Social Studies - Resource Collection Reflection

While gathering my resources for the Resource Collection, I realized there were many resources out there that can be used in a grade 7/8 Social Studies class. I realized there were many lesson plans posted by other teachers that one can adopt and change however they wish. There were also multiple interactive resources that one can use to engage students. Resources such as, NASA, Pinterest and Youtube can be used for any grade level. If I had to teach a grade 7/8 Social Studies class, I believe I would use all these resources especially the lesson plans and the interactive websites. All in all, this assignment was really helpful because it was practical and can be of use in the classroom, whether it be during placement or in my own classroom. 

Social Studies - Resource 10 - NASA

NASA 

Retrieved from: NASA Image

This NASA website provides facts, resources, articles as well as solutions to global warming. This is a great site that can be used for the grade 7/8 Geography unit when global warming is being taught. Students can go on the website and gather quick facts such as, the carbon dioxide level, sea level and global temperature that is having an effect on our atmosphere. They can also investigate the cause, effect and vital signs of global warming.

I would use NASA in an inquiry lesson where students are required to use the website to answer questions concerning global warming.

Social Studies - Resource 9 - Pinterest

Pinterest

Retrieved from: Pinterest Image

Pinterest is a great resource that can be used for all courses at any grade level. It can be used in a grade 7/8 Social Studies class to find lesson plans or different activities and assignments for students. Pinterest can also be used to organize and upload your own lesson plans as well as activities. Students can also use Pinterest as their own resource for assignments/activities they are required to complete.

This specific Pinterest resource takes you to Grade 8 Lesson Plans from Ontario that would be of great to use in a grade 8 history class. Grade 8 Lesson Plans from Ontario  provides lesson plans and activities for topics such as the American Civil War and Black Canadian Migration Experiences. These topics are both in the curriculum  and should be covered in a history class.  All in all, this a great website that can be used to teach the entire grade 8 history class since it provides multiple resources and covers both strand A and B in the curriculum .

Social Studies - Resource 8 - Simulation

Interactive website - Simulation

Retrieved from: First Nations

This interactive website is a great resource that can be used to engage students when teaching the topic of the First Nations people in grade 7 history. This interactive website  allows students to witness how First Nations people used to live and their traditions. It makes the topic/lesson more relatable to students. This simulation can actually be used in any History class regardless of the grade.

Social Studies - Resource 7 - Historical Atlas

Historical Atlas of Canada

Retrieved from: Historical Atlas of Canada

Historical Atlas of Canada is a great resource that can be used when teaching both the history and geography unit in the grade 7/8 curriculum. Although most people would think an atlas could only be used in the geography unit, it can also be used in the history unit to teach students topics ranging from the French Exploration to the Native Population and Distribution. Historical Atlas of Canada can also be used as a resource tool students can use to investigate a given topic.

Social Studies - Resource 6 - CBC Learning

CBC Learning

Retrieved from: CBC

CBC Learning  provides multiple downloadable lessons for grade 5-9 social studies classes. It also provides project templates teachers can use for students as well as generic rubrics. CBC Learning can be used to teach grade 8 topics on Slavery, Immigration to New France, and Canadian Government. Although there are a variety of resources that can be used from this site, it is important to note that these resources are only meant to guide the teacher in the right direction rather than provide a full lesson plan.

Social Studies - Resource 5 - The History Education Network

The History Education Network

Retrieved from: The History Education Network 

Often times, teachers use the textbooks provided by the ministry as their primary resource for their classroom. Textbooks can be a good start but having multiple resources can really help teachers teach the subject more effectively.

This website provides multiple resources teachers can use when teaching a grade 7 or 8 history class. It can even be used as an interactive resource where students are given a topic to investigate using this website.

Social Studies - Resource 4 - Visual Database

The Archives of Ontario Visual Database

Retrieved from: Louis Riel

Incorporating visual aid activities in the duration of a lesson plan can be very beneficial for many students. The Archives of Ontario Visual Database is a database that includes drawing/pictures of many of the historical figures/events students will learn about during History in grade 7 and 8 Social Studies class. Images of historical figures can be used to encourage students to remember the impact these individuals had on history. Associating "faces" with the acts of these historical figures will make these figures more relatable to students.

Social Studies - Resource 3 - Geography Inquiry - Based Learning

Geography Inquiry assignment 

Retrieved from: Inquiry - Based Learning

Inquiry- based lessons begin with the teacher/student posing a question they would like to investigate. Students then attempt to answer their questions through research, experiment or activity. Inquiry-based learning encourages students to think deeper and develop their own thoughts as well as "inquire" about what they are learning. With that said, this activity is an inquiry assignment that can be given to a grade 7 Social Studies class during the Geography unit. This is a great resource as it engages students and encourages them to be more involved in their learning.

Social Studies - Resource 2 - History of New France

History of New France

Retrieved from: New France 

As the title suggests, this Youtube video, History of New France  gives a brief history about New France. This resource would be a great hook to use when beginning the History unit in grade 7 Social Studies. It is a short video but contains information that can provide students, who are about to start the History unit, a background about what they can expect to learn in the unit. The music in the background, along with the pictures and text, grab the students' attention and keeps them engaged.

Social Studies - Resource 1 - Interactive Assginment

Interactive Assignment

Retrieved from: Interactive Websites

This website - created by a teacher - contains multiple assessments that are presented in fun and interactive ways to students who are in grade 7 Social Studies class. The "Process" part of the site includes instructions on how to complete the assigned work successfully. It includes links in which students can go to for information on a specific issues covered in the grade 7 history curriculum.  It covers issues such as, what the French had as food sources, how they built their homes, what farming was like, and how their daily lives were. This assignment could serve as a summative assignment for the New France and British North America, 1713–1800 unit.

Critical Literacy Across the Curriculum

From criticalliteracyandcreativity.wikispaces.com

If you are a social reconstructionist or agree with this philosophy, then critical literacy is for you.  Critical literacy is one of the most powerful strategies you can use involving critical thought about what you see and hear.  In a nutshell, it is analyzing different resources to understand perspectives outside one's own.  According to Roberge 2013 through this skill, students learn to deeply understand text thus unravelling the true intended messages of texts.  As a result, students are better able to appreciate others perspectives while becoming more aware of the inequalities, oppressions and injustices present in everyday life (Roberge, 2013).

But how can critical literacy be applied to other content areas, outside the typical English classroom?  There are certain ways this can be done (which is mostly from Roberge, 2013):

Science:  The best scientific strand in which critical literacy can be best applied, is environmental science.  Examples include:
- discussing the different viewpoints of certain real-world environmental issues (Grant & Lapp, 2011).
- researching theories about non-mainstream concepts, that have been omitted from textbooks
- explore possible solutions to environmental problems while considering different perspectives

Nutrition:  This is another great content area that can be critically analyzed, especially when coupled with media.  Students can learn a great deal about the major influences imposed by the media, on their food choices.  Examples include:
- watching TV and collecting data on the types of cereals that are shown in commercials.
- calculating the amount of sugar in popular cereal compared to other cereal (this requires a trip to the grocery store).
- evaluating organic foods compared to other 'regular' foods.

Social Studies:  Critical literacy can very easily be incorporated in any social studies/science class.  This is especially true when the content learned is related to different cultures and ways of knowing.  Examples include:
- role playing, to understand another person's perspective on an issue, past event or controversy.
- creating 'what if' debates about past events, such as the establishment of residential schools or the arrival of Jacques Cartier to Canada (which he thought was India).
- using the RAFT method (Role, Audience, Format, Topic) to understand different viewpoints.

There are countless ways critical literacy can be incorporated in the classroom.  It is just a matter of doing the research and taking the time to create meaningful lessons.  Although a little time-consuming, it can be an extremely rewarding experience for your students (and yourself too!).

If you involve critical literacy in your classrooms, please comment below with ideas you'd like to share.

Learning Through Visual Thinking Strategies

From https://amoablog.wordpress.com and http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com, respectively

As a student-teacher, I have of course been exposed to various types of instructional strategies.  One in particular (which I found out later, had an actual name), involved the use of pictures where we were asked "What do you see in this picture?".  The picture depicted a setting that appeared to be an arts class, back in the mid-century era.  Of course, because this is an arts class and I'm a scientific, I didn't realize the significance of what we were doing.  However, it wasn't until later the next year, that I realized that using imagery in the classroom can be a very powerful way to elicit critical thought.

Visual Thinking Strategies (also called VTS) are inquiry-based teaching strategies that are becoming more popular these days.  They involve posting an image at the front of the class (either via a projector or smartboard) and asking students the following three (3) questions (refer to Murawski 2014 for more details):

1. What’s going on in this picture?
2. What do you see that makes you say that?
3. What more can we find?

Notice that these questions are open-ended, where there is no right or wrong?  This simple fact makes sharing of ideas more appealing to many students.  In other words, students feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts because there is no basis for judgement.  This in turn helps students 'gain greater confidence' in themselves (VTShome.org).

VTS engage students through whole class discussions, allowing students the opportunity to learn from each others' perspectives and creativities (Robertson, 2012).  This in turn exposes students to the reality that people have different ways of thinking and see the world differently than they do even though what they are looking at is fixed.  It also involves collaboration between students as they question each others' views to better understanding each others' thoughts.  This leads to the point that if VTS is used properly and consistently, students can learn to "respect and understand others' cultures and points of views" beyond the classroom environment (VTShome.org)

This strategy also provides a means to connect the lesson to real world issues, by inviting students to pause, observe and take note of details they see.  This allows them to expand their understanding and knowledge about real life and what's happening on an international level.  It allows them to make meaningful connections to truly understand the 'big picture' (Gonchar, 2015).  Similarly, VTS is a great way to assess prior knowledge while offering the opportunity to build on that prior knowledge to explore further.  As a result, students gain a better understanding of what is really happening in the world around them (VTShome.org).  Consequently, they will learn to be better critics of what they see in the mainstream media as well as in their immediate  micro- and macrosystems.

Although VTS appear to be an 'artsy' teaching method, they can be implemented in any content area classroom from kindergarten to grade 12.  Since I've realized the potential of using this strategy, I plan on making it a point to use it regularly as starter activities (hook) for my science lessons.  In fact, it could easily be coupled with STEM lessons!

If you use VTS in your classroom, please comment below with your most effective image(s) that you've used in your lesson(s).

Every Teacher Should Blog

From www.serendipityandspice.com

I have realized over the course of this blog, that blogging should be performed by all teachers (and student teachers).  From experience, I feel that blogging has not only significantly contributed to my personal learning as a student teacher, but also has be a great resource for staying up to date with new educational tools and strategies.  It could even be considered a professional development strategy that is has no limit in terms of its educational content.

Blogging is a wonderful way to share your knowledge and discoveries even as you conduct research for whatever personal or professional reason (ie. lesson planning, classroom management, assessment strategies).  Your blog can in turn become a professional development strategy for other professional educators too.  As such, it becomes a great outlet in serving and contributing to your professional community worldwide.

Similarly, since writing reflections consistently is the basis for effective teaching, blogging can also serve this need.  Reflection is about writing what you've learned about your lesson (through experience) and the end result of what you've observed, as a mean of keeping track of how to improve.  It is also through reflection that you learn about yourself, your philosophies and methods of teaching.  Since you are already writing about all this stuff in your reflection journal, why not do so online where others can learn from your observations and experiences too?

When I research and write about a topic that I had difficulty understanding before, I find that getting myself to blog about it actually clarifies the concepts I want to learn.  As teachers, we know that it is when students are able to teach others that learning is at it's peak.  As such, blogging forces you to learn and fully understand a topic before writing about it. 

Come to think of it... students should be blogging too!


 

Sounds like a Car... A 5E Model you say?

from www.bscs.org

Inquiry based learning is one of the most popular instructional strategies used today.  However, it is also one of the toughest to implement in the classroom.  While searching for types of inquiry activities to use (and blog about), I stumbled across a great article related to the 5E inquiry model: Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, and Evaluation.  This model, which was never discussed in our Faculty of Education classes, is one which actually explains in detail, the components of a good inquiry lesson.  It supports the 'constructivism' philosophical approach (Piaget and Gardner) where it is believed that students learn best by exploring and constructing their own ways of understanding an idea or concept. (Nasa.gov)


Engagement:  Purpose is to assess prior knowledge and get students engaged by way of starter activities that peak student interest.  The activity (or hook) should connect prior knowledge (lessons) to possible misconceptions thus creating 'cognitive disequilibrium', an uncomfortable state or frame of mind.  Examples of these kinds of 'hooks' include:  asking a question, showing a 'discrepant event', showing a problem, doing a cool demonstration.  The goals is to have students to successfully engage due to the motivation lead by the 'hook' activity. (Mostly from bscs.org, p.9).

Exploration:  Provides students with a basis at which to work with in order to further explore 'unbalanced' concepts, processes and skills presented during the 'hook'.  Students use their prior knowledge to base their new learning from, while exploring ways to reinstate equilibrium through investigation.  For this phase to be effective, it must be hands-on and students must be given the necessary time to explore objects, events and/or situations.  Teachers must only act as facilitators in the learning process. (Mostly from bscs.org, p.9).

Explanation:  Teachers focus on one aspect of their students exploration process and gives students the opportunity to explain their understanding.  Teachers then introduce new concepts, ideas or skills to students while providing a formal explanation about the new idea.  The teacher should connect the student's explanation to their own explanation as well as the experience itself.  This tends to deepen student understanding, which is a critical part of this phase. (Mostly from bscs.org, p.9).

Elaboration:  Students can further explore and demonstrate their newly acquired understanding by applying or transferring it to new situations.  These activities can be more complex and require high-order thinking.  Interactions within small groups and collaborative learning give students the opportunity to develop new ways of thinking. The main goal of this phase is to get students trained in generalizing concepts and processes.(Mostly from bscs.org, p.10).

Evaluation:  Teachers and students can assess new student understanding while affirming whether students have reached the respective learning goals.  This can be accomplished through formative teacher evaluations, and self-evaluations, although peer-evaluations may also be used. (Mostly from bscs.org, p.10).

This model was created in 1987 (I believe) by the Biological Science Curriculum Study (BSCS).  Have you ever heard of it?  

Scaffolding to Bridge the Gap

From www.cbsrentals.ca

In our social studies class, our professor has introduced us to a very common scaffolding strategy - breaking down an assignment in chunks, giving us a deadline to complete each one.  The idea here is to get us to complete our assignment in steps, while giving us meaningful feedback along the way.

Scaffolding is an old concept that originates from Lev Vygotsky's 'zone of proximal development' (ZPD) theory (ASCD, 2010).  ZPD "is the difference between what a learner can do without help and what he or she can do with help" (Innovative Learning, 2011).  In other words, teachers will scaffold in order to guide students toward reaching the next level up in their understanding of a concept.  It is a temporary strategy that is gradually lessened as students master the new learning level.

Thus, in order to successfully scaffold a student, a teacher must know where a student is in their learning and understanding.  This can be assessed through questioning, and other formative evaluation strategies.  From there, it becomes just a matter of knowing effective scaffolding methods to get students to reach their next level of learning.  Five (5) great scaffolding strategies are presented here:

1.  Always Demonstrate:  Many learners are mostly visual and tend to prefer seeing what they have to do instead of trying to figure it out on their own, with written instruction.  I am one of these students.  I find that modeling is a critical scaffolding strategy that should be used as often as possible, no matter what.  It is a wonderful way to show students exactly what is expected of them. (Alber, 2011).   This strategy involves showing how to complete an assignment (or lab) and the use of Examplars, an example of the final product sought.

When a project or assignment is assigned to students, share an exemplar with them so they know exactly what your level of expectation is.  Have the rubric that will be used to assess their work handy, and go over the rubric with them while evaluating the exemplar.  This also provides a great opportunity for students to ask questions for further clarification of the assignment.  (Alber, 2011)

2.  Daily Discussions:  Ever heard of the expression "Two heads are better than one"?  Discussions can be viewed in this way, in terms of scaffolding strategy.  It encourages students to engage in whole class and or small group discussions in order to deepen their understand of the concept being explored.  It gives them the opportunity to connect ideas to see the bigger picture as well as relate what is being learned to previous experiences and knowledge (Alber, 2011).  It can also be used by way of debates, think/pair/share, triad teams and more (Alber, 2011).  Daily discussions should be part of the every day lesson and thus, it is imperative that teachers put the extra effort to ensure students feel safe to share in the classroom.

3.  Visual Aids:  Graphic organizers have been repeatedly used by teachers as an aid in learning for students with special needs, such as English Learners and children with exceptionalities.  But it is important to note that they can be just as useful for other strong students as well.  The main purpose of using visual aids is to help students organize their thoughts to further understand the concept being taught.  Graphic organizers can be used by teachers during the course of a lesson, or they can be used by students during the course of study.  There are various websites online that offer graphic organizer templates, which any teacher can use (TeachingHistory.org).

4.  Effective Questions:  Coupled with daily discussions, asking effective questions can deepen thought and improve understanding of a lesson.  As stated by Rebecca Alber (2011), there are certain types of questions you should aim for:  specific, guiding, and open-ended.  Additionally, it is crucial to allow students enough time to think about the question prior giving an answer.  Read All Teachers Should Ask Good Questions for details on how to create effective questions.

5.  Small Group Work:  Small (3-4 students) group work leads to collaborative learning, which is again, extremely important for students to increase their levels of understanding.  Not only that, it also gets them to refine their social skills, such as negotiation, conflict resolution, communication, and listening skills (Alber, 2012).  I personally really like to incorporate group work as much as I can, because I believe in community-based learning.

What is your favourite scaffolding method both as a teacher and a student?

Getting Students 'Hooked' to Learn

From www.tes.com

Ever heard of the expression "the first 10 seconds determines first impressions"?  Well, not only does this finding relate to first impressions of a person, but they also determine the amount of interest in a classroom.  I find that in order to maximize student interest, first impressions are paramount in keeping students engaged and motivated to learn your content.  Luckily, there are various ways to grasp your students' immediate attention and keep their attention for the rest of a lesson.  These 'ways' are called 'starter activities' or simply 'hooks'. 

There are tons of resources online that can help you find the right hook for each of your lessons, regardless of your content area.  I personally find that anything funny or that elicits some type of discussion, are the best.  Here are my top 5 starter activity ideas:

1.  Magnified picture:  Posting a relevant magnified image, on the board at the beginning of class as students enter the classroom, is a great way to have them start thinking about the day's lesson.  It is also a great way to generate prior knowledge.  Simply google 'magnified photo of' and your topic, in order to find a great image that fits. 

2.  Text your vote:  Posting a poll question where students answer one of two answers, is also a great way to encourage discussions.  The best questions are opinion based, as you can have students volunteer answers before the lesson begins.  This can stir some quite intense debates the classroom, which keeps students engaged.  Kahoot is one of many sites that offers poll options which are simple to create and use.

3.  Music videos:  Who knew you could start the lesson with a music video about your content?  Students generally love music and learning content through popular songs is a great way to catch their attention.  Sites that offer music videos include:  Songs for Teaching is a great social studies music site whereas Mr. Parr's Science songs is great for science. 

4.  Pass the parcel:  Kind of like musical chairs, students pass around a brown paper bag with question cards inside, related to the day's lesson.  As the music plays, students must pass this paper bag around.  When the music stops, the student holding the bag must pick a question card inside (without looking) and answer the question.  This can be used to review the previous lesson or to assess students' prior knowledge about the lesson to be taught that day.  This is a great way to engage all students and get them excited to learn. (Idea taken from Outstanding Lessons site).

5.  Gratitude journal:  Having students come to class and begin by writing in a personal journal, what they are grateful for, is a great way to keep students in the right frame of mind, the entire day.  According to Blogger Vicky Davis, this activity has been proven to even increase long-term well-being and happiness.  Although these journals are not content area specific, they can still be extremely beneficial for their being. 

What is your favorite starter activity?  Please share in the comments below.

Professional Development For Ontario Teachers

From americantesol.com

As part of our due diligence as teachers, it is our responsibility to ensure we keep learning in order to stay updated with current ways of teaching and learning.  There are multiple ways one can accomplish this, through registration of AQ (additional qualifications) courses, to reading journal articles and news articles.  Another great way is through webinars.  In my search to keep learning and growing in my field, I have found several websites that offer free online webinars for teachers. 
Here is my top 4 list:

1.  Ontario Teachers' Federation Learning Sessions:  Has monthly webinars about various topics including new technology, how to teach math, incorporating financial literacy in any classroom, lesson planning, inquiry-based teaching, and more.  These webinars are my favorite as they are specific to the Ontario curriculum and give meaningful information on how to effectively improve lesson content and delivery.

2.  International Institute for Restorative Practices Webinars:  Offers free webinars on how to implement restorative practices in the classroom.  These courses also provide the opportunity to learn how to bring the restorative practices concept at a whole school level. 

3.  ASCD Professional Development Webinars:  Offers a long list of great presentations about topics such as how to become an effective teacher, cultivating curiosity in the classroom, meeting students needs, how to motivate reluctant learners and much much more.  This site requires that you register before having access to these archived webinars, but it is free and well worth it.  They also provide you with a presentation handout of the webinar, so you can keep it for future reference. 

4.  #stateoftheART Best Webinars List:  This blog offers their list of the best 20 webinars found online.  Although not Canadian, it offers a great list of specific presentations that you can watch online.  Each webinar is offered by different organizations/websites (ie. Coursera, EdTech, etc), so you can always check their list of webinars as well.  It will surely give you an insight on different ways of teaching around the world.

If you are aware of other great webinars that are offered online and free of charge, please share by commenting below. We are always looking for new ways to develop our teaching and learning skills.

Connection Before Content Through Restorative Practices

From http://www.centerforrestorativeprocess.com

If you haven't heard of this new 'restorative practices' movement in today's classrooms, then you must read on.  According to the Center for Restorative Process, this technique has been proven to "help to create calmer, more focused classroom(s)" by way of building a sense of community and stepping outside of self to understand others perspectives on behavior.  This is turn helps students develop empathy, conflict resolution skills, emotional intelligence, leadership skills and much more. Restorative practices are best performed in open circle dialogues and are easily implemented with students.  The key to success however, is consistency. 

Although there are numerous ways to perform restorative practices in the classroom, new teachers can develop this technique quickly by learning these five (5) main requirements (all information presented here is taken the Center for Restorative Process (CRP) document):

1) Physical arrangement:  For this technique to work well, students must be placed in a position where they can see each other face to face.  This can be accomplished through a circled seating format. There are various types of circles that can be implemented (ie. basic circle, fishbowl circle, popcorn circle, etc).  It is best to research these set ups prior to commencing on the restorative practice journey, to see which would work best for your end goal.  For details on each type of circle, see page 21 of the CRP document.

2) Talking piece:  A talking piece is an object held by a speaker during the circle meeting.  It's main purpose is to give a student the opportunity to have a voice and be listened to.  Only the person holding the piece can speak, and it is everyone's responsibility to be respectful of this individual's thoughts/feelings.  This object could be one taken from nature (ie. rock, feather, shell) or even purchased.  The aim is to choose something that signifies peace and calmness. 

3) High-quality Questions:  For a circle meeting to be successful, high-quality questions must be asked in order to elicit deep and thoughtful discussions.  They can also be used as a means to 'check-in' with students current moods/feelings.  When restorative practice circles are new to the classroom, questions should be more general and superficial.  However, as they become a routine and students build trust with one another, they should be of a deeper nature.  The key is to ensure they are relevant and meaningful to your students' lives (and/or current events), are open-ended, and invite deep thought.  For examples of high-quality questions, see page 12 of the CRP document.

4) Respect:  It is crucial to teach students to listen without judgment and interference when someone (the person holding the talking piece) speaks.  In other words, it is a sense of release portal without feeling judged.  Thus, it is important for students who are listening to respect the speaker's thoughts and feelings, no matter how much pain the speaker is going through.  The purpose of the circle is to build a sense of safety and belongingness.  As well, it is important to show respect by keeping what was said to oneself - not to gossip it to friends outside class.  Thus, it may be necessary to remind students daily of these rules prior to commencing the dialogue. 

5) Reflection:  Although not a requirement, it may be a good idea to have students reflect on their thoughts after a meeting or on a weekly basis.  This could be accomplished by way of a personal journal, where students are asked to write down what they've learned that week or how they can improve as individuals based on the week's circle dialogues.  It could be a great way for them to keep track of growth, both on a personal level as well as an academic one.

For more information on learning restorative practices, join these FREE webinars hosted by the International Institute for Restorative Practices:  http://www.iirp.edu/webinars.php

Have you used restorative practice in your classroom?  If so, what have you as an educator or student, learned from this technique?

Teaching in STEM

From d11.org
 

For one of my pre-service teacher assignments, I am required to create a STEM lesson which incorporates Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.  Due to my limited knowledge in the subject, I thought I'd do some research online to find out more detail before going forward and beginning this project.  STEM is an enriching inquiry-based concept that engages students in guiding their own learning, whereby the educator only acts as facilitator.  STEM learning can be incorporated in any subject matter, from science to social science to history and geography.  The goal of this concept is to give students the opportunity to learn through a minds-on approach where they get exposed to real life situations that require real problem-solving.

There are numerous articles available that explain what STEM is, and how important it is to integrate it in the classroom.  But trying to make sense of it all can be a bit overwhelming.  Based on the information I gathered, here are the four (4) main steps needed to design a meaningful STEM lesson/activity for your students:

S is for SCIENCE:  A scientific method approach is important in any STEM lesson.  To satisfy this step, students can incorporate a theory or hypothesis for an experiment or lab and add dependent and independent variables.  Students' science background can also help them determine possible sources of errors in the design of their project, to improve the functionality or solution to the real life problem they are assessing.  Alternatively, students can simply use a science activity to introduce the concept they will be exploring.

T is for TECHNOLOGY:  A great way to incorporate technology in a STEM lesson is to use it as a means to do further research on the topic of choice and even data collection (see math component).  A large variety of resources can be used, including online research, mobile apps, simulation and virtual lab websites, and connecting with real experts by way of email, video-conference, Skype, blog, Facebook, Twitter, and more.  Other technologies used can include games, videos, and even music.

E is for ENGINEERING:  For this step to be satisfied, students must design, build or improve the design of a product, idea or concept.  The purpose of this step is to solve a real-life problem by creating a solution.  This step is mostly hands-on and involves a lot of trial and errors.  Because STEM involves a lot of teamwork, this step works very well when many students work collaboratively to build on each other's ideas.

M is for MATHEMATICS:  The last step involves the use of data collection (through the use of various measuring tools) and analysis methods.  The purpose of this step is to quantify data resulting from the testing of the concept, which can be presented by way of tables, graphs, and maps.  It is also applied when students attempt to find patterns and trends in the data collected that would otherwise not necessarily be apparent.

Of course, there are a lot more ways Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics can be applied to STEM projects.  This article was simply written as an introduction to help understand the basis of STEM.  If you have integrated STEM in the classroom, and know of other ways these four steps can be applied, please comment below and I will gladly add it to the content of this article.

Inquiry-Based Learning for the Novice Teacher

From wilkes.discoveryeducation.com

Inquiry-based learning in one sentence, can be best summed as per Blogger Lisa Donohue:  "helping students know where to look, but not telling them what to see”.  This process of inquiry has been found to be one of the most effective ways of learning as it deepens student knowledge, understanding and interest of a specific topic (Capacity Building Series, 2013).

In order for inquiry-based learning to be successfully implemented in the classroom, teachers must not only be knowledgeable about the curriculum, but must also know how to correctly guide students through inquiry-based thinking.  The latter is not an easy task, and as a novice teacher myself, I find it to be an overwhelming process.  However, through research I have found many effective ways to get started, which I would like to share with you.

Many students may not have had the opportunity to learn in an inquiry-based environment before.  Thus, it is important for the teacher to initiate the process through demonstrations early at the beginning of the year.  This not only helps students understand what is expected of them, but it also encourages them to build good habits of thinking which will no doubt flourish throughout the course of the year.  According to the article Capacity Building Series - Inquiry-based Learning (2013), there are various types of contributions teachers can model, in order to teach students how to inquire.  These can include:

a) Declarative statements, such as "Do you agree or disagree with...?"; "Can you provide a reason for your answer?"; and "What example do you have that supports your decision?"

b) Building on, which includes further explaining or adding to a student's answer in order to elicit deeper thinking for the rest of the students (ie. this works best during a whole class discussion).

c) Paraphrasing statements made by students, to clarify that what was said was understood.  This is also a great opportunity to ask other students if they would like to add to the statement, during group or whole class discussions.

d) Making connections, such as using analogies or experiences to explain a concept or idea further.  This is a great opportunity to prompt students to give other examples of connections found in order to make the learning more meaningful and memorable. 

e) Asking questions, in order to guide students into deeper thought and perhaps recognize patterns or see things through another lens.  Ex.  Is life better or worse today than it was for the people in Canada as it was in the mid-1800s?

f) Proposing theories, such as asking students how we could test their theory in order to verify if their statement can in fact be true.  Ex.  Think about the education today compared to what it was in the mid-1800s.  What do you think the main focus of knowledge was at the time?

If you are a teacher who uses inquiry-based learning on a regular basis, what other ways can novice teachers initiate the process in their classroom effectively?

Re-thinking Romeo and Juliet: the window scene

My grade 10 class received the following instructions at the start of class -

After answering their questions, and providing them with an example, the class set to work.

This was a fun in-class activity that allowed students to experiment with the Shakespearean play and explore the play's characters. They took on the roles of directors. I had multiple goals for assigning such an activity to my students. First, I aimed to break the shy boundary within my students and allow them to take charge in the classroom. Getting students to interact with their classmates and, simply, to raise their hands became a lot easier after this activity. This activity opened up the chance for students to be fun, creative, and collaborative in the classroom, which broke the traditional boundaries of the classroom and created a welcoming and an encouraging atmosphere for the students. Second, I aimed to indirectly test students' understanding and comprehension of the lines in act 2, scene 2 of Romeo and Juliet. The window scene is by far the most popular scene in the play and the monologues and soliloquies present in the scene are rich in meaning. By asking the students to take the lines and apply them to different scenarios correctly, allowed me to see who really understood what Shakespeare is trying to communicate with his audience. Standing at the back of the class while groups presented allowed me to check for different aspects of the presentation.

This was a successful activity that, again, indirectly allowed my to test students' understanding. No grade level was assigned, but students did receive written formative feedback on their scenario scripts.

Evaluating Students' Understanding of Literary Terms

After a very long and tedious lesson about the many different literary terms that may apply to William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, I decided to administer a small activity to test students' understanding. Each student received a two-page handout containing various examples of poems and passages to which they were instructed to connect an appropriate literary term. Most often, making sure the students have correct and complete notes is not enough. Allowing students to practise and test their newly gained knowledge is vital to their success.

The bellow attachments are of a worksheet students received in order to evaluate their understanding of the specific literary terms. The following was used as formative evaluation. Students received a completion mark and a class discussion either confirmed or corrected students' choices. During this activity, students were given the option of working individually or with an elbow partner. I try to encourage collaboration as much as possible in the classroom because I believe that people learn better by communicating with one another and sharing ideas. Small activities like this are a great opportunity to create a conversation between the students.

By the end of the class, and after the answers to the questions were answered, students' concerns were all cleared up and any confusion was set straight. This in-class activity reaffirmed the lesson to the students and allowed them to see the literary terms in a real context which set them up to identifying them later in the Shakespearean play.

Digital Media Exit Cards: Twitter

Matt Levinson wrote an article, published on the Edutopia website, about the advancements of technology and social media and how such technological media can be used in  the classroom as interactive exit cards. This was a very interesting read to me because Levinson wrote about and confirms everything that I want to implement in my future classes.

Levinson gives the following points as examples of multiple media platforms and how to use each as a digital exit card -

• A six-second Vine video to capture the most critical six seconds of class
• A 16-second video to post to MixBit, YouTube's new video sharing tool
• A tweet that boils down the essence of the class to 140 characters
• A photo illustrating the key learning moment that can then be posted on a class Instagram account
• A question posted to a class Edmodo account inviting a continuation of the learning outside of class

During one of my practicum, I used Twitter as a digital exit card. After reading the day's assigned scene from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, I asked my students to use the hashtag #RomeoandJuliet2015 to tweet a thought, comment, likes, dislikes, or a reaction to the scene. This was such a fun activity that allowed my students to access social media platforms during class time responsibly. I have met many teachers who claim that use of cell phones in class is a problem, and I tend to disagree. Proper use of cell phones, or tablets, in class, can be fun, educational, and beneficial. Technology in the classroom is just a part of creating the 21-century classroom and it is the teacher's responsibility to guide students' use of such technology.

Link to Matt Levinson's official Edutopia article: Hit the Mark With Digital Media Exit Cards

Kahoot! Game Review: a great form of formative assessment

Kahoot! is a new and an exciting game, quiz, and survey creator that allows teachers everywhere to create and administer tests, reviews, and gather all forms of ideas and opinions from their students. For the sake of creating a fun, an exciting, and an interactive class, I created and played Kahoot! games with my grade 10 students every chance I got. There is a wide cheer that can be heard from outside the classroom every time I ask my students to get their phones and their tablets out. They know a Kahoot! game is coming! Playing such games in class can be so much fun and it also allows students to communicate and discuss ideas and possible answers with each other before clicking in their answers. The game site is a great way to administer reviews before big test dates. Below I have attached two links to two Kahoot! games that I created for my grade 10 class before a big Romeo and Juliet test. Moreover, I used the results of the Kahoot! game as bonus points on the test, which was greatly appreciated by the students. There are many more ways one can use Kahoot!, bellow are just two examples.

Game Link: Kahoot! Romeo and Juliet Act 1 Review

Game Link: Kahoot! Romeo and Juliet Act 2 Review

Double Entry Journals: an alternative form of formative evaluation

In a previous post, I spoke a little bit about the necessity of assigning students straightforward questions at the end of a lesson, unit, chapter, or novel. For the sake of having similar results and arriving at a quick assessment of student's comprehension and students' knowledge, one can use double entry journals. Best used in an English classroom, double entry journals could also be an across-curricular method of formative assessment.

I used double entry journals during all my practicums while teaching William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet the graphic novel and the original text. Instead of asking students questions that will eventually have them contemplate the text, a double entry journal allows teachers to focus on specific lines of the text, as well as allow students to comment, interpret, analyse, and question the same lines. Double entery journals can be a great gateway to a larger class discussion of the subject material.

Comprehension Questions: Straightforward and Sometimes A Necessary Form of Assessment

Moderns forms of teaching and assessment and evaluation focus on contemporary methods. While it is always beneficial and fun to include electronic and alternative forms of formative assessment in class, sometimes it is necessary to give students a few direct questions that test their understanding, and reading comprehension.

Studying William Shakespeare is not an easy subject in school due to students' unfamiliarity with old English. There is always a little bit of tention when a teacher tells the class that they are starting a Shakespearean unit. While some students may love it, others will hate it. And I won't deny it, the language is difficult. And so, I believe that giving students straightforward, comprehension questions can be vital for the teacher to determine student understanding and highlight areas or scene he or she might need to re-teach.

Below are some sample questions I have given out to my students during one of my teaching practicums.

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Act One Questions

Scene 2

1. Capulet eventually agrees to consider allowing Paris to marry Juliet. Under what conditions?

2. On page 33, lines 38-44, we meet the servant. He is instructed to send out the invitations to Lord Capulet's party, but he has a predicament. Explain his predicament. How does he explain it?

3. It is clear that the element of chance (fate or destiny) is introduced early on in the play. Where does it occur in this scene, and how is it expressed?

4.  In Scene 1, line 222, Benvolio says, "Be ruled by me." If you were Romeo, would you be ruled by Benvolio? What advice is he offering to Romeo in Scene 2? 

Scene 5

1.      Knowing what you do about Romeo and Juliet, how do you account for them falling in love so quickly? How much of a role does physical attraction play?

                           

2.      Look at page 67 and page 69, lines 93-109, and explain the metaphor Romeo and Juliet use during this scene. What purpose does this metaphor serve?

3.      Describe Lord Capulet's reaction to seeing people from the House of Montague at his party. How does Tybalt react?