Month: April 2021
Wow, I can’t believe how fast the time has passed, this is my final reflection for 336 this semester! This week we learned about incorporating gaming into the classroom. I really liked talking about gaming because I think that it is one of the best ways to engage students in content. I believe that work students to learn about things, it’s important to present information in ways that are familiar to them.
It’s safe to say that with the surge of online gaming surfacing over the past decade, gaming not only very popular with students but very accessible for teachers. Whether it’s playing a Kahoot like we did in class, exploring/creating new worlds in Minecraft, or practicing math skills in Prodigy, I would say that gaming definitely has a place in the classroom.
This week I had the honor of attending EdCamp 2021! I had a great time switching up my schedule and being able to have conversations with a variety of educators. I chose to spend my time in the “First Practicum Survival” breakout room, and I learned a lot about how I should prepare myself for my first practicum one day. Even though I am not able to have my first practicum this year because of the pandemic, I am grateful that I got the chance to get some advice to prepare myself for my future practicums. For this weeks reflection, I will be sharing the notes that I took during my experience learning from Sandra McAulay from SD54.
- know the school, know the teacher, know the grade
- have communication with your mentor teacher
- keep an open mind, sometimes your mentor teacher might not have the same teaching style as you, try to adapt and discover the pros and cons of different teaching styles
- work on building relationships with your students, start with something engaging (2 truths and a lie?)
- try to find the balance between having good relationships while being a trusted adult
- you aren’t going to be able to do everything you plan on doing
- make good impressions!!! practicum is a 6-week long job interview
- become a part of the school culture (coach something, volunteer for the play…)
- keep a daybook
- the practicum will be hard work! expect to stay up late nights
- pick a big topic to explore throughout each practicum (classroom management, inclusion…)
- ask to visit other classrooms
- keep a collection of pictures and resources from this experience
- have specific learning intentions
- you are leading the learning, lead it!
- be kind to yourself!!!!!
In all, I had a great time attending EdCamp this year and I hope to attend for years to come!