March 2: Flex lesson on classroom expectations

Strengths:
- Lesson was interactive (Involved discussion with a partner then as a whole class). It’s
always good to have small groups to start as many students don’t feel comfortable
sharing in a large group. The gallery walk also provided a movement break. Movement
breaks are good. These are all valuable pieces to both classroom management and
learning.
- You were “visible” in the class: good voice projection, movement and hand gestures. I
think being active and moving around (being visible) helps you look and sound confident.
You seemed confident, which is great for classroom management. The kids believe in
you and buy in to what you are trying to do more.
- Controlled the classroom well, as in you managed the discussion well. When some
people started shouting out you brought it back to a calm discussion.
- Had students repeat back instructions, which is also effective for classroom
management. I find that a lot of what feels like “chaos” in the class happens when
instructions aren’t clear. Your instructions were fairly clear as pretty much everyone had
an understanding as to what they are supposed to do. As the tasks become more
complex and layered you will really have to ensure they are broken down into steps and
instructions are clear. This is a good start!
- Learning names fast.

Areas for growth

- It’s a good idea to write the instructions on the board. Try to keep it to 3 or 4 steps. Not
all kids pick up (or listen) to verbal instructions, so writing the instructions in 3-4 steps is
useful for those kids who missed the instructions. This will also save you from having 5-
10 kids come up and say, “What do we do?.” Most students, from my experience, won’t
remember more than 2 steps- even the higher functioning students.

Considerations
- I like that you had an example. Examples can be very useful, but one thing I have
noticed in my own practice is that when we provide an example students gravitate to do
exactly what they saw in the example, which limits that independent thinking piece. I
don’t exactly know how to solve this problem other than we don’t use them all the time
and try to use them strategically. I have also tried using examples that show the
application of the skill in a different way (same skill applied to a different task if that
makes sense). Examples are important and can be useful, but some students don’t want
to struggle through the thinking piece so they will just go to the example.

March 3: Respect flex lesson to different class

General Comments:
- As this was the same lesson you already delivered, think about the subtle differences
between the groups. Each class grouping has its little nuances that can affect delivery
and decisions. Was there anything different about this group?
- Walking around is a good idea. It helps keep students on task and you did that. In larger
classes it can be difficult to ensure everyone is on task, but quick check ins with each
group are important. I noticed you spent a good amount of time around Anderson,
Tannis, and Janifer. These students can use the extra support. One thing you will notice
as you dive more into teaching and start your career is that sometimes it can feel like
certain students take up a lot of your time. How can you ensure your time is divided fairly
and equitably between the various types of learners in your classroom? Anderson didn’t
take up that much of your time today, but there are times where if you let him he will take
up all of your time. We gave him 5 popsicle sticks and that’s the amount of questions he
is allowed to ask in a period ( he doesn’t really need them anymore, but still does at
times). What are some other strategies you can think of to ensure your time is fair and
equitable? Remember those higher students and really all students need that little extra
support, push or challenge from you.

- I like that you addressed the negative comment on the one students page. You will find
there are lots of surprising moments in teaching. Sometimes teachers can get caught off
guard by certain comments students make. You have to make decisions quickly whether
you address them. Whether you address something or quash it and forget it, both
decisions will impact the class dynamics. There is not always a right answer whether you
address something in the moment or not, but as long as you do no harm, while keeping
the classes trust and respect you should be OK. You can always come back to
something the next day if it weighs on you.

Classroom management:
- Sometimes easier said than done in such a large class like ours but you will want to
really listen as discussions and instructions are going on. If there is too much
chatter/white noise will everyone know what’s going on. I like to say, “I’m just going to
wait until it’s quiet,” and stand there while they settle. With classroom management you
can only do one trick so many times before it loses its effect so it is good to have a few
tricks up your sleeve.
- How do you address that back table that didn’t really take the task too seriously? I
thought you did a good job of acknowledging their lack of effort and care while still
making it clear you see they are not meeting expectations. We are always walking a fine
line between, “Is this a big deal and do I treat it as such,” or “It’s is not that big of a deal
but I should still address it,” or “it’s not a big deal and I’m going to leave it.” Sometimes
we need to ask what hill we are willing to die on- or so that expression goes.

March 3: Intro to the Battle of the Plains of Abraham

- You got all the main points in.
 - Stopped the video at the right times to address key points. When you are showing a
video you can’t stop it too often, or you will lose the kids, so really thinking about the few
times you do stop it and what you want to achieve is important.
- Instructions were clear getting into groups. No confusion so that is good.

March 4, 2020

BOPA

- With our large classroom you have to watch saying in groups of 3 or 4. They will just
gravitate to their buddies. We often just tell them to work in their table groups. It’s less
chaotic… or did you think they worked well with them choosing their own groups?
Sometimes they surprise you. Some think this depends on the age groups. Sometimes
older kids are better, sometimes older kids are worse and elementary kids are better. It’s
really about classroom dynamics though and you get to know your classroom dynamics
these decisions become easier. I find either way there always seems to be a few off task
groups. What do you think some strategies are to get these off task groups on task?
Threats (Your staying after school until it’s done) Frequent check ins (You guys are off
task. Do you understand what the expectations are? Ok lets see you do it then, I’m going
to check back in 10 minutes and I want to see some work done… What do you do if they
don’t have work done?) Intrinsic motivation (If you want to get the most out of the
battle reenactment you will want to do some of this). *** All in all I thought it was a pretty
productive afternoon. In this large class it’s good to have some out in the hall and I think
that helped. How do you decide who goes out in the hall? We only let people we know
can work independently out in the hall so it’s a privilege. I think the hallway groups
worked well.
- How was your interaction with Jonas at the start? What are you seeing from him as a
learner? You need to know the strengths too as that’s your starting point.
- I like that you kept writing down points in the chart. This helped everyone “keep up.”
- You will want to start thinking about closing out the day/lesson. It’s good to have a little
wrap up and then set the stage for the next day. This helps with continuity.
- I like that you took in the notes. What kind of feedback are you hoping they provide
(Understanding, work ethic)? Will you give feedback? If so what kid?

March 5, 2020: Flex lesson with get to know you cue cards

- Good job waiting for everyone at the start.

- You are beginning to really have a good command at the front of the class. This is good,
it takes some people a while. I think I see this when you talk about yourself. This often
can be applied to curriculum too. The more you understand and confident you are about
a subject matter the better you are at leading learning in it.
 - Do you think you should address Mackyle saying, “Awe I hate these?” You don’t have to.
No right or wrong answer here. Sometimes it’s easier to ignore, which can save your
sanity and sometimes it’s worth addressing. Sometimes you think it is worth addressing
so you address it and then you regret it because some little thing is now a big thing that
doesn’t need to be. Don’t take his comments to heart you will never make every student
happy.
- Depending on the school and setting you will want to watch the “My door is always
open.” Nothing wrong with it, but there are a lot of kids needing/wanting adult attention
because it just doesn’t happen outside of school. There’s also a decent number of kids
walking around with a lot of weight on their shoulders. There’s tons of stuff on building
resilience (See Duckworth), and there is a book called lost at school (See Green) to help
build your own capacity. You also need to make sure you look after yourself as there is
such a thing as caregiver fatigue. Again, it’s a great thing to say, just be aware that at
certain times and places it may be overwhelming. You will also want to make sure you
know the community agencies and supports available, and that legally you can’t keep all
secrets. If a student discloses that they or another child may be at risk you legally have
let the authorities or parents depending on the situation know. Just keep this in mind as
some students might think you are able to keep certain secrets. Just be upfront about it
first as that will help you maintain the trust you are trying to build with them

March 6, 2020

- You asked really good engaging questions that helped them reflect. “What other
strategies could you have used?” Questioning and the type of questions you ask are
really important for critical thinking. It also helps you know where your students are at,
especially if you think of how different types of questions are applied to something like
“Blooms Taxonomy.” Sometimes you need to ask the lower level questions, but you also
need to make sure you’re asking the higher level questions too.You need to be ahead of
students but not too far ahead.
- You are doing a great job of getting around the class and getting to different students.
These check-ins are key to learning and classroom management. Great job with
Mackyle! You used some advice in the previous notes and applied it. How do you feel it
went? Success is not always getting them to do their work. What do you think success
looks like for Mackyle?

March 9, 2020 second BOPOA test day w/ team test.

- Good clear instructions.
- Nolan tentatively had his hand up and looked like he had a question, but wasn’t sure. He
never raised his hand all the way up, but it was part way up. As you are giving
instructions make sure you are fully scanning the room to look for those confused faces
and tentative hands. Nolan is usually pretty good at getting that hand way up there, but
lots of students will be tentative. Give yourself that extra 2-3 seconds. To really make
sure everyone is clear on the instructions/expectations.
- Just a note on tests…
- This is not really a note about anything specifically you did, just some food for
thought. Think about the purpose for the test. Then think about how we approach
them. There are competing views around tests, what their purpose is, how we
approach them, and what they actually tell us. I think if your approach is, “do no
harm,” your ethically sound, but just know you may come up against teachers
and principals who have different views than you, and you may have to make
concessions accordingly. I have seen tests weaponized. For example, “if
everyone gets 12/20 we can have a movie day/pizza party.” That sucks for kids
who can’t get that mark. “This test is worth a lot of your final grade so make sure
you do well and try hard.” Again, not good for kids who don’t do well on tests.
Many teachers have students take tests home to parents to get signed. Is this
good, or does this weaponize the test? If a kid fails a test should you be the one
to call home or is it better to have the kids talk to their parents about it? Is it worth
a phone call? University and high school are different to some extent but not
completely. Even in high school there is the academic stream where tests take
on more weight as a prep for post secondary compared to the non- academic
stream. Is it good for universities and high schools to have high stakes testing?
- You certainly didn’t weaponize the test, but you said “any talking and your test
gets taken away.” there is nothing wrong with saying this, but what if you had to
take a test away? Does the kid go to the office? Do you call home? What do you
say to parents/students? What does the opportunity to re-do the test look like?
Think about how our language affects those already nervous about the test- will it
calm them because they know everyone will be quiet, or does it make them more
worried because it is a different environment, breaks the routine, and
emphasizes the importance of not failing (many students are afraid of failure). I
don’t actually know the answer here by the way- just a reflection question.
- I’m throwing a lot of curveballs at you here not because you did anything wrong,
but just to get you thinking around how our language and approach can be taken
out of context by parents, students, and colleagues. I actually really like the team
test idea, and I really like that you actually made a different test. I think many kids
quite appreciated this as well, and it helped calm some nerves. I think kids
appreciate anytime you do them a favour when it comes to testing, as they often
have some preconceived negative connotations about “tests.” I actually think a
good test can be quite valuable, but it only gives a snapshot at a particular time.
This evidence can be a quick set of data to inform your instruction, and it can
give you some insight when coming up with a grade, but only if it is placed
alongside other forms of assessment. I even like the PAT’s and Diplomas, but I
don’t know if I completely agree with how they are used by systems and schools.
I also think test taking is part of life and if used properly can be a way to build
resiliency.
- Anyways, the purpose of the test should match how we approach the test, and
do no harm are the key takeaways. All the rest of the blabber is just to make you
think.
 - Good adaptation with the groups at the front to make the groups clear from the
beginning. That’s why it is nice to have the same class twice in one day.
- You’ll notice that students- especially middle school kids- will listen to step 1 then do that
without listening to the next two steps. This can be part of your routine building
throughout the year. “You need to wait until I say go before you start.” You can also think
about how to order your instructions so the active instruction comes at the end. When
you say you need to choose someone to be a recorder, that will be what everyone does
right away even if you have more instructions. You might want to think about the order to
look something like this:
- You will get one test between your group and you will fill out one response sheet
per group.
- When I hand out the test you will have to talk and work through the answers.
Explain why you think you are right if there is a difference of opinion. Make sure
you work together.
- Are there any questions?
- OK, you need to choose someone to read the question out loud and someone to
record your groups answers. Do that now, and once every group is silent I’ll know
we are ready and will hand out the test.
- Good wrap ups in both classes. It helps the continuity from day to day and lesson to
lesson.
- Right before lunch and at the end (5 minutes before the bell) of the day you will have to
make sure they are quiet and listening to you. This is when they are least focused, but
often when you are doing the wrap up. Easier said than done, but keeping them for 30-
60 seconds once that bell goes is devastating for them. Use it if you want.

March 10, 2020. Road to confederation introductory lesson

- Good provocation to start the lesson. It’s always good to start with a provocation to
activate thinking
- I like that students had to write their ideas on the board. This was managed well by
having only one person from each table group. Did you notice that a few students saw
this as an opportunity to go visit their friends. Not a big deal, just something to keep in
the back of your mind. You will find it is often the same few students.
- You did a great job getting everyone's attention after the provocation activity. It is handy
to call people by their names, which you did and this was effective.
- The organization of your lesson was very well done. Do you start with an end in mind
and then build towards that end goal? It looks like you do, and this is good practice.This
can even mean the end summative assessment too.
- Your topic must have been engaging because there were lots of different hands up.
Usually that’s a good sign.
- Good idea with the pencil on the powerpoint slide.
- How do you feel the timing went? You had lots of big questions and students were
engaged, but did you get to where you wanted? Is this a big deal for you? If students are
 engaged I personally think that’s the most important takeaway, but some teachers will try
and rush through things because they need to get to a certain point. I think you did a
great job, but I know some people get stressed out with timing everything out exactly
how they planned. Let those teachable moments happen. It will be the best for the
classroom dynamics and culture. That said, and I am playing the devil’s advocate here
just to get you thinking, it would have been cool to have students do a short small group
discussion around the fate of fausto.. As you plan your lessons you will want to think
about when you want to utilize a small group discussion and a larger group discussion.
My advice is that ideas and concepts you really want to drive home are best done
through small group discussions first then a larger group discussions.

March 11, 2020. 2nd day of “Road to confederation”

- Verbal learners: You talked confidently and were very knowledgeable about what you
were talking about. During times where students might be writing for a longer period of
time you may want to just move around the classroom slightly (Just to see if everyone is
taking the notes and also students who are more verbal will actually focus a little more
with some movement).
- Visual learners: You had lots of maps and visuals. There was never too much or too
little information on one slide. The video was a good touch too. I like the stop sign
graphic in the slide show.
- Kinesthetic learners: Students had a chance to move with the envelope activity.
- You might want to consider starting with questions or a learning intention. That way
students know why they are doing this. You don’t need to answer it, but it keeps
something in the back students mind as you go through the information, and it will
eventually help them make sense of the tasks you are going to ask them to do
- The review was at a good time, it also gave students a chance to discuss. The middle
school students need this. You may want to consider having students do a quick (3-5
minute) note check/discussion in their small table groups and just to offer a little break.
Then, you can have a larger group discussion and ask different table groups to share.
It’s a good accomodation to help all learners get the jist of what you are talking about.
- I see you noticing it is always the same people putting up their hand. How did you feel
about calling on students who don’t put their hand up? How well do you think you need
to know your learners before you call on random people without hands up? Will you
terrify some students or is it a good way to make sure everyone is engaged and paying
attention? Can you think of other strategies that might get other students feeling
comfortable in the larger group discussions? Just questions to get you thinking about
classroom dynamics.... You did a good job trying to get other people involved, which is
good. It really comes down to knowing the students and who you can get a response
from. Tandip did have her hand up near the end, and she didn’t really speak that much
today. Did you see her?
- You are in a big class, which is not really a norm you will see too often. If it is cool with
you Megan or me might try and turn your notes into a mindmap on the backboard, as
that is usually what we do for notes… in other words we need to accommodate for all the
kids at the back
 - Greed came up as a common theme again… good!
- You had a lot of notes and information today. What are some ways you can do a quick
check for understanding (immediate feedback)? Exit slips are quick feedback but need
to be reviewed by you that day and handed back to students the next day. What about a
few multiple choice questions with 1,2,3,4 instead of a,b,c,d where students listen or
read a question and then put their head down on their desk and hold 1,2,3,4 fingers up.
You don’t need to read a bunch of exit slips after and the feedback is for you and
immediate. If the answer is 2 and most students hold up a 2 you know they got it, but if
the numbers are all over the place you know they didn’t get it. The key is the head on the
desk and eyes closed so students don’t look at others answers. There are a few different
tricks like this you can look up if you want. You did have the opportunity at the end to
review terms, which was good, and you did get other students to share so this is
definitely good, but… do you have a good understanding of where the whole class is at?
The idea is that you need feedback to inform your next steps too (like a feedback loop).
The other big question here is if a good chunk of students aren;t where you want them to
be, what do you do?

March 12, 2020: American revolution and intro to project

- How are you finding how long it takes them to get settled, take out paper, and actually
be ready to go. We find this takes longer than it should. I don’t have a fix for you here as
this is pretty much the norm across several middle school classrooms and experiences
of many different teachers. My advice is to just adapt to it in your timing.
- Be clear that you are the king of King of England and that is the perspective to look at
the answers from. Couldn’t hurt to do a little review of the 3 G’s or remind them about
the greed and power thing you have going. Get the kids thinking about the King’s
mindset before they answer the questions.
- I find your ability to run and manage a class discussion is growing and becoming quite
strong. This is good… especially for a social studies teacher. Great job here!
- Good job asking them to come up with a couple of thoughts after the questions and
videos
- Ryder made a good point and used the word hypocritical. Do you think everyone in the
class knows what that word means? Just a note to get you thinking about teachable
moments.

- Just as a heads up you probably got pretty close to your max time of whole group
discussion, notes, and that style of teaching. Did you notice how some of the students
were starting to get restless? You definitely did a great job of breaking the last few days
up as it was not just stand and deliver, but students need to “do” to learn. Again, I don’t
think you went too long, but that 2.5 days is about all you got with our particular group
(Last years grade 8’s would have given you about a day and then revolted on you- we
had to completely re-shape our program last year, and this is just getting to know your
class). Remember there are students with ADHD and various learning issues who only
have so much “staying power.” I only say this because as you start to take over
everything in your next practicum and really plan for a significant amount of time you will
 have to make sure you never do one style, task, or thing for too long. This of course
varies from age group to age group. Social 30-1 students will have more ability to stay
with you for a few days if there’s some good discussion. Grade 1 you are probably
switching things every 20 minutes. You are somewhere in the middle with grade 7. This
is also true for any activity. You just need to make sure you don’t do one thing for too
long. The most engaging task will lose its effectiveness without switching up style
delivery every once in a while. Again, you had lots of good breaks, activities, discussion,
and videos built in, which is why the students stayed with you for so long. They are going
to really like the opportunity to work in groups now for the next few days, but again if you
just kept doing group stuff you would lose them after about 1-1.5 weeks I find. The 1812
documentary will be a good switch for the kids and then they can work as a group again.
- When you are asking to have students repeat back instructions I would try to pick on a
kid who may need that as part of their understanding. Easier said than done until you
really get to know your students, so really just something to keep in mind for later down
the road