1. Week Six
1.1. Individual Differences- Intellectual Abilities and Challenges
1.1.1. Creating an inclusive environment for all.
1.1.2. Embracing students with special needs "The role of the school principal has been shown to be pivotal for fostering new meaning, promoting inclusive school cultures and instructional programs as well as building relationships between schools and communities. The willingness of administrators to support inclusive environments has been linked to issues of training and experience"(Bennett,2009).
1.1.3. "UDL: "Universal Design of Learning" - an approach to learning, teaching, curriculum development, and assessment that uses new technologies to respond to a variety of individual differences"(SPed4300ReedK).
1.1.4. The Theory of Multiple Intelligences 1) Linguistic 2) Logical-Mathematical 3) Spatial 4) Musical 5) Bodily-Kinestetic 6) Interpersonal 7) Intrapersonal 8) Naturalistic
1.1.5. The Six phases of Assessment and IEP Process: Phase 1: Identification, Phase 2: Diagnostic Instruction, Phase 3: Referral, Phase 4: Assessment/IEP, Phase 5: Educational Intervention, Phase 6: Evaluation of Student Progress.
2. Week Seven
2.1. Socio-Cultural Considerations
2.1.1. Embracing community amongst schools and communities; "communication between and among the students, the school, and the larger community must be ever-present, consistent, and should rely on the efforts of all stakeholders"(Parker,2015).
2.1.2. Supporting First Nations, Métis and, Inuit students into educational success,"It is therefore critical that our teachers have the tools, resources, training, and supports to work effectively with these learners. First Nation, Métis and Inuit students’ success, engagement, retention and graduation highly depend upon it"(Toulouse,2013).
2.1.3. Creating equity in the Ontario educational systems through community, Ministry of Ontario and, the School Boards collaborative effort.
2.1.4. Banks' Dimension of Multicultural Education: Content Integration, The Knowledge of Construction Process, An Equity Pedagogy, Prejudice Reduction, An Empowerment of Social Structure.
2.1.5. Aboriginal Education: Risk Factors: -early school failures, - Moving from school to school, - Lack of parenting support. Protective Factors: 1) Early Intervention, 2) Resiliency 3) Positive self-image.
3. Week Eight
3.1. Standardized Achievement Tests
3.1.1. "EQAO Testing: develops and administers high-quality province-wide assessments in Ontario"(P.E.S.R.,2012).
3.1.2. Standardized testing has both negative an positive views across Ontario. Standardized tests give teachers another grade for their student but, it also takes away from the curricular learning experience.
3.1.3. Debating the value of the importance of standardized testing. How much value should we put towards the grades? Should it count towards report cards? Is it fair? Teachers should re-evaluate how much importance they should place on standardized tests when explaining them to their students.
4. Week Five
4.1. Assessing Student Progress
4.1.1. "Concentrated Instruction – is a systematic process of identifying essential knowledge and skills that students must master to succeed, while addressing what to do when they don’t."
4.1.2. "UBD FRAMEWORK 1) focus on teaching and assessing for understanding and learning transfer, and 2) design curriculum “backward” from those ends"(McTigheandWiggins,2012).
4.1.3. Blooms Taxonomy: a set of three hierarchal models that classify educational learning objectives into different levels of cognitive, affective and sensory domains.
4.1.4. Stiggins' Learning Targets: knowledge targets, reasoning targets, skill targets, product targets and, disposition targets.
4.1.5. "Assessment of Student Learning: a) Curriculum Requirements: teacher refers to curriculum guide to determine what students must learn. b) Assessment Decision: teacher decided how students' learning of the material will be assessed. c) Instructional Content: Teacher decides what must be taught to students in order for them to learn the material that will be included in the assessment activities. d) Instructional Methodology: teacher decides on the types of instructional methods that will be used to teach content"(EdmundsandEdmunds,158).
4.1.6. Blooms Assessment Questions: "a) Knowledge (know/remember) b) Comprehension (understand) c) Application (use knowledge "to do something") d) Analysis (deduce) e) Synthesis (create/organize) f) Evaluation (judge according to criteria)" (EdmundsandEdmunds,167).
5. Memorable Video: https://www.ted.com/talks/rita_pierson_every_kid_needs_a_champion?language=en
6. Memorable Video: https://www.ted.com/talks/adora_svitak?language=en
7. "The best teachers teach from the heart, not from the book" - Unknown
8. Week One
8.1. Planning for the upcoming year
8.1.1. Ted Talks: Stop Stealing Dreams - "School was about teaching obedience"(Godin,2012).
8.1.2. Reflective teaching practice. What kind of teacher do you want to become in the future?
8.1.3. Different types of learners. Through reflection "we challenge our assumptions and ask new questions make sense of our experience and in the process, put what we've learned into a deeper memory as active learners"(VCC Baking & Pastry Arts).
8.1.4. Five steps of research process: Step 1: observation phenomena. Step 2: formation of questions. Step 3: application of research methods. Step 4: developmental of guiding principals. Step 5: development of theories. (EdmundsandEdmunds,15).
9. Week Two
9.1. Considering Developmental Differences
9.1.1. "Childish" thinking: "bold ideas, wild creativity and especially optimism"(Adora Svitak).
9.1.2. Growth Mindset: embraces challenges, persists in the face of setbacks, see effort as the path to mastery, learn from criticisms, finding lessons and inspiration in the success of others.
9.1.3. Constructivist based classrooms, scaffolding to help students reach their best potential.
9.1.4. Piaget's Four Stages of Cognitive Development: Sensorimotor (0-2), Preoperational (2-6/7), Concrete Operations (6/7-11/12), Formal Opperations (11/12-adulthood). (EdmundsandEdmunds,52).
10. Week Three
10.1. Establishing Positive Learning Environment
10.1.1. Ted Talks: Rita Pearson: "-18 sucks all the life out of you, +2 said I ain't all that bad"(Pearson,2013).
10.1.2. Classroom management skills, "know the students you teach"(Eutopia.org).
10.1.3. Always establish a positive learning environment in all classrooms.The well being of students is very important for classroom management.
10.1.4. Classroom management, "the key to effective classroom management is for teachers to design and implement a management system that always requires students to think about how they will behave in in their environment rather than simply reacting to their environment without thinking"(EdmundsandEdmunds,100).
10.1.5. "ADHD-caused behaviours (student has little or no control over his or her actions)"(EdmundsandEdmunds,102).
11. Week Four
11.1. Making Instructional Decisions
11.1.1. Make sure your classroom is always a happy learning experience.
11.1.2. Apply meaningful instruction, collaborate an appropriate timetable, giving students enough time to have mental health breaks as well as enough learning time.
11.1.3. Engaging students in an active, positive learning environment. Creating differentiated learning environments.
11.1.4. "Blooms Taxonomy: 1) Knowledge: Remembering or recognizing something factual. 2) Comprehension: Interpreting/understanding information. 3) Application: Being able to use information to solve a problem. 4) Analysis: Breaking concepts into parts; indicating relationships. 5) Synthesis: Bringing ideas together; generating/creating new ideas from other related ideas. 6) Evaluation: Judging the respective worth/value of something"(EdmundsandEdmunds,123).
11.1.5. HPL Framework: Learner centred, Knowledge Centred, Assessment Centred.