Reflective practitioner

 I just finished my Honours Specialist HPE course. Time this summer is flying by. I have had many ups and downs this year and I can not wait to see what next year brings.  Accomplishments this summer. Went on a staycation to a farm A few motorcycle trips  Visit family and friends frequency increases. NOTE- respected social distancing for some friends. I wore a mask mostly (always indoor) and washed hands very frequently. We also washed all of the food and packages that entered our living space. We also washed high-frequency touch spaces.  Started to become a divemaster. Have over 60 dives this year. I have almost all the gear for scuba (only a few things remain).  1 course left for Master Scuba Diver Challenge. Courses this summer - search and recover + navigation. Need Deep Diver.  Spend a lot of time going for bike rides and walks with my lovely wife. We really worked on our communication and it is wonderful, although I do not feel as much as her. My hear...

This year comes to an end and I have to reflect on what happened this year. The end of March break was a time to celebrate the last stretch of the school year. What we did not know is how much change was headed our way. This year for me was one of a lot of struggles. To start my year, the new school that was supposed to be ready in September was not ready. Our staff was placed temporarily into another school, who I must thank for their kindness and sharing of space. From a pedagogical standpoint, it was far from ideal. We had about 70 primary students in an open concept style place. You can imagine the frustrations while trying to teach when 60 kindergartens are trying to change their clothing after coming inside from their outdoor play. Even if all 60 kids were silent the acoustics alone are a challenge. The blessing for me was that I had access to half the gym making my life a lot easier. There were labour disputes and disruptions to learning when all of this was happening. Fast forw...

Below is a brief reflection of my learning during COVID 19. I learned a lot about how to move forward with my pedagogy. Please read and enjoy my post. https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/16rXC3k7QqWne5MG6JiC8OEOpgOqzKKFp6BqreQ7OdJs/edit?usp=sharing

I have completed my Masters in Education (2018) while working full time at 5 different schools; twice a week I would travel during lunch. Traveling across a major city during, sometimes 30 minutes or more of driving, was stressful. I have added to my teaching credentials. One of my goals was to teach in high school and as of this summer (July 2019), I have completed this goal. Another goal I had was to go to only one school. As of September 2019, this goal has been accomplished. Teaching is extremely challenging and I am finding the vocation quite rewarding. Investing so much of your time to supporting the future of our world, at times, seems like a daunting task. In the educational world, my comfort level has increased. When I first started to teach I felt like a fraud because I was never the most academic individual and I really did not like the academic side of the school (loved the social part). If you are thinking of joining the profession just be aware it is very hard work. Balan...

I have started to read a lot to support students that are early readers. One thing that I have learned is that exposing students to a variety of texts and strategies supports literacy development.  Very important factors to supporting early readers are learning how students learn to read words. Information from Cain, K. (2010). Learning to read words. In K. Cain, Reading Development & Difficulties (Ch. 4, pp. 67-94). Toronto: Wiley. Sight word When a reader sees a familiar word on a page or a computer screen, a word that they have read several times previously, their memory for that word is activated. Phonological When readers see an unfamiliar word, they can try to read it by sounding out the individual letters and blending them Analogy To read by analogy, readers use information from similarly spelled words that they know in order to pronounce unfamiliar words, for example using knowledge about the pronunciation of a familiar word such as table to pr...

Read the following article: https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/08/11/nyregion/mastery-based-learning-no-grades.html?referer=http%3a%2f%2fm.facebook.com

Overview Making a positive change in this world is something that anyone can do. For this project, I decided to focus on changing something that will benefit both students and Canada as a whole. Presently, younger people are getting larger and are less physically active than generations ever before. Currently, 59% of adults are overweight or obese in Canada which costs Canadians about 4.3 billion dollars annually. There are over 26% of Canadians under the age of 18, who are currently overweight or obese (Childhood Obesity Foundation, 2015). These numbers are high and every citizen should be concerned. It is not enough to simply focus on the problem; it is time to focus on a solution. The solution I am proposing is that educators begin to take physical activity more seriously. Reflect on your own personal education, have you ever heard a teacher say “If you do not finish your “name subject”, you will not go to the gym!” If you have heard a variation of this statement, what the t...

I think this is a great time to reflect on my summer as a student. I can honestly say that I was quite stressed for the last two weeks. There was a lot of work to be completed and I still want to make the most out of my summer. The feeling of I have not done anything with my summer is a thought that I continue to have.  At times, it is best to take a step back and consider what you have actually completed in a time period.  This summer I have helped my dad renovate his upstairs (which included adding structural supports). I attended two concerts, Banners and One Republic. I read the Steven King book The Shining. During the week I played soccer on Wednesdays and I go to CrossFit 3-4 times a week. On my motorcycle, I went to Victoria Harbour, Devil's Punchbowl Falls, Albion falls, and many other adventures on the motorcycle. One of my passions is eating different foods. I went to Taste of Lawrence and the Taste of Danforth. Going camping is something I e...

This video reminds me that as an educator, I can miss a lot of cues if I am not looking for them. Inside a classroom, there is usually a lot going on and it is easy to miss small or large cues when you are not searching for them. How will I use this information to make me a better teacher? I will use this information to remember that I must be looking to better my students and create masters of tasks, instead of teaching my students how to get good marks. This video also reinforces my thought of trying to find out the potential for every student. If you are looking for it, you will find it.

One Republic  Miley Cyrus Sometimes I get so focused on reaching a destination, that I forget it is the journey that is important. During other times in my life, I am too afraid to really put myself out there and do things that really scare me. After watching the first video, I thought about how much that boy has accomplished and he has every excuse to do very little. Yet, instead of excuses, he lives harder.

Firstly, I want to thank my fellow educator for this resource. You can see her blog here : https://andreiasreflectionsasawayoflife.wordpress.com/ http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/brochure/meread/meread.pdf The read is about how to get boys engaged in reading. I noticed that a lot of boys are not reading. One thing I do is let students read whatever they want. If they want to read a magazine during the reading time they can read a magazine. Graphic novels (a.k.a. comics) read away. As long as students are reading, I am happy. https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/08/11/nyregion/mastery-based-learning-no-grades.html?referer=http%3a%2f%2fm.facebook.com After reading this article I really love the idea of not forcing kids to move on to other skills before they are ready. One area of concern I had is what to do with the students who are not driven on their own. This article is about students mastering skills before moving on to other skills at their own pace. Grades are n...

My philosophy starts with the question; why am I a teacher? To answer this question I will give a very brief history of my process to become a teacher. During my schooling years, many teachers brought out the best in me, even when it appeared I was committed to sabotaging my academics. These teachers went well above what is called “teaching”. Which leads me to the first part of my philosophy. What is teaching? Teaching is to show, share knowledge of, or explain to others a concept, an idea, a method, etc., in a way such that the person learning comprehends and is able to reproduce said knowledge, in the same or a different capacity. This was my original idea behind teaching, but it is so much more. Teaching is not a job but a calling. Teachers have the responsibility of creating a space where students can thrive and explore who they really are. This brings us to the need to move away from testing as the only way to measure academic success . I have always struggled with the pressure I...

A question was asked to me by a friend: if we had education credits would it make a difference? (education credits we are speaking about are from Illich concept of an alternative to the current public school's system. Instead of students getting one style of school, there are free credits to spend, and you get to pick your school) My response: I honestly think schools would start popping up because of the money to be made. This would also allow for specialist schools (example trade specific schools) in areas that have a high demand. I do believe the credit system would put pressure on the current system to change. If there were more options for people to choose, I believe the whole system would improve. If you really hated a certain type of school, you could choose a different style of school (public vs Montessori).  When ever these debates around schools come up, I usually ask the same question. If not everyone fits into "regular" society (we have institutions...

Two videos to consider: https://www.ted.com/talks/christopher_soghoian_government_surveillance_this_is_just_the_beginning/transcript?language=en#t-283866 https://www.ted.com/talks/catherine_crump_the_small_and_surprisingly_dangerous_detail_the_police_track_about_you On the positive side: https://www.ted.com/playlists/397/the_power_of_social_media https://www.ted.com/talks/wael_ghonim_let_s_design_social_media_that_drives_real_change

My core principles are teaching from a place of love and understanding. Sure students will misbehave but their job is to determine where the boundaries are. Whenever I enter an interview I usually have points I want to hit that best describe my teaching. The points I want to make are as follows. Firstly, I teach using a backward design for learning. I go to the curriculum document first and determine what I need to teach from the government perspective. Secondly, I read over my class records to determine what additional areas of support I will need to provide. This is called the universal design of learning. I need to factor in all of my students in any lesson I teach. Not some, not most, all students must be accounted for. Thirdly, everything I do in the classroom comes from a place of love. This is called pedagogical love. Some days you will be a teacher, other days a counselor, the next day you could be a mentor. A teacher transforms into many things to best support students. Four...

This is a scary. We need to start supporting men in the academic fields.

Watch this video and tell me what you think?

I took a personality test to see what type of person I am. You can type anywhere online for personality tests. Here is a link one I completed many months ago. https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test My Results and thoughts ESTP The “Doers”/Entrepreneur I could not believe how accurate this personality test was. I believe that understanding my own personality is key to understanding my relationships with others. I am also quite aware that in my life, I use rules and laws as guidelines, not absolutes. Knowing what needs to get done and doing it, is my lifestyle. My opinion about right and wrong are my compass for my morality. In conversations and in athletics everything I do is fast. I like to believe myself as a fun and loving person. One part of the description that made me a little uncomfortable was the fact that my decisions usually do not include other people's feelings. I can honestly say that I have hurt a lot of people from failing to consider their ...

I completed a survery about what type of leadership sytle I have. There are four main options which are: 1. Structural leaders emphasize rationality, analysis, logic, facts and data. They are likely to believe strongly in the importance of clear structure and well-developed management systems. A good leader is someone who thinks clearly, makes the right decisions, has good analytic skills, and can design structures and systems that get the job done. 2. Human resource leaders emphasize the importance of people. They endorse the view that the central task of management is to develop a good fit between people and organizations. They believe in the importance of coaching, participation, motivation, teamwork and good interpersonal relations. A good leader is a facilitator and participative manager who supports and empowers others. 3. Political leaders believe that managers and leaders live in a world of conflict and scarce resources. The central task of management is to mobiliz...