Reflections

Megan Anderson

Monday November 27
This week I am going to be focusing on math and bringing three math lessons together
with one focus. My TA asked me to focus on Doubles facts to 12, and I felt that the best way to
do that was through gamification. I have learned through observing my TA that these students
learn better through hands on activities and various games that allow for them to look at the
focus in different ways. I have two shorter lessons, then on Thursday I will teach a double block
of math as a culmination lesson. I decided ahead of time that I would turn the double block into a
“centres” lesson, but my TA told me that the students need to already know at a least a few of the
centre’s activities prior to the compilation day. To accomplish this, I introduced two activities on
Monday, two activities on Wednesday, and added one on Thursday- so that they only had to
learn one new game on centres day. It went very well!
The first day of the doubles facts lessons I introduced the topic with a fun YouTube video
that teaches a song about Doubles. This worked well, because the kids were humming the tune
throughout the rest of the lesson and activities. I brought the kids to the reading circle and
showed them the games by playing a couple rounds with one of the students. That way, they
understood the rules not just by hearing them, but by watching them as well. I asked for a
thumbs-up/down response to see where their understanding was and got an idea of the students I
might need to check in on. We started with one game, and I circulated throughout their playtime
focusing on the students who responded less confidently with the thumbs-up.
When switching to the next game, I used the same approach as the first and it went well.
The only thing I would change is I would have the groups organized ahead of time and a
smoother method for handing out supplies. I will have to remember this for the next lesson.

Tuesday November 28
Today was observation day with my UC. The students had been a little wild throughout
the day and my TA had been struggling to keep them on track. The afternoons are already much
more chaotic than the mornings, so I was a little nervous about how they would behave in the
second half of the day. True to my concerns, they were pretty chaotic. I had planned a lesson
around landmarks and thought it would be fun to have them create a landmark of their own with
plasticine. The students loved it, but I would do quite a few things differently. I would have
already had the pictures of Landmarks on the board as a hook for them to look at when they
come in the classroom and give them a minute to look at them before starting the lesson. I could
have also split the lesson into two lessons, and used the first to talk about landmarks and have
them sketch out what they would make for their own. Then, I would use the second block to have
them use their sketch to make a landscape/landmark out of plasticine. As it was, they spent a
large portion of their time thinking about what to make rather than making it and a few students
couldn’t finish. This would have allowed for more time to help them come up with an idea that
was specific to them rather than just copying the example I had made.
Additionally, I had some difficulty with students not listening to instructions and getting
frantic trying to get their project made quickly rather than well. There were some behavioural
issues with “C”, and I had to stop the lesson quite a few times to get him to listen without
distracting the rest of the students. However, I was able to keep my cool and not show the
students how frustrated I was. I had never had a situation of outright defiance with “C” before, so
I wasn’t sure how to deal with it and what consequences would be appropriate. In discussing it
with my TA afterwards, we decided that we should not give him a turn to be “it” in our PE
games in the next period, and he would not be allowed to bring his project home that night- he
would have to wait until the next day to bring it home. This way it doesn’t accelerate his bad
behaviour in the moments, but still allows us to give consequences connect to his behaviour. I
will be keeping this in mind for the next time we have a situation like this.
Something I did that was very successful, was that I started the lesson talking about land
acknowledgments- since I was talking about landmarks and the importance to the land and
communities. I showed a quick YouTube video as a land acknowledgment and then talked about
what Oki means in Blackfoot. I challenged the students to say “Oki” the next day when they
came to school, and they were so excited! They seemed to understand the importance of saying
thank you to the land and appreciation for their place on it. Additionally, we have two First
Nations students in the class and they were excited that everyone knew how to say hello and
welcome in Blackfoot. It was wonderful to see them feeling included and seen.

Wednesday November 29
My second day of teaching math doubles facts went much better than the first. I had set
up groups ahead of time and organized the supplies in a more efficient manner. I began the
lesson with a review from the class before by using whiteboards as a form of formative
assessment. It helped me to see which students were struggling with the concepts and which
students clearly understood. The students engaged well with the activities and seemed genuinely
excited for “centres” the next day. We had a few difficulties with dynamics within the groups,
which I made note of, so I will separate them differently for centres at the next lesson.
I had an issue with one of our students during recess, and once again had to help with an
incident report and discussion between the student and the principal. During the afternoon recess,
“C” had torn off a large branch from a fir tree and was running around the playground hitting
other students with it. Respect for school grounds and the landscaping is a very clear rule in the
school, and I had been instructed to stop any behaviour which runs contrary. As soon as I saw
“C” with the branch, I stopped him and made him walk with me until recess was done. He was
resistant to this but complied. When recess was done, I walked “C” into the classroom and asked
my TA what I should do. She said I should take him to the office to talk with the principal. When
we got to the office, Mr. Tyslau grabbed a garbage bag and told “C” they were going outside to
do some yard work since he needs to learn how to respect the school grounds. When “C” came
back in, he was better behaved and seemed repentant about his actions- although he still avoided
eye contact and discussion about the matter. We decided to move on with no further discussion,
trusting that Mr. Tyslau had handled the situation.

Thursday November 30
When I first got to school, My TA asked if we could switch my prep to the morning
instead of during Art- because she needed my assistance during her art lesson. So, rather than
helping with literacy, I went for my short prep and came back for my math lesson. Centres went
very well- the only issue was time. I underestimated how long it would take to review the
instructions for each centre activity and explain the new one, as well as set them up in the first
centre in their new groups. This put me behind by about 10 minutes. From this I learned to
always schedule extra time, and if we have spare time at the end, we can always review. We had
some arguments in a couple of the centres (personality clashes), so next time I think I will make
a few of the activities individual rather than planning for collaboration at every centre. This
would give the students a break from having to work together, and I think they wouldn’t socially
burn out as quickly.
Additionally, I taught a PE class to make up for missing school the next day for a doctor
appointment. The students were VERY full of anergy after the excitement of their art class, so I
had to run them a bit at the beginning of PE. I had quite a few small activities planned
surrounding kicking a ball, and it went well for the most part. I laid out clear instructions
beforehand and explained the rules for respecting gym equipment. They had some difficulty with
holding on to the ball (it would “accidently” fall out of their hands quite often), but I stayed
consistent with reminding them to hold on to it so everyone could hear the instructions. The
reminders took extra time, and they weren’t listening as well as I’d like, so we skipped the last
activity and instead let them play an extra game on the “spin the wheel” app. They most
definitely needed the physical outlet today, so I was able to be flexible and adjust my lesson as
necessary.

Holistic Reflection:
This week was interesting. I had to employ many of the skills we had learned in our
coursework and put many of the theories into practice. Additionally, we had quite a few
behavioural issues, so I was able to learn about the procedures to follow when these situations
arise. As the time in my classroom continues, I feel as though I am seeing and understanding the
difficulties that can arise from lack of differentiation and accommodations for fast/slow finishers.
When activities are planned to accommodate those struggling to keep up and allow for extra time
to work with them, there are quite a few students who finish earlier and need sponge activities to
keep them engaged. Otherwise, they begin being disruptive and the noise in the room increases-
making it even more difficult for the slow finishers to focus. I found that the best way to combat
this is to allow a few students to finish, then stop students and ask them to come together for me
to discuss the extra activity they can work on. This gives the students who are done something to
start on, and the students who are still working something to work towards. It restarts their focus
and motivates them to finish their work. As I learn the more efficient ways to differentiate,
negative behaviour in the classroom decreases and students become more engaged and helpful.
They seem more motivated to do well and finish tasks, as well as help each other when they see
another student struggling.
This week felt more chaotic than previous weeks, and my TA told me that this often
happens leading up to the Christmas break. However, I felt confident that I could handle the
chaos, because it has been my focus for the last few weeks. I have a high level of tolerance for
wild behaviour, and it doesn’t rattle me much. However, that also means that I don’t step in and
put a stop to it as quickly as I should. I have been working on cutting off behavioural issues
when they first start rather than allowing it to go on until it escalates. As I became more
confident in my discipline with the students, they began responding with more positive reactions
to situations. As they become more aware of the limits, they generally stay within the confines of
appropriate behaviour. Remaining clear about my expectations and staying consistent with
consequences has been key.