Welcome to the Site!

On this blog, you will find information related to the Standards of Practice, as outlined by the Ontario College of Teachers Association.

Posts are categorized into the following sections:

Commitment to Students and Student Learning

Leadership in Learning Communities

Ongoing Professional Learning

Professional Knowledge

Professional Practice

Feel free to peruse the blog and leave any comments.  I'd be happy to share more information with you or to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you for visiting!

-Mrs. Saunderson

Earth Hour

To promote eco-friendly habits and behaviours, the school I was completing my practicum at participated in the school board wide Earth Hour during the month of March.  During this time, schools in the area turn off their power for an hour to raise awareness about global issues and to also prepare students for the nation and world-wide Earth Hour which was occurring the following day (a Saturday).

I decided to create a song to teach to my grade 3/4 class and to teach it to them as a fun, engaging, and musical activity.  This soon became known throughout the staff and we were signed up to perform this song at the school  Earth Hour assembly.  Using simple body percussion, call and response methods, informative lyrics, and some choreography, we were able to present the "Turn Off the Power" song in front of the school with success.  It was great to see the enthusiasm from the students and to see the process of preparing for a performance throughout the week.  They were excited to present and to showcase their creative song that was specific to the school assembly.

I believe that this contributed to the leadership I held in the school as I was able to include my class in the school assembly and show initiative for student involvement.  During the performance, I did not physically participate and let the students lead themselves, of which they did without any issues.  It was a success all around.

Click below for the lyrics of the song.

Professional Feedback

Receiving feedback from professionals in the field of education is very important and crucial to one's learning.  I have sincerely appreciated all the advice, recommendations, feedback, and general communication I receive with the teachers I'm working with, as well as my professors from the university.  During practicum, I was given the opportunity for my professor to observe me while teaching a lesson to my class and at the conclusion of my lesson, we were able to sit down and discuss things in detail and really reflect on my teaching methods. 

She provided information and an alternative view to my teaching, which of course opened up my eyes to another perspective.  I appreciated that she was honest, gave relevant advice, and also was able to showcase areas that she felt were of strength to me.  With appropriate ideas for future lessons and with informative suggestions, I was able to take a lot back from our meetings together to further enhance my teaching abilities. I especially value her opinion as a professional in the field who has been working with children and students for many more years than I have, and who consequently has more expertise in the area.

Using the strategy of "2 wishes" and a star, I also would reflect following a lesson or a meeting with her.  I thought of what I felt were my own strengths and things that I did well, and also critically thought about an area or technique that I could further develop.  I know and understand how vital feedback can be in the realm of teaching and I always appreciate another's perspective on things that I do well, or can improve upon.

Teach Kids News Website

The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) has recently promoted a new website available to staff and students in the area and is having huge success.  TeachKidsNews.com is a site for staff to utilize in their classroom to help make sense of local, national, and global current news.

The site is geared towards grades 2-6, and helps simplify news with age appropriate language and context, shortened articles, and photos and examples to helps students understand.  Available topics and headings include: News, Entertainment, Sports, Science (which branches out to Technology, Environment, Animals, and Health), Arts, Politics, and ESL.

Additionally, the website offers concrete connections to the Ontario curriculum for both primary and junior grades, questions for discussion, ideas for lessons, and extensions to use in the classroom.

Two educators in the TDSB are the creators of the site and now also use a freelance journalist to help maintain the site.  It has guidelines and help for teachers, parents, and students, and also connects to other sites for further  information, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Getting Kids Reading.

I believe this to be a fantastic resource for students and teachers to use in the classroom.  Especially with the increase of technology (specifically SmartBoards) in classrooms, it is a simple way to bring current events right into the classroom. It helps students be informed, to connect to the community, and to be contributing members of a changing society.

iEngage - Bullying Presentation

During my practicum, we had an excellent presenter and motivational speaker address each member of our school in two assemblies (primary grades and junior grades separately).  Anthony McLean from the Toronto-based organization iEngage (click for the website), provided exceptional workshops for the students in a fun, creative, and informative assembly.  The topic was bullying, and by using Powerpoint, Rap/Music, humour, involvement, and visuals, was able to engage the students in the topic immediately. Check out the website for more information.

His professionalism and ability to connect with the students was incredible.  Furthermore, he adjusted his presentation for the different grades to more suit their age groups and what they would most likely encounter in terms of bullying.  He finished the assembly with each student taking a pledge that says that students will not be silent bystanders and to help stop bullying in their school.  The catchy song presented at the conclusion of his presentation was sung in the hallways and classrooms of the students for days.  A truly remarkable presentation.

Every homeroom teacher received a poster with a copy of the pledge on it and was required to have each student sign their names to hold them more accountable for their actions in terms of bullying.  Furthermore, a CD is given to each school principal to use for further reinforcement, such as during morning messages, other assemblies, and at other occasions.

I appreciate the effort my school has put forward to stop and prevent bullying.  By attending these presentations as a teacher, I was able to reinforce what we learned into the classroom.  By working with this organization, the school is putting a priority on bullying and the other negative issues that arise at schools, of which I commend their action.

Class-Created Rubrics

It was in the first few weeks of my practicum when the earthquake and tsunami occurred in Japan and naturally my students were very interested in the event.  My associate teacher and I took the opportunity to explore the details of the devastation, and to teach global awareness to students that live in safe, comfortable houses here in Toronto.  At the time I was completing lessons with the students on Area, Perimeter, and Grids, and wanted to incorporate the current events of Japan into our math in some way.  I decided that I wanted to blend math and social studies together and have students do a research-related project with a partner to look at the land and communities that were affected by the earthquake and tsunami, including the area and amount of land that was ruined. 

With the class, we created a rubric to use in assessment as their projects were completed.  We began by looking at what a Level 3 assignment would look like, and filled in the rest of the boxes afterwards.  I had never made a rubric with the class before, but their ideas were stimulating and interesting and I could definitely feel their involvement during the process.  They were engaged in how they were going to be assessed, and we were able to create something that all parties (student, teacher, and myself) could agree upon that was fair, challenging, and appropriate for the assignment.

I learned that creating rubrics with the students can help increase their motivation in the assignment as they feel motivated to use what they created themselves.  There is a new sense of responsibility as they feel ownership over what they decided as a collective group.  I had concerns that the students would not challenge themselves as see this group-created rubric as a 'free ride', but I was sorely mistaken and was shown the complete opposite. They are interested in their progress, their grades, their contributions to the class.  I could see a large change in the dynamics of the class as the students worked with their partners to complete the assignment, using the rubric that they also created themselves.

Below is a copy of the rubric we created.

ETFO Meeting

During practicum, a representative from the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario came for a meeting with the staff at the school.  I was able to participate in this meeting and listen to the issues, challenges, and questions the staff asked to this woman.  She is an executive officer with the Elementary Teachers of Toronto specifically, and provided a lot of information to us.

She presented a newsletter to the staff to remember what to do in case someone has made an allegation against them.  Although not a pleasant topic to discuss, the staff have to be current in the policies and procedures of the federation in order to protect their career.  The newsletter is scanned below.

It is important for staff to be aware of these types of issues, because unfortunately they occur in the education system.  I learned a lot from this meeting, such as how to respond if the police or the Children's Aid Society (CAS) contacts a teacher during an allegation. Information such as phone numbers, and what to do at times that are during and after hours of the provincial ETFO office.

On the reverse of the newsletter is information regarding Criminal Allegations Against a colleague.  The representative reminded teachers to first take the initial steps when issues arise, such as talking to the colleague directly, then speaking with administration if necessary.  If anything must go beyond this, then the necessary information is on this newsletter.

Although a rather heavy discussion during the meeting, I am glad I feel more prepared and know what to do in case of any legal actions.  I hope that I will never need to use this information, however it is important to know; especially as a new teacher just entering the educational system.  It is important to protect our career and it was clear that the federation is there to support us and to aid us in every way possible.

Overall, it was a fantastic, informative, and intriguing meeting.

(click on the photos to enlarge)

Meetings with Parents

It is crucial that teachers meet with parents on a regular basis to ensure students' home and school lives are connected and that those responsible for that child are aware of the child as a whole.

During my final week of practicum, my associate teacher had a meeting scheduled with a parent.  This meeting's purpose was to formally ask permission to put the student on a modified IEP (Individual Education Plan), to help support the student's needs and strengths with his work.  This student is in grade 4 and is typically developing in many areas of the curriculum, but needs support in other areas, such as language and making connections throughout his work.

I was able to sit in on this meeting and jotted down a few notes that I found relevant and helpful.  I really appreciated the way the meeting was conducted and felt the teacher was informative and reassuring, and the parent felt safe enough to ask many questions and to express concerns.  Together, they were able to work as a team to support this child's learning and it was evident that both had the child's best interest at heart. I specifically focused on the steps and process that the teacher took in this meeting.

Click below for a write-out of the notes I took during the meeting.

Caucasian Chalk Circle

During my March practicum, I had the opportunity to work with grade 6, 7, and 8 students after school in preparation for their theatre performance, The Caucasian Chalk Circle. I helped the director and staff members in coordinating the actors, in running rehearsals, and participating in meetings.  The students are working hard to memorize their lines and staging for the play, and the staff are collecting props, stage equipment, and costumes.  The show will take place at the beginning of May, and although I won't be able to see the final outcome live, I am sure the students will do a remarkable job.

I have appreciated dipping into the realm of drama and theatre with participation in this school play.  I like to believe that my specialty is in the arts, however my forte in the arts is certainly not in drama.  I had some minor roles during my adolescent years in various school productions, but working with the staff during my practicum provided a very different, alternative look at the process of putting together a full play.  As a staff member, I was able to contribute to meetings for decision-making processes.  I also helped the actors with delivering their lines, vocal warm ups, and blocking.

I am grateful I was able to help the staff and the students at the school with this production.  Although I was only there for a mere 4 weeks, I saw tremendous growth amongst the actors and can only imagine what the final production will be like.  I wish them all the best of luck in the final month of preparations and rehearsals - I can say from experience that the final weeks are very stressful and hectic, but everything is so worth it in the end.  I greatly appreciate the opportunity to work with the Junior/Intermediate students of the school as I was not teaching many of them this practicum and was able to further my comfort level in working with older students.  They certainly possess a lot of talent and I learned a lot from them in the short time I was there.

Ophea

My associate teacher recommended a website to me and I was able to explore and browse through this fantastic site earlier this week.

www.ophea.net

Ophea is an organization based in Toronto, that helps promote healthy eating and living, specifically for schools and communities in the area.  Their programs and services include curriculum planning for Health and Physical Education, Daily Physical Activity (DPA) ideas and resources, and the Ontario Safety Guidelines. The organization works with schools and communities and the site can direct you to ideas and information for the various categories of the community, including: School Board, Parents and Caregivers, Public Health, Recreation and Sports, Your School, and Local Businesses and Government.  A wide variety of resources can be directly ordered from the site, including all grades (K-12), and a surplus of topics. These resources come in different forms such as CD, DVD, Posters, Kits, Brochures, and Documents.

Additionally, the site offers "Hot Topic" articles which address current issues and events surrounding school and community health, and previous articles are archived for continual reference and use.  Their annual Ophea conference information and registration forms are available, as well as regular e-newsletters.

I thoroughly think this website can be used in several ways which are beneficial to Ontario teachers.  Professional learning, resources, ideas, and educational articles provide numerous ways in which to utilize this website.  I look forward to exploring it more as I teach health and physical activity to the students I work with.

School Choirs

In my last few placements, I have taken the opportunity to participate in various after-school/extra-curricular activities in the school community.  For most of these, I have volunteered my time in the arts in some way, such as in drama productions and choirs.

I really enjoy assisting music teachers in primary and junior choirs for multiple reasons.  For each one thus far, I have participated as the pianist, and this has allowed me an extreme close up of the talented singers and musicians at many schools I have been at.  I have also lead vocal and choir warm ups, offered suggestions and encouragement, helped to lead sectionals and canons, and offered any extra assistance to the music director.  For one school, I was able to accompany the students to a school board wide festival and watch these talented students sing in front of a large audience and an adjudicator.  It was an incredible experience.

I hope that in my career as an educator, I will willingly take upon the challenge of creating and maintaining a choir for young singers.  I have learned many strategies and techniques along the way which I believe will help me in my endeavors. I truly believe that student's lives can be enriched through positive opportunities to perform, sing as a group, and work collaboratively for a common musical purpose.  There is so much that can be done with either a few select students, or a wide number of members.  In any case, I have great plans to allow students at my school the chance to sing, sing, sing as often as possible and in various formats.

For your listening pleasure, this is a recording of a choir singing "On the Back of an Eagle", written by Nancy Telfer.  I accompanied my last practicum choir on the piano with this song and they really enjoyed singing it. The recording is not of a choir that I was with, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.  Children's voices are so precious!

On The Back of an Eagle

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.

-Red Auerbach

How the Gimquat Found Her Song

Several weeks ago, I took the opportunity to attend a children's performance presented by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.  The presentation, titled "How the Gimquat Found Her Song", was a beautiful blend of dramatic and musical elements suited for a young audience.  When I watched the show, there were hundreds of elementary-aged students in attendance and it was obvious that they were delighted to be there.  The energy in the concert hall was very evident as the children sang along, reacted to the special effects and lighting, and applauded loudly at the conclusion of the show.

There were only 2 actors in the show, but the animation of these characters and the intensity that they brought to the stage made you think you were observing a full cast of actors!  The Gimquat was trying to find her song (as a bird), and with the help of the wizard, they traveled through time to see which genre of music best suited her voice.  As the characters arrived in various eras of time, the symphony orchestra accompanied and set the mood for the show exquisitely. We explored Gregorian chant, medieval songs from the 1300s, Bach, Mozart with opera, Berlioz and Brahms in a scary forest, jazz and rap, and finally the bird found her song in nature - the most organic form of music.

While the majority of the audience were under the age of 12, there was a section devoted to teachers and future teachers (like me!). Sitting in my seat before the show began, a woman approached us to show us the Study Guide that is meant to go along with the show.  She offered me a free copy and I have thoroughly enjoyed looking through and exploring this wonderful resource.  Along with a DVD and a CD, the booklet is complete with lesson plans for grades K-5, big ideas, strategies, and information on the music. A portion of a full orchestral score and flash cards suitable for the classroom are also included.  It has been a fantastic resource and I cannot wait to use it more in my classroom.

Barbara Coloroso

I am currently reading Barbara Coloroso's book "Kids are Worth It" and am finding myself truly inspired by her philosophies. Coloroso is a parenting expert whom I first learned of from a family member who had collected some of her books.  Since then, I have continually heard of Coloroso in my Early Childhood Education and Primary/Junior Education classes.  She is a fantastic author with personable, relevant ideas to help any parent today (even though the book was originally written decades ago).

Although her ideas stem from parenting, it is amazing how much is relevant to teachers and educators.  As usually discussed in my classes at school, teachers / parents usually fall under three types:

1) The Brick Wall parent/teacher - it's 'my way or the highway' and I rule the house/classroom.
2) The Jellyfish parent/teacher - anything goes, whenever, wherever, the kids do whatever because I just want them to be happy
3) The Backbone parent/teacher - provides structure while remaining flexible to circumstances and situations.

I believe we should all strive to be Backbone parents/ teachers.  It is understood that children need structure, support, discipline, and guidance and they will look to the adults in charge for those cues.  It is also important to understand that independence, allowing for children to be critical thinkers and permitting them to question things at times requires flexibility by the authority figure.  It is so critical for us as parents and educators to be both: provide a safe environment for children to feel safe and secure and to take risks, while also providing routines and structures that are beneficial to the family, classroom, and child.

I can hope that as I continue to read more writings by this fabulous author I will continue to establish my beliefs about parenting and teaching in a positive, realistic, and optimistic way.

Documentation in the Classroom

During my visits this term to a kindergarten room in Toronto, I was able to observe some excellent teaching by a wonderful educator.  While there, I balanced my time between making observations in my handy notebook, video taping important events, and playing with the wonderful children in the class.

The videos and photos that I took cannot be posted on the internet, but let me assure you that I learned a lot from these and have had the chance to go back and review them many times.  I was especially observing the use of music in this classroom and the teacher certainly gave me lots to record and observe.

In my notebook, I kept detailed notes of conversations children had, events of the day, instructions and routines done by the teacher, and other things I found inspiring or interesting about the classroom. 

These various forms of observations and recording reminds me a lot about the Reggio Emilia approach to education and the effective use of documentation.  I can clearly see how proper documentation can be very helpful in assessment, curriculum planning, and observing development among students in the class.  I learned so much about these young people in the short few weeks I visited because I took detailed notes and documented important (and sometimes not important!) events.  The conversations I was able to listen to and scribe really proved to me where the students' cognitive skills, social and emotional skills, and academic skills are and what next steps to take to further scaffold the child.  I plan to use documentation in my career as I now see the great benefit and use it can be for teachers everywhere.

Gender Equity

I was privileged to have been able to attend the annual "Reading for the Love of It" conference in February and take part in a surplus of incredible workshops and speakers. One workshop that especially resonated with me was conducted by Larry Swartz, an incredible teacher who works at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education in Toronto. Swartz specializes in drama and the arts and has written incredible resources for teachers to use to incorporate drama into everyday experiences of young children.

Swartz's presentation at the conference was not about drama this time, but was on gender equality.  He provided a large list of wonderful children's books which blur the lines between genders and open up possibilities for exploration and discussion in the classroom in terms of gender differences and equality.  His knowledge on this topic and simple explanations on what gender equality really is and how it is in the classroom in conscious and unconscious ways really opened my eyes to this topic in ways I had never seen before.

I am so lucky to have this incredible list of magnificent children's books which promote gender equality and being true to oneself.

He talked about a book called My Princess Boy and you can view more information about how this book was created here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DnbjtXDlv0&feature=related

The list of books is found below.

Speaking Bubbles for Empathy

The series of lessons that I implemented in my first practicum allowed the students to have various of opportunities to learn about the character development trait of the month, empathy.  This is a rather difficult topic for young students to sometimes grasp based on the abstract idea of the meaning. Through drama, visual arts, literacy, and social studies, we were able to explore empathy in a variety of ways and students demonstrated their learning of empathy both in lessons, and in their day-to-day relationships with their peers.

One lesson which I conducted involved paired students to create thinking or speaking bubbles for characters they saw in a picture.  They had to create sentences for each person or animal to demonstrate what that person might be feeling - whether it is the person who is hurt or the one showing empathy.  These grade one students surpassed my expectations and were able to clearly demonstrate what empathy looks and sounds like through this activity.

"It looks like you need a hug?"
"I had a rough day."

"I am sad."

"I can tell you are upset."

I am grateful that these students were able to learn something about empathy and express ideas and create sentences based on simple photos.  Additionally, while on yard duty, I continually reminded the students in my class especially to practice empathy and to help their friends when necessary, and also look at positive forms of empathy including encouragement and positive praise.

Observing in Class

Observations as a student teacher come in very handy for multiple purposes.  By simply watching interactions in the classroom, listening to student conversations, and observing how a teacher teaches can be extremely beneficial and helpful.  In my undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education, an entire course was exclusively to learn how to observe and what to observe as a teacher.  This course helped me learn how to take effective notes, what to look and listen for that are worthy for note-taking, and the importance and power that can come through effective observation.

This week I had the opportunity to observe my Associate Teacher of my grade 3 / 4 practicum class teach a lesson to the students in math. I took the opportunity to record important information that I found useful in teaching math, and also what her students are used to in regards to math language, what they know, etc.

My notes included the following:

-Look at patterning to find answers
-Use student participation (colour in on the overhead)
-Use math language (ie. "congruent")
-Point out useful information in the question, hints on the page
     - Explain what symbols mean
-Models how to use pictures, numbers, and words to show thinking
-Points out bold letters as key features of the problem
-Physically counts and shows thinking by talking aloud
-Involves students through questioning (ie. "What do I do next?" and "Why do I have to do that?")
-Models how to form a full, complete sentence in the answer (combining literacy and math)
-Uses manipulatives as necessary to help solve the question
-Includes multiplication whenever possible (connection to current math topic and student's thinking expectations)


I am fortunate to have an amazing associate teacher who knows exactly her students' needs and how to help them each achieve success. I am looking forward to more observations in the future with her teaching.

Area, Perimeter and Grids

The practicum that I am currently completing is in a combined class of grade 3s and 4s.  I have taken a liking to teaching math nearly everyday in the class, and feel confident with the lessons and ideas thus far.  The unit we are doing is on Area, Perimeter, and Grids, and after a few introductory lessons I decided to make it life-sized and create a giant grid on the large carpet in the classroom.

The morning they saw the carpet they were like kids on Christmas morning!  They were really excited to experience it and math lessons have been so fantastic so far.  They are really grasping the concepts of area, grids, and perimeter and I'm looking forward to doing more lessons with it this week.

As a bonus on Friday afternoon during free play period, I organized a game of Battleship using the carpet grid and it turned out very successful.  The students LOVED playing and found it to be a very exciting game.  

Lessons are just so much more fun with hands-on and concrete learning.  I'm so glad this is going so well.

Classroom Management

Classroom management is always a hot topic among teachers as it is something that is always in constant need of attention.  Students need a safe and appropriate environment in which to learn and a teacher's classroom management skills attest to that environment.

Joe Ducharme, a professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, has researched and studied classroom management for years.  He is a specialist in the field of emotional and behavioural problems in the classroom and regularly trains teachers on effective practices to use.  Whether students have severe, mild, or no significant behavioural or emotional issues, using his theory of "Errorless Classroom Management" skills can be effective for any classroom.  I have read this article and tested many of the points therein and can say that they are indeed, very effective and appropriate uses for implementing classroom management.  I appreciate the positive approach and the able-mindedness that Ducharme possesses and I believe that any teacher and teacher-to-be can learn from this article.

Errorless Classroom Management 
(^^ Click for the article)

Ducharme, J.M. (2007). Errorless classroom management: A proactive approach to behavioural challenges in the classroom. Orbit, 37(1), 28-31.

Empathy Book

In my practicum in November, our grade one class worked very hard throughout the month learning about empathy.  This was the character development trait that the school was studying so it was a common theme throughout the hallways at the school.  I very quickly learned that such an abstract idea that is "empathy" is somewhat difficult for young students to comprehend.  Through various lessons and many class discussions, we learned in-depth information about what empathy is, and how we can show it to one another.  This month-long subject became quite the topic in the classroom and at the end of the unit, the students were required to write a final sentence with an illustration showing what they have learned about empathy.

"When I show empathy I say 'do you need a hug?'"

"I can show empathy by hugging people."

"Empathy is saying 'good try'."

This collection of 17 student's work shows the vast understanding these young children have.  I was very grateful to have taught this series of lessons on empathy and have the opportunity to teach such an important character trait.  These students taught me a lot about what empathy truly is, through the simple thoughts, ideas, and language that grade one's possess.

The Kodaly Method for Music Education

In my studies at the Royal Conservatory of Music , my course in the Kodaly method has really helped me understand and appreciate the significance of quality music education.  Zoltan Kodaly's theory of music education for young students emphasizes the importance of singing and claims that children learn music best through their first instrument: the voice. 

Students are able to express musical talent if they first feel it within themselves.  Singing allows students to physically feel music before having to put that musicality onto instruments, such as the xylophone and recorder.  I firmly believe that Kodaly's methods can be greatly involved in a regular classroom through singing often, therefore creating opportunities for music development and also appealing to the musical learners in the room. Plus, it just creates a fun and inviting atmosphere to learn!

I love my classes at the Conservatory and look forward to my next one this summer, studying the theories of Carl Orff.