JUST WRITE IT OUT

Got an issue? Write about it. Got a project? Write about it. Got a goal?

WRITE ABOUT IT!

Jan 31/19

#BELLLETSTALK

Bell Lets Talk has become a social movement since 2010 lead by Bell Canada to remove the stigma around mental health. The movement has grown to promote research, care, and workplace health for all individuals who may be suffering in silence.

Our initiatives | Bell Let’s TalkThe four main pillars of the Bell Let’s Talk initiative are: anti stigma, care and access, workplace health and research.

You never know who is struggling, and you will never know who is struggling unless you check in. So check in with your friends that are struggling, that are succeeding, that are changing, that are growing, that are living!

#BellLetsTalk has become such a widely familiar movement across the country, as the movement has sparked interest for such a large majority of the population. Since 2010 more and more people have come forward with their own history of mental health. As more people have begun to tell their stories, it has become easier for people to share their thoughts and opinions about mental health. This movement has only been possible due to the huge amount of support it has received for the last 9 years, and that support grows annually.

This year Bell released a video to promote Bell Let's Talk Day, and with every view on the video Bell would donate 5 cents to the foundation.

The people in the video clearly show how widespread #BellLetsTalk has become as celebrities such as Ellen DeGeneres, Anderson Cooper, Alessia Cara and Seth Rogen are featured supporting the movement.

All of the support the coming in from around the world is amazing to see, and with all this support we can start talking about mental health in a new light.

Looks simple, looks like it wouldn't do anything. Maybe that's right, but maybe it's the simple things that can make the biggest difference.

Bell has a wealth of resources that anyone can use to practice mindfulness, and to encourage the conversations around mental health to continue.

The "toolkit" Bell has created is an amazing resource for anyone, even teachers, to use to get the mental health conversation going!

Bell created a variety of activities and ideas to help educators get students and faculty speaking about mental health, in a safe environment.

C_Sample PA Announcements_2019

This toolkit is meant to help educators find a starting place for the mental health conversation. Without this conversation we will not know if our students are suffering in silence.

How can we expect our students to learn from us when we do not take the time to get to know their inner struggles?

Encourage students to become comfortable with their mental health, so comfortable that they can talk to each other about it too!

With how much time students spend in the classroom, they should feel safe to talk about any issues they experience. If our students are expected to be comfortable enough to learn about math and language in the classroom, they should be comfortable enough to learn about themselves and their peers too.

One hashtag...

One tweet...

One post...

Big difference.

Jan 17/19

Word of the Year

"Balance"

What's the word?

One word for the whole year, are you up for the challenge? When we reflect on our own personal experiences we think about what went wrong, what we would like to change, what we can do better, etc. Sometimes our reflections can be negative but from that negativity we can develop something positive.

Personally my reflection of 2018 (and honestly every other year since 1995) I have needed to find balance. Maybe 2019 will be that year, or maybe it will just be an opportunity to develop this. Ideally I will find that balance, I will get off the see-saw, and live in a neutral world, a neutral world full of ... BALANCE!

Have you ever stood on a balance beam and attempted to walk across? Was it easy? Did you fall off? How many times did you lean a little over to the left, or the right? It doesn't matter. Each time you self-corrected you found your balance again.

Look at her go. She is finding her balance at only 21 months old!

(There is hope me for too)

Continuing this train of thought....

What does "balance" mean to me? Well, take a listen to this and you will know. I recorded a quick podcast that talks about my goals surrounding balance, and what the word means to me.

This was my first experience recording a podcast, and this is what I wish to improve from. My pacing was quick, and I did not put any effort to improve the podcast with final editing. However that is something that would drastically improve any podcast to add some music, or sound effects, to emphasize and stand out from the rest.

But could I use this in a classroom?

The simple answer, YES!

The first example I considered was using podcast recordings for students to hear their own reading. Students would be able to record themselves reading a story, and then they could listen back to listen for fluency. Or students could be paired with other students in their reading level to listen to each other's reading and identify where their peer is succeeding or struggling in their reading.

Another example would be "morning annoncements" or "weekly announcements" etc. The students could work together to create a podcast that updates the class and the parents about the current events happening in the classroom/school. It would be an excellent chance for students to work through the post-production of podcasting to make their creations interesting and standout. The students would have the chance to flex thier creativity by producing information for the class and parents to rely on about the going-ons in the classroom and the school.

As well students could use podcasts as "journals" in the classroom. Instead of having reflection journals, or fitness journals, or research journals students could use podcasts to orally record their thinking, process, activities, etc. This would allow students to explain their experiences beyond their writing capabilities. For example, if students were to complete a fitness log for their phys. ed class, students could record weekly podcasts to explain what they have been doing rather than just writing down every activity. It could be a fun alternative to recording information!

Your students will be creative beyond your expectations, so give them the opportunities to exercise that creativity!

In a world dominated by millions of platforms of media production, educate your students on the uses of these platforms, and do not be afraid to use a platform outside of its "common" use. Students will continue to use media the same way they see it in schools, so if teachers are able to get creative it will encourage our students to challenge the norms they are seeing in media. When we work outside of the box it allows our students to create a whole new box that they will think outside of!!

Oct 18/18

Number Sense & Numeration

Are the students counting by memory, or are they associating meaning? There is a large difference between the two ideas, and for a student to progress they must be counting with meaning.

What does Strong Number Sense mean to you?

For a student to have a strong number sense they require a strong foundation, starting with counting. As simple as counting may appear it is a fundamental math concept that is the basis of all other mathematical models and understandings. As Payne and Huinker note, counting begins in children as young as 18 months old (46). This skill must be developed and practiced from that moment on. Children will learn to recite their numbers using "rote counting," which means they are saying the numbers without assigning the numbers to a specific object (44). Rote counting is comparable to young children reciting the alphabet. They may have memorized the order (or at least the majority of the order) and recite the numbers on command for adults, or other children.

"1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7... 9... 10... 11... 12... 13... 14... 15... 16... 17... 18... 19... 20... 21... 22... 23... 24... 25... 26... 27... 28... 29... 30... 31..."

"... But how will I know if my students have it yet, or not?

There are a wide range of tools and activities available to determine whether or not the students have a firm grasp on a concept or not.

It is up to the teacher to work with their students to determine which tools and activities will be beneficial to their students.

Working with your students through the 5 principles of counting will help determine where they are with Number Sense and Numeration.

To measure a student's understanding of number sense, the teacher must find ways to evaluate the basic principles of counting. By working through each principle with the student, the teacher will be able to pin-point any struggles throughout the process to developing number sense through counting.

There are five principles to develop number sense:

1. Using Numbers

Students will demonstrate their ability for different uses of numbers e.g. on a birthday invitation. Numbers are used for the date, the address, and your age (44)!

2. Counting

"Counting begins in three portions" (45). 1. "accurate number-word sequence... one, two, three" 2. "stable incorrect portion... six, eight five" 3. "nonstable incorrect portion... the sequence order changes each time" (45).

3. Connecting Counting and Cardinality

The understanding that the "last counted word might be the answer to the how-many question" (47). Not just assigning a number to an object, but realizing that counting is a total of the objects.

4. Thinking in Groups

Students can understand they have "two shoes when they have one on each foot," which is the process of subitizing (48). Students can identify groups of numbers without counting each individual number/object.

5. Writing Numerals

Before being able to write, students are able to read one- and two-digit numbers (52). When students are learning how to write numbers, they are able to match the number to the quantity it represents (52).

How will I ensure they develop this?

This video is just one example of using manipulatives to demonstrate number sense. Students learn best through doing, and manipulatives gives them an opportunity to build the relationships between the numbers.

More Examples of Manipulatives That Help Students Develop Number Sense and Numeration

When students have a chance to create a physical representation of the numbers, the concepts become less abstract and more concrete. By practicing Number Sense and Numeration throughout math lessons by associating number relationships with physical representations, students will continue to strengthen their number sense and numeration skills as they progress from Kindergarten and onwards.

Magnetic Triangles

Geometric Shape Blocks

Ones Blocks

Connecting Cubes

Cardinality

Here is an example of a child that is struggling to develop cardinality. This child is almost 3, and is not expected to have a full grasp of cardinality just yet. The child does not yet know how to count objects to find a total, but he does understand the sequence of counting, as he counts "1, 2, 3, 4, 5..." Therefore we know he does understand the concept of counting, and is using the "accurate number word sequence" (45). However with practice, and by repeatedly asking the child "how many?" the child may come to the realization that the final number in the sequence when counting objects, is in fact the total of the objects.

Subitizing

This Halloween themed activity is an excellent addition to a math lesson. However the way this activity is displayed requires students to understand the base ten squares. Without some knowledge of how many squares are in each row (5), the students would have more of an issue to subitize the pumpkins as they would be distracted by the squares. Once students are comfortable with the base ten squares, it becomes a consistent tool to use while subitizing various objects. By filing only a few squares at a time with pumpkins students won't need to count the pumpkins since the students will be aware that there are 10 squares in total. Using the base ten squares is a building block that students can continue to use to problem solve addition and subtraction questions.

Writing Numerals

Once students can count, subitize, and recognize numbers, what comes next? Writing the numbers for themselves! Just like practicing the alphabet, it is important for students to practice writing their numbers. There are tons of adorable songs that help students remember the way to write the numbers, like this one here. Although being able to remember how to write the numbers is not as important as associating a value to the numbers. When a student writes the number 1, they must also know what that number represents. Otherwise the student is simply memorizing how to write the number, without understanding what it means.

But can students memorize all of this?

No! Because I don't want my students to memorize, I want them to understand. With a strong understanding of the fundamental concepts, students will never need to memorize their math concepts. Memorization has its place, and maybe memorizing the multiplication tables, or how to spell "photosynthesis," is a valuable skill to memorize. However to memorize fast facts, and to understand fundamental concepts, is two different things. Memorization will only get a student so far. When things start to get too hard, or the problems change slightly, the student who relied on memorization will begin to struggle and will likely give up on trying. However the student that built their mathematical skills by understanding fundamental concepts are more likely to succeed when the problems progress and become more challenging.

Comparing memorization vs. understanding to fixed vs. growth mindset:

Memorization is equivalent to having a fixed mindset; you cannot progress much further as your skills will only go as far as you have memorized. Just as a fixed mindset will keep a student in one place, whether or not that place is positive for learning. Without movement/progression in math, students will never succeed.
Understanding is equivalent to having a growth mindset; you can progress much further as your skills will continue to grow with your experiences. By learning through understanding students will learn through successes and failures, and this level of learning is only supported in a growth mindset.

References

Payne, J. N. and Huinker, D. M. "Chapter 3: Early Number and Numeration" pp 43-71.

Oct 04/18

1st Month of Internship: AKGTC

This year has been my first taste of participating in an internship, and the experience has been like no other. The internship is working along side A Kid's Guide to Canada with the site coordinator, Cathy Beach. The mission of the website is to create a place for Canadian students to connect with other students across the country through learning. This mission is put into action through an interactive map that classrooms can register on and the teacher will contribute the information the students find about their local communities. (Teachers are the only ones posting information to maintain a level of safety and confidentiality for the students). As well the organization sends out weekly activities for students to complete together, that brings them outside of their classroom through physical discovery and webcasts. The activities are always available throughout the year, aside from the webcasts, for teachers to incorporate into their classrooms. The purpose of each of the activities may differ, but the overall purpose remains the same; making connections through learning.

This organization is a huge resource for a future teacher, like myself, and I look forward to utilizing the connections and activities this internship is providing me. Throughout my time working with the organization I will be working along with Cathy to find out how I am able to best utilize my abilities to help the organization in a positive way. During my conversations with Cathy, we have come to the realization that my biggest interest in the organization is within the Special Activities.

My Tasks

In our first "Staff Meeting" (you could call it) we welcomed back the committee and began the conversation with our upcoming school year, and what we want students to get engaged with. During this meeting I joined the "Special Activities Committee," which is the group of people that work together to come up with the weekly activities for students to engage with. Some of the activities can be redone/revamped to be used over from past years. However some of the months we try to come up with brand new activities for the students!

For example, to coincide with Thanksgiving Weekend, we created a Harvest activity. The purpose of the activity was to have students go out into their community and document "what they harvest" in their local area. The classroom teacher would then post their images on social media using the hashtag

#AKGTCSA

AKGTC Instagram

AKGTC Twitter

Past activities that students have participated in can be found by searching the hashtag, #akgtcSA, on Social Media; specifically Twitter. It is great to see teachers sharing their experiences they have had thanks to the weekly activities.

The organization is still fairly new, with roughly two years since the beginning ago. Although the organization is still very present on their social media sites, its following is still small. But the amount of registered teachers has begun to increase, which will increase the size of the organization.

There are a lot of teachers registered, who are not yet active users on the website. Once these teachers become versed in the organization, and the benefits it brings, more engagement will occur with the activities and events.

The dialogue continues as the organization's social media presence grows!

What will I be contributing?

All parts of the committee work together to create an interactive experience for students across the country to engage in. My part of the committee is on the technical side. I work with Photoshop and the website editing to create the posters, (such as the one to the left), and the accompanying website for each activity e.g Harvest Website.

I work along side Cathy to create the posters. She writes the general expectation of the activities in a Google Doc and I use the information she provides, along with pictures from "free image" websites such as Unsplash, to create a visual representation of the activity.

These posters have the link to the Activity Page on the AKGTC Website, where teachers and students can find more information on the activity.

The posters are emailed out to registered teachers, and posted on social media weekly to encourage participation.

Credits to: Eric Harvie Kindness Pod

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