Pedablogy

University of Ottawa Faculty of Education

Feb
1

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The week of February 1 – 5, 2021

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Good morning, Ottawa! - CityNews Ottawa

                                                     Adawè Crossing on the Rideau River, just east of U of O

The Theme for this week is Building Bridges – developing a safe learning environment for all students. This is a HUGE, ongoing, evolving challenge for all educators. It really comes down to educators putting energy and mindfulness into knowing and understanding their students. Listening, watching, reflecting, we are always trying to understand where our students are at – emotionally, academically, physically and socially and keep them safe.

Check out BrightSpace for the readings and links for AYERS and Ministry documents.

 

17 Repeatable Quotes From 'Groundhog Day'

WHAT’s UP? (certainly not the temperature!)

 

Tuesday’s class: GROUNDHOG DAY! Module 13

  • check-in and questions/information about re-opening of schools
  • Identify the components of positive environments for learning.
  • Discuss evidence of responsive or adaptive teaching/learning and challenges in addressing diversity in classrooms: what have you seen re differentiation and accommodation?
  • Understand the professional responsibilities of teachers in terms of safe schools, child abuse reporting, and bullying.
  • Digital Hub – review of what you can, should, want to include

 

REMINDERS

  • Digital Hub presentations on Tuesday, February 23rd. Those who have deferred practicum should still be organizing and filling their digital hub with articles, resources etc..
  • Blog #2 – due after practicum

 

MENTAL HEALTH WELLNESS CHECK-IN

The origin of the word courage is heart. Real courage comes from compassion and understanding for oneself and others. As a teacher candidate during an unprecedented pandemic you are being challenged on many levels: how to cope personally with isolation and uncertainty; how to get to know people and collaborate with others in an online environment at school; how to go back and forth between online and in-class teaching; and, how to feel a momentum and a growth as a new educator as circumstances are changing all of the time.

We appreciate how hard you are working at school and in your own personal life. We understand the difficulty of not being able to move freely and to be with community in a normal way. We also know that you are developing really special skills in being adaptable and flexible, and in learning new online pedagogy.

Please take care of yourself. Do simple things that make you happy. Reach out to others. And, if things seem to be getting overwhelming, reach our for support. We are here for you with your other U of O contacts.

CMHA – “Tips to Manage Mental Health During COVID-19” is a brief, succinct article on the basics of keeping mentally healthy during these COVID times.

Here is a short piece from the poet and wordsmith, David Whyte, on courage:

Courage
is a word that tempts us to think outwardly, to run bravely against opposing fire, to do something under besieging circumstance, and perhaps, above all, to be seen to do it in public, to show courage; to be celebrated in story, rewarded with medals, given the accolade, but a look at its linguistic origins leads us in a more interior direction and toward its original template, the old Norman French, Coeur, or heart.
Courage is the measure of our heartfelt participation with life, with another, with a community, a work, a future. To be courageous, is not necessarily to go anywhere or do anything except to make conscious those things we already feel deeply and then to live through the unending vulnerabilities of those consequences. To be courageous is to seat our feelings deeply in the body and in the world: to live up to and into the necessities of relationships that often already exist, with things we find we already care deeply about: with a person, a future, a possibility in society, or with an unknown that begs us on and always has begged us on. Whether we stay or whether we go – to be courageous is to stay close to the way we are made.
from Readers’ Circle Essay, “Courage”
©2011 David Whyte

TECH TIPS

Please continue to share apps, software and strategies that are working for you in your practicum. We are building an inventory so you can all have access to others’ suggestions and ideas.

https://www.educatorstechnology.com/2015/11/tools-and-apps-for-creating-educational-comics-in-class.html

https://www.storyboardthat.com/storyboard-creator

HUMOUR and ADAPTABILITY

Sportscaster Andrew Cotter found himself out of regular work when the pandemic hit Britain. So, he improvised applying his professional sportscasting skills to covering the lives of his two Labradors, Olive and Mabel. 

 

Image may contain: 1 person, text that says 'Teachers keeping students engaged during a virtual lesson Their spouse, sitting nearby, also working from home 00'

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

 

Sep
20

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Week of September 21, 2020

Category: welcome to the week! Tags: , , , , Leave a Comment

morning snack for the primary school kids in San Jose las Flores, El Salvador

 

WELCOME and HAPPY FALL

 

 

 

 

 

 

OUR COMMUNITY IN A NUTSHELL (so far)

WHO ARE WE in PED 3150 H/HH?

Based on over twenty introductions posted so far (keep ‘em coming):

Origins: Philippines, New York state, Ottawa, Cape Breton, Guelph, Orangeville, Kingston, Montreal

Studies so far: History, Phys. Ed. Math, Geography, Science (Biology, Physics, Chemistry), Music, Philosophy, Human Kinetics, Classical Studies, Business, English Literature

Interests/past occupations: football, soccer, pharmaceutical industry, tutoring, field hockey, transportation planning, musical theatre, zookeeping, community work with youth, volunteering, traveling, skating, trekking, the great outdoors

Quirks and Quarks: to be revealed ! ( although one of your colleagues worked on the CBC show of the same name)

WHAT’s UP FOR THIS WEEK

you have:

read the special post re BrightSpace and feel comfortable with the learning management system;

read the first 2 chapters of Sensoy and DiAngelo ( response prompts coming in next 2 weeks );

read Chambers article and posted a response to the Learning Log on BrightSpace. Be ready to discuss and put in the context of what you learned, experienced in virtual Indigenous Walk;

started to review the foundational reading resources listed last week, e.g., OTF, CTF;

take a look at PADLET and are comfortable with use. We will be using Padlet during cohort meeting class on September 22nd.

NAGGING INSTRUCTORS SECTION

Have you:

posted your introduction and response to the Daniel article on BrightSpace?

are you reasonably comfortable using Padlet – because we hope to be doing that in class on TUESDAY!

 

TECH TIP of the week for teaching and learning

GOOGLE CLASSROOM

As we understand, U of O Faculty of Education students will have access to Google Classroom. Google Classroom is used by many teachers in the five Ottawa boards, and is a simple and effective LMS (learning management system). Given the current, uncertain situation with COVID-19, it is a VERY good idea to start getting your Google Classroom understanding and skills going. You may very well be teaching on-line with your Associate and want to be comfortable and adept.

You can start practising now. USE/CREATE a Google account. Do not use your uottawa e-mail as the account. You want to make this a practice account and not get Google “confused” about two accounts. You can load GC on your phone and laptop. It is free. It will ask you if you are with a school or university. For practice purposes, you are not; go on as an individual with a separate g-mail account. When the university activates its Google Classroom suite, then you use your uo address/account. Just go to: Google Classroom.

Want some tutorials? Here is one site: https://alicekeeler.com/google-classroom/

Brightspace Tip for the week – Notifications and Checklists

WHAT’s GOING ON THIS WEEK IN OTTAWA – Keep SAFE

Special Statement from Dr. Vera Etches

 

Another scene from Ottawa – the Pinhey Forest Beach, located in the city’s Greenbelt, postglacial sand dunes that host many different kinds of vegetation. Accessible by bike, car and OC TRANSPO, or walking!

What’s On This Week in Ottawa

FOR ART’s SAKE

Everyone, this is Maman, the guardian of the National Gallery of Canada, located at Sussex and Wellington. The Gallery has re-opened with special safety measures. It is a truly beautiful space and place to visit. On Thursdays, from 5-8 pm, admission is free. Having a stressful week? Walk through the glass atrium and gaze at the sky and Parliament Hill, visit the Rideau Chapel and listen to Janet Cardiff’s “Forty-Part Motet”.

 

NORTH POLL – excerpts from our last two polls

What is your favourite TV show?

Why did you decide to become a teacher?

I love people and want to inspire young people to care about science and math. And I think I have a natural ability to connect with people and help them understand issues/topics better in an engaging and positive way.

I want children to love learning. As well I want to inspire children to be brave, curious and follow their passions.

Many reasons, the main one is I want to make a difference in someones life.

 

Question: OK, I need to know – what do you think about having a private Facebook Group for 3150 sections H/HH?? – so, I think we will give this a pass

How do usually communicate with students/peers? What communication tools work best for you? https://wordart.com/create

FLAT LAY CONTEST STILL OPEN !!!!!!!!!!!

SO far, no flat lays submitted but we are looking forward to seeing your photo/actual object representations of who you are. This might be a teaching strategy you use on-line.

 

a telling cartoon for these times

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