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Rebecca Bathurst Classroom Visit

March 7, 2020 / / 0 Comments

This week we had the opportunity to go to Rebecca Bathursts class. Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances, I was unable to attend. I really wish I was able to attend as I think seeing an inquiry based elementary classroom would be beneficial as we got to see it and evaluate the pro’s and cons upon visiting PSII a secondary inquiry based school.

I follow Rebecca Bathurst on instagram and have looked at her website and truly value her creative and child centred approach to education. Here is her website link to learn more about her teaching philosophy: http://rebeccabathursthunt.com

One aspect that stood out for me is that there are different types of inquiry.

Rebecca included this in her slide and it is also found on on VIU’s website https://ciel.viu.ca/scholarly-teaching-practice/viu-council-learning-and-teaching-excellence/2016-2017-council-action-groups/types-inquiry#

This is powerful and interesting to me as it allows students of all ages to be immersed in a style of inquiry that works best for them. As such, this idea of scaffolding helps support various student needs and the diversity of student learners.

When first thinking of inquiry, I always thought of Free Inquiry and how that may be difficult for younger students, but I quickly learned through Rebecca’s presentation that there are multiple ways to include inquiry even for Kindergarten. As such, I look forward to trying these out and modifying an inquiry mindset based on my future classrooms.  Through the various projects I have seen on Rebecca’s instagram I truly value her thought and creativity as well as the hands on learning and cross curricular approach she brings forward. The dinosaur unit for example, supports a structured inquiry and I am excited to follow and see the progress and projects that continue throughout the unit.

Kahoot post 5

March 7, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Group Inquiry Post #5

( Photo from https://dlpng.com/png/5035077)

This week, we decided to take a unique perspective and look at our overarching question through the perspectives of students. By changing our point of view, we will look at what students think of Kahoot and Kahoot’s influence on teaching and learning. As we already know technology is on the rise and is being increasingly integrated into teaching environments in view of enhancing students’ engagement and motivation. Kahoot is an exemplar example of this and as it fosters student engagement and improves overall students’ learning experience.

As we both work and volunteer in classrooms and currently work with school aged children, we are given the luxury to create relationships and build connections with youth. Within the past week, we have asked a bunch of students in a variety of different ages and grades what they think about Kahoot and if they use it in their classrooms. Almost 95% of the students we spoke to have used Kahoot in previous years or are using Kahoot currently. Some student testimonies are as the following:

Grade 1:

  • We like how much fun it is!

Grade 3:

  • We like the fact that it’s a game.
  • We like that we can play against people.

Grade 12:

  • It is a great study method and makes learning fun.
  • It’s a great way to study in a group of people and quiz each other on class material.

In relation to external resources we found an article, which fits very well with this week’s topic. The article “Students’ perception of Kahoot’s influence on teaching and learning” acknowledges the outcomes of research that examined students’ experience using a game-based student response system, Kahoot in an Information Systems Strategy and Governance course at a research-intensive teaching university in New Zealand. Some of the key findings from the article revealed that Kahoot enriched the quality of student learning in the classroom, with the highest influence reported on classroom dynamics, engagement, motivation and improved learning experience. Our findings also suggest that the use of educational games in the classroom is likely to minimize distractions, thereby improving the quality of teaching and learning beyond what is provided in conventional classrooms.

This YouTube video (link):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtH4kYacFs4 discuses and demonstrates hot Kahoot is and can be viewed from an instructor and student point of view.

Article:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326540446_Students’_perception_of_Kahoot’s_influence_on_teaching_and_learning

 

Partner: Brittany Johnson

Post by Arnelle and Brittany

Blog post 4 group Inquiry

February 25, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Kahoot is really an enjoyable experience and is a shared learning platform used throughout the world. This video demonstrates how it is used with various age groups, populations as well as places and the excitement it brings to learning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGLy9jyGjkU (the photo above is also from that video).

As such, this week we decided to outline our personal experiences with Kahoot both as students and as emerging teachers as we thought it would be nice to understand both perspectives.

Personal Connections (Below both my partner and I described our own stories of how we have seen Kahoot being used as a game-based learning platform and how it has motivated students to learn).

Arnelle: From volunteering in classrooms, to practicum’s and observational Wednesday visits last semester, I have seen the impact that Kahoot and all game-based learning has on an individual child and their motivation to learn. I have observed that all students are included and participate in Kahoot, I have also observed that Kahoot allows students to work collaboratively, it allows them to work individually and allows students to be competitive or play in a cooperation game style. A story, that came to my mind, while writing this week’s blog post was that, when I was observing a grade 5 classroom, the class was studying English language arts, and focusing on spelling, therefore the teacher had constructed a Kahoot, and put the students in groups of 4, with one IPad per group. The students were able to work collaboratively, and find the correct spelling to the word/ sentences the teacher said out loud. This technique was very useful, ad beneficial for the students, but also the teacher, therefore she could see who was understanding and succeeding and depict those who were struggling, and not helping their groups.

Brittany: My experience with Kahoot has extended from my high school years (it was launched in my grade 9 year) all the way to post-secondary (university). Kahoot is motivating for me as a student, I remember asking to play (intrinsic motivation), as it really helped me engage in learning and understand concepts. This fun interactive surface was able to make it so that children in the class could individually respond or collaboratively work together in small groups. In a classroom that I observed in, we used Kahoot both as a fun way to assess the classrooms understanding as a whole but also children were able to create their own Kahoot questions and play each other’s Kahoot’s as well. This idea extends beyond just the teacher instructing and allows children to create their own games which helps facilitate an engaging atmosphere for the students. I have experienced Kahoot both as a student and while observing various classrooms and I can honestly say that children are asking for Kahoot because they benefit from this learning platform.

Partner: Arnelle Basi

 

 

 

Dance Education

February 21, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Dance education refers to dance as a subject and core curricular. In the following video it really defines dance education. It shares a really good example, “when we study science for example we aren’t necessarily going to become a scientist” just like dance when we study dance it doesn’t mean we are going to become a dancer.”  Therefore the goal of dance education in schools is to educate and expose all children to dance in order to help their minds and bodies grow rather than train them to be professionals like studios who stress technique and specific styles. Dance education provides students with opportunity to be creative and to be exposed to a variety of styles and movements.

https://www.tututix.com/teaching-dance-in-schools/. This article further outlines the importance of dance in schools as well as the difference between studio and school dance curriculums.

The following article discusses more of these differences. https://www.danceteacherweb.com/en/blog/blog/2016/11/7/dance-education-vs-dance-training-whats-difference/

Something that stood out for me, as a a current dance instructor and studying school educator is how much my current experience can help me teach and expose students to various styles. Although it is not the goal to teach technique, since I have experience I can demonstrate with technique and teach safely. The goal of dance education is to educate the whole child all while supporting the child’s creativity and confidence. The arts are just as important as core subjects as they help create a healthy balanced lifestyle that supports all aspects of the brain. Additionally performance and practicing dance helps thus facilitate and build confidence which supports the wellbeing and idea of educating the whole child.

Music Blog 3 and Midterm Video

February 18, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Hello everyone,

I wanted to start of this blog with acknowledging the fact that according to my learning plan, this blog is a few days late. The reason for that is because I wanted to allow extra time to practice some of the things that was corrected on Thursday class during our learning practice time. Over the last past weeks I have had the opportunity to learn to read music, but also play the xylophone and then most recently sing and play. I am still working on the coordination of doing both singing and playing an instrument at the same time, but I can say that there is definitely a noticeable progression from the first time I played. When starting the xylophone I followed youtube tutorials and now I am doing it with no other resources and also I am singing while playing. Although I do believe there is room for improvement specifically in terms of singing and playing, I believe that the transitions between notes is much smoother than before (see video in blog 2). The following video (attached at the bottom of this blog post) demonstrates 2 songs (Hot Cross Buns, Amazing Grace and Amazing Grace while singing) that I have accomplished for midterm. This was my goal and therefore I am happy that my continuous practice has helped contribute to that. I also modified my learning plan according to my progression and started to try to sing and play Amazing Grace earlier than planned on my learning plan. Therefore this is now included in my midterm and the focus for my final will be A Thousand Years by Christina Perri (playing and then singing).

Some things that I have noticed in regards to progression is at first I held the mallets very strong and now I am starting to show more fluidity and less grip, which thus allows more fluid transitions between notes while playing. Using different mallets has allowed me to explore and practice with different dynamics. Another key aspect was that I followed and played along either on youtube or on a written sheet of music, however now I can play these songs on my own.  I also tended to use my dominant hand and I am slowly starting to use my left hand as well.  I am looking forward to providing updates based on my new learning journey regarding the song “A Thousand Years”. Stay tuned!

Technology Speaker: Jesse Miller and iMovie

February 11, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Today’s class, we talked about internet and social media. There is a constant evolution around technology and students challenge what you know. As such, “We shape our tools and thereafter, our tools shape us” ( John Culkin).

(photo from Jesse Millers PowerPoint Presentation)

The more discussion around these and the more comparisons between the evolution of social media and internet interfaces, the better we can educate our classrooms and support children. The conversation is the learning journey and therefore is important as social media impacts us all. It is also valuable to evaluate both the positives and the negatives around social media and how this is constantly shifting and we as teachers need to understand and know how to gauge this constant advancement in support of learning.

Although we all know nothing gets deleted on social media, I learned something new around online surfaces. Particularly SnapChat, SnapChat stores data and that data is used for resources. For example, it evaluates not just your selfie but the other elements of the photo. Therefore, if they Nike was to ask snapchat for data they could look and find out how well Nike is doing vs Adidas in a certain region based on snap chat data. This is interesting as this is the way social media can make their money, since Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat etc are all free to use. Without this and their numerous privacy pages you sign, the company would have no way to make money as we as users do not pay per use.

In the second part of our class today, we worked closely with iMovie. I have worked with iMovie before, but never with the green screen option. Therefore below you will see my first video. In regards to video editing and production, I think there can be many benefits but there can also be some cons as well.  The following link addresses some pros and cons of video learning

6 Pros and Cons of Video Learning

In summary, here are some that really stood out for me.

Cons

  • Videos no matter how private if posted online may still be searchable, therefore privacy may be a concern
  • Not all students may have access to the softwares/their own computer.
  • Editing videos may not be of interest to everyone and the learning may be lost in this part of the process (especially at a young age)

Pros

  • Can use diverse systems and styles of video to create videos to support learning
  • Can allow students to be creative
  • Can help students with communication skills
  • Allows information to be widely shared
  • Videos can be a collaborative or individualized project

Here is my first green screen video! Hope you enjoy the chicken’s who got away!

Dance Pedagogy and Mindset

February 10, 2020 / / 1 Comment

Whether or not you view yourself as a math, science, language arts teacher, there is always more to it. Teachers support children through multidisciplinary subjects to support not only intellectual development, but also mental, physical, emotional and spiritual development. As such, we need to create a well rounded and diversified classroom through perhaps the arts mindset or dance pedagogy approach (which could be an effective mindset).  Dance is thus a tool to support children’s wellbeing in a multidimensional way, as stated by the following article: Dance Pedagogy Mindset Research Article.

Therefore this supports last weeks theme of mental health and wellbeing, but this article also refers to the idea that it extends to our social development as well. As a result, students who are exposed to dance tend to show more empathy as they are able to communicate their emotions better as well as work with others. This is important as dance can serve as a tool in the classroom, to create a caring, accepting atmosphere where all children feel valued. Dance also uses movements which can support the diversity of learners in the classroom as it gives them the opportunity to learn kinaesthetically.

Furthermore, the following link describes how a teacher adopted this dance mindset http://etfovoice.ca/node/628 

In this article it describes the importance of dance as it uses the whole body to “learn  about themselves and the world around them” and how their confidence,
motivation, engagement, risk taking and creativity increased. These are all values that can be transferable to life skills and as a result is one of the many reason I believe in a dance pedagogy and wish to support this in my future classroom.

Group Inquiry 3 Kahoot

February 7, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Group Inquiry Post #3

photo from: http://blog.teslontario.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/kahoot-logo-2.jpg

This week, we will discuss game-based learning and the impacts motivation has on students, and in relation to Kahoot. For those of you who may not know, game based learning is a type of game play, which has defined learning outcomes. More generally, game based learning is designed to create a balance between playing and having fun and the ability to retain subject matter/ relevant information, which can be implicated into the real world, depending on the situation. The ultimate goal of game-based learning is to provide a fun environment where students can work towards a goal. Here is a quick two-minute video about what game-based learning is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uj_8C2L9bXI. Consecutively, by using a game-based learning theory it is a way of motivating the students to learn. Students are more likely to participate in any type of game rather than the old-fashioned way of learning (the teacher talks at the students). Motivation has several effects on student’s behavior but most importantly, their learning. Motivation leads to increased effort and energy and has a direct impact on how an individual learns. There are two types of motivation, extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic is determined by the individual’s outside surrounding and specific tasks. Intrinsic motivation can be found within the individual since the task can be viewed as valuable. Therefore, when applying the affect that motivation has on the learning process, it is clear that people learn better based on the perceived value of the task, subject matter, personal goals, financial incentives and wide array of different factors. (For further explanation about how Motivation Affects Learning, please use this link: https://theinspiredclassroom.com/2013/07/how-motivation-affects-learning/). In conclusion, when relating these concepts to Kahoot, we recognize that Kahoot is considered to be a game-based learning platform, therefore this is one example of what may motivate a student to learn. Here are some images of Kahoot being used in the classrooms (a variety of different classrooms), as you can see, the students look engaged, and essentially motivated to be learning through this game-based platform. In the first image, it seems that the students appear to be young (elementary aged students) and they are celebrating their joy for learning and more importantly, because most of them got the answer correct. In the second image, it appears that the students are a bit older, because they are using their own technology devices, and it seems that some peer teaching is taking place.

photo from: https://www.scoop.it/topic/technologie-de-l-education/?&tag=kahoot

(Post by Arnelle and Brittany)

Music Inquiry Update 2

February 4, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Hi here is an update on my musical xylophone journey!

I have been working on my xylophone and practicing daily. Something that I realized is that I have been really favouring my dominant hand and have difficulty using my left hand. It has also been challenging for me to not grip the mallets, but but instead use loose wrists as my past experience with dance and gymnastics have trained me to do otherwise, Overall, I believe that there is still room for improvement but I definitely feel as though I am improving and adjusting.

Throughout this past week, my focus has been on my second song Amazing Grace. The line (I once was lost but now I am found) in this song has been particularly challenging for me as it includes notes that accentuate a certain letter when trying to sing while playing. For example, please see picture below the line “I once – was-s”.

I began by first following a tutorial on youtube, then I decided to write out the notes (this step helped me start to memorize the notes and become a little more fluid in transitions between notes). Then I thought to take it a step further I should write what is being said during each note, as I found myself singing in my head anyways, but could not quite put it to the exact notes. Therefore I wrote out this to help me understand the relationship of notes to the words.

The third line is still very difficult for me to play and sing at the same time, but with more practice I cannot wait to update my progress. I also think that the following video is slower and not super fluid, but shows a good demonstration of my practice and will be useful to see for progressions when I upload my midterm video later on in the term.

 

 

Dance and The Brain

February 4, 2020 / / 0 Comments

There are many health benefits of dance. Notably there have been numerous research around how dance helps people with  Alzeimers, Dementia and other medical disorders.  Click here to view a study by Stanford that supports this claim.

Knowing this we as educators can expand on the long term benefits for our students. When students are empowered and inclined to dance from early years on, it supports their mental and physical health. Dance allows students to be creative all while showing a willingness to participate and learn through movement. Since dance is supported by movement and music, the brain is engaged in numerous ways.  Dance and movement allows the brain to release dopamine (the feel good hormone), which supports various learning styles. As such, students who may be suffering from depression or anxiety can benefit from this, as dancing activates sensory, motor and emotional responses.

Here is a video that describes how dance supports students with anxiety and depression.

Since, anxiety and depression are becoming more and more common in todays day and age, it is important to address resources to help students and people learn. As stated in the video, the benefits of a dance class extends beyond just the time of following the class. Therefore, starting children off younger can benefit them in their adult years. Dance can serve as an outlet much like singing. As a result, we can conclude that the performing arts can help students feel more confident and be more healthier, both physically and mentally. The use of dance in the classroom can thus help students have the opportunity to dance (as dance classes are expensive and not always widely available). The more opportunities we as teachers provide the more we can support the diversity of learners in our classrooms. This is why I believe that dance is important to include not only in Physical Education but also in the daily classroom and cross curricular (as we learned in the last blog).

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