What does it mean to be present? - By Rana Diorio Sometimes a book falls into your lap that is perfect for the very moment that you are in. This happens to be one of those books. What does it mean to be present is a beautiful book for any age. It speaks beautifully to a problem so many of us face, busyness. Today as I was trying to write this, (while dealing with dinner, my children arguing, our oldest's grad meeting (Yes our oldest graduates this year!!) and my husband's business) I giggled thinking that this was the book I was going to be writing about. How do we remain present when life is moving at a break-neck pace? I can't wait to read this book to my kids (and my students) and have all the conversations that I know will arise. This book is a great one for Inference, Questioning and Transform. It also might just become my go to gift book, to both kids and adults alike!!
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Wow - halfway there already! 15 straight days of reflecting, connecting & blogging. Pretty darn impressive really. Kudos to everyone for being so dedicated, so reflective. I've already learned a lot!
For today's reflection, we are to share our top three strengths as an educator, so here goes: 1) I am a collaborator. I seldom want to work alone, as I see so much value in talking with others & teaching with others. The co-learning and co-constructing that goes on when you work with others is just so powerful. 2) I am an innovator. Pushing the envelope of what is done, how it is done and why it is done just thrills me. Combine that and collaboration and you had me at hello. 3) I have a great pair of perspectacles. In my position I am frequently called upon to be the intermediary between students, teachers and parents (and the occasional outside agency). In order to make sure everyone walks out of my office happy, I have to work hard to see things from each point of view - what are their hopes? Their fears? Their non-negotiables? To do this, I need to take not just one but many perspectives, so I pull out my perspectacles (love that word!). What hasn't been said but I hope comes through loud and clear is that I am passionate. I am passionate about student success & teacher success. Nothing beats the glow of people who truly believe they can do it. And if I can be a small part of that, then hey, my day is made. After yesterday's debacle, which spilled over in to today (see post
here ), I am feeling less than motivated to write another post. But...I hate being behind. A lot. So I am going to get 'er done, as Larry the Cable Guy would say (perhaps the fact that I am quoting Larry the Cable Guy gives you a little bit of insight in to my mental state right now. Yikes.). So (deep breath), here goes. Feedback for learning is any feedback a student gets that encourages them to learn something new. This might come from a teacher, a peer, a parent, the environment or even themselves. It is any feedback that allows the student to sit back and say "Huh. Maybe I should try this." or "Ahhhh...got it." or " So what you're saying is....". Without feedback for learning, students miss the point. They believe the answer is the point, when really the learning is the point. How well do I give it to students? Honestly? Sometimes I'm better at it than others. Sometimes I guide them well and they have that moment of clarity, where the synapses connect and their brain grows. Other times, they just look more confused than when they started and not in the "I'm on my way to understanding" kind of way. More in the "I have no idea what you're talking about" way. So, I would say this is a work in progress. I'm certainly not a feedback of learning kind of girl, I just haven't perfected my feedback for learning style. So, sometimes, I get the blank stare and then I know I need to try again. And again. And again. Until the light goes on and the fog lifts and my students start talking excitedly all at once. Now we're getting somewhere! Sigh.
This is the second time I've written this post. I first started writing it last night. My daughters and I decided to make an impromptu trip to Vancouver and stayed with family in Langley last night. After getting the kids all tucked in bed and visiting for a bit, I retreated to my bedroom to write this post. As fate (and irony) would have it, I had apparently never logged on to their internet connection before with my iPad so couldn't use it to post this. Ok, I thought, I'll just use my phone. No sooner had I begun working on my phone then the countdown begins - 7% battery life left. 5%. I was typing as fast as I possibly could at this point, knowing I had very little time before my phone shut down for good. Fingers flying, I almost finished the post when the screen flashtes white and the faded to black. Awesome. No post for me. As the type who doesn't like to miss a deadline (but doesn't mind procrastinating) this is a blow to the ego. I don't miss deadlines. Even self-imposed daily ones. Fast-foward to today. I have been fidgeting all day, just waiting for the moment when I can redeem myself. When I can offer up my sorry technology-failed-me excuse for why I did not write a post about, of all things, ed Tech. The irony is not lost on me. So here I lie, in my youngest daughter's bed, waiting for her to fall asleep and re-writing last night's post. 1 - Audio books. Hands down. They can turn a reluctant reader in to a voracious reader. 'Nuff said. 2 - Evernote (including Skitch). Good for a whole ton of things, for me and my students. 3 - Speech to text. When paired with Evernote, it can be a struggling writer's key to success. 4 - eBooks. Can have the same impact as #1 and so many useful features for struggling learners. 5 - Various presentation apps & websites (Prezi, Glogster, Voki, the simple video camera, and more). So many great ways to share their learning! 6 - My Smartboard. Easy, engaging and infinitely useful. Hate the doc camera though - just turns it in to a glorified projector. How do you envision your teaching changing over the next 5 years? In some ways, 5 years is a long time but in many ways it is a very, very short time. The thought of going from having a 5 year old to a 10 year old makes it seem like a long time, but the speed with which technology and teaching pedagogy are changing makes it seem like a short time. I am adopting new teaching techniques and new technology as fast as I can learn them but I am in a unique teaching position in that I have no class of my own to try them out with. I can only move as fast as the teachers I work with are willing to go (and that varies tremendously). So, how will my teaching change over the next 5 years? The same way that it does now - adapting on the fly, learning as I go, co-teaching, co-learning, collaborating to help students and teachers be as successful as they can possibly be. Before you decide that this is a bit of a cop out answer, let me just tell you that in discussing the question with my husband, he looked at me and said "That's a bit of a difficult one to answer, given that 5 years ago you probably didn't see yourself teaching with iPads now did you?" All I could do was nod in agreement. Image courtesy of mrpuen at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
In my quest to find ways to motivate my son to write, I have stumbled upon some very interesting articles. There are LOTS of opinions about literacy and boys and whether or not it should even be something we expect from them (because with technology they may not actually need to know conventions or how to form simple sentences). The teacher in me insists of course this is something we should expect and not only should we expect it we can help them even enjoy it (some may argue this is wishful thinking). However, this week we had a bit of a breakthrough at our house. When I say I’ve tried many tactics with my son to get him to write it would be a gross understatement. To date, none of them have really managed to capture his attention or his interest. Until now - my son loves Lego! His imagination with Lego is so much fun to watch and he and his younger sister can amuse themselves for hours building scenes. One day while trolling Pinterest I saw a woman with a post about a Lego scene writing idea and thought it was genius. I introduced the idea to my two kids, told them to go and create scenes with their Lego and then take pictures of it with the Ipad. My daughter decided this would be tons of fun with Barbies. They had a great time setting their scenes and then taking pictures of them. I was amazed at what they both came up with. Then I put the pictures into a document and printed them off. The kids then spent the next couple of hours writing their stories to match their pictures. When I told my son that he only had to do the first two pages (six pictures) he told me he wanted to keep going (insert Mom fist pump here). The stories they came up with were adorable and they are already planning their next ones. Now I’m trying to come up with other things they can photograph and write about. I have already thought of ways we can adapt this idea into the Lit Pit’s writing station and am so excited to try it out with my students. I would love to hear about any ideas you’ve had inspiring your students to write!
To celebrate the posting of a couple of great new products on Teachers Pay Teachers, we thought we would bring you some suggestions on fun ways to practice beginning reading skills, at school and at home. - Go on a noisy letter or word hunt: Give each student letters or words to look for (the bookmarks in our Sight Word Hunt & Bingo Packs are perfect for this) and send them around the room, looking through books and environmental print for their words. Have them read them out to a partner when they find them. Add an element of competition by seeing who can find all of their letters or words first (beware of the strugglers and the non-competitive ones in the bunch. Make sure they feel successful too!), - Go on a quiet letter or word hunt: Take the noisy word hunt down a notch and make it more suitable for center time, quiet time or individual activity. Give each student a set of letters or words and a stack of books. They can place their bookmark in the page where they found the match. If you want to check them, have students share their findings with a partner (or an older buddy or classroom volunteer) or conference with them one-one yourself. Great practice and a quick and easy check for you to see where they are (track the words they know and then you have a record come report card time). - Play I have, Who has...: This game takes a little bit of set up but is really easy to do once you get the hang of it (and easy to re-use!). Make 2 copies of the letters/sight words you plan to use, making sure you have enough words for 1 word per student (to make it really easy, copy them on two different colours). Lay out all of your words side by side, keeping identical words side by side (your pattern would be AA-BB-CC, etc). Take one copy of the first word and place it at the end. Starting with the first word, hand 2 words to each student, the first in their left hand, the second in their right, making sure you keep the words in order (this is where the two colours comes in handy - you can quickly see if they are holding them in the correct hands). It's more fun if the students are not standing in the same order as the words were laid out. The first student then says "I have..." and reads the word in their left hand, followed by "Who has..." and the word in their right hand. The person with that word then repeats the process, saying "I have (word in left hand), Who has (word in right hand). If you've set it up properly, it will come all the way back around to the first person! - Play "Word Detective": Write a secret message to the class, leaving blanks for the sight words you want them to practice. Hand out the missing words and ask the students to read their word to a partner. Then explain that you wrote them a message but that the sneaky word wizard came and zapped out some of the words, so now you need some help reading it. Begin reading the message, pausing at blanks and allowing the students to figure out what word is missing. The student(s) with that word can then come up and place their word in the space, helping to complete the message. Yay, they saved the day! - Build Your Words: This one is great for kinesthetic learners and those who need some work on fine motor control. Using playdough, lego, alphabet blocks, stamps, magnetic letters, or any other building material you can think of, allow students to build the letters in their words. Be sure they read them to a partner or to you to complete the transfer of knowledge! - Clap & Stomp Your Words: Another great one for kinesthetic or musically inclined learners! As you say the name of each letter in your word, clap the consonants and stomp the vowels, shouting the word out at the end. Or, get creative and try one of the following variations: Lasso your words - sit backwards on your chair (like a horse) and circle your arm in the air above your head as you say each letter in the word (1 circle per letter). As you say the whole word, throw your lasso and rope that word in! Cheer your words - hold pompoms (real or pretend, it's up to you), and shake them as you say each letter, high for consonants, low for vowels. At the end, jump in the air and shout that word out. Disco your words - Just like John Travolta! Point high and to the side for consonants, low and across your body for vowels, jazz hands to finish! We hope you have fun trying some of these activities out with your class! Let us know how it goes... PS - These products are part of a series of products that we'll continue to put up on TpT as we finish them. Keep checking our store if you want all the Dolch Sight Words!
This is my favourite part of the day. Any day. I love the peace and quiet of the early morning. I love everything you can get accomplished when no one else is around. I love being two steps ahead of everyone when they start their day.
But... I have two little girls who have rarely slept through the night in the last 5 years so no matter how much I love the early morning, I don't see it as often I would like. Among my goals for this year is to get back to that place, get back to that peace and quiet, that productivity, that feeling. Here's hoping...
What is one of your biggest accomplishments in your teaching that no one knows about (or may not care)? Huh. That's a thinker. I've been out in the sun, pulling weeds and thinking about this one for a few hours now (let's just agree not talk about my weed problem, ok?) and I'm still not sure I have an answer. At first I thought about all the kids I've taught over the years and all the ones whose lives I hope I influenced. And yes, there probably are some big accomplishments there, some success stories. But those stories aren't mine, they're theirs. As much as I may have had a hand in the direction their life took, they are the drivers and I am merely a passenger with lots of directions (hopefully good ones!). So I put those ideas aside and moved on. In the end, what I settled on was not so much something I've accomplished as something I've become. I've become humble. I've accomplished humility (can you do that?). You see, and this is going to sound distinctly un-humble, I am a natural teacher. I can see it in my 5 year old daughter too - that natural desire to organize people, to help them, to teach them something, to cheer them on as they figure it out. As a high school student, every part-time job I had involved teaching: swim instructor, day camp counsellor, babysitter. Teacher's college was a breeze - even when I made a mistake (like teaching 2-digit by 2-digit multiplication completely wrong), I bounced right back. I had my class divided in to leveled groups for math and reading, taught recorder like a champ (ok, maybe not so much, but recorder? C'mon) and used every technique they gave me like I had used it a hundred times before. And then I started teaching Learning Assistance. And I realized how little I knew about what it was like to struggle, how little I knew about what it was like to try and help your child do something it seemed they just couldn't do, how little I knew about helping teachers help these struggling little ones. And so I opened my eyes and my ears. I sought out the experts in many, many different fields. I listened carefully to what they had to say. I listened carefully to what the kids had to say. I listened carefully to what the parents had to say. I listened carefully to what the teachers had to say. And I learned that no matter how much I learn, I will never know it all. I will never stop learning and I will never stop listening and I will always, always remember that in the grand scheme of things, I actually know very little. If you can accomplish humility, than that is my greatest accomplishment. |
Welcome!I'm Bryn, teacher, mom, book lover, athlete. I am passionate about living life with my family, teaching and learning something new all the time. I hope you find something that speaks to you here on my blog and would love to hear from you too! Categories
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