Reflection as a Way of Life

Post #1: September 24, 2019

Innovation by definition from Wikipedia is “a new idea, creative thoughts, new imaginations in form of device or method. Innovation is often also viewed as the application of better solutions that meet new requirements, unarticulated needs, or existing market needs.” (“Innovation,” n.d.)

This definition speaks to my current professional context in elementary education and confirms that there is need for innovation in teaching and learning in today’s modern society. Classrooms in Peel Region (and likely other parts of Ontario and Canada as well) are changing in terms of their needs, unarticulated and existing needs. I work in an elementary school where the majority of students come from one of four community groups, immigrants from varying parts of Asia, refugees from the Syria, families living in subsidized housing and those living in a family shelter. The needs our students present in the classroom are great. As an educator, it is my goal to inspire all these students to gain knowledge and become life long learners. Through my experience in the classroom, it is clear to me that as educators, we need to be creative to come up with new ideas and methods in order to apply better solutions to meet those needs and the diversity of the modern classroom. This is, in fact, the definition of innovation.

Research, professional learning and teaching experience has taught us how students learn, how they acquire and construct knowledge and what they need to be successful. It is up to us as educators, to come up with better solutions, more effective methods of teaching in order to improve student achievement. This leads me to the question I want to explore further in the blog posts that follow.

What does innovation in teaching and learning look like in a community where the physical, emotional and social needs are so great?

 

Wikipedia contributors. (2019, September 22). Innovation. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:35, September 24, 2019, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Innovation&oldid=917182952

 

Post # 2: October 4, 2019

What does innovation in teaching and learning look like in a community where the physical, emotional and social needs are so great?

After a week of reading and reflection, I am aware that my focus question is touching on a wide variety of issues. I have also realized from reading other blogs, that this issue of diverse social, emotional and physical needs seems to be the new normal in so many schools across Ontario, making it all the more important to explore innovative ways to inspire students. I think I may focus my question on the diversity of abilities in the classroom, which in my professional context, seems to be directly related to the social, emotional and language needs of the students.

I have been teaching for a number of years and have spent much time in the junior grades of elementary schools in the Peel region. Year after year, I have found it challenging to manage the diversity in reading and writing levels of students in the same grade. It often takes several weeks to really grasp where each student is at in terms of reading, writing and mathematical understanding. It is equally, if not more important, to spend several weeks at the beginning of the year to get to know the students and their families in order to gain a deeper understanding for who they are as well as what they are bringing to the classroom in terms of their emotional and mental needs.

I have learned from experience and from taking the time to get to know the whole student, that their family background, their life experience, their culture and their first language, directly impacts how they relate and receive what is being presented to them as well as what is being asked of them. The investment of getting to know students, their background and their past experiences, can be invaluable to the teacher when making decisions about teaching methods, activities, even content, and can positively impact the way students learn in school.

I enjoy the challenge of finding ways to inspire and connect with a diverse range of students and even more, seeing progress with students who often do not experience success in school. I feel inspired by reading, attending conferences and talking to colleagues in order to learn new ways to teach reading, writing and math, innovative ways backed by research and experience. Bringing newly-learned strategies, activities and methods to my classroom, trying something new, seeing and experiencing success, making changes and sharing it with others, is what makes teaching successful for me.

Post #3: October 10, 2019

What does innovation in teaching and learning look like in a community where the diversity of needs are so great?

As the years have gone by, it seems to me that the academic ability levels as well as the social emotional needs of students have become more and more diverse. This may have always been the case but perhaps I have become more aware of my students’ needs as I have gained more experience over time or it could be the particular area in which I teach, has changed in terms of demographics. Whatever the case may be, the fact remains that my teaching strategies and learning activities need to adapt to meet the students where they are at, all the while trying to close the gap between them and the province standards. This requires creative problem solving, collaborative, professional inquiry and trial and error.

In my current professional context, I have had several students in my grade 5 class that have had very little schooling prior to moving to Canada from Syria. Their reading and writing skills in their own language was almost non-existent, as was their ability to speak, read, write and understand English. I struggled to communicate with these students as well as find the time they needed from me to begin to understand how reading and writing worked. I found it difficult to find activities they could participate in where they would experience meaningful learning yet not feel as though they were be treated as kindergarten students.

I spend a significant amount of time that year collaborating with the ESL teacher at our school as well as planning activities that would be engaging as well as a learning experience for them. I quickly learned that some of these students were not ready to learn how to read and write, they were simply just learning how to be in school. It had not occurred to me that they needed the time to adjust to being in school as well as work through some of the trauma they had experienced in their very few years of life.

It took some time, but I needed to understand these students’ needs and allow them time to build relationships with other students and with me in order to feel comfortable to begin learning the curriculum. I also learned that the most successful activities I planned for these students were the ones where they experienced something new. I organized pumpkin carving at Halloween, reading buddies with kindergarten students, decorating gingerbread houses at Christmas time, building snow forts in the winter, preparing the gardens and planting seeds in the spring and playing board games every Friday afternoon. These experiences gave the students opportunities where they could start to share their feelings and write a recount with simple words or phrases. As the year progressed, it was exciting to watch these students start to make some progress in their learning and be more engaged in activities with other students.

Post #4: October 17, 2019

What does innovation in teaching and learning look like in a community where the diversity of needs are so great?

The task of differentiated instruction when it comes to teaching and learning in a very diverse classroom, where the majority of students are ELLs (English Language Learners) and some have had very little access to school previous to moving to Canada, is a challenging one. The need for creativity and innovation in teaching methods is a necessity for the success of these students.

A guideline has been created in which teachers in Ontario have access to, in order to help navigate a starting point for these students. “Steps to English Proficiency (STEP): Elementary and Secondary Continua has been designed by the Ministry of Education for this purpose. Because the STEP framework describes language behaviours along a continuum, from beginning steps to proficiency, it enables educators to identify both the learner’s strengths and the subsequent instructional strategies to ensure a differentiated and responsive approach” (p. 3).

The STEP program is a great place for teachers to start but there are other factors that can contribute to the success of these ELLs and should be considered by educators in the classroom. The identity of the student should be valued and celebrated, as “educators have found that students can become highly engaged in school and school life when given the opportunity to share information about themselves and their experiences” (p. 3). Creating identity texts where these students can produce pictures, symbols and perhaps short sentences or phrases about themselves is one way to achieve this.

Another important component of teaching and learning in a largely ELL classroom, is developing oral language skills. It is important to give these students many opportunities to work on their oral language so they can begin to “understand that their thoughts can be talked about, written about and read about” (p. 4). “As Fisher, Frey and Rothenberg state, ‘Oral language tasks do not end with the conversation but serve to scaffold learning, allowing students to activate their thinking before they read, or to clarify their use of language in preparation to write’” (p. 4).

Another important component of teaching in a diverse classroom is to utilize “small groups: guided reading or “mini” shared reading sessions are described as “gateways” into English language and literacy learning” (p. 6). Working with small groups of students, allows the teacher to give direct and individualized instruction, meeting the students where they are at, as well as providing a non-threatening space for these students to develop their language skills.

I have mentioned only a few strategies that may contribute to the learning of these students, however, there are many innovative methods that may improve the success of ELLs. I continue to learn as I read more about innovative teaching and learning methods, access professional resources, collaborate with colleagues and simply go through the experience of teaching these students.

References:

Capacity Building Series K-12: English Literacy Development, Supporting English Language Learners with Limited Prior Schooling. Secretariat Special Edition #36: April 2014.

 

Post #5: October 24, 2019

What does innovation in teaching and learning look like in a community where the diversity of needs are so great?

After reading the articles for this week’s assignment on Contemporary Issues in Innovation, Teaching and Learning, it seems that perhaps there may be another way to meet the learning needs of the diverse learners in my classroom. After reading As if Indigenous Knowledge and Communities Mattered: Transformative Education in First Nations Communities in Canada by J. Ball (2004), it occurred to me that perhaps we are not doing enough for the ELLs in our classrooms. Ball writes about the innovative approach to post secondary education in First Nations communities in British Columbia called the generative curriculum model. This model of teaching and learning is one where the university instructors co-create and co-instruct post secondary education courses with community members, Elders from the First Nation group and with the indigenous students themselves. It has been transforming for the First Nations communities in the area.

This story of innovation inspired ideas of how I could adopt some of the same methods to my classroom, or other classrooms with many ELLs. The key component for the instruction in First Nations communities was inviting community members to partner with the university instructors, to share knowledge, their own cultural experiences, teachings and traditions and to create an environment for the students where they could connect to their own culture. If we invite members of the community in which I teach, to partner with us as teachers, to offer a perspective that students can relate to, perhaps there would be an improvement in student success as well.

Yesterday, the most timely event happened at my school. We were fortunate enough to have an author visit at our school, where a published author came to speak to the students and read some of her books. The author’s name is Rukhsana Khan. In a community school where there is a large number of students of East Indian descent, Rukhsana Khan could not have been a more appropriate guest in terms of culture and perspective. It was an incredible experience. She spoke to the students from the same perspective and background as so many of them. The students received her words and stories in such a connected and focused way, a way that I rarely see from the majority of these students. It was exactly the type of innovation we need in our diverse school, to partner with community members who can offer something more to the students than I can because of their similar cultural backgrounds and fundamental understanding. I feel inspired and hopeful that we can find other community partnerships that will be just as impactful as Rukhsana Khan was.

References:

Ball, J. (2004). As if Indigenous knowledge and communities mattered: Transformative education in First Nations communities in Canada. The American Indian Quarterly, 28, 454-479.

 

Post #6: November 2, 2019

What does innovation in teaching and learning look like in a community where the diversity of needs are so great?

When teaching in a school where the language needs are diverse and for most students, English is a second language, it is important to think about more than just how to be innovative in teaching language arts. Supporting ELLs in mathematics is crucial as so much of mathematics is language-based. There is a lot of language in mathematics, for example, language is important during instruction, while solving problems, when students are explaining their thinking and when reflecting on their learning. The language challenges for ELLs in mathematics goes beyond instruction and communication. “…unknown or misunderstood vocabulary…has different meanings in everyday language, as with even, odd and function. They may also be confused if the same mathematical operation can be signaled with a variety of mathematics term, such as add, and, plus, and combine….The words sum and whole also can cause confusion because they have nonmathematical homophones (some and hole)” (Bresser et al., 2009, p. 5). The challenges in mathematics for ELLs are far-reaching and so there is a need for innovation in teaching in this subject matter.

I have attended several professional development sessions on teaching mathematics to ELLs over the last couple of years and have come away with many helpful and effective strategies. I will highlight the strategies I have found most useful and most effective in my classroom, although, there are many others that I will not be able to mention in this post. As noted earlier, vocabulary is extremely challenging for ELLs in mathematics. Math word walls are very beneficial for students as they can refer it when necessary throughout a math unit. At the beginning of a new math unit, it is often helpful to spend time exploring new vocabulary and create definition placemats for key words. A definition placemat is divided into four sections, (definition, example, synonyms, real word application), where students fill out each of the four sections for one key word. These placemats can be displayed for future reference during the math unit. Another strategy for ELLs, is providing generic prompts for students to use when trying to share their thinking and reflecting on their learning, which would vary from unit to unit. It is important that these prompts are posted and accessible to students. A third effective strategy to support ELLs in mathematics is using sentence frames, which serve a number of purposes. “They provide the support ELLs need in order to fully participate in math discussions; they serve to contextualize and bring meaning to vocabulary; they provide structure for practicing and extending English language skills (Bresser et al., 2009, p. 9). Sentence frames can vary and they can take the form that is most fitting for the topic that is being explored. For example, if the students were learning about shape, than a sentence frame could look like this: This is a ______________. It has _____________ sides and ____________ vertices. If the topic was patterning, a sentence frame could look like this: The pattern is __________________ by _______________ each time.

These are just a few ways to support ELLs in mathematics but can make a big difference when students are trying to make sense of confusing vocabulary. I have learned that it may be time consuming to focus on key vocabulary at the beginning of a math unit, but building the language needed to understand instruction in mathematics and to communicate one’s thinking, is the foundation of understanding mathematical concepts.

References:

Bresser, R., Melanese, K., & Sphar, C. (2009). Supporting English language learners in math class: grades 3-5. Sausalito, CA: Math Solutions Publications.

 

Post #7: November 3, 2019

What does innovation in teaching and learning look like in a community where the diversity of needs are so great?

For the past five years, the Peel District School Board has created teaching positions that are designed specifically to work with students who new to Canada, new to English and have had limited, if any, schooling prior to moving to Canada (also know as ELDs or SIFEs). Many of the students who fall into this category are refugees and for the last five years, the majority of them have been from Syria and living in refugee camps in Lebanon or Jordan for several years before coming to Canada. These teachers are allocated to schools that have a high number of students who fit in this category. The ELD teacher, as they are called, pulls small groups of students out of the classroom to provide intensive language and math instruction, in an attempt to get these students to a place where they can be successful in a regular classroom. The school in which I work, had been awarded an ELD teacher for the past five years. However, this year is the first year we have not had an ELD teacher at our school due to the decline in need for this intensive support as well as provincial funding cuts. The former ELD teacher at our school has been reassigned this year and is working in a kindergarten class.

As I have been thinking about my blog question about innovative ideas in teaching and learning when it comes to diverse needs in the classroom, I decided to visit the former ELD teacher, who I had worked closely with in previous years, and ask her about her ideas and methods in teaching ELLs, as she had become the expert over the years. In typical teacher fashion, it was difficult to find the time to sit down and have a conversation together, especially in the middle of progress reports with parent/teacher interviews looming. She did, however, give me a book to read that she found helpful as well as a name of a person to follow on twitter who is active in teaching ELLs. I spent some time reading and reflecting on what I have been doing in my own classroom for those students who are new to Canada, new to English and have had significant interruption in their learning.

As I was reading, I was struck by how, over the course of writing these blogs, I have overlooked the most basic and perhaps, the most important part about teaching students who fall into this category, ELDs or SIFEs. The starting point for teaching students with such diverse needs, particularly in ESL, is being culturally responsive. “At the heart of quality instruction, it is crucial that teachers of students who are SIFE possess an understanding of culturally responsive teaching in order to provide appropriate empathy and an enhanced, safe, and interactive environment for optimal language learning and academic achievement” (Salva, 2017, p. 13). “Culturally responsive teaching means using the cultural characteristics, experiences, and perspectives of culturally diverse students as conduits for teaching them more effectively” (Salva, 2017, p. 19). Salva goes on to say that being culturally responsive, teachers must “examine our own attitudes towards these students for any subconscious bias or stereotyping (Salva, 2017, p. 20). As culturally responsive teachers, we can share our own culture, background and tradtions with students, we can gather information about the students’ background from enrollement or records, we can create opportunities for students to share their background, culture and traditions with the class and we can build relationships with the parents and the community as a sign of respect and a way to value these families.  All these strategies are just the beginning of how to “build a classroom community that respects and values diversity among students” (Salva, 2017, p. 18). Creating a space where ELLs feel safe, valued, respected and welcomed, is the foundation of addressing the diverse needs in the classroom.

References:

Salva, C., & Matis, A. (2017). Boosting achievement: reaching students with interrupted or minimal education. San Clemente, CA: Seidlitz Education.

 

Post #8: November 5, 2019

What does innovation in teaching and learning look like in a community where the diversity of needs are so great?

After receiving a book written by a passionate and highly educated ESL consultant, Carol Salva, from a colleague of mine who is a former ELD teacher, I spent some time reading about what she had to say about teaching students to whom English is their second language and have received interrupted or minimal education (ELLs or SIFEs). In my last blog, I reflected on the need to create a classroom environment that is safe, where students feel valued and respected and one that is culturally responsive to the ELLs or SIFEs in the classroom. Building a classroom community of respect and acceptance of diversity is the foundation to teaching ELLs or SIFEs. It is so important for students, who have likely experienced a significant amount of trauma in their life and have had limited exposure to prior education, feel that they are in a place that is safe, their basic needs are being met and they have a teacher who respects them and their culture, believes in their capacity to learn and shows genuine interest in their lives.

Once a positive and nurturing classroom community is established (or at least in the process of being established, as it takes time), the next step to effective teaching and learning in a classroom with ELLs/SIFEs, is creating opportunities for acquiring language rather than just learning a language. Salva differentiates the two by stating, “learning a language involves studying and memorizing the vocabulary and grammar of a target language. Students produce written and oral language and receive feedback from an instructor. Language acquisition involves receiving copious amount of comprehensible input (written or spoken language that is understandable to a language learner because of the context)…coupled with opportunities to express themselves orally and/or in writing in authentic contexts” (Salva, 2017, p. 50). The opportunities for ELLs/SIFEs to develop their oral language as well as be exposed to written language in contexts that are meaningful to them, is of great importance. “Time should be focused on providing opportunities for oral and written interaction rather than intensely focusing on vocabulary lists and finer points of grammar” (Salva, 2017, p. 50). Even teaching at a junior level, it is very important for students to have the time to develop their oral language skills by receiving a significant amount of interaction from the teacher, their peers, media (television, videos, music, etc.), appropriate reading levelled books, signs, labels, word walls and posters around the classroom. When it comes to other areas of the curriculum, it is crucial that the focus is still on language, whether the content area is science, social studies or history. “An effective content teacher uses language to teach concepts. An effective ESL or ELA teacher uses engaging content to teach the target language” (Salva, 2017, p. 58).

In her book, Salva shares some strategies for promoting and supporting oral language development in the classroom. I want to highlight one strategy that I intend to implement in my classroom in the near future, which is called QSSSA. The acronym stands for Question, Signal, Stem, Share, Assess. It is a structure by the which the students “use all the domains of listening, speaking, reading, and writing in a fun and interactive manner” (Salva, 2017, p. 66). “The structure begins with the teacher asking a question…then provides a sentence stem for the students to use with a partner for sharing responses [which can be written]…the teacher assesses the students by randomly calling on a few to respond” (Salva, 2017, p. 66).

The importance of oral language and the opportunity for ELLs/SIFEs to interact with language in a meaningful context are the building blocks for acquiring a new language. In a classroom where the language needs are so diverse, it is important to prioritize in terms of what needs to be taught. Language should be the focal point of each content area and the content will come later once the language skills have been sufficiently acquired.

References:

Salva, C., & Matis, A. (2017). Boosting achievement: reaching students with interrupted or minimal education. San Clemente, CA: Seidlitz Education.

 

Post #9: November 9, 2019

What does innovation in teaching and learning look like in a community where the diversity of needs are so great?

I have spend some time exploring the importance of classroom culture and a sense of community in a classroom in which there are a significant number of ELLs/SIFEs, as a sense of belonging, connection with others and building relationships are essential to fostering learning. I have also highlighted the important of language acquisition and in turn, teaching and learning methods in the classroom are heavily focused on language, specifically oral language, where the primary focus in all content areas is developing language skills and the content is secondary. I have discovered some innovative ways to address such diverse language challenges in the classroom.

After spending some time reading from a variety of sources, I came across a book called Meeting the Needs of Students with Limited or Interrupted Schooling by Andrea DeCapua, William Smathers, and Lixing Frank Tang. Decapua et al. give an overview of the most essential approaches and best practices for teaching and learning in a classroom with ELLs/SIFEs. They focus on approaches and practices that have proved to be most effective in the success of student learning. I came across one, in particular, that I have briefly touched on in a previous post and wanted to explore in greater depth. Project-based learning is an approach to teaching and learning that can be beneficial in any classroom but can be extremely effective in a classroom of ELLs/SIFEs. PBLWorks describes project-based learning as “a teaching method in which students learn by actively engaging in real world and personally meaningful projects” (PBLWorks, n.d., para. 1). Teachers can design a challenge, a question or an inquiry, based on the interests of the students, keeping in mind their cultural backgrounds and personal experiences, as well as the learning objectives in terms of content areas for the specific grade level. In project-based learning, there is an element of planning or determining guiding questions, discovery, exploring, experiential or hands on learning, observing, compiling and analyzing results and finally, presenting their learning in the form of a product, such as art work, a performance, a technology-based presentation or a poster. “Project-based learning emphasizes both process and product, while encouraging collaborative and independent work that support the development of cognitive skills. Experiential learning, exploration, and application are essential components” (DeCapua et al., 2009, p. 62). All the elements of project-based learning lend themselves to what researchers have discovered is essential for teaching and learning in a classroom with ELLs/SIFEs. “Foreman & Foreman (2003) suggest that there are four essential keys to academic success for this population. First, students must be engaged in a theme-based curriculum that is challenging…Second, teachers need to draw on students’ backgrounds…Third, teachers need to plan and promote collaborative activities and use scaffolded instruction…Fourth, students need to develop confidence in their ability to become capable learners who value schooling” (DeCapua et al., 2009, p.52).

Project-based learning is a method of teaching and learning that is highly engaging for students and allows teachers to tap into the students’ personal experiences, interests and prior knowledge as well as facilitate rich language development opportunities, including oral, reading and writing. It is collaborative, which offers support, builds relationships and gives students a sense of belonging. It ignites curiosity, develops confidence and offers students a sense of accomplishment. All these factors of project-based learning, point to what I have learned is essential and effective in teaching and learning in a classroom where the diverse language needs are great.

References:

DeCapua, A., Smathers, W., & Tang, L. F. (2009). Meeting the needs of students with limited or interrupted schooling: a guide for educators. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

PBLWorks. (n.d.). Retrieved November 9, 2019, from http://www.pblworks.org/.

 

Post #10: November 12, 2019

What does innovation in teaching and learning look like in a community where the diversity of needs are so great?

Over the past couple of months, I have been intentionally seeking out creative strategies, innovative methods of teaching and learning, and foundational elements necessary to meet the needs of the diverse set of students in my grade 5 classroom, the majority being ELLs/SIFEs (students where English is not their first language and they have missed a significant amount of schooling prior to relocating to Canada). I have read books, spoke to ESL teachers, reflected on my own practice, read blogs and explored online resources. Upon reflection, I have discovered what I believe, to be key elements and innovative teaching strategies that will lead to student success, particularly the success of ELLs/SIFEs.

• self-awareness of preconceived stereotypes, attitudes and feeling towards others which can affect the way I interact and response to students
• personal knowledge of other cultures, religions and backgrounds that are present in my classroom is necessary to understand the students in my classroom
• creating a classroom climate where students feel safe, valued, respected and heard is essential and needs to be intentionally established from the beginning of the year
• getting to know students, their backgrounds, culture, family life, traditions, interests and needs, is important for the teacher, but also as a classroom activity as it builds relationships between peers
• opportunities for collaboration and problem solving in groups is essential for ELLs/SIFEs
• working in small groups, such as guided reading groups, is important for language building
• experiential learning is key for students to be engaged and develop language skills, oral, reading and writing skills
• providing texts that are relatable and content that students can connect with, is important for understanding and knowledge building
• tapping into students’ prior knowledge, experience and worldview is essential to build understanding and language skills
• providing many opportunities for students to develop oral language skills is of great importance for language acquisition
• fill the classroom with words, posters, word walls, definitions, labels, etc., is important for supporting ELLs/SIFEs
• scaffolding instruction and providing sentence starters for students is very important for developing language skills
• accessing community partners to interact with and teach students to provide them with a familiar perspective and relatable experience

I believe students who fit into the category of ELLs/SIFEs need the time, space and support to become successful in school. It needs to start at the very foundation of building positive relationships. I know that every year brings a new group of students, a new dynamic in the classroom and a new set of needs to be met. To be innovative and creative in teaching and learning in a classroom such as this, it is important to get to know the students and their needs, be flexible and always be willing to adjust to what is required to meet the needs of the students that are sitting in front of me. It is challenging, ever-changing and very exciting to be a part of such an important profession such as this!