Trimester 3, 2013

I am half way through what will be the last summer of study for my current degree.  To say I am excited would be a slight understatement; the end is in sight and I am happy about that.  I am doing three units over the Christmas period and in between the end of school year rush, my finishing work, holidays, family and practicums three units is enough!

The units I am currently doing are:

EDAE224 Creative Arts Curriculum 2

EDSE213 Science and Technology

EDPE346 PDHPE - Health

After I finish this trimester I only have 6 units to go for my education degree and 3 units to go for the post graduate Theology certificate.  To borrow a phrase from Santa, I have made a list and checked it twice and all is looking well for 2014.  Merry Christmas indeed!

{Gifts}

There is something lovely about having a small child come up to you with a small package wrapped that they picked themselves just for you.  Having to wear new bracelets together for the last few days of school because every time they see you they look at your wrist to check if it is there and give you a shy smile of happiness when it is.  Of cards written and decorated with candy canes; boxes of chocolates and sweet treats too.  No teacher expects gifts, but when they are thoughtfully given as a way of saying thank you for doing a great job it is a special thing.

Also sweet is the unexpected gift that is given at the school presentation night to thank you for all your efforts throughout the year.  I was not expecting that any more than I was expecting my daughter to win the consistent achievement award for Kindergarten; what a great night all round!  I have been blessed this year to have worked with some wonderful teachers and students and to work at the school my daughter started at in the same year.

Today was my last day and at first I felt sad but then I decided to be happy and excited.   Teachers said they would see me in the new year and wished me well on my final pracs and my boss said to hurry up and qualify and make sure she was the first person I saw when I did; as I walked out I know I am no longer employed but I am still a part of the school family.

End of Year at School

The season of silly is upon us!  I had no idea that the last week and a half of school was all about Christmas craft, cleaning, presentation night and community Christmas Carol based events.  Everyone at school is exhausted, myself included!!

I finished prac and got back to work just in time to SENA test year 3 and year 4.  A lot of these children have been coming to me for intensive maths classes for the past 6 months so it was with great excitement that I plotted growth in nearly all areas for nearly all students.  Even more exciting was seeing students use different strategies;  I loved seeing the different ways the students' approached problems in different ways. 

I was sad to tell school that I would not be taking any more hours in the short term next year.  I have practicums organised for term 1 and from there I will be applying for my teaching number.  I am very grateful to this wonderful small school for giving me so many opportunities and look forward to being 'just' a parent next year before hopefully returning as a casual teacher on class.

PREX902

I have just finished my second practicum placement, or PREX902, and it was a wonderful experience for me.  The school I went to had 30 students and two teachers.  My supervisor was the Principal and my class was 17 students in years 3 to 6 so was a multi-stage class.

I loved this small regional public school as it was VERY similar to the primary school I attended as a child.  It was very interesting for me to experience a school like this from the inside and compare the experience to the memories I had as a student some years ago.

Technology did not feature in the class room at all.  I was prepared for this as when I visited initially to have my paperwork signed I saw the layout of the classroom and made the decision to practice my handwriting before I started!  The layout of the tables suggested to me that the students did not do much work in pairs or groups and this was the case.  I tried to implement as much small group work as I could for the collaborative learning opportunities and as you can imagine this was pure chaos at first! 

I did learn a lot in this class.  My handwriting is much improved and I discovered that mulit-stage classrooms are not that different to any other class in terms of having to teach to differing levels of ability and it was not as bigger issue as I feared it may be.  I was also worried that there would be less teaching time due to the end of year rush but this was not the case.  Assessments were largely done before I started and I was given free reign with science (electricity) and HSIE (gold) and sport (tennis) and team taught maths.  I also took on some grammar first aid which was needed for some students.

My final report was wonderful and I am almost embarrassed by how well it reads but I have worked hard both on prac and with my studies so I am proud of myself for my efforts too.

edit: I have since received a letter from the UNE prac office to congratulate me on my prac report which was a nice surprise in the mail. 

The school has asked me back to do my next prac in the adjoining K-2 (Early Stage 1 and Stage 1) class next year which will be nice as I will be familiar with most of the students and the school routine so I will be able to jump right in with enthusiasm.  

The Mathematical Association of NSW {MANSW}

Back in September I was lucky enough to be able to go to the MANSW 2013 conference with 3 of the teachers from the school I work at.  I am not traditionally what would be called a 'maths' person so I was in part worried that a lot of it would be over my head and also excited to be learning new things that would help me teach maths.

The conference was at Terrigal and the above photo was the view from our shared apartment.  As a regional Australian it was nice to wake up and see the water each morning.

We went for a walk and saw some wonderful views of the surrounding headlands too.

There was so many good sessions over 2.5 days that it would be hard to mention them all.  I had fun folding paper and investigating shapes although I did have trouble assembling my cube shown above so I am not sure many of my primary school children would be giving that a go under my watch!

I loved the idea of using bendy straws fitted together to investigate angles and 2D shapes.  This will get used for my upper primary children but I think lower primary would lack the gross motor skills to assemble them and would be easily distracted and wanting to play (and blow) in the straws.

I enjoyed snipping strips of paper into different trapeziums and then sorting them in relation to size and angles.  This would be a great way to demonstrate that shapes can come in all shapes and sizes but still share common properties.

The food was great too.

I am lucky that I was given the chance to go to this conference even though I am not yet a qualified teacher.  I know when I enter my own classroom for the first time with a full class of students that I am responsible for teaching that I will be a better teacher because of the opportunities I have been granted so far as I finish my degree and move closer to my teaching number. 

Manipulating Maths

For my lower Stage 2 children I try to keep maths as hands-on as I can.  Concrete materials help them 'see' the concepts in action and they always engage well with tasks such as these. 

A deck of cards and bingo to test multiplication facts.

Jigsaw puzzles based on a hundreds chart.  This is great for working out the decimals as they can use their knowledge of whole numbers on the hundreds chart to help work out the problem.

Using base ten to introduce the addition of decimals before a formal algorithm is applied.

Function machines for fun and as an introduction to algebra (not that they know that).

Fractions.  Different orientations and options explored through cutting up paper.  Some of the children did not think they were still quarters if some of the pieces were cut out differently as seen in the orange example so this proved to be very valuable (and still fun).

Fraction games...

...more fraction games...

...and more hands-on fun.

Some of these children have gone from actively disliking maths to asking if I would come in on my days off to make up missed lessons.  It is a good feeling to see them starting to enjoy mathematics.

Trimester and Semester 2, 2013

This year is just flying by.  It is already half way through Trimester 2 and I realised I had not posted a unit update yet.  This trimester will see me finish the last of my elective Key Learning Areas (KLA's) as I am doing my fourth HSIE unit and my second English unit. I have enjoyed the electives a lot and am sorry to only have core units left, even if it is nice to tick more things off the list.

ENCO310 - Picture books and Fantasy

HIST151 - Modern Australia

EDLT217 - Planning and Assessment for Learning

EDLT320 - Differentation for Talent Development

In other slightly exciting news I was accepted into the University of Newcastle to study Post Graduate Theology through the Broken Bay Institute concurrently with my UNE education undergrad degree.   I am only studying one unit at a time which should see me graduate both degrees at the same time at the end of next year.  Things are busy, but manageable.

THEO6002 - Origins and Development of the Early Church

This unit covers the period of time before HIST111 - Medieval Europe; as such I am really enjoying studying this period in greater detail.

Professional Development

Professional Development (PD) is important for teachers who have to demonstrate a number of hours each year in the name of keeping up to date with teaching philosophies and technology.  As a preservice teacher I think it is a good chance to undergo some extra training which may set me apart from my peers when I start to apply for jobs while at the same time helping me become a more informed teacher when I next step into a classroom.

To this end, I have compiled a list of free and online PD courses which I have either undertaken or intend to. I hope there is something on the list that you like the sound of.  If you know of any other good courses please leave a comment and share.

  

The Australian Sports Commission.  

The Australian Sports Commission offer a number of online courses:

• Beginning Coaching General Principals
• High Performance Motivation
• High Performance Goal Setting
• High Performance Decisions
• Member Protection Information Officer Training
• Complaint Handling
• Play by the Rules
• Introductory Level Officiating General Principles

Cousera

Cousera have so many options ranging from 4 week courses to 10 week courses.  You can search for topics such as 'education' which I did.  See the results linked here.

CyberSmart: Connect.ed

Cybersafety Online Learning Programme. Having attended a Cyber Bullying workshop yesterday I know this is a big issue that our students face.   There are teaching resources available here too.

Football Federation of Australia

Football, or Soccer as I used to call it, is very popular at school.  The Football Federation of Australia (FFA) offer a number of coaching courses to suit both community level coaches and the more advanced level coaches.  Most of these are paid courses but the Grassroots Football Certificate is free.  I have done this course and found it very informative and it included a book of drills and recommendations to help you get started.  Keep an eye out for when one is next scheduled in your area.

UNE OPEN

These UNE OPEN courses are a lot more detailed which is fine given they give you credit towards a degree.  This may make them a bit of a commitment if you are already studying or working but they are free and run by the University of New England so worth a mention.  There is nothing specifically education related as yet but that may change in the future.  

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership

Better suited for those that have their teaching number, the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (aitsl) have a number of professional learning programmes.  When I get my number (I am counting down the days!) I will do the Supervising Preservice Teachers training.

edit 26/9/13: 

FutureLearn

Similar to Coursera mentioned above, FutureLearn offers a series of short courses from leading universities.  I know some of my fellow UNE friends have some courses penciled in over the summer.

Cyber Safety

I recently attended a Cyber Safety workshop at school.  Technology is an increasing part of our lives so I thought it was worth sharing some of the the take home messages that resonated with me:

• Using the internet should ALWAYS feel good.  If you feel nothing, frightened, sad, confused or angry something is wrong.
• Make the same good choices online that you would make in real life.  We treat strangers a certain way for a reason; they do not need to know our personal details.
• We protect ourselves when we make good choices.
• Cyber-bullying is about people, not technology.
• You own your identity on the internet; don't share it.

Image

It is our responsibility to teach children about cyber safety in an age appropriate way.  There are a lot of resources available to help.  Technology is an exciting tool that opens up the world; but care must be taken because as we know, the world can be a big and sometimes frightening place.

Exams

It is that time of the trimester again where we are starting to worry about exams.  I posted some advice on another forum and thought I would put it here as well in case it helps.  Exams can be stressful but there are things you can do to help:

• Make sure you eat breakfast on the big day, even if you don’t want too. Something healthy and low GI like rolled oats and banana will serve you well.
• Pack a water bottle to take in to the exam. If you snack while you study at home take snacks into the exam too; just make sure you don’t have anything that will rattle or crunch and upset fellow students.
• Take in tissues, panadol and cough lollies. You will get the urge to sneeze, cough or develop a stress induced headache when you do not want one.
• Be organised, have spare pencils/pens etc. Have a clear pencil case to store it all in; this will satisfy the person who is supervising that you are not smuggling in any notes and you will be able to see at a glance if the kids have taken your lucky pen.
• Double check the time and venue of you exam now just to make sure you know when and where you should be. If you don’t double check you will wake up at 2am in a sweat worrying about it.
• Don’t worry. Take a deep breath. Read the whole paper jotting down any notes in the margin or paper supplied as you think of them. If you don’t know something move on the the next question and come back to the ones you don’t know or are not sure of at the end.
• When you are finished read over your paper and proof read. You may have thought of something else to add or see a silly mistake.

I wish I could offer advice of study preparation but I have left everything to the last minute so I need to work on that side of things.  At least I know I will be organised on the day

Trimester 1, 2013

Trimester 1 at UNE started at the end of February so I am a little behind with this post.  In addition to having started casual work this year I am still studying full time.  This has had its challenges but so far I am happy with the way things are coming together.

I am studying:
HIST150 - Colonial Australia
EDSS324 - Teaching HSIE/SOSE
EDPE247 -Teaching PE in Primary PDHPE
EDME258 - Maths: Space, measurement and number

My favorite unit so far is PE.  This may have something to do with having just been away for the intensive school which was a lot of fun but also because I value the role of physical education both in schools and homes.  I have also been enjoying the History unit.  I am more of an ancient/medieval history fan so there have been large gaps in my knowledge that are slowly filling in with this unit.

Intensive School

These school holidays have been a little bit different in our house.  I packed up the car and drove to Armidale for the EDPE247 intensive school at UNE.  I had been looking forward to this for so long!

The New England district in New South Wales is so beautiful in autumn; such a wonderful time of year to visit and the weather was glorious while we were there.  I loved seeing the autumn colour.

Booloominbah is such a wonderful building.  I had afternoon tea here one day and spent a bit of time wandering around the gardens.  This is the lawn where they hold the graduation ceremony so I am looking forward to the day I stand here in a more official capacity.

During the week we participated in creative arts and music, dance, games, gymnastics and also did a coaching workshop for Soccer.  I enjoyed it all so much and have decided to further my soccer skills through an FFA training course.

Our group was amazing.  We had known each other online through our studies but for many of us this was the first time we had met in person.  We had such a great time and I know many of this crowd will be long term friends as we finish our studies and start our teaching careers.

The day the intensive school ended they had a trivia night at the uni bar.  To mark the occasion I went for a quiet drink and had some fun.  It was a nice way to wrap the official work even though I did stay on campus an extra two days to get some more work done.

Term 1 of School Starts as Trimester 3 of Uni Ends

During the Trimester break I called in on campus to pick up text books for the next lot of enrolled units.  I took both children with me.  We ran into Blake from Student Support and he gave them both Chuppa Chups and stress balls (and stress brains).  The combination of a water fountain to splash in and free Chuppa Chups has both small children planning to head off to university without delay as obviously it is a lot of fun.

I have settled in to work well and am enjoying it a lot.  It is fun to have my own area and I like working working with a diverse range of children in both ages and abilities.  It can be hard to keep the larger group on track at times and still have fun but luckily I had some of these same children while I was on practicum at this school last year so I picked up some behavior management strategies that I know they respond too.

MiniLit

I have been offered a job by the school I completed my first practicum at.  I will be running a literacy programme called MiniLit.  I have already done my training for this new role and I am excited (and nervous) to be going back to work in a field that will compliment my studies and further my teaching experience too.

picture source 

It is a 20 week programme so I will be employed for both term 1 and term 2 this year on top of my studies and other duties.  I hope to enhance my literacy teaching skills and look forward to working closely with a small group of children.

At the end of last year I spent a day at the school setting up my office and putting up my alphabet frieze and other materials.  I cannot tell you how good it felt to do that!  It does highlight the importance of conducting yourself in a professional manner while on practicum; you never know what may come of it not just long term, but in the short term too.

Productivity Apps

Work or play, you should have these apps on your iPad.  I love them!  Each heading is linked to the iTunes store so click over and download them or have a look.

Evernote

I have Evernote on my laptop so it just makes sense to have it on my Ipad.  Both devices sync with my account so I always have access to my information.  This is much better than trying to bookmark everything. The iPad app is a bit hit and miss, I can access the information in my account but I cannot clip anything from my iPad; it would be a lot better if I could.

Free

PDF Notes

I love this app so much I upgraded from the free version.  You can import PDF's and make notes on them.  Fantastic for making notes on lecture slides or marking up documents.  This is one of my most used apps.  You can highlight and add comments and notes which you can either save or delete when you are done.  It is really simple to use.
$10.49 (or free for the lite version).


Quickoffice Pro HD

If you use Microsoft Office on your computer you NEED this app.  It lets me open and edit word documents, spreadsheets, PDF's and Powerpoints.  With the exception of powerpoint documents I have used this a lot.  I would be lost without it!  You can share documents between your computer and iPad using the cloud or Dropbox etc.  It seems like an expensive app but it is worth every cent.  If you are an Apple person instead of Microsoft there are other apps that let you achieve the same things.

$20.99

Dropbox

Dropbox is amazing.  I have this installed on my laptop and my account syncs between all of my devices.  My uni friends use it to organise and share documents as you set the privacy settings for each file of folder.  I can log in to my account from any device so I am never without key files.  Handy!

Free!!

iThoughts HD

iThoughts is a great mind mapping tool.  Mind mapping is brilliant for planning and brain storming allowing you to organise your thoughts in a visual format that you can manipulate.  iThoughts is compatible with a number of other desktop applications such as the one I use on my laptop, XMind.  These compatability features as well as its easy to use interface make it worth the cost.  My assignment writing and study have both improved since using this app.
$10.49


Penultimate

A handwriting app for those moments you just need to jot down ideas or scribble some points down.  It can get a bit messy but overall I do still think it is a good tool.  Pity it does not support PDF imports.
Free

I use lots of other apps for fun, study or for my children.  I will review some of those in different posts.