Today is the first day of Fall!!!
Fall brings changing temperatures and colors (both in nature and in my wardrobe!), shorter days and longer nights. For myself and my fellow students, Fall also brings ASSIGNMENT DEADLINES!! This week in particular, I finally am starting to feel as though my learning in the classroom is starting to really sink in, as demonstrated by the beginnings of the work I will be producing this year. One of my first "biggies" in terms of projects created for evaluation is being unveiled here for the first time! Drum roll please...... Please find below a link to my page delving into the mystery that is the Ontario Curriculum. After reading through my presentation, it is my hope that you: 1. Discover what the Ontario Curriculum Documents are, as well as what purpose they serve; 2. Gain a deeper understanding of where to locate these documents, as well as how they are organized and some key terminology; and 3. Understand the crucial role these documents play in the lives of everyone involved in the education system and how they can be used effectively by teachers, principals, parents and other members of the community. Please Note: This work is the outcome of my first detailed look at these documents. Through the creation of this project, I have been able to begin achieving the goals which I set out for you above. However, throughout this year and the many more to come, it is my aim to continue to build on this introductory knowledge, as the learning process should be a never-ending endeavour. Enjoy! Miss Coleman A link to my presentation can be found here:
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I cannot believe I have only been back in school since September 8th - time is literally flying by. I have now attended one class in all five courses I am registered in this semester, and I have my agenda all highlighted and color-cordinated to coorespond to when everything is due and what workshops are scheduled when. Yes, I am a color-cordinator (I blame/thank my mother for that), but when you have as many things going on at the same time as us B.Ed. students do, you do whatever it takes to get organized! So far so good, in case you're wondering! I'm feeling pretty on top of all my assignments and readings, and am even completing things a few days before they are due to be handed in, in case last minute edits need to be made.
You need to pack your lunch the night before and make sure your school bag is stocked with all the essentials. You're pretty nervous, but excited, too. You hope you make friends and people like you. Now, add in the fact that you are one of the adults in a classroom full of upwards of 18 children to this equation, and you just might begin to understand a little bit. Maybe. As I have detailed in the "Placements" section of the page, I will be completing my Community Service Learning (CLS) as well as my evaluated practicum at General Vanier Public School. Having completed primary and secondary school within the Catholic Board, I had actually never heard of this school before, but I was very excited to get in there and make it my home for the next eight months. General Vanier PS is special in a number of ways, one of them being the fact that they only hold classes for students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 3, meaning it is a primary school exclusively. I have never been in a school run this way and so am very interested to see how it functions. My first day was fantastic. I think my previous experience in the classroom in both Ottawa and Taipei was a huge asset, as I really wasn't that nervous, but mostly just excited to meet the students, my Associate Teacher, and gain even more experience. In case you're wondering, my packed lunch was delicious, and I made it okay via my public transportation journey! In the morning I met my Associate Teacher (AT), the head Office Administrator, the Principal, as well as a number of other faculty members. I was given a quick tour of the building, including the staff room, the supply room, and the general layout of the school. Next, we went up the stairs and got acquainted with the classroom. I have been placed in a beautiful Grade 1 class of 17 students. The room itself is incredibly welcoming, filled with books, posters, artwork, and the air of activity. I already couldn't wait to meet the students who filled this room! When the bell signifying school was starting rang, my fellow Teacher Candidate and I went downstairs to collect our students. They were adorable right from the get go. One little girl even came up to me and hugged me the moment she saw me (she also proceded to hold my hand sit next to me at every opportunity she got throughout the rest of the day!). It melted my heart. We took them upstairs to the classroom and the day's activities began. As we were completely novel to the students, they took every opportunity they could to come over and talk to us and ask us questions about who we were were, why were were there, and how long we were staying. Children really do have a nack for inquisitions! During that first block our AT introduced us, as well as had the students each introduce themselves to us so we could get to know their names. Luckily, I have a pretty good memory for names and faces, and so I'm feeling pretty confident that I have them all down already. The schedule for the day was as follows: Phys. Ed., Snack, Math, Recess, Lunch, French, Language Arts, Recess, Tidy Up, Story, Home. Throughout the day I had the opportunity to observe a variety of teaching methods and strategies, participate in instruction and learning, as well a perform various administrative duties for both my AT and the Principal. It was an incredibly eye opening experience, and it has solidified in my mind how much valuable learning I will be able to do at this school. One of my favorite activities was during the language period of the day. One of the stations of learning was to listen to a tape recording of the story "Today is Monday", and then create visual representations of the items eaten on all the days of the week. I followed along to the story and held the physical storybook for the students, and then helped then complete their work. I took it upon myself to add an extra element to this activity in case one student was quicker at completing their drawing than the rest. I wrote the words of the seven different food items on paper so the students could see them. As they finished their drawings, I had them find the word from my pile that corresponded to the picture they had just drawn. They became very motivated to finish quickly, so they could be the one to pull out the correct word from the pile. If today was any indication of how the rest of my time in my Grade 1 class will go, I am incredibly excited. I feel as though I will be able to learn so many wonderful techniques and tools to use in my own classrooms in the future. Once again, thank you for reading, and stay tuned for more adventures of a B.Ed student! Miss Coleman Welcome to my blog, and thank you for reading my very first post! I am so honored to have you on my site, and appreciate any and all feedback you may have for me. I can be reached through my 'Contact" tab on the left hand side of this page. I have now officially been in the Teacher's Education Program at the University of Ottawa for six days! I realize this seems like a menial accomplishment, but after being away from the university scene since 2011, I was quite nervous about what to expect upon arrival. So far, so good! My very first day was spent in two different orientation meetings, broken up by a wonderful pizza lunch provided by the Faculty. Our first meeting, comprising the entire 2017 graduating class and most of the Education faculty, took place at the Ottawa Little Theatre on King Edward St. Here we were welcomed by the Dean, as well as both the Director and the Assistant Director of the Faculty of Education, to our program. We also heard from the Faculty leads of all five of the cohorts within the Education Program. They shed some light on what each cohort can expect from their year, as well as dates of some upcoming workshops and events. Truthfully, it was a lot of information delivered very quickly, but I left that meeting with a smile on my face, feeling very inspired. I am in the right place! Following lunch, my speciific cohort, the Imagination, Creativity and Innovation Cohort, or ICI, gathered in a lecture hall to kick off our website and get to know each other better. This meeting offered us a fantastic glimpse into what we in ICI will be accomplishing with year. Stay tuned for more info on some very exciting events I will be taking part in! During this meeting we started a Twitter feed, created a murale, and explored our campus on foot in the search of all things imaginative, creative, and innovative. It was a fantastic way to meet my classmates and get to know my faculty. The next few days were spent in the classroom. I met some truly inspiring professors and was introduced to what to expect from my courses. I have officially been placed in an Ottawa elementary school for the Community Service Learning component of the program, which begins this week. I have started getting familiar with required readings, downloaded a large number of helpful documents, and started navigating through the online components of my courses. I have also created this page, my very own digital hub, which I am already incredibly proud of. And now, as week two kicks off tomorrow, the real work begins! Miss Coleman |
AuthorJessica Coleman holds a Bachelor of Education as well as an Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences, both from the University of Ottawa. She is an Ontario College of Teachers certified teacher, currently working towards a Masters of Education degree at uOttaw, as well. Archives
September 2018
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