Spelling Bee

        I suppose we all know what a spelling bee competition is. Needless to say, that is has numerous advantages for children. Ever since I was a young student we used to have a lot of spelling bee competitions. We even did some between schools. I still remember to this day how much fun we used to have even though we were actually learning at the same time. Personally, because of these spelling bee competitions, I can now write and even read much better and easier. And that is the reason why I am trying it out with my own students now. We are still practicing at the time being; however, I have observed how my students actually enjoy it and how it's benefiting them in their writings. Moreover, they have come a long way and progressed a lot. Every Monday, before the lockdown of course, we used to have a period for practicing and we used to add more words to our list too. Hopefully, by the end of the year, we will have our spelling bee competition and I will update you about it. Personally, I believe that it has a lot of benefits and students enjoy it as they learn. Honestly, I shall continue doing it every year and hopefully on a bigger scale. 

What Do You Get From Reading?

       Reading is one of the four basic skill that students must acquire. It is important to get students excited about reading every time especially at young ages so they get used to it. Reading is not just decoding words and letters. It's much more than that. By reading, students get to know other cultures, people, and perspectives. It can take them to another time and space instantly. And that is the reason why I try to have my students read as much as possible, either at home or at school. In my class, we have a specific corner that is called "The Reading Corner" where we have books and we each get to read during our assigned period for reading. This period is separated and we just each get a book read it in class then take it at home and finish reading it throughout the month. After that, each student has to narrate his/her story to the rest of the class. Honestly, I have found that my students really enjoy it and find it as a small escape from their daily life. In conclusion, I really encourage everyone to read at least one book a month no matter how small or big it is as it comes along with numerous benefits. 

Importance of Role Playing in Class

        Have you ever witnessed a child that doesn't like to play? How you ever seen a child that doesn't enjoy just playing around? I doubt it. I believe every child loves that. That's why implementing role playing in class has really changed my class honestly. I have learned that learning through role play has many benefits especially on young children. They are able to communicate with others better. Also, they learn in different ways. I have actually tried this with my students. We were learning about jobs and careers. As such, each student dressed up as whoever he/she wants to be in the future, got some toys and tools based on their chosen career, and they role played. Honestly, the experience was fantastic and memorable both for me and for my students. They were learning, communicating, and actually learning interesting things. By doing so, the activities will be authentic, interesting, engaging, fun, and educational all at the same time. As teachers, I believe that it is essential to integrate role playing into our classrooms looking at its' huge benefits. 

Importance of Writing

         One of the four basic skills of learning is writing. For me, writing was one of my favorite things to do when I was younger and I still enjoy it to this day. As a matter of fact, as teachers, especially nowadays, we should focus more on this skill as it builds creative individuals. One thing that I have started doing with my students this year is that I asked them to get journal and write once  a week about anything they want. As such, I would read it privately, or ask them to read it in front of their friends if they would like to. Even though it is not graded, they enjoy it as they like to tell stories about what happened with them. Some just write about little things that they like but still the important thing is that they write. This makes them think as well as communicate using the traditional paper and pen/pencil. That way they can also express themselves as some students are sometimes shy to speak aloud so they might be more comfortable writing it down. In short, I believe that this is an essential skill that teachers shouldn't take for granted and should work on improving as many students lack it these days.  

Being a Teacher

           Honestly, ever since I was very young, my dream was to become a teacher. I have always admired my teachers and how they used to treat us with kindness and respect. I still remember to this day when my  teacher in grade six told me that I can do whatever I want and be whoever I want to be later in life. That incident really made me believe in myself and my abilities. And here I am today, a teacher teaching  my own students who I respect and love and so do they. I like to think of myself as a kind and close teacher to my students. Personally, being a teacher is more than just teaching the material that you have. It's teaching them morals, values, strengthening their abilities and potentials, and showing them that they can do anything they put their mind to do. It's really important to believe in your students as by doing so they'll believe in themselves even more. Keep on telling them that nothing is impossible and they can be who they want to be if they work hard. Be there for them whenever they need you. Help them out when there're in need. We are building a generation so let's teach them kindness, wisdom, sincerity, respect, and other good values. But, what is the first thing that comes to your mind when thinking of your teacher? For me it is a role model. And as such I would like to thank all my teachers and every teacher out there who is working hard everyday to change lives.

Classroom Management

         We all know that in order to get the best results in class we need classroom management strategies. Even  though this has been my first year teaching; however, I have implemented strategies to make the process go smoother with less opportunities for misbehaviors. For me, what was really important was to set the classroom rules from day one, and keep on reminding them of the rules. I have also set routines to minimize chaos during lessons especially during transitions.  Moreover, it is also essential to bond with the students and build a good relationship with them as by doing so they will even enjoy the subject more. I have also learned that it's best to be an assertive kind of teacher in class. Needless to say that building a positive environment is very important as students need to feel safe in class. One more important issue is the way you deal with misbehaviors in class as consequences should be applied; however they must differ to match the misbehavior. In short, my journey so far, both as a teacher and a student, have taught be that management is very important especially in the classroom.

Bullying

       Everyone knows that bullying is unacceptable but still it occurs especially in schools. Personally, I have witnessed many students being bullied when I was a students and when even now as a teacher. For me, I try to always look for the problem behind it in order to get to know how to deal with the particular issue. Indeed, it affects students enormously, academically, emotionally, and sometimes even physically. Some of the causes might be because the bully is facing problems at home but still that doesn't make it okay. As teachers, we should teach them that bullying is unacceptable not only in school but everywhere else. Some tips for that might be to do some awareness campaigns at school about the effects of bullying or you could talk to the students both the bully and bullied privately. In short, it is very crucial to teach them about it especially from a young age before it escalades. As teachers, we are building a new generation and we should do our best to help them become the best version of themselves.  

Intrinsic Motivation

     

      We cannot discuss motivation without talking about the intrinsic motivation of students. It is basically related to the reason why students do something whether in class or outside it. Personally, I have had many students who are motivated intrinsically. In other words, they don't care about materialistic things a lot. What really matters to them is the actual thing, task, or activity. They tend to do a certain activity because they enjoy it, or they like the topic or the activity. They get motivated due to their interest and curiosity. For example, I have a student in grade 6, that really enjoys reading and is always curious to know what is going to happen next in the stories. As a result, whenever we have a reading task, she reads enthusiastically the part assigned and even continues to read more and more till she finishes the story. Also, I have a student in grade 4 who loves spelling words aloud. So, he really enjoys and gives his all during spelling periods. In short, I believe it is the teacher's responsibility to integrate things that make use of students' intrinsic motivation to get the best results and allow students to have fun while learning. 

Extrinsic Motivation

    Students sometimes need some extrinsic motivation while learning. In other words, they need to get something, whenever they do a task for example. Some of them might do the task or activity simply because of the reward that they might get at the end. These rewards can be verbal or materialistic. For example, a teacher might tell the students "Good job", "Bravo", "Excellent work", and that might get them excited to work. Others might do in order to get a star, a gift or just raise their name on the behavioral chart that they have in class. Also, the teacher can motivate them with extra grades, bonuses, or even just taking away a punishment that they have if they do something good. As such, some students might get a good grade at some test just because of the grade itself or because his/her parents want that grade from the particular student. Honestly, I have actually encountered students that are motivated extrinsically. For example, I have student in grade 4, who would only participate in class work just to get a star on the chart. In conclusion, the challenge is to integrate some intrinsic motivation as well and not always depend on the extrinsic ones.🌟

Educational Media and Technology Class

      As we all know, the Corona virus has changed our lives in all aspects. Being a teacher as well as a student at this particular time is very different. This has called for many changes in our domain for sure as online learning/teaching came more to use. However, with this came the benefit of the EDUC 561 course which is about educational media and technology. During this semester, I have been taking this particular course and honestly it has changed the way I used to think about online teaching. I have learned about many new and interesting tools that I have actually started to implement in my teaching and that I'll continue to use for sure.  I can confidently say that my students have actually enjoyed these tools a lot, making my virtual class active and feeling closer to one another. Some of the tools that really caught my eye were "Pollev.com", "Mentimeter", "Kahoot", "Padlet", "Jamboard", "GoFormative", and many more. Honestly, it has been a really great, fun, enjoyable, and educational course for me.