BlogBooker- Converting your blog into a book

Just finishing my project and came across this amazing idea of turning your blog into a book using BlogBooker. Your book can be changed into a pdf format to print or into a word file to enable editing.
The free plan allows you to create three free books so choose wisely. Check out my blogbook using the 2017 entries  of my blog.

My BlogBook

Teacher Candidates' Artifacts- Portfolios

Daniel Ippolito: www.danippolito.weebly.com

Tasneem: www.misstlearningjourney.blogspot.ca

Purposeful Interaction in Action-3

My Teacher Candidate and I attended a full day professional development session, Mentoring For All: Creating Communities of Knowledge, presented through Peel District School Board's NTIP, Side by Side initiative in association with York University.

The purpose of the session was:
To develop knowledge and skills about mentoring
To apply three stances of mentoring (Coach, Consult, Collaborate) to engage in a learning-focused conversation with teacher candidate
To co-construct an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the host teacher and teacher candidate
To be reflective, present in the learning and possess an open to learning stance

As a minds-on, Mentor Teachers were asked to fill-in the circle map with words or phrases that WE associate with the role of a mentor teacher. We were asked to categorize these ideas into bigger ideas or possible categories. Teacher Candidates were asked to do the same. Then we switched our chart paper with a group of teacher candidates who wrote their expectations of our role just like we wrote our expectations of their role as teacher candidates. This was a very valuable exercise in creating a collective understanding for our expectations. The learning-focussed conversation that resulted through this activity enabled us to reflect on our own expectations from teacher candidates and link these expectations to what we value the most in our classroom programs. The link between our teaching philosophy and our expectations was very clear though this activity. We were also able to understand how our teacher candidates view us.

We continued our learning focused conversations on self-identified teacher candidate needs.

What learning through inquiry means to me now, its challenges and my personal experience of schooling related to it

Not only have I just read about it at school, I am now able to see how inquiry-based learning is applied in classrooms!

When first introduced to the term ‘Inquiry-Based Learning’ during the beginning of the semester, I remember drawing several question marks in my notebook. It was a concept that was somewhat absurd to me at the time as when I was growing up, my schooling experience consisted of having the teacher stand in front of the classroom and dictating us information. We then had to memorize those information, without necessarily understanding it, and then answer questions on a worksheet in a unit-end test. That was the reality of having all the students’ learning responsibility fall solely on the teacher. This is not the case today as I do not see this style of educating students being reflected in my school placement. I am currently placed with a Mentor Teacher (MT) who teaches Literacy and Numeracy lessons to all the Kindergarten classes in the school. Her approach for learning, as I noticed with many other teachers in the school, are inquiry-based. At first, I had a difficult time grasping the learning goals from observing my MT asking open-ended questions and having various loose materials in the class, which seemed to me as random and not very educational for them to play with. After having read several articles on inquiry-based learning, my understanding of this term has greatly clarified, which will be explained below.

Inquiry is a simpler concept than I had originally thought. I started to understand that inquiry is learning through exploring, which is naturally triggered by curiosity. To me, inquiry-based learning it what motivates the student as a learner and it allows the student to ask their own questions. Young children, as seen in my Kindergarten placement, are already naturally interested in a lot of things. This curiosity is fostered by the teacher, instead of being given the questions and directions as I was accustomed to being a child. By having choices of topics and materials to explore, inquiry gets at the heart of self-motivation and learning for the true reason of learning. After having shadowed my MT for several months, I have grown to learn that inquiry-based learning can easily be implemented in all classroom by open-ended questions. In addition, putting out loose materials (for whatever subject) allows these young minds to explore, discover and satisfy their curiosity. For example, in relation to learning about science in Kindergarten, a teacher can have plants, soil and seeds laid out in an area in the class, and let the students ‘dive into it’ to explore the subject. Some students would want to take the plant apart physically to learn about it, and others would want to go to library to read about it. This also strongly promotes inclusivity in a classroom, as science in very ‘fluid’. These strategies can easily cater to students with physical disabilities and English Language Learner students, as creativity is the main ingredient I found is needed for students with all types of learning styles to be engaged.

Having worked with young children in an elementary school and with my own personal experiences, I have learnt first-hand that a classroom is filled with precious minds consisted of various learning styles. From what I leave learnt by thinking about my past experience, I think that teachers are responsible of teaching a concept in multiple ways to accommodate the learning styles of each young mind to what can be best suited for them by doing and sharing ideas with peers. As learnt in class, we learn more from each other when sharing our ideas through discussion. By doing so, teachers can assess and evaluate students by asking open-ended questions and listening to them conversing while using the appropriate terminology when describing their work in the explanation of their evidence. Listening to students discuss amongst themselves, it allows the teacher to take in what they already know of the subject as well as what questions they have about the subject, and input that feedback into a lesson for those students. I have learnt through my observation that students can show what they have learnt about the subject by representing their understanding through a playdough artifact, a drawing or a verbal explanation, as science is learnt by doing and relating it to their personal experiences.

Students want to learn because they are interested in it. We have learnt in class that science is very dynamic and is constantly changing thanks to new discoveries. I believe in having the right mindset as a teacher with their students is important, which needs to be established from the very first day of class. In order to establish that, I learnt from my MT that the teacher has to let go of a certain type of teaching method, such as being a dictator for example, as it does not accommodate all learning styles, because each child is a unique individual. However, I do think that having an inquiry-based learning classroom can come with its baggage of challenge as my MT explained to me. For example, the teacher has to do less planning beforehand, because having 25 students in a classroom means having 25 different questions about a subject that need to be addressed. Also, each one of those questions means that they have a different take on it, and you never know where it is going to go as inquiry learning is not structured or organized. There is no ‘one size fits all’ in education. This is where the framework of differentiated learning kicks in as it meets the needs of different learners. In inquiry, students learn by going outside in the fields and learn by doing as mentioned earlier, so they can become critical thinkers and confidently make informed decisions. Being student-centered in a classroom, teaching a lesson can be done through multiple approaches by implementing visual aids, tangible manipulatives and auditory tools, to guide the students’ exploration of the subject. My MT taught me that assessment in inquiry is a bigger picture because it is not the same content as they might not all learn the same way, or learn the same things, and some might not even be interested in the subject at all. This results in having intangible student evaluation as they are no longer answering questions on a worksheet, which might leave many parents confused.

Another challenge I found during my placement in implementing inquiry into a classroom’s learning is that parents might be afraid of inquiry-based learning as for them it is a new method, one which they might not yet understand. They get worried about not seeing worksheets being given to the students, hence not seeing their child’s progress as the system has moved away from having a concrete grading system assigned to their child to show their “score” on a question and answer worksheet test. I wondered, how can a teacher ease a parents’ transition in better understanding inquiry-based learning? I found that my MT explains to them that she encourages her students to make their own decisions and not just answer to a “boss”, which allows them to think in a new way.

As a learner and new teacher, I was able to understand that educators are responsible of fostering a sense of belonging for children at school (Ontario Ministry of Education, 12, 2004). By creating an appropriate responsive plan when teaching students, a teacher can cater to students of all sorts when discussing about addressing scientific problems in the non-traditional way. I think that cultivating a positive relationship between an educator and a student is vital for the growth of a child. Each child should not be treated as an equal to another, which is why the implementation of an inquiry-based learning environment paved the path of curious critical thinkers. 

What vicious circles do we see in this journey of mentorship? What virtuous ones?

What vicious circles do we see in this journey of mentorship? What virtuous ones?
This is a discussion question in Michael Fullan's, The Principal in the context of daily work. I want to explore the same question in the context of this collaborative inquiry. Through this learning journey, I have been wondering about how each member of  any collaborative learning team can be held accountable for their fair share of contributions. Are expectations of accountability unreasonable? Maybe they are, if accountability is about following directions or a set of criteria created by the "lead learner". Fullan in his book The Principal suggests how overt demands for accountability can be a vicious circle. I can completely relate to this in the context of this collaborative inquiry. Demanding that everyone puts in their fair share of work in a collaborative inquiry is a short-term goal. When accountability is not evident, the immediate response is to provide members of the co-learning team with more "work", "tools", "resources" for the sole purpose of getting them interested in something so they can contribute and getting frustrated when that does not happen, or worse that the members start to "game the system" is a vicious circle. Should we redefine accountability in the context of capacity building? In this collaborative inquiry, where we are mentoring new teachers to teach an inquiry-based classroom, simply demanding accountability is detrimental to the whole concept of a collaborative inquiry. It is also not an equitable way to lead. Each member of the collaborative inquiry is on their own journey of discovery and learning. Having the same expectations from each member is going to create a vicious circle. When we build capacity of all members and have high expectations, it leads to transparency and a sense of self-accountability.

If demanding accountability is a vicious circle in this inquiry, building capacity is the virtuous one. Throughout the inquiry, I have tried to use current instructional strategies and resources as an integral part of the inquiry. The same resources and strategies can also be used in each individual classroom, building capacity and enabling Teacher Candidates and Mentor Teachers to familiarize themselves with them in the context of a collaborative inquiry. My use of technology, especially Google Apps for Education, can be a valuable resource. I have also tried to use effective questioning techniques to build self-efficacy as well as collective efficacy in the context of this collaborative inquiry. effective questioning leads to a culture of inquiry for teachers which transfers to students and ultimately results in student success. I have been trying to collect evidence of Teacher Candidate and Mentor Teacher's thinking through triangulation enabling Teacher Candidates to see how observations, conversations and products are all important data.

How do I know that these strategies are actually building capacity? This collaborative inquiry is a human endeavor. It is not just about collecting data or hard pieces of evidence. Some of it is about impromptu, unplanned conversations that happen in the hallways or classrooms between Teacher Candidates and Mentor Teachers, stemming from a real need to learn or know. These are the best kind of interactions. I had one such interaction with my Teacher Candidate yesterday. I was sharing with him the way we had launched the new Science unit on Space in my Grade 6 class. This led him to talk about questioning and how it is very important. He shared his own assignment on creating the three kinds of questions. We started talking about the purpose of questioning in any inquiry-based classroom. I did not record the conversation but I believe that it led to capacity building for both of us- for me as I made connections to his assignment and what I was teaching in terms of questioning in the classroom and for him as he built and consolidated his understanding of how questioning in theory can be translated to questioning practices in an inquiry-based classroom. 

Learning Maps as Assessment Tools

Last year, I was part of the team of teachers that piloted the Student Learning Notebook app, developed by Peel District School Board, under the leadership of Kristen Clarke, our assessment coordinator. At this professional development we were introduced to learning maps. A learning map is not just an assessment tool but also an instructional plan. It is not just evaluative but also focuses on assessment for and of learning. The key element of learning map is assessment and evaluation of evidence of student-learning in the context of overarching learning goals. It provides rich description of  student learning that informs instructional decisions and provides the language for descriptive feedback. It can work as a tool for self assessment as well.
After having attended the full day session on Mentoring hosted by Peel's NTIP team, I was inspired to create a self assessment tool that BOTH Teacher Candidates and Mentor Teachers can use in a fair, transparent and reliable way to assess their own growth in relation to the learning goals of the collaborative inquiry. It would be informative to place ourselves on the continuum of learning. This learning map would provide next steps for both Teacher Candidates and Mentor Teachers as we take this journey of building mentor-mentee relationships. Though this tool would have been more effective if created at the beginning of the collaborative inquiry, it can still prove to be an effective self-assessment tool.
Each Mentor Teacher and Teacher Candidate will be provided with a copy of the learning map. Once I have all the learning maps, I will analyze and evaluate the results creating a short-term action plan for professional learning conversations for Mentor Teachers and Teacher Candidates. The results would also enable me to collect some resources to move our learning forward. It will provide both Mentor Teachers and Teacher Candidates a sample resource or tool that they can use in their own assessment practices. Here is the link to the learning map I created:
Collaborative Inquiry Learning Map

What do we value in what we do?

What do we value in what we do?
I applied and was accepted for "Mentoring for All: Creating Communities of Knowledge", a two-day professional development opportunity led by Peel Board's NTIP Side be Side Instructional Coordinator in collaboration with York University's Dr. Lana Parker. Dr. Lana Parker is seconded from Peel District School Board and her research interests include how to teach toward democracy, through listening and speaking. She is working in the Pre-Service program of Faculty of Education at York University and represented York University's new two-year Bachelor of Education program's perspective at the professional development session. Day 1 of the PD session, on February 8th, 2017, was just for associate teachers from Peel who are mentoring York University's students. Day 2 on March 22nd, 2017 will be a co-learning opportunity for all associate teachers and teacher candidates.

Day 1 of this session began with the question: What values can you not live without in your teaching practice? We were each asked to list our top two values and then as table groups we were asked to list the top two that all of us felt were the most important from our individual lists. This was a very powerful connection to the assignment on writing about our educational philosophy in the course. Though in our day-to-day teaching and learning practices we don't explicitly reflect on our educational beliefs and policies, everything we do in and for the teaching and learning community reflects our beliefs and values. They are unconscious competencies that affect everything we do as instructional leaders. As mentors, it becomes our role to make these beliefs and values explicit for our teacher candidates as they are still developing these educational philosophies. It was suggested at the session that it is very important to uncover this through learning focused conversations. though I did not start my mentoring year with this, I now believe this is probably the most important thing we can delve into at the start of the mentoring journey. Not only is this interaction purposeful for the teacher candidates who are developing their own sense of who they are as educators, it is also very beneficial for us to set the stage for what the teacher candidates in their first year of the program will observe, learn and do in the classrooms they are placed. With this understanding in place, the actions of the learning community will make sense to the teacher candidates. To provide myself as an example, what I value the most is a growth mindset and collaboration. Every learning opportunity in my classroom is immersed in these values and is informed by them. To a new teacher, unless this is made explicit, my classroom and my program might seem very random and so would the classroom environment. If I value a growth mindset and collaboration, I work with the premise that we are co-learners and struggle and making mistakes is an important part of any learning process. I demonstrate flexibility and responsive teaching. I create a program catered to the needs of the student. I value inquiry-based problem-solving approach in everything we do in the classroom. To a new teacher, who is not aware of my values and beliefs, my classroom environment will seem disorganized and noisy and my approach to the curriculum may seem random and not well-planned. I know how I a addressing the curriculum expectations while honoring the student's need to learn what interests them but the teacher candidate does not. To them, my program and teaching style may seem "laissez-faire".
Though it is late in the year, I feel that this interaction will still be helpful in enabling our teacher candidates to see what their mentor teachers value and believe in and developing their own vision for their classrooms. I plan to put this question to all mentor teachers and teacher candidate in the coming days. I will give them an opportunity to respond orally or in writing and collect evidence of their reflections. 

Student Perspective-How do students interact purposefully about inquiry-based learning

This video is evidence of what students think about inquiry-based learning. It is also evidence of what a purposeful interaction among students and between students and teachers.
Context: The vice-principal was on instructional rounds and walked into my classroom. She gave a context to my students and asked them for their input on what inquiry-based, open-ended, student-generated learning means to them. We had been working on an inquiry on creating generalizations and algebraic equations for areas of regular polygons. Through our explorations, we addressed the curriculum expectations and went well beyond them. The vice-principal asked if students preferred learning and activities based on the curriculum or exploring mathematical concepts and let the exploration take its course even if it meant going beyond the curriculum. This set the context for a very purposeful interaction where students were having a learning-focused classroom, listening and speaking their mind respectfully. It was very empowering to be part of such a group of thinkers. While analyzing this conversation, it was made clear to me that students will use the language of assessment if we use it, they will think deeply about their learning if we give them an opportunity to, and they will interact respectfully if we model what accountable talk moves look like, sound like and feel like.

Purposeful Interaction in Action

I invited myself to a debrief session that our wonderful Math Planning Time- KG teacher and her Teacher Candidate were part of. It was really amazing to listen to the two teachers collaborate, while they were debriefing what worked and what challenged them in the lesson they had just done with the KG students. Something that I thought was very empowering was how they kept student work and student learning at the centre of the conversation. This made me think of generating a list of opportunities that evoke purposeful interactions between Mentor Teachers and Teacher Candidates.
1. Planning a task/ activity/ lesson based on a BIG idea or a fundamental concept
2. Debriefing a lesson/activity
3. Moderating student work
4. Reflecting on what worked and what didn't, what would you change next time, what would you do differently
5. Questioning techniques used with students
6. Discussing educational beliefs and values that impact planning and programming (Inspired by the York Associate Teacher Mentoring PD)

I will keep adding to this list. Here is the evidence of purposeful interaction:

Some Amazing Resources on Inquiry-Based Classrooms

The students and educators in these stories overcame considerable obstacles to become an empowered and passionate learning community. Witness one teacher create a complex and rich model of differentiation, setting powerful forces in play for everyone to achieve their best.

Insights into Inquiry-Based Learning

I will be posting clips from the classrooms that are involved in this collaborative inquiry that demonstrate the same insights.

Feel free to post a video clip of your own that can be a learning resource for our Teacher Candidates.