decided to download a few, including:

• Radio-Canada podcasts to keep up with current events and immerse myself in some French, 
• Welcome to Night Vale, which has inspired some art,
• Chasing Vermeer for my Reading course, and
• Invisibilia.

I learn well by listening, and I like having my hands free to sketch, write notes, or just hold my tea.

BC Libraries: Library2Go has a ton of audiobooks and ebooks. I downloaded the OverDrive app so that I can access this, and other online libraries, through my phone.

Invisibilia: The Secret History of Thoughts

I started listening to the Invisibilia podcast series recently. It's about "the invisible forces that spur human behaviour." @RileyPaton suggested it to me. She wrote a blog post about it, too: Fear = Thinking + Time.
The first episode, The Secret History of Thoughts, fittingly spurred a lot of thoughts. One of the stories reminded me of the book Out of my Mind, which we heard as a read-aloud in our Literacy class last term. According to the podcast, not all thoughts are to be taken seriously, though. If you're interested in the subject of mindfulness, give it a listen.
Right before listening to this episode, I had a conversation about reflection with a friend/colleague of mine. It was the ultimate in metacognition. It was one of those conversations that was both overwhelming and comforting. Is there such a thing as too much reflection? How do you strike a balance between reflection, mindfulness, and self-care?

Popcorn Strategy

Hot Writing Is Cool

I used this strategy while tutoring with a grade 8 student, and it was great! We chose phrases from books to used as prompts. The student said that he usually hates writing, but this "was cool."

1st Class Ideas

In my Think Book for Language Arts last term, I created this mind map with ideas about the first class of the year:

How do you establish a safe, engaging learning environment?

Flashback to Week 1 of PDPP

Why Education?
During my first week in the PDPP, I created this mind map about why I started the Education program:

The Heart of a Teacher

The Heart of a Teacher by Parker J. Palmer is a poignant piece of writing that I plan on re-reading throughout my career. Since I love quotes, I will share a few that stuck with me:

• "Good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher."
• "The courage to teach is the courage to keep one's heart open in those very moments when the heart is asked to hold more than it is able..."
• "When we lose heart we need an understanding of our condition that will liberate us from that condition."

 

Reflection from September 8th, 2014:

During my journey from home to campus this morning, I saw some familiar faces smiling as they waved at passing cars. They were holding placards with slogans and statistics, some written by hand, and others printed onto corrugated plastic. These "Teachers Taking A Stand" were my high school teachers. These were men and women who have done so much for me: endless support, encouragement, inspiration, reference letters, and more. They taught me about Leadership, Biology, Chemistry, Science, Calculus... and those are just the course titles. They don't even come close to the life lessons and wisdom they bestowed onto me. Their humour, patience, dedication, and passion have helped me to become who I am today. They were standing up for the future of public education in this province. 

With all of that going through my head, I delayed my trip to campus and hopped off the bus to say hello and thank you to some of the most influential educators I've had in my life. They are rockstars of the profession, in my mind. Great educators, like these ones, can turn situations that are not ideal into teachable moments. If you don't like what's going on, how can you work to improve it? As always, they had words of encouragement for me:

• "You'll make a great elementary educator, but I hope you end up back at the high school."
• "Those kids are so lucky to have you."
• "I'm glad that we're not losing a bright, young educator over this."

Tech-ing In

PDPPPosseRC

Today I published these posts on the PDPPPosseRC blog:

• Mmm, Cookies! by Robert Munsch,
• Science Verse by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, and
• Books by Mo Willems.

 

STEM Puns

Visual Journal comparing my STEM Puns cartoons to mentor artist Natalie Dee

I have been having fun with my STEM Puns passion project. I created a visual journal entry comparing my cartoons to online cartoonist Natalie Dee. Through that process, I realized that I would like to try adding texture to my work. 

Twitter Chats 

On February 10th I took part in a #TwitterChatMarathon. I took part in an #EdChat about eliminating "us vs. them" dynamics in education, a #BCStuTeach chat about brain breaks, and a #TeacherFriends chat about diversity. As an added bonus, I won a resource prize from one of the #TeacherFriends moderators, @fuzzlady77.

Last night I participated in a #BCEdChat about social media in schools.

By participating in Twitter chats, I have grown my PLN significantly. I am now connected with experienced and pre-service teachers from a number of countries, including the United States and France.   

Today I found out about Nurph, a Twitter chat platform, which might make this process easier. Currently I used Hootsuite.

Esse quam videri

Alma mater

I visited my alma mater, Esquimalt High School, today. It was wonderful to see some of my teachers (while some others are away on amazing adventures). I am proud of my roots in EHS's community of learners/leaders, and our culture of service and passion. Visiting as a student-teacher was a really amazing experience.

As I was leaving today, the word "nourish" was in my mind. I felt nourished - and not just because I ate lunch in the staff room. It was a more complete form of nourishment. Since alma means nourishing or kind in Latin, I am not the first to think this way about the nature of education!

Speaking of Latin, EHS's motto is Esse quam videri, which means "to be, rather than to seem." My teachers' authenticity has shaped who I am and how I live. They treated me as an equal, and encouraged me to go beyond what I thought I could do. They care so deeply for their students, for each other, and for the education profession. (Buzzwords and jargon aside: education relies on connection, like Rita Pierson says in her TEDTalk.) My goal is to honour them by striving to be the best teacher I can be.

 

Inquiry-based? Tech yeah!

Tech should not just be used for its own sake.
This morning I visited @trev_mackenzie's English 12 class. It was awesome to witness an inquiry-based classroom culture being created. Technology was being integrated from the very start. Students had access to iPads to enhance classroom activities, and they are assigned blog posts as a way to keep track of their learning. Students in this class are also given the opportunity to use Explain Everything to create presentations. The classroom was equipped with an Apple TV, which was hooked up to an LCD projector. This arrangement is great showcasing student work and facilitating discussions.

Great writing comes from passion and strong, informed opinions.   
What does really good teaching look like? The students discussed this question to get them ready for their first blog posts. This is an important question to think about, so I created this infographic with their answers. I have long admired infographics, but this is my first time making one. I used infogr.am. I will definitely be making more infographics. I am going to look into other ways to create them. I love quick, accessible representations of information that are easily shared on social media!

RBCM Learning Portal

At EHS, I heard about the Royal BC Museum's new Learning Portal today. I took a brief look at it, but I think it will be the source of hours of a-museum-ent. Seriously though, there is some amazing content, and it looks like it's only going to get better!

Term-endous! (Term 1: Accomplished)

It has been a week since I submitted the final assignment for my first term of the PDPP. I have now completed the following teacher education courses:

• Field Experience Seminar,
• Indigenous Education,
• Learners and Learning Environments (Educational Psychology),
• Literacy and Language, and
• Physical Education.

The past few months have been intense, but nowhere near as intense as the next year of the program will be! Before starting the 2015 chapter of my learning journey, I will be spending time reflecting, visioning, and expressing some of this through blogging. I will be writing more specific posts, but here are a few things that I learned this term:

• I am so lucky to be sharing this journey with an incredible cohort of colleagues. As we have learned from sources such as this video by Alan McLean, "affiliation, which is a sense of belonging," is a key ingredient in motivation, along with "agency, which is a sense of confidence and self belief, and autonomy, which is a sense of being self determining and trusted." I am so grateful to all of them for what they have taught me, and for their continued support.
• Mind maps are an effective way for me to document my learning. During my B.Sc. studies I used them as study tools before midterms and final exams; this term I started to use them as in-class note-taking tools. I find it helpful to spatially organize ideas, and to leave room to add future reflections or insights.
•  I am qualified to teach French Immersion practicum placements, so I will be signing off as...

Mlle. Allen

Blackout Poetry

I happened upon this blog post about Blackout Poetry, and it reminded me of how much I love that form. My first experience with it was in my English 12 class, but I would love to try it with students at the intermediate primary and middle years levels. It allows for reading practice, creativity is encouraged, and poems can be made without being slowed by printing and spelling. Since the words are all on the page, you just have to find your poem! (This would be a great use of pages that have been printed or copied by mistake!)

I happened upon this blog post about Blackout Poetry, and it reminded me of how much I love that form. My first experience with it was in my English 12 class, but I would love to try it with students at the intermediate primary and middle years levels. It allows for reading practice, creativity is encouraged, and poems can be made without being slowed by printing and spelling. Since the words are all on the page, you just have to find your poem! (This would be a great use of pages that have been printed or copied by mistake!)

More examples can be found on Newspaper Blackout.

What's your favourite form of poetry?

Miss B. Allen