Patrick S. T. Blois
A TEACHER'S ONLINE PORTFOLIO
My Classroom
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Making use of technology in the classroom, while learning how to use it properly, helps students to practice 21st century skills when finding reliable information online. These skills must be routinely revisited to help prepare students in making their own informed and responsible decisions.
Students must also be given the chance to plan, prepare, and present their physical work as well. Whether it be independent work or a group assignment, students learn much from breaking a physical project down into steps that must be followed to find success.
Sometimes a change of scenery helps make things more fun and interesting for everyone. Taking students outside of the classroom can help to create a learning environment in which students can engage with each other in ways that they may not otherwise.
Making use of technology in the classroom, while learning how to use it properly, helps students to practice 21st century skills when finding reliable information online. These skills must be routinely revisited to help prepare students in making their own informed and responsible decisions.
Education in the 21st Century
I aim to find balance between the use of technology and hands-on, experiential learning in my classroom. Using digital technology like Google Classroom, ScreenCastify, Zoom, or even Classcraft can be incredibly effective when getting students engaged and prepared to plan, create, and communicate. Handwritten and physical work are important too. Marrying "older and newer" ways of teaching -- so that the learning that takes place is transformed as opposed to merely translated from what had been done in the past -- is tricky and takes some nuance.
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As child of the eighties and someone who is keen on tech, I feel this area is one of my strongest skillsets in teaching.
When students feel safe and comfortable with the teacher and the classroom, that's when the magic and the fun happens!
A student demonstrating her research into events and culture that occurred on, or near, the day she was born.
I love Halloween and it is a great chance to have some fun with the students. It's just one more opportunity to show that fun side of myself as a teacher.
When students feel safe and comfortable with the teacher and the classroom, that's when the magic and the fun happens!
Getting to Know One Another ...
Creating strong teacher-student relationships built on consistency, trust, respect, and a bit of humour allow me as an educator to connect with my students and foster engagement. Through this connection I am able to maintain effective classroom management as the students know me as their teacher and what I expect from them as students. Building rapport is essential at the beginning the school year, and is the foundation of maintaining a positive learning environment throughout the year.
Students need the social skills required to work with and learn from others. I try to balance independent work with group work, so that students learn how to develop their own ideas while fostering communication skills to share that work with others. Helping students learn how to give and receive critical feedback is essential to learning.
As an English teacher, I love literature circles. They are adaptable to fit any grade or level of students and offer a chance to build community within a class through fun and engaging collaboration, while also developing subject specific understanding and skills for each student.
Within a jigsaw structured assignment like this one, students develop social skills while learning content. Each student was responsible for his or her own research topic, which each group member shared with others in the group to learn.
Students need the social skills required to work with and learn from others. I try to balance independent work with group work, so that students learn how to develop their own ideas while fostering communication skills to share that work with others. Helping students learn how to give and receive critical feedback is essential to learning.
Authentic Learning Opportunities ...
The world is a hectic place, where issues are complex and solutions often even more so. If classrooms are a microcosm of society, then this aspect of the "real world" must be incorporated into how we teach in our classrooms. I like to collaborate with other content areas as often as possible to create authentic learning opportunities. Creating groups consisting of students with varying abilities, each with their own specific task to complete, also helps each student to become an expert and share their learning for the benefit of others.
