Acrostic poem about learning/teaching with a disability

For the ABQ course I am taking, we were to write a Poem or Song that demonstrate the essence of teaching or learning with a disability.

This is my poem. 

Math Lesson on Elapsed Time

For the course I'm taking "Junior ABQ" our culminating task for the module on Math was to find a video that relates to a lesson either as pre-learning or post learning, create a lesson and then post the reflections both on the LMS system we are using and also on this blog.

Here is the result:

Grade 4 Math - Elapsed Time
https://youtu.be/BbAW_TUds-w
This video would be shown post lesson at it extends the learning of elapsed time past the 5 minute increments. It applies the THINKING (on the achievement chart) behind the lesson further, onto other increments and helps anchor the concept of elapsed time.

The lesson is a blended learning strategy that has students watching videos and reading either in class on Chromebooks or at home and doing the activity in the classroom.

Link to lesson: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1d_EPyBmOgBsp1taTGW4S2K2nu8a1M6GvPAofIfXqNI8/edit?usp=sharing

I am not at all familiar with how to teach Math and feel quite lost trying to come up with a lesson. I found a resource that has lessons on Edugains http://www.edugains.ca/newsite/math/tips4math/grade4.html

and proceeded down a “rabbit hole” of links. I’m going to use the lesson on Time that I found on this document: http://www.edugains.ca/resourcesMath/CE/TIPS4Math/Grade4/20_Grade4_Time_AODA_UpdatedAug2017.pdf
In the interest of time, I’m going to use the lesson, despite not having access to some of the links- I can’t contact my board to get access to them, they are password protected resources at this site: https://oerb.elearningontario.ca/d2l/loginh/logout.html Link to Ontario Curriculum for Math: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/math18curr.pdf

Growing Success - A summary of Chapter 2 Learning Skills p. 9-14

Growing Success - A summary of Chapter 2 Learning Skills p. 9-14

Developing learning skills and work habits are an important part of a student’s learning. Teachers are expected to work with students to help them develop 5 key learning skills. Those are the following 5 learning skills and are evaluated on a student’s report card:

Responsibility • Organization • Independent Work • Collaboration • Initiative 

Those skills are paired with sample behaviours for each in a chart to help guide the teacher in determining the student’s evaluation. The more comprehensive table can be found on p. 11 of Growing Success.

These learning skills are not part of determining a student’s grade in any subject or course with the exception of in the health and physical education curriculum.  

The Ontario Ministry of Education has linked these skills with ones that employers are looking for: working safely, teamwork, reliability, organization, working independently, initiative, self-advocacy, customer service, and entrepreneurship.

Students benefit when teachers discuss and model these skills, and when teachers and parents work with students to help them develop these skills. Students also benefit when teachers work with them to explain how these skills will be assessed and evaluated.  Here is a link to the document Growing Success: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/growSuccess.pdf

Connecting to Social Studies

These are my answers to the questions we were to post in a Forum for the online course I'm taking. Experiences in the role of Student or Teacher using Inquiry and Social Studies
I taught Grade 10 French Immersion History in the role of LTO teacher for a semester last year. That was painful as I had no experience with teaching History or the Historical Method and was following another teacher’s outline. There were challenges in introducing Inquiry first because the students were not at a sufficient level in their French language to understand enough of the materials. Second because I feel I was constantly having to learn new material and information to be able to then pass it on to the students. We got through it - I was quite frank with the students and let them know I was learning along with them. There was tech involved, including a great online game about WW1 where you were a soldier and it was a kind of Choose Your Own Adventure. There was cross curricular involved with Drama - having them act out the roles of the different countries involved in WW1.

Do you remember learning any of these topics yourselves? When?
My memory of my learning Social Studies is gone. We are talking about over 30 years ago.

Are there times in other curriculum areas that they are repeated?
There are, newly updated curriculum documents include FNMI perspectives, histories and contributions wherever it can. This is part of the recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. I have experience with this in the Visual Arts curriculum in High School.

Do you have a favourite strand (topic?).

Strand A Topic: Grade 4: Heritage and Identity: Early Societies to 1500 CE - There is great opportunity to include some Art History and Visual Art in this Strand. 

Online Teaching and Blended Learning (in a Junior Classroom)

Blended Learning compared to e-Learning as defined by the Ontario MOE: Unlike e-learning classes where students are physically separate from their teacher and classmates, blended learning occurs within a face-to-face class that happens at a specific place and time. Blended learning combines the support of classroom learning with the flexibility of e-learning.
http://edu.gov.on.ca/elearning/blend.html

Blended Learning is relevant to the Junior division in so much as if the teacher implements it in a meaningful and engaging way. It is dependant on factors such as availability and reliability of resources (tech devices, wifi).
 

D2L
This digital platform to communicate with students is used widely in the DSBN. I am familiar with this platform as it was used a great deal by the Arts Department at the last Secondary LTO I held. It offers a fairly user friendly means of delivering content to students. Each class has its own site where the teacher can post videos, powerpoint, link to Google apps, inform students on upcoming events and evaluate deliverables. The example I followed was organized by the regular teacher who was on leave - and I believe it to be very well executed. Each Unit was present on the D2L site which can be made visible to students when the teacher wanted to reveal the information. It gave students a second means to engage in content and anchor their in-class learning. Students can download documents, submit work and receive evaluations.

There is a great deal of potential with the D2L platform, however I find it requires some PD to get familiarized with all that it has to offer. Which is possibly why so few of my peers at the elementary level where I teach FSL use it regularly. I see potential for D2L to be very useful for Blended Learning in the Junior division; I feel that students need to be introduced to it in a meaningful way - they need to know how it benefits them and to understand what the expectations of use are.


What are the current Ministry directives and initiatives regarding E-Learning?
The current Ontario MOE has directed that all Secondary Students must complete a minimum of 4 e-Learning courses in order to graduate. There is an appointed e-Learning contact per Board.  This has not translated to the Junior division. The Ministry does promote Blended Learning on the website for K to 12.
The MOE has also stated that:  “Ontario students and educators will have access to reliable, fast, secure and affordable internet services at school at a speed of one megabit per-second for every student in all regions of the province. The project will be completed by 2021-22, and will include all boards, schools and students.”

http://edu.gov.on.ca/elearning/blend.html
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/elearning/courses.html
https://news.ontario.ca/edu/en/2019/03/education-that-works-for-you-2.html

How has this been rolled out in your district or at a school district near you?
e-Learning courses have been offered in the DSBN for some time at the Secondary Level. Since the announcement, we have yet to see the full impact this will have on our students. I have heard first hand accounts of students scrambling to try and change their schedules and have to forget taking certain courses as they are no longer offered at their High School.
I have yet to see any improvements in the internet services at the schools I have worked in.

What has changed for you in the last few years as a teacher, or since you were a student?
Pertaining to e-Learning and Blended Learning, nothing has really changed for me. I was exposed to a course on Tech during Teachers College and in my previous career I was immersed in Tech. This is my first online course and I am finding it very challenging to manage my time - for instance the suggested amount of time per Module has come and gone (long gone as I near hour 20)  and I am still working online to complete the tasks. I don’t enjoy how my eyes feel or how fuzzy my brain feels after spending so much time in front of a computer screen.

Do you see a place for E-learning at the Junior Level? Explain.
I do not see a place for E-learning at the Junior Level. Purely based on the developmental stages the Junior learner is in. My experience has been that the Junior learner requires guidance, nurturing, reinforcement, quick responses and structure in order to learn best. The learners I have encountered do not possess the ability to follow along without being able to ask questions and get feedback right away - how can E-Learning provide that?

A big part of the Junior learning experience is being around caring adults who are modeling for them, connecting with them, supporting them in person. Children don’t need less adult contact or attention, in many cases they aren’t getting enough attention or contact.

I’m also not entirely convinced that a majority of High School level students are equipped to benefit from or thrive in E-Learning.

What is your personal experience with E-Learning or Blended Learning? (Teacher or learner...remember, this course is an E-LEARNING COURSE).
Repeating what I wrote above: This is my first online course and experience in E-Learning, and I am finding it very challenging to manage my time - for instance the suggested amount of time per Module has come and gone (long gone as I near hour 20)  and I am still working online to complete the tasks. I don’t enjoy how my eyes feel or how fuzzy my brain feels after spending so much time in front of a computer screen. I feel disconnected from the other students despite reading their content and commenting on their Forum posts.

I do enjoy the content. I am unsure if I will take any other E-Learning AQs or ABQs - I very much miss the  human interaction involved in a traditional classroom style course.

The Tech course I took in Teachers College was a blended style of learning. I enjoyed that course a great deal as students worked together often to accomplish tasks and learn from one another. In person.

Welcome!

Hello Students and Caring Adults/Guardians/Parents,

Welcome to Mme Scott's Junior Class Website. I hope for this space to be a location for information sharing and for collaboration with students.

Here is a link to the DSBN website: https://dsbn.org/home