September 28, 2023 - Exit Slip

I think our role as teachers is to be an educator, not only in our areas of expertise but also in life. We need to showcase the importance of being a good person and provide our students with the tools they will need and will use in their everyday lives. Showing students the importance of being part of a community and their role within it can help guide them to being involved and reduce the anxieties of the larger issues going on in the world through a sense of belonging. I believe teachers need to be role models for students, to discuss the issues going on in the world big and small. By making students aware of these issues, it can show them how they will affect their lives and how they need to have an understanding of how to move forward or how to deal with a crisis.

The formatting power of both mathematics and physics is how they are both perceived as challenging subjects. Going through high school and university I found many students would give up also instantly as they found it too challenging, irrelevant, boring, or uninspirational. I think as future teachers, we need to show students the relevance of persevering and having a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset. Problem solving is something everybody uses nearly everyday, and students need to be shown the relevance and beauty that both math and physics have in this world. 

September 28, 2023 - Entrance Slip - Climate Change

 As a future educator, our role is to teach students the terminology and mathematics behind climate change. We need to show students the importance of climate change and motivate them to be concerned/interested in continuing to study and try to understand what climate change/environmental sustainability is and what we can do to prevent it from worsening. Conversations regarding climate change need to take place within groups of people who understand mathematics and post-normal science in order to understand the complexity, uncertainty and risks associated. 

I’m uncertain if this idea is realistic, I wholeheartedly believe that a change needs to happen in traditional mathematics. It is currently not helping to appropriately shape our future generations or even explore concepts of important issues, such as climate change as discussed in this article. As a society, we need to be able to change the traditional way mathematics is taught; to show the importance and have conversations about climate change. 

When I say that this is not realistic, I mean that traditions are hard to break, and many people are stuck in their ways. I think the fate of our world is diminishing unless a change is made. 

In our times, global climate change is, in my opinion, a topic that is not largely discussed but needs to be. I believe it should be a topic in high school mathematics as it is crucial to understand the mathematics that form the basis of environmental sustainability. Students need to use the real data and figures to understand how to read them and to learn about possible ways to slow down the process as I don't believe it is possible to completely stop or reverse the effects that have already come to play. Students need to be given the tools in order for them to have appropriate conversations about climate change and to take effective actions. 

September 21, 2023 - Exit Slip

 Learning outdoors and learning through making traditional crafts was a unique experience for myself, it is not something I have previously done in any pre or post secondary class forms. I think this is a very creative way to incorporate students' backgrounds and to make a classroom (indoors or outdoors) more comfortable and intriguing for students. For a high school math class, this can be extended into pattern recognition and beginner geometry for the lower grade levels.

The other benefits of doing crafts and skills outdoors is the personal connection many students feel from being away from a generic classroom and interacting with the garden and the resources that a learning garden provides.

I found the rope making to be calming and as soon as I understood what I was doing, I didn't have to think about the steps I had to continue to do. I found this very interesting how a repetitive motion with your hands, as in the rope making, can cause you to feel natural while doing it.

September 21, 2023 - Entrance Slip - Kallis

 The excerpt is interesting because it makes you consider how often you think where the goods you use or eat come from. This, along with backsourcing, are starting points to making a positive change. The benefits that come from a community garden and learning how to provide for yourself, not following everyone else, is so empowering. This can be extended into learning by choosing to actively learn and be involved within your environment which will lead to benefitting your understanding and involvement in relational understanding.

Attempting the crafts showed me that I get frustrated when I don’t adopt a technique right away. A couple times I had to take a second and really think about the most logical approach for me to move forward and to assess where I am compared to the video and how to adapt what I'm doing in order to follow along.

September 14, 2023 - Exit Slip - Learning Gardens

I believe learning gardens help students to be more interactive, and have a deeper connection with the outside world and with their environment. Being outside allows people to see things in a bigger picture, as fresh air and being in nature is good for the mind, senses, and mental health.

The idea of the garden being a ‘co-teacher’ really struck me because, often, a lot of people overlook the idea that nature is a large part of our lives. Being in the garden creates a feeling of connectedness to the world around you. 

Being involved in the garden educates people on how much energy is put into planting and growing foods. This can directly relate to students academic achievement; you need to put the work in, in order to achieve your goals. In my opinion, learning gardens can promote inclusion and engagement between students as being outdoors instead of being confined to their usual classroom allows students to relax and not feel judged. 

For myself, I felt more calm and allowed the noises and scents to overcome my natural overthinking. I was able to take time to think in a peaceful environment and reflect on what was being taught. This is something I hope to introduce to my teaching environment especially for math as many lessons can be extended by doing activities outside. For example, using the sun and shadows to explain geometry visually by relating it to a phenomenon students are familiar with.

September 14th, 2023 Entrance Slip - Reflective Teaching

 The choice between being a reflective or unreflective teacher has an obvious answer. Every new teacher, or teacher candidate, strives to be a reflective teacher, that means for them to be openminded, hold responsibility and be wholehearted in their teaching. This article shows how challenging this process can be. As a teacher, or TC, you need to constantly adapt to new students and be able and willing to adjust. However, what really stood out to me is how I was taught under unreflective teachers my whole life. I believe many teachers are set in their ways and are unbothered to be reflective and improve on their current teaching methods. 

I don’t personally find this article outdated or irrelevant as being reflective and continuing to adapt to our students is an improvement that can always be made.

I think it is important to make time to reflect and act on your reflections. I think as an educator, the sole purpose is not just to get the materials across to students. In a classroom we set the environment, we need students to feel comfortable and safe. Being reflective plays a large role in this, being able to recognize when you’re wrong and improve upon your beliefs. I believe if you do not take the time and necessary actions to reflect, you will never grow as a teacher. 

September 7, 2023 Exit Slip – Frank McCourt

 From the two videos shown in class, my main takeaway is how do you properly balance being professional and getting the content across to students while also having a comforting environment where they can feel safe and encouraged to learn. 

In Frank McCourt’s case, he related to the students and adapted to them being teenagers and opened up for them to better understand him. His uniqueness to the students created a bridge to form better relationships. I feel that you need to be able to read your students and differ your teaching style or how you approach the class to benefit everyone. Something that stuck with me is that if you’re teaching and not learning, you’re not really teaching. By learning and adapting, you’re improving, and this will directly relate to students’ learnings and understandings improving. 

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