Name: Kim Civiero Practicum Dates: September – December 2013
1. Goal: To learn as much about the Alberta school system and ECE programs of studies, curriculum models, and approaches to learning as possible.
Rationale: I grew up in Ontario and therefore completed all of my schooling there, from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 13 (both of which years of study do not exist here in Alberta). Although I did well through both elementary and high school, I am only familiar with the Ontario school system. Throughout my interactions with people while living in Alberta, I have noticed that there are many differences that I must learn. Even in my Education 2500 class I was exposed to differences: the existence of “social studies” as a class, junior high being separate from elementary school, and certain phys ed activities that are named differently (i.e. kickball). I want to be well versed in the Alberta curriculum so that I can be knowledgeable about what I am teaching and be confident while doing so, especially in ECE since that is where I intend to begin my teaching career.
Strategies:
o Observe as many subjects in different ECE classrooms with different teachers as possible
o Review Alberta Program of Studies documents on a regular basis to be familiar with changes or modifications
o Help students in a small group or one-on-one environment
o Teach classes, create lesson plans and review sessions
o Check in with teacher mentor consistently to ensure I am covering all the bases with my lessons
Resources:
o Alberta program of studies K-3
o Teacher mentor and other teachers at practicum school (for observation purposes)
o Lesson plan databases found in curriculum lab and/or online
o Lesson plans created by me during PS1 placement (grade 1 class) as well as other materials gathered throughout that practicum from teacher associate and other teachers
Strengths:
o Previous experience
o grade 1 classroom from PS1 placement
o elementary physical education (taught grades 2-12 in PS2 placement)
o current professional figure skating coach (head coach of the Cardston Skating Club with skaters ranging in ages from 3-21)
o I believe I have excellent time management and scheduling abilities
o Ability to develop good relationships and rapport with students quickly
Challenges:
o Teaching subjects that I am less comfortable with (i.e. math, science)
o Assessment – knowing how often to assess and create the parameters to do so
o Recognizing and adapting to the differences/”new” things that I see in Alberta that do not exist or are different in Ontario
Indicators of Success:
o Being able to answer students’ questions without having to look up answers
o Feeling more comfortable in front of the classroom
o Being able to create lesson plans without having to refer to curriculum documents
o Being comfortable creating lesson plans and teaching a variety of subjects
Effect on Students:
o Students respond better to a teacher who is more confident and knows the content of a lesson
o Students will receive answers to their questions in a reasonable amount of time
o Students will receive better quality of lessons and teaching
2. Goal: To increase my knowledge of specific learning strategies and activities relevant to key subject areas and developmental domains of early childhood learning in schools.
Rationale: As in any classroom, a variety of learning strategies and activities are required to keep students engaged. Particularly in early childhood classrooms, variety is key. Knowing that young children have extremely short attention spans, it is that much more important to have lots of learning strategies and a variety of ideas up your sleeve at all times!
As well, being knowledgeable about developmental patterns will be extremely influential when planning lessons at the early childhood level. A combination of different teaching styles as well as lessons that are planned while considering developmental stages will lead to effective lessons and more engaged children in the classroom.
Strategies:
o To continue to learn about developmental stages of learning and apply those theories into lesson plans
o Attending PD sessions and staff meetings that discuss development theories
o To learn about a variety of different classroom management strategies as well as teaching strategies in order to promote engagement in the classroom and effective learning
o Observe as many different teachers while in practicum at different levels of ECE
Resources:
o Textbook from PS1 and PS2 educational psychology classes
o Teacher mentor and other teachers at practicum school (for observation purposes)
o PD sessions ?
Strengths:
o Previous experience as listed above
o Have used lots of different attention grabbers in the past – know what works well and what doesn’t
o Ability to develop good relationships and rapport with students quickl
Challenges:
o Potential for a challenging class
o Differentiated instruction for those students who need it
o Keeping on track with the curriculum while altering it for certain students (if this appears in the class)
Indicators of Success:
o Developing a repertoire of teaching strategies and implementing them into my lesson plans
o Being able to change strategies on the fly if one isn’t working
Effect on Students:
o A comfortable, safe environment for students to feel like they can learn
o Variety of strategies will keep students engaged and help stop them from getting bored
o Having students engaged in their learning will lead to more learning
3. Goal: To have a strong sense of how to achieve and maintain good classroom management throughout the entire school year.
Rationale: I think having a strong management of my students and their behaviours will be one of the major indicators of my success as a teacher. I feel that I have a strong ability to get students to listen to me and be on their best behaviour, but I know that it is unrealistic to expect this to be perfect all the time. I want to learn as many different classroom management strategies that can be used at different ages and grade levels.
Strategies:
o Spend time in different classrooms than my own, focusing on grade levels other than what I am teaching
o Brainstorm with other teachers about what strategies they use, attend PD sessions on classroom management; research classroom management strategies and implement those ideas in the classroom; seek out or develop strategies that are more in line with my own personality and philosophy of teaching
o Set out expectations at beginning of year (or beginning of my practicum) – i.e, not allowing students to be talking when I am, make myself a notable authority in the classroom so the students know they must listen and respect me
Resources:
o Teacher mentor and other teachers
o Classroom management textbooks and websites
Strengths:
o Experience as outlined above – having spent lots of time in various teaching environments (camp counselor, student teaching, coaching figure skating)
o Lots of patience!
o Ability to connect and build good relationships with students – should lead to students who respect me as a teacher and will therefore behave better
Challenges:
o Potential for a challenging class
o Differentiated instruction – keeping classroom management as a priority while trying to focus on students’ individual needs
o Choosing appropriate consequences and enforcing those consequences
Indicators of Success:
o Students will not be talking when I am
o Students will raise their hands to speak
o I will not have to shout or repeatedly ask the students to settle down
o I will have a positive, respectful and caring relationship with my students
Effect on Students:
o Positive environment where students feel like they can talk without being interrupted or made fun of
o Safe learning environment
o Students will be knowledgeable about rules and expectations and can tell you what the consequences will be
4. Goal: To recognize students’ needs for physical, social, cultural, and psychological security to create secure and stimulating environments for early childhood learning.
Rationale: I think one of the most important components of an early childhood classroom is to make students feel safe and comfortable. We know that learning will likely not occur unless your students are feeling this way. In order to create a safe feeling environment, I think it is important to build relationships with all students, become friendly with them, and learn about their lives outside of the classroom. I think it is important to meet all students’ needs – physical, social, cultural and psychological. Although fostering a safe environment is essential, that does not cover all those needs. I think it is important to implement daily physical activity in order to help meet students’ physical needs (the body needs to move!), but also to be aware of any physical restrictions that students in my class may possess. As well, being aware and recognizing/celebrating any cultural differences can help cater to that safe and comfortable learning environment I will strive for throughout both my PS3 placement and teaching career.
Strategies:
o Learning about students prior to the school year beginning – asking mentor teacher for a class list and about any known significant information about the students
o Providing lots of opportunities in the first few weeks of school for the students to get to know me but also (more importantly) opportunities for the students to tell me about themselves
o Integrating cultural differences into lesson plans (FNMI but also any other different cultural groups)
o Learning as much as I can about the cultural differences that are existent in my classroom and then finding ways to discuss/teach about them
Resources:
o Class lists
o “Walking Together” FNMI online resource
o children’s books/videos about being different
Strengths:
o Experience in a diverse PS1 practicum classroom (Cardston – most students were first nations or of the Mormon religion, as well we had a new student transfer from China who didn’t speak any English)
o Experience working with Autistic children in my skating classes this year\
Challenges:
o Not knowing what kind of class you will get
o Possibility of having to adapt to certain disabilities/limitations I am not familiar with
o Lack of teacher assistants available in certain school divisions
Indicators of Success:
o Having comfortable relationships with all students
o Students are happy and comfortable in the classroom and school
Effect on Students:
o Safe, fun environment for all students
o Good rapport between students – no teasing for being different, protecting one another
5. Goal: To learn and become comfortable with student assessment, using a variety of developmentally appropriate assessment in an early childhood environment.
Rationale: Assessment is probably my weakest skill in terms of teaching. I want to get comfortable and efficient with many different forms of both formative and summative assessment. I think it is important to utilize a variety of assessment tools and experiment with some simpler tools that would be more effective in an early childhood classroom. I want to find ways to bring students into the assessment process from an early age regardless of challenges/limitations (i.e. students who can’t read) I may face.
Strategies:
o Brainstorm with other teachers regarding assessment tools used in an ECE classroom
o Find as many different resources as possible and adapt them for my personal use
o Create new rubrics/assessment tools and test them out during PS3 practicum
o Consult with my mentor teacher about tools he/she has used in the past and what is effective/not effective.
Resources:
o Assessment textbooks from PS1 and PS2
o Rubrics developed in PS2 – can be adapted
o Online rubric development websites
Strengths:
o Spent lots of time in PS2 building rubrics for physical education
o Excellent organizational skills
Challenges:
o Little experience with assessment in earlier grade levels in physical education
o No experience with assessment in earlier grade levels in a classroom setting
o Not familiar with Alberta report cards
Indicators of Success:
o Having a complete, organized grade book that works for me
o Having students engaged in the assessment process
Effect on Students:
o Students will know how they are being assessed and not be surprised by anything
o Students will feel engaged in their learning and assessment process
o Students will feel comfortable with assessment practices
1. Goal: To learn as much about the Alberta school system and ECE programs of studies, curriculum models, and approaches to learning as possible.
Rationale: I grew up in Ontario and therefore completed all of my schooling there, from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 13 (both of which years of study do not exist here in Alberta). Although I did well through both elementary and high school, I am only familiar with the Ontario school system. Throughout my interactions with people while living in Alberta, I have noticed that there are many differences that I must learn. Even in my Education 2500 class I was exposed to differences: the existence of “social studies” as a class, junior high being separate from elementary school, and certain phys ed activities that are named differently (i.e. kickball). I want to be well versed in the Alberta curriculum so that I can be knowledgeable about what I am teaching and be confident while doing so, especially in ECE since that is where I intend to begin my teaching career.
Strategies:
o Observe as many subjects in different ECE classrooms with different teachers as possible
o Review Alberta Program of Studies documents on a regular basis to be familiar with changes or modifications
o Help students in a small group or one-on-one environment
o Teach classes, create lesson plans and review sessions
o Check in with teacher mentor consistently to ensure I am covering all the bases with my lessons
Resources:
o Alberta program of studies K-3
o Teacher mentor and other teachers at practicum school (for observation purposes)
o Lesson plan databases found in curriculum lab and/or online
o Lesson plans created by me during PS1 placement (grade 1 class) as well as other materials gathered throughout that practicum from teacher associate and other teachers
Strengths:
o Previous experience
o grade 1 classroom from PS1 placement
o elementary physical education (taught grades 2-12 in PS2 placement)
o current professional figure skating coach (head coach of the Cardston Skating Club with skaters ranging in ages from 3-21)
o I believe I have excellent time management and scheduling abilities
o Ability to develop good relationships and rapport with students quickly
Challenges:
o Teaching subjects that I am less comfortable with (i.e. math, science)
o Assessment – knowing how often to assess and create the parameters to do so
o Recognizing and adapting to the differences/”new” things that I see in Alberta that do not exist or are different in Ontario
Indicators of Success:
o Being able to answer students’ questions without having to look up answers
o Feeling more comfortable in front of the classroom
o Being able to create lesson plans without having to refer to curriculum documents
o Being comfortable creating lesson plans and teaching a variety of subjects
Effect on Students:
o Students respond better to a teacher who is more confident and knows the content of a lesson
o Students will receive answers to their questions in a reasonable amount of time
o Students will receive better quality of lessons and teaching
2. Goal: To increase my knowledge of specific learning strategies and activities relevant to key subject areas and developmental domains of early childhood learning in schools.
Rationale: As in any classroom, a variety of learning strategies and activities are required to keep students engaged. Particularly in early childhood classrooms, variety is key. Knowing that young children have extremely short attention spans, it is that much more important to have lots of learning strategies and a variety of ideas up your sleeve at all times!
As well, being knowledgeable about developmental patterns will be extremely influential when planning lessons at the early childhood level. A combination of different teaching styles as well as lessons that are planned while considering developmental stages will lead to effective lessons and more engaged children in the classroom.
Strategies:
o To continue to learn about developmental stages of learning and apply those theories into lesson plans
o Attending PD sessions and staff meetings that discuss development theories
o To learn about a variety of different classroom management strategies as well as teaching strategies in order to promote engagement in the classroom and effective learning
o Observe as many different teachers while in practicum at different levels of ECE
Resources:
o Textbook from PS1 and PS2 educational psychology classes
o Teacher mentor and other teachers at practicum school (for observation purposes)
o PD sessions ?
Strengths:
o Previous experience as listed above
o Have used lots of different attention grabbers in the past – know what works well and what doesn’t
o Ability to develop good relationships and rapport with students quickl
Challenges:
o Potential for a challenging class
o Differentiated instruction for those students who need it
o Keeping on track with the curriculum while altering it for certain students (if this appears in the class)
Indicators of Success:
o Developing a repertoire of teaching strategies and implementing them into my lesson plans
o Being able to change strategies on the fly if one isn’t working
Effect on Students:
o A comfortable, safe environment for students to feel like they can learn
o Variety of strategies will keep students engaged and help stop them from getting bored
o Having students engaged in their learning will lead to more learning
3. Goal: To have a strong sense of how to achieve and maintain good classroom management throughout the entire school year.
Rationale: I think having a strong management of my students and their behaviours will be one of the major indicators of my success as a teacher. I feel that I have a strong ability to get students to listen to me and be on their best behaviour, but I know that it is unrealistic to expect this to be perfect all the time. I want to learn as many different classroom management strategies that can be used at different ages and grade levels.
Strategies:
o Spend time in different classrooms than my own, focusing on grade levels other than what I am teaching
o Brainstorm with other teachers about what strategies they use, attend PD sessions on classroom management; research classroom management strategies and implement those ideas in the classroom; seek out or develop strategies that are more in line with my own personality and philosophy of teaching
o Set out expectations at beginning of year (or beginning of my practicum) – i.e, not allowing students to be talking when I am, make myself a notable authority in the classroom so the students know they must listen and respect me
Resources:
o Teacher mentor and other teachers
o Classroom management textbooks and websites
Strengths:
o Experience as outlined above – having spent lots of time in various teaching environments (camp counselor, student teaching, coaching figure skating)
o Lots of patience!
o Ability to connect and build good relationships with students – should lead to students who respect me as a teacher and will therefore behave better
Challenges:
o Potential for a challenging class
o Differentiated instruction – keeping classroom management as a priority while trying to focus on students’ individual needs
o Choosing appropriate consequences and enforcing those consequences
Indicators of Success:
o Students will not be talking when I am
o Students will raise their hands to speak
o I will not have to shout or repeatedly ask the students to settle down
o I will have a positive, respectful and caring relationship with my students
Effect on Students:
o Positive environment where students feel like they can talk without being interrupted or made fun of
o Safe learning environment
o Students will be knowledgeable about rules and expectations and can tell you what the consequences will be
4. Goal: To recognize students’ needs for physical, social, cultural, and psychological security to create secure and stimulating environments for early childhood learning.
Rationale: I think one of the most important components of an early childhood classroom is to make students feel safe and comfortable. We know that learning will likely not occur unless your students are feeling this way. In order to create a safe feeling environment, I think it is important to build relationships with all students, become friendly with them, and learn about their lives outside of the classroom. I think it is important to meet all students’ needs – physical, social, cultural and psychological. Although fostering a safe environment is essential, that does not cover all those needs. I think it is important to implement daily physical activity in order to help meet students’ physical needs (the body needs to move!), but also to be aware of any physical restrictions that students in my class may possess. As well, being aware and recognizing/celebrating any cultural differences can help cater to that safe and comfortable learning environment I will strive for throughout both my PS3 placement and teaching career.
Strategies:
o Learning about students prior to the school year beginning – asking mentor teacher for a class list and about any known significant information about the students
o Providing lots of opportunities in the first few weeks of school for the students to get to know me but also (more importantly) opportunities for the students to tell me about themselves
o Integrating cultural differences into lesson plans (FNMI but also any other different cultural groups)
o Learning as much as I can about the cultural differences that are existent in my classroom and then finding ways to discuss/teach about them
Resources:
o Class lists
o “Walking Together” FNMI online resource
o children’s books/videos about being different
Strengths:
o Experience in a diverse PS1 practicum classroom (Cardston – most students were first nations or of the Mormon religion, as well we had a new student transfer from China who didn’t speak any English)
o Experience working with Autistic children in my skating classes this year\
Challenges:
o Not knowing what kind of class you will get
o Possibility of having to adapt to certain disabilities/limitations I am not familiar with
o Lack of teacher assistants available in certain school divisions
Indicators of Success:
o Having comfortable relationships with all students
o Students are happy and comfortable in the classroom and school
Effect on Students:
o Safe, fun environment for all students
o Good rapport between students – no teasing for being different, protecting one another
5. Goal: To learn and become comfortable with student assessment, using a variety of developmentally appropriate assessment in an early childhood environment.
Rationale: Assessment is probably my weakest skill in terms of teaching. I want to get comfortable and efficient with many different forms of both formative and summative assessment. I think it is important to utilize a variety of assessment tools and experiment with some simpler tools that would be more effective in an early childhood classroom. I want to find ways to bring students into the assessment process from an early age regardless of challenges/limitations (i.e. students who can’t read) I may face.
Strategies:
o Brainstorm with other teachers regarding assessment tools used in an ECE classroom
o Find as many different resources as possible and adapt them for my personal use
o Create new rubrics/assessment tools and test them out during PS3 practicum
o Consult with my mentor teacher about tools he/she has used in the past and what is effective/not effective.
Resources:
o Assessment textbooks from PS1 and PS2
o Rubrics developed in PS2 – can be adapted
o Online rubric development websites
Strengths:
o Spent lots of time in PS2 building rubrics for physical education
o Excellent organizational skills
Challenges:
o Little experience with assessment in earlier grade levels in physical education
o No experience with assessment in earlier grade levels in a classroom setting
o Not familiar with Alberta report cards
Indicators of Success:
o Having a complete, organized grade book that works for me
o Having students engaged in the assessment process
Effect on Students:
o Students will know how they are being assessed and not be surprised by anything
o Students will feel engaged in their learning and assessment process
o Students will feel comfortable with assessment practices