This resource from the ‘Outta Ray’s Head’ website is a biography lesson created by Mr. Saitz. I like this resource because it uses group work collaboration and would be great at the beginning of the year because it doubles as a get to know the class assignment.
From readwritethink.org, this minilesson from Junius Wright is a great resource for teachers because it focuses on analyzing and exploring dystopian character from 1984. It would be a great introductory lesson to the novel as it opens many discussions and possible journal response prompts. Another great thing about this lesson is it really asks students to use and develop their critical thinking skills.
Wednesday, 4 December 2019
6.1.1 Sharing Activities
This is a favourite grade ten lesson plan of mine because it engages the kinesthetic learners in the room with a catch activity. This lesson has students collaborate and present to the class as a group. It is an energetic lesson that has students show their knowledge of the five W's of journalism (who, what, where, when, and why) while doing a novel study of "In the Heat of the Night" where journalism is a key component to the development of the novel.
Tuesday, 3 December 2019
Grade 10 Media Unit
Media Week Overview
MondayAnalyse commercials and news articles and talk about presentations of Beauty in the Media and how the media shapes our ideas and constructs our reality. Brainstorm, as a class, different representations of people or issues we see in the media. Are these accurate representations? Practice writing a response/analysis to informational texts, commercials, and advertisements (point, evidence, explanation, summary). Explore an article about ecotourism in Borneo and identify the purpose, audience and if there is bias. Practice writing this into an organized response. This will help students prepare for the culminating project as well as practice analysing informational texts and news stories.
Looking critically at images that try to sell products. Determining bias, slogans, audience and purpose of advertisements. Students will create their own slogans and posters/act out a commercial to sell a product to a specific audience. There will also be practice reading and responding to a news article about the Ivory Trade.
Wednesday
Understanding that advertisements and commercials can have both positive and negative effects on the public. Students will look at examples of Public Service Announcement and create their own. Create culminating task success criteria. Get into groups/pairs and sign up with their chosen topic for their website. Use the rest of class to find articles relevant to their topic to analyse.
Thursday
Students will read and respond to the Trip Advisor article. Take up ideas as a class. Explain that the articles we looked at in class are the types of articles that students should look for to create their website. Work with group members to find, summarize and respond to their chosen articles for their topic. Start creating your list of extra resources and thinking about action to take. Students will use a google doc at this point to collaborate with group members on their project. A computer lab will be booked for the later half of class.
Friday
Students will be putting their website together and typing out their summaries to their articles/advertisements/commercials that they created in class. They can add links to helpful sites and list resources. Students can also be working with their group members to add their action plan or ideas to help solve the problem onto their website.
Full Day by Day Lesson Plans
Learning Tools for Unit
● Website creation
● Hypertexts
● Google Docs
Resources for the Unit
Monday U1_L1
● Dove Commercials
● Singer Video ● Pizza Photoshop Video
● Cube Handout
● Response Writing Powerpoint
● Borneo Article
Tuesday U1_L2
● Frank Baker video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=142&v=bilpXY0AvIA&feature=em b_logo
● Advertisement Images
● Advertisement Handout
● Paper for Student made Slogan and Advertisement
● Ivory Trade Article
Wednesday U1_L3
● Public Service Announcement Handout
● Public Service Announcement Posters about Wildlife https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-36055160
● Animal Protection Agency and Campaign Website On the Wild Side https://www.apa.org.uk/campaigns/handsOff.html
● Animal Trafficking WWF https://www.wwfindia.org/news_facts/?16621/TRAFFIC-warns-against-buying-illega l-wildlife-products
● Group Signup Sheet ● Computers
Thursday U1_L4
● Trip Advisor Article
● Computers
Friday U1_L5
● Computers
Culminating Activity
Media Unit ENG 2D
This morning, your parents had the news on in the background while you ate breakfast. Usually it is just noise, but this morning something caught your attention and you turned from your cereal towards the television. A newsperson was talking about an issue that you really care about. The story was only on for a moment to give the headline and some photos. They were missing so many details! At school, you told your friends about the issue and the news story. You and your friends decide to get those details out there by creating a website with information, links to stories, and ways to take action.
Your Task:
● Create a free website that highlights the travel issue you and your partners have chosen at www.web.com. Create at least 3 pages titled ‘In the News,’ ‘Learn More,’ and ‘Take Action.’
● Create a homepage together that describes your topic and gives some background on an issue you found presented in the media. ○ Some ideas for your topic could be: Diversity in Media, Police in the Media, Vaping, Video Gaming, Body Image, Elections, Gender Representation, Gambling, Sports, Deceptive Toy Ads, Environmental Awareness, Cellphone Use or the topic could be your own choice (once approved by teacher).
● “In the News” page is where each group member will summarize and create a response to a recent article/news story/ interview that is relevant to your topic. ○ Your summary of the article/new story must be in proper form, introducing the author, title, date, and have proper citations. If it is an online resource, provide a link/hypertext to the article. Be sure to state the author’s main points. ○ Your response to the article must outline the purpose of the article, and the audience. Also note if there is any bias in the article and state your opinion or thoughts about the article.
● “Take Action” page is where your group can create a plan for people to make good choices and not contribute to the problem. Give examples of people or organizations that actively try to fix the problem. ● “Learn More” page is where anyone who visits your website can access extra information through links that you add. If there are books or magazines you can also add these as resources on your “Learn More” page.
______________________________________________________________________ Modifications:
1. Teacher will provide appropriate articles to a student who struggles with research.
2. Teacher will provide fill in the blank handouts to help certain students stay organized in their research/responses.
3. The teacher would have more challenging articles or more complex advertisements available for a student who is considered a gifted learner.
4. The teacher would have more simplistic advertisements available for a student at a lower level of learning.
Accommodations:
1. If students have trouble working with others they will have the option of working individually and creating their own website.
2. If students are being disruptive, teacher will rearrange groups.
This Culminating Task is suitable for a variety of learning styles because the task incorporates technology and allows flexibility with respect to the way the students chooses to present information. For instance, if a student is an auditory learner, the student could choose to do their media analysis on a commercial or a commercial where there is rich auditory content instead of writing their response about a written newspaper article. In addition, students would be able to record themselves speaking about the article and upload their voice to their website. Because this task looks into broadcasting, journalism, and website creation there could be an opportunity for cross-curricular connections with career studies or art (website design and advertisement) as courses with marketing.
Saturday, 23 November 2019
Finland's Education System
Education is such an important part of the development of a country’s youth. Canada is recognized around the world as having a strong public education system. Another country that consistently performs well is Finland. In the article “5 Days in Finland,” Colleen Ireland actively searches for reasons that make Finland so successful on the educational playing field. The author visits Espoo, Finland in order to observe the school system, learn about the curriculum practices and question administrators and teachers to get an idea of how things work, and why Finland’s PISA scores are so high. Ireland highlights some of the key differences between education in Finland and Canada and hopes to learn strategies that the Ontario education system could adopt so that schools in Canada could better serve their students.
A few noteworthy differences include the structure of schooling, the number of students in schools, and the unions. Ireland highlights the fact that all education, even university in Finland is free, and that all schools in Finland have the same bell schedule so that students can take courses at different schools if they are not offered in their own school. Schools also implement cross-curricular planning and have longer units of study, although it is not specified in the article how long each unit is exactly.
Ireland notes that Students in Finland attend Comprehensive School from grade 1-9, followed by Upper Secondary for grade 10-12. She lets us know that the schools are generally under 500 students but leaves out the class sizes which is an important factor when considering the general makeup of a school. The article describes the unions in detail, stating that principals have their own union, and are also apart of the voluntary teachers’ union where 96% of teachers join. Another noteworthy difference in Finland’s public schools is that every student in Comprehensive School receives a free lunch.
Another important difference where Canada seems to have the more progressive set-up is special education. In Finland, students with special needs are segregated but Ireland states that “consistent support exists.” It would be helpful to have a more detailed description of the accommodations and ‘support’ that is provided to students with special needs. The Ministry of Education and Culture Website does note that ‘the maximum number of pupils permitted in special needs teaching groups is laid down in legislation.’ This website also informed me of the Finnish National Matriculation Examination, which students complete at the end of upper secondary school. This exam comprises at least four test, one is ‘the mother tongue exam’ and the other three exams are selected by students.
Because the article was posted in the OSSTF Education Forum, the audience of the article would be teachers, administrators, bargaining unit members, and other adults interested in educational reform. As a District and Teachers Bargaining Unit president, Ireland is heavily invested in these topics and outlines many good facts about Finland’s education system while mostly avoiding bias. However, the fact that “Finland’s success seems to be a strong belief in teachers and their competence” (Ireland 35) is an idea that gains extra attention by the author. She highlights the fact that teachers in Finland do not have Teacher Performance Appraisals and says this is because ‘there is an inherent and absolute trust’ that teachers are competent when in reality, the lack of teacher appraisals could be for a number of reasons. Perhaps the fact that principals choose and hire the teachers that work in their school has something to do with this. There is a strong possibility that principals do more frequent, informal check-ins of how teachers are doing. This would be more feasible in Finland than Canada because, as Ireland states from her visit “none of the schools I visited had a student population over 500” (Ireland 32). This means that there would be less teachers within one school, making it easier for the principal to check into the teachers’ classes. So while there is no official Teacher Performance Appraisals, that does not necessarily mean that the effectiveness of teachers within Finnish schools is not monitored.
So while this article does a good job at highlighting some of the differences between Canada’s and Finland’s education system, more detail and clarification would be beneficial to the audience. Ireland does make her point known that placing trust in teachers seems to lead to more successful schools. This article also succeed in piquing interest in the coming result for the 2018 PISA which are due to be released on December 3rd, 2019.
Works Cited
Finland, Ministry of Education and Culture. “Universities Act.” Universities Act, 2009,
www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/kaannokset/2009/en20090558.pdf.
Ireland, Colleen. “5 Days in Finland.” 5 Days in Finland, 2012,
lms.brocku.ca/access/content/group/4343392c-2826-4496-8b78-56c88a68ac2f/Five_days_in_Finland.pdf.
OECD, PISA. “Data - PISA.” OECD, 2018, www.oecd.org/pisa/data/.
University, Eastern Finland. “Why Is Education Free in Finland.” UEF, 2019,
www.uef.fi/web/mns/tuition-and-scholarships/why-is-education-free-in-finland.
A few noteworthy differences include the structure of schooling, the number of students in schools, and the unions. Ireland highlights the fact that all education, even university in Finland is free, and that all schools in Finland have the same bell schedule so that students can take courses at different schools if they are not offered in their own school. Schools also implement cross-curricular planning and have longer units of study, although it is not specified in the article how long each unit is exactly.
Ireland notes that Students in Finland attend Comprehensive School from grade 1-9, followed by Upper Secondary for grade 10-12. She lets us know that the schools are generally under 500 students but leaves out the class sizes which is an important factor when considering the general makeup of a school. The article describes the unions in detail, stating that principals have their own union, and are also apart of the voluntary teachers’ union where 96% of teachers join. Another noteworthy difference in Finland’s public schools is that every student in Comprehensive School receives a free lunch.
Another important difference where Canada seems to have the more progressive set-up is special education. In Finland, students with special needs are segregated but Ireland states that “consistent support exists.” It would be helpful to have a more detailed description of the accommodations and ‘support’ that is provided to students with special needs. The Ministry of Education and Culture Website does note that ‘the maximum number of pupils permitted in special needs teaching groups is laid down in legislation.’ This website also informed me of the Finnish National Matriculation Examination, which students complete at the end of upper secondary school. This exam comprises at least four test, one is ‘the mother tongue exam’ and the other three exams are selected by students.
Because the article was posted in the OSSTF Education Forum, the audience of the article would be teachers, administrators, bargaining unit members, and other adults interested in educational reform. As a District and Teachers Bargaining Unit president, Ireland is heavily invested in these topics and outlines many good facts about Finland’s education system while mostly avoiding bias. However, the fact that “Finland’s success seems to be a strong belief in teachers and their competence” (Ireland 35) is an idea that gains extra attention by the author. She highlights the fact that teachers in Finland do not have Teacher Performance Appraisals and says this is because ‘there is an inherent and absolute trust’ that teachers are competent when in reality, the lack of teacher appraisals could be for a number of reasons. Perhaps the fact that principals choose and hire the teachers that work in their school has something to do with this. There is a strong possibility that principals do more frequent, informal check-ins of how teachers are doing. This would be more feasible in Finland than Canada because, as Ireland states from her visit “none of the schools I visited had a student population over 500” (Ireland 32). This means that there would be less teachers within one school, making it easier for the principal to check into the teachers’ classes. So while there is no official Teacher Performance Appraisals, that does not necessarily mean that the effectiveness of teachers within Finnish schools is not monitored.
So while this article does a good job at highlighting some of the differences between Canada’s and Finland’s education system, more detail and clarification would be beneficial to the audience. Ireland does make her point known that placing trust in teachers seems to lead to more successful schools. This article also succeed in piquing interest in the coming result for the 2018 PISA which are due to be released on December 3rd, 2019.
Works Cited
Finland, Ministry of Education and Culture. “Universities Act.” Universities Act, 2009,
www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/kaannokset/2009/en20090558.pdf.
Ireland, Colleen. “5 Days in Finland.” 5 Days in Finland, 2012,
lms.brocku.ca/access/content/group/4343392c-2826-4496-8b78-56c88a68ac2f/Five_days_in_Finland.pdf.
OECD, PISA. “Data - PISA.” OECD, 2018, www.oecd.org/pisa/data/.
University, Eastern Finland. “Why Is Education Free in Finland.” UEF, 2019,
www.uef.fi/web/mns/tuition-and-scholarships/why-is-education-free-in-finland.
Wednesday, 20 November 2019
Ontario vs. B.C. English
Canada’s public education system is both strong and well-funded leading to a high standard of education across the country. While the federal government oversees public education, each province manages their own educational affairs which leads to some variances between provinces. In this research report, Ontario’s curriculum will be compared and contrasted with that of British Columbia.
For students in British Columbia, Distributed Learning (DL) allows students to opt into online courses which allows added flexibility when it comes to choosing courses. B.C. teachers also benefit from flexibility within the new curriculum called “Building Student Success”. While the ministry dictates the content, it is the teacher that decide how to organize the pacing of the course and the teaching methods used. The new curriculum works to modernize education so that students are learning content, as well as skills and abilities necessary in a changing world.
Similarly, Ontario students must also develop knowledge about different technologies and online courses. In order to graduate, students must complete one online course per year. However, there is a cellphone ban in Ontario secondary schools that hope to keep focus on learning and off social media during class time. In order to help all students succeed, Ontario works with organizations like Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) and takes their initiatives for accessibility, and mental health very seriously. Ontario implemented the First Nations, Metis, and Inuit studies curriculum in September 2019. Another push for equity came when Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced that the government is investing $40 million “to advance student mental health in partnership with education groups” (News 2019) . These efforts help students with all different needs succeed and feel a sense of belonging in Ontario public schools.
While B.C. is the top performing province, with above average student reading scores , Ontario follows close behind, excelling at integrating immigrant students into schools and earning an “A” for equity in education according to PISA. There are many factors to consider when discussing which system of public education is more successful so the focus in this report will look at how each province approaches the study of English. First, the amount of time allocated to the study of English in each province’s high schools will be explored as well as the ways in which each province streams students in English courses. We will also compare and contrast the standards and success criteria in Ontario’s ENG4U course with British Columbia’s English 12 course. Finally, we will look into the standardised tests that English students must take in both provinces and how teachers are influenced by these tests.
Standards and Time on Task
The theoretical underpinning of English Language Arts in Bristish Columbia is constructivism, where students engage in the process of knowledge construction. The standards are organized into what students should know, be able to do, and understand. There are two curriculum organizers when it comes to learning standards in English: Comprehend and Connect, and Create and Communicate. The standards for English 12 follow this organizational model, and more specifically expect student so be able to read for enjoyment, recognize the role of the story and First Peoples perspectives. Students are expected to use oral, written, visual, and digital texts as tools to know their understanding of these concepts and many more throughout the course. They are expected to know the structures and conventions of language, as well as text forms, genres, features and structures. Another important component students are expected to ‘know’ are the details of Reconciliation in Canada and be able to think critically about the texts that are read in and outside of class. These standards focus on performance assessment where students apply what they have learned into real world tasks. These tasks are assessed with BC performance standards which outlines four levels of student performance. The standards are easily accessible for teachers, parents, and students to reference because they are all available online. There is also a classroom assessment resource package available to help teachers develop their own assessments. They can use the example texts and instructional activities as tools when planning units and deciding on assessments for students. The curriculum website displays each area of learning in HTML and PDF or Word formats which makes them easy to access and print. There is even a search engine that gives teachers the ability to search specific words or grades within the database. With the flexibility of the new curriculum, teachers are encouraged to develop courses in their own ways, whether that be with thematic units or learning outside of the box.
In Ontario, successful language learners are expected to make connections between themselves, texts, and the world around them. They are also expected to understand the importance of language learning, and the power of texts. The expectations are described in the curriculum documents as ‘overall expectations’ and ‘specific expectations.’ The overall expectations outline the standard skills that are required for students to succeed in English courses by speaking, listening, reading, writing, viewing and representing. There are strands outlined as well within the English curriculum which are oral communication, reading and literature studies, writing, and media studies. Each of these strands are outlined with specific expectations in the ENG4U course.For instance within Oral Communication, the overall expectations state that ‘by the end of this course, students will listen to understand, speak to communicate, and reflect on skills and strategies. The specific expectations such as using active listening strategies, and interpreting texts are accompanied by teacher prompts. This course has a prerequisite of English 11, University Preparation meaning not all students would have access to this course which contrast BC’s English 12 course, but there are similar expectations for student learning as both courses focuses on using academic language, reading a variety of texts, and developing critical and creative thinking skills. There is a significant amount more written expectations in the Ontario ENG4U course which means that there is more room for BC teachers to develop courses in their own way. The Ontario curriculum seems very standardised in comparison. The curriculum documents in Ontario are separated by grade and subject and available online in PDF format as one large document. There is a significant amount of information regarding planning and student achievement before getting to the course descriptions. The BC courses in contrast each have their own specific document which makes it easier to navigate.
Streaming English
Streaming has been argued to influence students’ attitudes about school for both the better, and the worse. This makes it an important distinction between the way that public education is structured in B.C. and Ontario. One of the focuses of the new curriculum in British Columbia is that there is added flexibility in education overall. In high school, this means that students are able to select their own courses and are not restricted to certain courses due to grade or streaming. In order to graduate, students must complete a Language Arts 10, 11, and 12 along with 9 other Language credits of their choice. Even within their required credits, students have some choice over which course to take. For instance, there is a choice between English 12 or First Peoples 12 as their required grade 12 course. Because they are not streamed, all courses are open to all students. The courses are not designed to have easier or more difficult pathways. Instead, all courses allow for the implementation of a variety of teaching methods so that all students can access all courses. This affects the student makeup in English courses because students can be in a course with peers of different ages. The hope is that teachers view the students as one group of learners instead of students defined by age or grade.
There is a very different structure set up in Ontario schools. Once students enroll in courses, they are set on pathways depending on the type of course. Grade nine and ten students can choose academic, applied, or essential courses which can guide them towards university level classes or college level classes. When students enter grade 11, their course are referred to as university, college and workplace classes. University level classes aim to develop skills that will benefit students in university, whereas college level classes focus on more practical knowledge and skills. As part of the program, students in grades 11 and 12 must take one compulsory course in English in each grade. While Ontario students do have some choice in their English courses, there is less room for flexibility in the current structure compared with B.C.’s new curriculum.
Testing
An important aspect of the new curriculum in British Columbia is the core competencies of communication, creative and critical thinking, and personal and social competence that are expected to develop throughout learning. There is more emphasis being placed on assessment than in the past and it is being viewed differently in the new curriculum. There is an expectation for teachers to view assessment as an ongoing action. However, there are 3 Provincial Graduation Assessments for students. One is a numeracy assessment and 2 are literacy assessments that students undergo in grade 10 and 12. While preparing for standardized tests like these can take away from instructional time, the tests are supposed to be cross-curricular and stand alone. Passing these assessments is necessary for graduation but students have 3 opportunities to pass the test so teachers would be able to work with students to better their scores and reflect on where they need to improve. Within the classroom, the new curriculum calls for assessment to be infused into the learning process with students and teachers co-constructing assessments. The hope is to create life-long learning who take ownership over their learning.
In Ontario, teachers also use ongoing assessment practices to give students multiple opportunities to demonstrate their learning. Ontario teachers are encouraged to give clear, descriptive feedback to students and have a variety of assessment types. There are assessments for learning, assessment as learning, and assessments of learning. By using all three types of assessment strategies, teachers are able to recognize when a student is not grasping a concept prior to a large final assessment. Another assessment in Ontario is the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) which students must pass in order to graduate. If they do not pass this test in grade 10, they can rewrite the test or they can take a course in grade twelve to make up for the test. Because there is only one chance to rewrite the OSSLT it is a higher-stakes test than the B.C. literacy tests. Additionally, the OSSLT intrudes more on instructional time because students may need to devote an entire course to the OSSLT if they are not successful in passing the test.
Conclusion
In conclusion, both provinces are leaders in Canadian education, and for good reason. Overall, both provinces attained “B” grades on OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment and both are constantly reflecting on their curriculum and teaching practices. This leads to new curriculums being developed in both provinces on a regular basis to keep public education relevant and rigorous. In order to keep up with the changing needs of students, both provinces have integrated technology and online learning into schools and both provinces are concerned with developing creative, and critical thinking skills in English.
Some structural contrasts of the education systems that are important to note are that B.C. students are required to attend school from age 6 to 16 and can start at 5 years old whereas Ontario students are in school longer, starting as early as 4 years old and staying until they are 18. Another important difference is that while Ontario class sizes are increasing to 28, BC class sizes on average remain significantly lower. So while there are many similarities, and both provinces can boast strong public education systems, BC’s smaller class sizes, new flexible curriculum, and the fact that students can access all courses make me prefer the BC system to that of Ontario.
Works Cited
Canada, The Conference Board of Canada. “Education and Skills.” Education Provincial
Rankings - How Canada Performs, 2014,
www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/provincial/education.aspx.
Columbia, British. “BC's New Curriculum.” English Language Arts 12 | Building Student
Success - BC's New Curriculum, 2019,
curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/english-language-arts/12/courses.
Government of Ontario, Ministry of Education. “English.” English, Government of Ontario,
2019, www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/secondary/english.html.
Government of Ontario, Ministry of Education. “What's New.” Untitled Document,
Government of Ontario, 2019, www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/new/new.html.
For students in British Columbia, Distributed Learning (DL) allows students to opt into online courses which allows added flexibility when it comes to choosing courses. B.C. teachers also benefit from flexibility within the new curriculum called “Building Student Success”. While the ministry dictates the content, it is the teacher that decide how to organize the pacing of the course and the teaching methods used. The new curriculum works to modernize education so that students are learning content, as well as skills and abilities necessary in a changing world.
Similarly, Ontario students must also develop knowledge about different technologies and online courses. In order to graduate, students must complete one online course per year. However, there is a cellphone ban in Ontario secondary schools that hope to keep focus on learning and off social media during class time. In order to help all students succeed, Ontario works with organizations like Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) and takes their initiatives for accessibility, and mental health very seriously. Ontario implemented the First Nations, Metis, and Inuit studies curriculum in September 2019. Another push for equity came when Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced that the government is investing $40 million “to advance student mental health in partnership with education groups” (News 2019) . These efforts help students with all different needs succeed and feel a sense of belonging in Ontario public schools.
While B.C. is the top performing province, with above average student reading scores , Ontario follows close behind, excelling at integrating immigrant students into schools and earning an “A” for equity in education according to PISA. There are many factors to consider when discussing which system of public education is more successful so the focus in this report will look at how each province approaches the study of English. First, the amount of time allocated to the study of English in each province’s high schools will be explored as well as the ways in which each province streams students in English courses. We will also compare and contrast the standards and success criteria in Ontario’s ENG4U course with British Columbia’s English 12 course. Finally, we will look into the standardised tests that English students must take in both provinces and how teachers are influenced by these tests.
Standards and Time on Task
The theoretical underpinning of English Language Arts in Bristish Columbia is constructivism, where students engage in the process of knowledge construction. The standards are organized into what students should know, be able to do, and understand. There are two curriculum organizers when it comes to learning standards in English: Comprehend and Connect, and Create and Communicate. The standards for English 12 follow this organizational model, and more specifically expect student so be able to read for enjoyment, recognize the role of the story and First Peoples perspectives. Students are expected to use oral, written, visual, and digital texts as tools to know their understanding of these concepts and many more throughout the course. They are expected to know the structures and conventions of language, as well as text forms, genres, features and structures. Another important component students are expected to ‘know’ are the details of Reconciliation in Canada and be able to think critically about the texts that are read in and outside of class. These standards focus on performance assessment where students apply what they have learned into real world tasks. These tasks are assessed with BC performance standards which outlines four levels of student performance. The standards are easily accessible for teachers, parents, and students to reference because they are all available online. There is also a classroom assessment resource package available to help teachers develop their own assessments. They can use the example texts and instructional activities as tools when planning units and deciding on assessments for students. The curriculum website displays each area of learning in HTML and PDF or Word formats which makes them easy to access and print. There is even a search engine that gives teachers the ability to search specific words or grades within the database. With the flexibility of the new curriculum, teachers are encouraged to develop courses in their own ways, whether that be with thematic units or learning outside of the box.
In Ontario, successful language learners are expected to make connections between themselves, texts, and the world around them. They are also expected to understand the importance of language learning, and the power of texts. The expectations are described in the curriculum documents as ‘overall expectations’ and ‘specific expectations.’ The overall expectations outline the standard skills that are required for students to succeed in English courses by speaking, listening, reading, writing, viewing and representing. There are strands outlined as well within the English curriculum which are oral communication, reading and literature studies, writing, and media studies. Each of these strands are outlined with specific expectations in the ENG4U course.For instance within Oral Communication, the overall expectations state that ‘by the end of this course, students will listen to understand, speak to communicate, and reflect on skills and strategies. The specific expectations such as using active listening strategies, and interpreting texts are accompanied by teacher prompts. This course has a prerequisite of English 11, University Preparation meaning not all students would have access to this course which contrast BC’s English 12 course, but there are similar expectations for student learning as both courses focuses on using academic language, reading a variety of texts, and developing critical and creative thinking skills. There is a significant amount more written expectations in the Ontario ENG4U course which means that there is more room for BC teachers to develop courses in their own way. The Ontario curriculum seems very standardised in comparison. The curriculum documents in Ontario are separated by grade and subject and available online in PDF format as one large document. There is a significant amount of information regarding planning and student achievement before getting to the course descriptions. The BC courses in contrast each have their own specific document which makes it easier to navigate.
Streaming English
Streaming has been argued to influence students’ attitudes about school for both the better, and the worse. This makes it an important distinction between the way that public education is structured in B.C. and Ontario. One of the focuses of the new curriculum in British Columbia is that there is added flexibility in education overall. In high school, this means that students are able to select their own courses and are not restricted to certain courses due to grade or streaming. In order to graduate, students must complete a Language Arts 10, 11, and 12 along with 9 other Language credits of their choice. Even within their required credits, students have some choice over which course to take. For instance, there is a choice between English 12 or First Peoples 12 as their required grade 12 course. Because they are not streamed, all courses are open to all students. The courses are not designed to have easier or more difficult pathways. Instead, all courses allow for the implementation of a variety of teaching methods so that all students can access all courses. This affects the student makeup in English courses because students can be in a course with peers of different ages. The hope is that teachers view the students as one group of learners instead of students defined by age or grade.
There is a very different structure set up in Ontario schools. Once students enroll in courses, they are set on pathways depending on the type of course. Grade nine and ten students can choose academic, applied, or essential courses which can guide them towards university level classes or college level classes. When students enter grade 11, their course are referred to as university, college and workplace classes. University level classes aim to develop skills that will benefit students in university, whereas college level classes focus on more practical knowledge and skills. As part of the program, students in grades 11 and 12 must take one compulsory course in English in each grade. While Ontario students do have some choice in their English courses, there is less room for flexibility in the current structure compared with B.C.’s new curriculum.
Testing
An important aspect of the new curriculum in British Columbia is the core competencies of communication, creative and critical thinking, and personal and social competence that are expected to develop throughout learning. There is more emphasis being placed on assessment than in the past and it is being viewed differently in the new curriculum. There is an expectation for teachers to view assessment as an ongoing action. However, there are 3 Provincial Graduation Assessments for students. One is a numeracy assessment and 2 are literacy assessments that students undergo in grade 10 and 12. While preparing for standardized tests like these can take away from instructional time, the tests are supposed to be cross-curricular and stand alone. Passing these assessments is necessary for graduation but students have 3 opportunities to pass the test so teachers would be able to work with students to better their scores and reflect on where they need to improve. Within the classroom, the new curriculum calls for assessment to be infused into the learning process with students and teachers co-constructing assessments. The hope is to create life-long learning who take ownership over their learning.
In Ontario, teachers also use ongoing assessment practices to give students multiple opportunities to demonstrate their learning. Ontario teachers are encouraged to give clear, descriptive feedback to students and have a variety of assessment types. There are assessments for learning, assessment as learning, and assessments of learning. By using all three types of assessment strategies, teachers are able to recognize when a student is not grasping a concept prior to a large final assessment. Another assessment in Ontario is the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) which students must pass in order to graduate. If they do not pass this test in grade 10, they can rewrite the test or they can take a course in grade twelve to make up for the test. Because there is only one chance to rewrite the OSSLT it is a higher-stakes test than the B.C. literacy tests. Additionally, the OSSLT intrudes more on instructional time because students may need to devote an entire course to the OSSLT if they are not successful in passing the test.
Conclusion
In conclusion, both provinces are leaders in Canadian education, and for good reason. Overall, both provinces attained “B” grades on OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment and both are constantly reflecting on their curriculum and teaching practices. This leads to new curriculums being developed in both provinces on a regular basis to keep public education relevant and rigorous. In order to keep up with the changing needs of students, both provinces have integrated technology and online learning into schools and both provinces are concerned with developing creative, and critical thinking skills in English.
Some structural contrasts of the education systems that are important to note are that B.C. students are required to attend school from age 6 to 16 and can start at 5 years old whereas Ontario students are in school longer, starting as early as 4 years old and staying until they are 18. Another important difference is that while Ontario class sizes are increasing to 28, BC class sizes on average remain significantly lower. So while there are many similarities, and both provinces can boast strong public education systems, BC’s smaller class sizes, new flexible curriculum, and the fact that students can access all courses make me prefer the BC system to that of Ontario.
Works Cited
Canada, The Conference Board of Canada. “Education and Skills.” Education Provincial
Rankings - How Canada Performs, 2014,
www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/provincial/education.aspx.
Columbia, British. “BC's New Curriculum.” English Language Arts 12 | Building Student
Success - BC's New Curriculum, 2019,
curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/english-language-arts/12/courses.
Government of Ontario, Ministry of Education. “English.” English, Government of Ontario,
2019, www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/secondary/english.html.
Government of Ontario, Ministry of Education. “What's New.” Untitled Document,
Government of Ontario, 2019, www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/new/new.html.
Monday, 18 November 2019
Summary of "Where do teachers fit"
Summary of “Accountability: Where do Teachers Fit?”
In "Accountability: Where do Teachers Fit?" Lorna Earl explores the impact that accountability has for classroom teachers. She acknowledges the policies and larger notions of accountability but focuses her text specifically on teachers.
Earl starts off by looking at the analysis of educational institutions around the world that was done by Geoff Whitty and his colleagues (1977) where they found many common denominators after governments 'reshaped education' using policy and accountability. Some of the changes include centralized assessment schemes, more power to parents, and standards for student learning (Earl 2001). The legislators in this situation has "capitalized on the concerns of a nervous public" (Earl 2001) in order to get the results they want at negotiation tables. The legislators believe the issue is purely accountability but it is unusual for accountability to have clear definitions. Earl suggests that the push for government mandates and large scale assessments can have both positive and negative effects but this type of accountability is not where the focus should be. The public worries that education quality is getting worse, but there is “still strong support for teachers" (Earl 2001) without whom no educational issues can be fixed. It is the teachers that have influence in the classroom and ultimately determine the effectiveness of instruction. Instead, it should be on the professional accountability of teachers. Earl lists the important questions to ask when discussing accountability as: Who is accountable? To whom? For what? In what manner? Under what circumstances? (Earl 2001).
Accountable to whom?
A teacher is most importantly accountable to students and parents but teachers also have responsibilities to their school districts, society, legislatures, and professional organizations. Students are teachers most important responsibility primarily because parents entrust teachers to "teach and guide them... because of their professional expertise and knowledge" (Earl 2001).
Accountable for what?
Teachers should only have professional accountability over things that they can control. They have a responsibility to be a 'quality teacher' meaning they need to know their discipline well and keep up with the increasing knowledge base in their subjects. Teachers need to be able to use a variety of assessment methods and understand different learning styles. Teachers need to create bonds with and among students in their classes and be responsive to students from a variety of backgrounds, and cultures. Teachers are also responsible for demonstrating life-long learning and meta-learning.
Teachers are also responsible to provide an equitable environment in their classroom so that students from diverse backgrounds can succeed. Earl suggests that students need not only become literate and numerate but also able to work in groups, individually, and be able to "confront messy, unpredictable tasks" (Earl 2001). Teachers must teach in a way that prepares students for these types of tasks and creates equity so all can succeed. Earl recognizes that the difference in school opportunities and high-quality teachers accounts for a lot of the discrepancies in student achievement. Equity, then, calls teachers to provide certain material and approaches for students. It calls teachers to pace activities according to student needs and to provide clear feedback to all students. Teachers need to ensure that alternatives are available so that all students are set up for success.
Respectful and open relationships are a key factor of successful accountability. This means that educators and people paying for education need to be conversing clearly and transparently about issues and successes in education. These conversations should include teacher, student and parent voices that share the responsibility of delivering information. Another important component that teachers are accountable for is the use of time within a classroom. Both teachers and students need to use their classroom time wisely and be completely focused and engaged in classroom activities if they want to find deep enjoyment in learning.
Accountable in what manner?
The manner in which teaching takes place needs to be fair and knowledgeable. As well, the manner in which teachers interact with parents and students needs to be fair and knowledgeable. This creates the mutual support necessary to have a properly functioning public education system. These conversations need to be occurring on a regular basis and include discussions of learning, success, and student aspirations. Creating positive relationships includes making students partners of learning, responding to parent needs, developing fair assessments, using emotional intelligence and investing in their own learning. These activities draw students, parents and teachers together so that difficult conversations can be had in a productive way.
Accountable under what conditions?
Earl highlights the environments that make it difficult for teachers, parents and students to have productive and informative conversations. She stresses the importance of quality, equity, openness and efficiency in learning because it makes it more likely that the conversations and relationships between teachers, parents and students will be successful and productive. These are some actions teachers can take to attend to their professional accountability.
Sunday, 17 November 2019
Accountability
Accountability is an important part of teaching and is monitored within a school in multiple ways. Some of the first and key duties of a teacher are outlined in the Education Act. This act makes teachers accountable "to teach diligently and faithfully the classes or subjects assigned to the teacher by the principal... to encourage the pupils in the pursuit of learning" and to "discipline in the teacher’s classroom and while on duty in the school and on the school ground" (Education Act Part X Duties of a Teacher).
Nowhere does it state that teachers are responsible for ensuring all students receive 90% in all subjects and nowhere does it state that a teacher is a sole reason that students perform at a certain academic level. With respect to accountability, there are many ways teachers are held accountable for these things. Not only does administration keep track of marks, but stream leaders also help ensure that all a course has consistency between all sections. Additionally, teachers are held accountable by parents and students for delivering course content and providing good feedback on a regular basis. So while there are many things that teachers are held accountable for, there are things within a classroom that teachers cannot be held responsible for.
The fact is, there are many factors contributing to student success.
A student's academic performance is affected by their sleeping habits, their home life, the amount of extra-curricular activities they are involved in, their friend groups, and so many other factors. This means that even though teachers are a key part of the learning process, their help and instruction needs to be supplemented with student work. For this reason, teachers cannot be held solely responsible for the academic results of the students. The content and way a teacher instructs their class is one part of a big picture.
So I find accountability to be an everpresent part of teaching that is positive if the things that a teacher is made accountable are logical and reasonable.
Wednesday, 13 November 2019
The Call for Accountability: Ravitch Summary
Every school I walk into has many similarities and many differences. Because I am supply teaching in Ontario high schools, the material that is taught is the same from one English classroom to the next. The physical building is always similar; with an office, gym, cafeteria, wide halls etc. It is once I start talking to the students and talking to administration and teachers in the staff room that the differences start to appear. The differences are due to the varying teaching approaches. While one teacher may implement project-based learning whenever possible, another teacher may believe in lectures as a main way to teach. So while the content may be the same, there are many ways that material is delivered. The varying paradigms are explored in Diane Ravitch’s article “A Brief History of Testing and Accountability.” Ravitch dives into the components of teaching that dictate what goes on inside a classroom. She starts off by noting that while there is a long history of test-taking in learning environments, the idea of holding teachers accountable for the student grades is a “more recent invention.” Here is a summary of Ravitch’s article, outlining the changes in a call for accountability in education.
19th Century Accountability
In the 19th Century, school-houses were often one-room building where students of all ages gathered to learn from one teacher. These schoolteachers were required to undergo an initial test of their knowledge in order to teach. The teacher was also expected to hold certain views and practice the religion that was the norm in the area.
Robert Harris Oil on Canvas (Confederation Century Art Gallery)
In order to make sure the teacher held these particular qualities, they would be interviewed by members of the local school board which usually included a member of the clergy. No practice teaching days and no observations of their teaching. The teacher was approved and would not be tested on their teaching ability again. Teachers were to instruct and students were to learn and "If students failed to learn, it was the students’ fault"(Ravitch 2002). It seems that things were fairly black and white with respect to the ideas surrounding education at the time. It also appears that this type of schooling did not suit all students because only 1 in 10 students went on to study in high school.
Even fewer went to colleges in the nineteenth century. Most colleges accepted anyone into their programs except for places of prestige like Harvard or Yale where an entrance test needed to be passed for admission. In 1900 the College Entrance Examination Board was created and made ONE single college admission test. This test guided a lot of the content that the teacher taught.
Progressive Education
In the 1930s and 1940s, progressivism became a dominant ideology because it associated education with the trifecta of progress, science, and reform. Educators liked their profession being seen as scientific and could therefore "withstand entreaties of parents" (Ravitch 2002). Testing, therefore, became an important focus in education and to people like Edward L. Thorndike, a key voice for progressive education.
Goodenough, Florence L. “Edward Lee Thorndike: 1874-1949.” The American Journal of Psychology, vol. 63, no. 2, 1950, pp. 291–301. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1418943.
He attended Columbia University's Teachers College and wanted to prove that education was an exact science. He used scientific methods to measure academic performance and was very interested in test results, not accountability. He thought noneducators need not be involved in schooling.
Progressive educators were also concerned with the ‘psychological well-being of the child’ and there was a push to focus less on subjects and more on social adjustment within schools. Students were promoted even if they were not succeeding academically (social promotion). Tests were still administered but they were not the be-all and end-all of accountability. The belief that if a student fails it is their fault was falling by the waist side as people were recognizing, partially in response to the depression, that many other factors contribute to student grades.
Influence of the NAEP
One of the first reports that looked into the external factors that contribute to academic success came in 1966 when sociologist James Coleman wrote Equality of Educational Opportunity (Coleman report). The report examined the varying amounts of resources and opportunities had amongst children of different races. It also "examined differences in achievement scores, or outcomes" (Ravitch 2002) and looked at the ways school resources affect achievement. This analysis was possible due to the large amount of test score data available.
In 1970 the establishment of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) documented achievement and provided cumulative data of American students. There were also international tests of math and science scores that were available for scrutiny. The public started to believe the problems were due to the public education systems and that there should be ‘market competition.’ Elected officials were pressured to take action to find a way to improve low student achievement. This led to large education budgets in every state in 1980. Education was the largest budget item at 40% of the expenditures. Governors took up the challenge to make spending more cost-effective and get education costs under their control. Elected officials wanted to see accountability for performance so they brought in business leaders to help adapt incentive structures from businesses to public education hoping to improve student achievement.
Teachers vs, Policy Makers
Ravitch notes that the push for accountability from policymakers has been met to a large degree. She highlights the 1993 Massachusets school reform law that "pledged an extra $1 billion a year for the schools with the understanding that students would be expected to pass-state examinations for high school graduation by 2003" (Ravitch 2002). Many educators were against the state testing program and the teachers union even campaigned to roll back the implementation of the tests. Despite the protests, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Texas and Virginia students (of all races) have seen academic improvement on tests after persisting in this strategic push for accountability.
Another idea that provides accountability is school vouchers. These vouchers are subsidies given to parents to allow them to move their children into a school they choose. The voucher system threatens the dominion of public education as well as the teachers in low achieving schools. Understandably, educators and public education advocates are against school vouchers.
Ravitch believes these clashes will continue. Educators should have continued training, good salaries to attract well-educated college grads and good facilities and supplies. However, there may be a push for a drastic educational reform or the voucher system could gain more public support if students continue to be poorly prepared. So while the education system has changed drastically from the 19th century, it is not perfect. Going forward it will surely be a challenge to keep policymakers from pushing their incentives and agendas into classrooms.
Monday, 11 November 2019
O Captain, My Captain
There have been a few real "aha" moments in my life.
One of these moments came to me 5 years ago when I realized
for the first time that a friend of mine was considerably more
multi-dimensional than I ever gave him credit for. I saw this person
(who we shall call Rory) as a very active, social guy. This is a person
I who was a few years ahead of me at high-school. Rory seemed to
know the name of everyone he walked by in the halls. He was
always smiling and asking how people were and the charming thing
about Rory was that he genuinely wanted to help if you were nervous
about a test or high-five you if you scored a goal in the soccer game.
One of these moments came to me 5 years ago when I realized
for the first time that a friend of mine was considerably more
multi-dimensional than I ever gave him credit for. I saw this person
(who we shall call Rory) as a very active, social guy. This is a person
I who was a few years ahead of me at high-school. Rory seemed to
know the name of everyone he walked by in the halls. He was
always smiling and asking how people were and the charming thing
about Rory was that he genuinely wanted to help if you were nervous
about a test or high-five you if you scored a goal in the soccer game.
Tuesday, 5 November 2019
Just can't make the grade... match
No 2 students are the same, and no 2 teachers are the same. For this reason, their assessments and marking are often not the same. Even with so many great rubrics and details expectation charts, there is still some room for discrepancy between the ways 2 teachers mark. This is something that can cause a lot of difficulty within a school. In the case of "Aberdeen Secondary School" 2 teachers seemed to be using completely different strategies to assess student work. When students began leaving one teacher's class and enrolling in the 'easier marker's' class, it was time for the department head to step in.
A Note on Plagiarism
Here is a little note about the consequences of plagiarism in LKDSB where I supply teach, as well as a helpful video to help students avoid academic dishonesty.
Friday, 27 September 2019
My Leading Role
For this journal response, I would like to focus our attention on the ever-changing definition of a teacher because I for one have learned many important lessons from individuals who would never consider themselves teachers. These people have changed the way I view things just by stepping into their shoes for a moment. For instance, as a young summer camper, my cabin leader taught me not only how to rock climb but also how to face my fears. This youthful counselor talked of her own experiences overcoming her fears and challenged me to do the same. Now, this is not a digression to tell you to enroll your children in summer camp. My story sheds light on the fact that anyone is able to share experiences, wisdom, and knowledge with others that can impact their life.
So for my journal response about leadership, I will be talking about a leadership role I held outside of my teaching profession. After many years attending camps at the YMCA, and then moving through different roles working with summer camps, I finally had managed to be in a leadership role as a Camp Coordinator.
I was an overseer of 2 different summer programs and was so excited to be able to plan and gather the materials needed for things to run smoothly in the summer. It became clear within the first week, however, that no matter how much I had overplanned, things were not going to be quite as smooth as I anticipated. There were many outside groups that needed space within the facility, so the precious time we had in the gym, or certain fields needed to be shared. It became my responsibility to work with other coordinators of visiting camps, and newcomers to Canada groups, to share the space fairly. While there was a supervisor and other staff that could have taken on the role of negotiating and sharing the various spaces, I stepped up to take on this role because I was determined to oversee every detail of the process. It was very important to me that my camp run as smoothly as possible, and so I was more than willing to be the point person to make this happen. Essentially, it was my determination and ability to work with all types of people that made me a leader in this situation.
The role itself was very stressful at times, and there were definitely times when I felt like I was doing my best to make sure everyone was happy, but everyone was compromising their ideal situations and this made things hard. There were moments when I felt like all the hard work I put in to plan things to a ‘T’ went out the window, which frustrated me, and times when I felt like I would compromise until there was nothing left to give.
However, it did seem like kids in the camp were having a good time, parents seemed happy, and counselors were more flexible than I anticipated. While I really appreciated these things, I couldn’t help but picture a duck swimming ever so serenely in a lake. You look at that duck it is just gliding, but under the water, those legs are going a mile a minute. That is how I felt that summer. It was hard. It was exhilarating, and it was as if I was that duck. But all in all, it was worth it. I was moving a mile a minute but it was to make sure a camp I cared about and kids I cared about were well taken care of that summer.
The issue of spacing within the facility was one that I had not anticipated, and that was the downfall in my planning. I was able to reach out to a mentor of mine who had done a similar job at the YMCA and he gave me some great advice. He reminded me that planning only goes so far, and that after that, the real world steps in and throws new things at you. He shared some of his experiences as a Coordinator and gave some good suggestions dealing with people who did not want to negotiate. Following his advice to have weekly face to face sit-downs with the other coordinators and program staff was the best advice I could have followed.
Additionally, my ability to listen, compromise, and organize were real assets during that summer. I had some very dedicated camp counselors that were very flexible because I was transparent in meetings with them about why they needed to give up coveted gym, or field time. I saw many people step up and work together to make some tough compromises that summer and it brought many of us YMCA staff closer together.
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