Quiet+Writes

__What are my visions of my Field Study?__ Right now I have many ideas floating around in my head and I don’t really know which one I will focus on. The other thing that is preying upon me is that I will have a student teacher in the fall who will be teaching the majority of classes. As a result, I will need a very specific topic for my case study that I can carry throughout the term and won’t take away, but will instead enhance the teaching that my SFU student will be doing. Perhaps she can incorporate my case study into the way she teaches as well. Here are some of my cursory ideas: **What intrigues me in the classroom**? - the excitement that students have for all that is new and what they can hope to experience in grade 6 or grade 7 - the discussions we have on certain topics -their interest in sharing about their lives (How was your weekend) -their interest in all things new and cutting edge, especially in the field of technology ** What do I most hope to change? **  -I hope to change the way in which I teach the students who need extra stimulation or extra assistance with their work – differentiated learning -working smarter not harder
 * Quiet Write #1**

**__Quiet Write #2__** ** My Mission Statement **

After hearing individuals discuss their schools’/districts’ mission statements this morning, I found I was flustered. Whereas I agree with certain points discussed there are many others that I disagreed with. I can imagine the struggle that educators must go through to devise and then revise the mission statements for their school. After all, one statement is supposed to encompass ALL students that are educated within that building. It seems paradoxical as they are so many philosophies for teaching, so many learners, so many differences in the structure of the building and classrooms themselves....I can go on. I do see the validity of having a mission statement, in terms of building camaraderie, congeniality, cohesion etc. It also helps the learners feel safe and that they truly belong. However, how often do we simply ignore or gloss over the statement without realizing its full meaning and impact on the learners. To be honest with you, I couldn’t have told you what the mission statement for our school was if you asked me off the top of my head. Now that I have read it and mulled it over, I find Minnekhada Middle’s mission statement to be very sugary, fluffy and speaks to the basic needs of the student. It reads: “Our mission is to create a safe and caring place for all members of our learning community.” It does not state anything about higher learning or lifelong learning, which I adhere to. I also wonder how safe some of our students actually feel within the walls of our school. To answer that question of what my mission statement is speaks to what type of teacher I am. This is always a very challenging question for me because it encompasses so many things. I will start by saying that I am very interested in the “whole student” – who they are as a learner, how they relate to each other and to the world. As I am inspired by new ideas, new topics and I am a lifelong myself, I strive to pass on this love to my students. I must admit that I sometimes have filters on with regard to whether or not individuals are actually grasping the concepts I am teaching. I almost seem to will them to learn. Nevertheless, I do believe that passion is contagious and when my heart and soul is in that which I am imparting, then the students can’t help but be inspired too....I hope. So I imagine I would keep some of the Minnekhada’s mission statement but add the desire for lifelong learning.  ** Quiet Write #3 ** ** How does technology encourage a pedagogical shift? ** I’m still not completely sure I understand the bigger picture of how technology will shift pedagogy, but this is where I stand right now. The thing that we need to promote as teachers of impressionable students is to be cautious and critical thinkers with regard to new technology. If I ask students to search a particular topic on the internet, I feel it’s my responsibility to let them know which sites are most reliable and valid and how to weed through them. For instance, when I attempted to use a webquest with my class for the first time, I assumed that they would use the search engines provided on the webquest – the ones the creator had researched and found useful. Instead, the students were surfing here and there (mostly in Google) and navigated far from the original webquest site. I was aggravated to say the least, because I was running around the computer lab trying to redirect students. In hindsight, I realize that I need to start with the basics and continually reiterate the fact that there are some websites that are better than others, and to stick with my guidance for now. After all, it can be a scary maze and if not careful the “www-minotaur” might eat you up!

Quiet Write #4 ** Online Communities **  What I have understood from Stephen's presentation, the blog, video and readings about online communities is that we are in transition. We, as educators, need to be aware that the internet is changing the way we talk about the classroom and literacy. There are virtual classrooms that still need to have a sense of respect and community. These classrooms have teachers, but their roles are also changing. I now see my role more as a facilitator of learning, rather than a person who imparts wisdom. My students are now the teachers along with me. Of course I need to pre-teach the parameters for the “new” classroom and encourage the students to be courageous in sharing their learning.