Pedablogy

University of Ottawa Faculty of Education

Apr
20

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The “Last Post” – the week of April 19th – 23rd, 2021

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YOU ARE HERE – OR ALMOST HERE – CONGRATS!

Three more days of class to go and what a ride it has been! Roller coaster meets Bungie jump meets The Zipper. For those who are starting their practicum on April 26th, we wish you all the best and hope you know you have a 3150 H/HH community behind you.

We will see you on Friday, April 23rd. We will open up the class at 8:30 for chats and questions and then formally start at 9:00 a.m.. We will finish at 10:00 and at 10:30, you have an Orientation for Second Year.

The meeting link will be sent out just before 8:30 on Friday.

We will take time to say hello, trade some highpoints and maybe some lowpoints, get into smaller groups and maybe play a KAHOOT!

TIDYING UP

Paul and Heather do not exactly approach Marie Kondo’s level of neatness and organization but we do want all of you to finish the year with all assignments completed, attendance forms and final reports in etc.. To avoid being repetitive, to avoid being repetitive (;), all is laid out in last week’s blog, e-mails to you from Tracy and us, and on BrightSpace.

MESSAGE FROM LINDA

So this is it!  We are coming to the end of year one.  You have been teaching and learning during a time of record-breaking challenges, and the UCC team of professors have all been inspired by your commitment to making a difference in education. 

In PED 3150, we have begun to inquire into some of the big social justice issues through our reading together of DiAngelo’s and Sensoy’s Is Everyone Really Equal and discussing how we can respond to the problems of inequity through our work in education. As we struggled through unpacking the concept of social justice, we became more literate and gained further awareness that the issues of oppression are complex, political, and often emotionally charged. 

In the second book we have read together, Ayers’s To Teach concludes by naming his chapter “Commencement: Beginning Again.” He leaves us with an important message that above all else teaching is about “the irreducible and incalculable value of every human being.”  Such ideas are the stuff the UCC is made from, and we hope you will continue to embrace what we have read and considered together this year.  

ON A PERSONAL NOTE – STEP UP FOR KIDS

Perhaps we mentioned this but maybe not, we two oldsters are climbers (not social climbers) but trekkers. We are also people who have been involved in community work for a long time. Combining these two loves is our community, fundraising project called Climb for Kids. Since 2018, we have raised money for an organization called Christie Lake Kids (CLK) which provides incredible year-round programming and support, and usually a beautiful summer camp experience for Ottawa kids who do not have a lot of financial resources, and often not a lot of social supports.

With Climb for Kids, we recruit a group of trekkers to train for a big, long hike and climb and raise money for Christie Lake Kids programming. So far, we have travelled to the Ausangate Range (Rainbow Mountains)in Peru (2018) for an incredible trek, typically at 4800 metres (gasp), and in 2019, we did the Tour du Mont Blanc, a 170 km trek through the Alps in France, Switzerland and Italy. We were slated to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the Roof of Africa, in 2020 but were grounded by the pandemic then and again in 2021. But that is not stopping us! We have raised over $100,000 so far.

On Saturday, April 24th, CLK is sponsoring our second STEP UP FOR KIDS. We are committed to climbing stairs for a total of an hour. So far we have raised close to $1000.00. If you would like to participate through your own activity or by sponsoring us, just go to the link. Many OCDSB and OCSB students are Christie Lake participants and alumni.

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Jan
18

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The week of January 18th – 22nd, 2021

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Good Morning PED 3150 H/HH!

We hope those of you in Ottawa got out and enjoyed the snow. We got out in our snowshoes for the first time this year. Good workout, especially getting them off!

WHAT’s UP

This week’s theme for the Urban Cohort is “Hearing the Student”. You have a Ministry-presented PLC on Tuesday morning at 8:45 (Zoom link in BrightSpace) and then a cohort meeting at 10:00 (link will be sent by e-mail tomorrow am). At the cohort meeting, we will be talking about English Language Learners – what you have experienced yourself or as a developing educator, current understandings, practices and challenges for teaching ELL and Ayers’ third chapter on creating a conducive learning environment. We also hope to have enough time for you to share your stories about teaching online. We will also speak briefly about the interim report process.

Reading resources on teaching EL learners are posted in BrightSpace. We recommend you read them all.

We hope you enjoyed and benefited from last week’s two-part PLC given by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and by EQAO.

From Tracy Crowe: Follow-Up from January 12 PLC– We have run into a bit of a technical glitch in converting our recordings of the sessions but we are working on this and will post as soon as possible. You will find the EQAO powerpoint provided under  21st Century Learning PLC- January 12 . The presenters, Lindsay and Tiffany, value your feedback about their presentation, if you have a few moments can to complete the following survey    https://forms.gle/SwH6ojPknpXK8VhW7

Town Hall– David Trumpower and the Teacher Education Team will host our next town hall on January 18 at 2:30-3:30 pm. Please use this link  Join Microsoft Teams Meeting.

COMING UP

Next week, there is another PLC on Teaching Language, “Every Teacher is a Language Teacher” brought to you by the U of O Second Language Education Cohort. As this is a 3-hour PLC, there will be no cohort section meeting.

On Wednesday, January 27th from 9 – 10 am you have a New Math Curriculum: Ministry of Education Workshop. Details can be found at New Math Curriculum- Ministry of Education  For those of you in practicum, your Faculty Supervisors will send out information to your ATs to ask if you can be permitted to attend. As indicated by the EQAO representatives last week, all teacher candidates should have a good understanding of the math curriculum (especially the front pages of the curriculum document) to prepare for the Math Proficiency Test.

Math Proficiency Test– As mentioned in the EQAO presentation, the Match Proficiency Test is still a government requirement for certification. There are still many questions about the administration of the test and who will be permitted to write the test this year. Please see https://www.eqao.com/the-assessments/math-proficiency-test/ for further information and updates. To help prepare for the test we have created a Custom course on your BrightSpace that was developed by teacher graduates from last year. We will also follow up with workshops and tutorials in the next few months. This support will also be offered next year when you are in Year 2.

 

REMINDING INSTRUCTORS SECTION

Digital Hub – ongoing creation. Keep organizing and adding to your Practicum Binder. Thanks to all who have shared their links and their materials with us. We strongly suggest you add an online pedagogy section to collect ideas, links for websites and apps.

Interim Reports – are due on January 20th. All Associate Teachers have been reminded of the report and links, and also advised that given the current situation, there is leeway on completion of the interim report. The most important thing about the interim report is the conversations you have with your AT about your progress and areas you want to work on and strengthen. You are responsible for submitting a copy of the Interim report to the practicum office and a copy to us, your faculty advisors.

Wednesdays at school – we understand that local school boards and Ottawa Public Health will be making a decision on how learning will be conducted in elementary and secondary schools by January 20th.

 

TECH TIPS AND INVENTORY

Thanks to those of you who shared ideas and resources for online teaching. As we promised, we are maintaining an inventory of your ideas and excellent resources. Keep ’em coming!

A WEE CHALLENGE (sorry, Robbie Burns Day coming up)

To continue to build our community and get to know each other, we thought it would be fun to invite you to share a photo of a special time in your life. We are starting it off with our own photo from the early 80s (yes, the early 80’s, 1980’s not 1880’s) when we were tree planters in BC. This photo was taken on our tea break in some burned, devastated cut in the BEAUTIFUL area of the Princess Louisa Inlet.

And – some humour. Ok, we find marmots and meerkats endearing, and humour is especially important teaching and getting through difficult times. A French network, France 3, has created a series of brief videos featuring “les marmottes” in various sports and activities. It’s been a “thing” in France since 2015.

 

THINGS TO DO OUTSIDE IN OTTAWA

https://www.rideauwintertrail.ca/

https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/experience-your-winter-capital-ottawa-gatineau

https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/rideau-canal-skateway

 

Jan
3

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The beginning of 2021: January 4 – 8 week

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Hello. Here we all are, finally, in 2021! SO LONG, 2020.

Image may contain: text that says '2020 Written by Stephen king Directed by Quentin Tarantino Soundtrack by Yoko Ono'.  Best Working From Home Memes of 2020 From Virtual VocationsDon't Lick the Desk

We hope you have had the opportunity to rest, relax and re-fuel for the second half of teacher education, part one.

We resume meeting on Tuesday. We are looking forward to hearing your stories, observations and questions from your first three weeks of practicum. Please see Brightspace for Ayers, Chapter 2 and a new video – Social Justice – Hear me out: Equity and Inclusive Education in Ontario.

Tuesday’s class will be focused on any information we have on the on-line resuming of school and on your experiences so far in your practicum. We are creating break out rooms for people in the same schools and same subject areas.

When you log into the meeting on Tuesday, please say hello to the CHAT and write three words that represent the first practicum and/or expectations for the new year. 

As you probably already know, all Ontario schools will be on-line for the first week of January. Elementary schools, grades K-8, are scheduled to resume in person on January 11th. Secondary schools are slated to return to on-site learning on January. 25th. Virtual school continues as always.

For the next ten weeks, you will be “at school” on Wednesdays. We expect that you have already contacted your associate teacher to ask what they are planning for Wednesday, January 6th and what your role will be that day.

We have gathered  some information from the two school boards.

OCDSB: Secondary:

  • Remote learning will occur from Monday, January 4th to Friday, January, 22nd, 2021.
  • The daily schedule will be modified for the period of the closure to allow both cohorts (A and B) to learn together
  • both courses to be taught each day, and students will have two 112.5 minute blocks of instruction daily.
  • Daily attendance will be taken.
  • Students, parents and guardians can expect an email from the school on or before January 4th with more detailed information about the schedule and transition, including information for those who require access to a device.
  • On Monday, January 4th students should check the Google Classroom or Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) for updates from the teacher and prepare for remote learning.
  • In-person classes are scheduled at this time to resume the week of January 25, 2021. Students Enrolled in Special Education Program Classes
    • Students with special education needs will continue to be supported by their classroom teacher during this period.
    • Students enrolled in specialized program classes have been learning on a blended model and this will continue. On January 4th, students in these classes can expect to start with a focus on remote learning.
    • The OCDSB remains committed to ensuring that the students with special education will be engaged in remote learning with appropriate support(s), and in some cases in-person learning may be possible. Work is underway to determine how this could be safely operationalized.
    • Parents and guardians of students enrolled in specialized program classes can expect additional information from the classroom teacher on or before January 4, 2021.

OCSB: Secondary, inc. grades 7 and 8

  • There is no change to the virtual academy or virtual learning programs.
  • Virtual school starts on Monday, January 4, as scheduled.

    • Remote learning starts on Monday, January 4, for K-8 students. 
    • Parents will get a note from their school on the morning of January 4 with guidance on using the Hapara Learning Management system and Google Meet video conferencing.
    • Before the regular lunch hour period, parents will receive a link to their child’s classroom Google Meet page. This link will connect students with the classroom teacher on the afternoon of January 4.
    • Educators will connect online with their class every day.
    • Students will follow their regular school timetable. This schedule includes start and end times and recesses.
    • Parents decide what works for their child regarding the amount of online screen time during the remote learning period.
    • Students will return to in-person learning on Monday, January 11
  • There is no change to the virtual academy or virtual learning programs.
  • Virtual school starts on Monday, January 4, as scheduled.

What will Monday, January 4 look like for Secondary Students?

  • Secondary students in cohort A and cohort B will participate in asynchronous learning for their morning course, using the Hapara learning management system they have been using since the fall.
  • On January 4, students in cohort A and cohort B will receive a Google Meet link from their afternoon teacher to connect for synchronous learning.
  • Beginning Tuesday, January 5, both the morning and afternoon classes will be taught synchronously to cohort A and cohort B.
  • In-person classes and transportation will resume the week of January 25, 2021.

What will Remote Learning look like?

  • Approximately 75% of the instructional day will be synchronous learning for students in Grades 1-8, and 25% will be delivered asynchronously.
  • Students in Grades 9-12 will receive approximately 80% of their course delivered synchronously and 20% asynchronously.
  • Our educators will use their professional judgement to provide flexibility to students who cannot fully participate in synchronous learning.
  • Teachers will continue to provide various learning experiences, not all of which will require online computer-related instruction.
  • Assessment continues during both in-person and remote learning during the lockdown.

Student Supports

  • Students with special education needs will continue to be supported by their classroom teacher in the online environment. Students that receive resource or educational assistant support in person will receive similar supports in remote learning during the lockdown.
  • On January 4, teachers of special education system classes will contact parents to determine their child’s ability to participate in a remote learning environment.
  • We will review plans, including in-person learning for system classes at that time.
  • If it’s decided that your child will participate in in-person learning, we will provide specialized transportation.
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