Praise, blame, mindset and engagement Exit Slip

It seems like the way students react to praise is really variable, depending on the quality of the praise. Praise aimed at referring to something the student is, for example saying that they are kind or smart, makes them less likely to show those traits. Perhaps they are afraid of losing that status as smart or kind in the eyes of the person praising them. It probably causes them to develop more of a “fixed” mindset, giving them the belief that they either are or are not the kind of person who is capable of being “kind” or “smart”. If, instead, we aim our praise at specific events – for example acknowledging how much research or work they put into a given project, or how much they have learned on a given topic – this might encourage more of a “growth” mindset. They will see themselves as being able to improve and grow, that who they are isn’t fixed in place, but fluid and changeable with the right work and effort.

Praise could also be aimed at letting students know what their actions mean. Have they grown as a student/learner? Have they done something to help the people around them? Have they made a difference somehow?

I loved watching the students engaged in the “multi-dimensional” classroom. They discussed what they were doing and what they thought about the problem. They discussed the pros and cons of a given approach and were engaged in the subject. Each person got to see their contribution to the problem and see how each step worked along the way. And, best of all, they learned from each other, seeing themselves as capable and having valid input. The teacher raised the students up without using praise at all, so maybe we need to get away from praise entirely.

Teachers' Practical Knowing-in-Action Entrance Slip

Teachers have to make little decisions all day long. Going in to our practicum, we are going to have a difficult time with just basic everyday tasks that together are needed to manage a classroom. When we are new at something like teaching, we need to reflect on each and every little decision we make, each and every little action. We are going to be sensitive to everything that doesn't work and will spend a lot of time wondering how we could do it better and observing someone with more experience.

Moving back and forth between trying out teaching for ourselves and watching a more seasoned teacher in action will help us pick up on where we need a little work and what we can do to improve our own methods. But trial and error on our own will also help. If something doesn't work, we will have little reason to try it a second time and will probably have lots of situations in which we could employ new methods and tactics.

Once we know what works, it will become more like a reflex. We will subconsciously be able to read the situation and know what action is appropriate, just by our experience in the classroom. Until we encounter new situations that throw us once more out of our comfort zone and give us reasons to reflect on what we could do better.

No matter how well things are working though, there will always be ways to do them better. New ways to include students that may be left out in our well-practiced or instinctive teaching methods. Maybe students with disabilities or from different cultural backgrounds would require different actions in different situations to achieve the same goal. As teachers, we need to take time to reflect on these situations - developing and expanding our "instincts" to make classrooms more inclusive and comfortable for all students, not just the students who do what we expect every time.

Flipped Classroom Exit Slip

The concept of the flipped classroom clearly has a lot of positives and is great, with or without a little tweaking. I love the idea of being able to think about these objects for some time before coming to class. I love the concept, as a teacher, of building on things they have already seen and have at least a minor amount of experience with, even if they are not yet proficient.

Using fellow students as tutors in the classroom is also great. When I was a student, I learned the most when I had to teach someone else. And I think those students learned more comfortably from me because we were at the same level. It was less intimidating for them than asking the teacher and I spoke their "language".

I also know that a good friend of mine on the autism spectrum is more comfortable in an impersonal setting and watching videos/reading articles is the best way for him to learn.

In a way, we are currently learning with a flipped classroom model - reading articles at home and then discussing them in class. And I am definitely learning a lot. It saves time and allows me to read at my own pace, re-reading passages that were more complicated, or that didn't fully sink in the first time around because I was daydreaming. And the more times we go over concepts with students, the more chances they have for it to sink in.

I love leaving the classroom as a place for them to think, talk among themselves, and explore the concepts, more than a place to just drill information into their brains.

Entrance Slip: Grant and Zeichner

The Grant and Zeichner article "On Becoming a Reflective Teacher" definitely struck me as relevant.  Especially so with the new changes to the BC curriculum. I feel that teachers are going to have to think even more about how they are teaching, as opposed to what they are teaching.  In a way, this almost makes parts of the article irrelevant - teachers will not necessarily have to worry about the "culture" of a school discouraging them from reflecting on best practices. If the new curriculum works as planned, teachers will be expected to be reflective in their methods, not discouraged from it. That is a big "if" though.

What we teach includes what Grant and Zeichner referred to as the "hidden curriculum". We need to teach students to be kind, fair and understanding. And also reflective. We can best achieve this if we lead by example. Students will look to us as role models, which is an incredible responsibility that should not be taken lightly.

We as teachers always need to be growing and developing, and always reflecting on our practices. We need to judge what the students are really getting out of what we do, not just what we want them to get out of it. The two may not always be equal.

Exit Slip - Frank McCourt

I love the idea of learning from your students and going along with them - they have their own culture and you need to be humble enough to admit you know little or nothing about their interests, feelings, and relationships with each other. That being said, we still need to encourage them. But how much is appropriate? How much do you talk about yourself and become buddies with your students, vs how much should we keep ourselves "professional" and an authority figure to the students?

No matter how much we reveal about ourselves, I loved how Frank McCourt talked about following the students interests. In my experience, the most animated discussions in groups of students can be completely off-topic. That doesn't mean they aren't useful or educational - these may be the times they learn the most! But how do we walk the line between following their interests and making sure they learn all the curriculum?

I would really like to see the film he speaks of "The Blackboard Jungle" and also to read his book "Teacher Man".

Entrance Slip - Inquiry Topic Possibilities

Right now, I am really interested in how to use tests in the classroom. When are tests effective? What format should they take? Should we even use "tests" in the traditional way, or there other options? How can you apply tests in the Earth Science classroom?

When is best to do geology field trips? Before a topic? After? In the middle? And what are the best field trips for geology? Mines? Outcrops? City rocks? Natural history museums? All of the above? How should we manage geology field trips? Point and explain? Give the students time to look at the outcrop/building and make their own observations? Are guided tours good learning experiences? Should the students be a part of the decision of what field trips to take?

Is it better to be on a first name basis with your students? I'm not a fan of gendered references, and had most of my teachers in high school known by their first names. I also don't like the fact that our titles for women depend on our relationship to a man via marriage. I'd like to look into research on the topic - whether the relationship with the student changes depending on the title (or lack thereof) used for their teacher.

Edit - refined ideas after discussion:

How to use tests/homework to bridge the gap between student and adult? How to bring large topics like geology into a classroom setting to test?

Some women instructors get sexual advances from students, so maybe more familiar names are not a great idea. Is this the case?

How should we approach controversial topics in the classroom? Especially earth science related - mining, extreme weather and climate change, renewable resources, alternative energy, nuclear. How do we encourage environmental awareness while teaching Earth Science?

How can we incorporate indigenous knowledge into science curriculum, especially earth science topics?

Exit Slip Sept 7: Controversial Statements About Math Education.

It's incredibly how much controversy there can be in teaching a subject that seems as straightforward superficially as mathematics. There seem to be as many different approaches as there are teachers. Overall, a balance needs to be struck - this includes balance between time management and encouraging students to work their own way through problems, between coming up with correct answers and delving into mistakes to learn more, between memorizing tools and learning where they come from.

It had not occurred to me before how math education could be usedone as a tool of oppression and it is important that we as educator and role models try to dismantle these tools of oppression in as many ways as possible - even in math.

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