Stopping to catch my breath

The first month and a half of the B.Ed. program has flown by - and I have learned so many new things along the way. I have already had the opportunity to attend a number of informative professional development sessions, where I have learned how to create a digital portfolio, how to teach basic coding to kindergarten students using Bee-Bots and using ScratchJr as a coding / language arts / math resource for primary students.

Along with my classmates, I have participated in a scavenger hunt at Mer Bleue Conservation Area, a math trek through downtown Ottawa, and created a body biography of a character from Paul Fleischman's book The Dunderheads. I have learned about the concept of growth mindsets and the power of "yet" both in my classes at the University of Ottawa, and through my experience in my community service learning (CSL) classroom.

I started my CSL placement at a public elementary school in the west end of Ottawa, working with an English to French Immersion (ETFI) teacher, who teaches math to grade one and two students, and language arts to grade twos. My associate teacher has been a fantastic role model and resource to me, and I am looking forward to learning from her experience this year.

Stepping into her classroom, I wasn't sure what to expect. What I found was students who were eager to work on their math activities. She had found a way to make math fun for the students. Activities range from number talks using Steve Wyborney's Splat, 3 Act Tasks, to measuring kitchen utensils and other household objects, their feet, and their height with a variety of non-standard units of measurement (think keys, buttons, toothpicks, macaroni noodles, etc.). Students worked in pairs and groups, on the carpet, at their tables or at the non-permanent vertical learning surfaces throughout her classroom.

In September, the students in her class were focusing on growth mindsets. They watched videos about growth mindsets (see: The Mojo Show), read books about growth mindsets (including The Most Magnificent Thing, The Darkest Dark, The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes, and Your Fantastic Elastic Brain). I am excited by the use of picture books to introduce topics, and now need to restrain myself from buying each of these (and others!) on my student teacher budget.

I look forward to seeing what October brings!

Until next time,

Nadine