EDUC 424: Task Set 2
Building the classroom community
September
Done
Not
done
Name:
electronic copy is DUE: October 9, 2015
School Profile Portfolio Items:
Get a copy of:
-
Your class timetable/weekly schedule
Draw a seating plan and include students’ first and last names. Learn your students’ names!
Store your seating plan in your field binder.
Take on some basic housekeeping duties with mentor teacher support and direction.
Examples of what you could do:
-
Photocopying, collating/assembling student work/booklets etc.
Cutting/laminating/hole punching/book-binding
Basic marking- using an answer key or rubric
Checking/recording: student marks, work completion, book or permission/order form returns etc.
Straightening book shelves, sink area, supply cupboard
Plant or animal care
General Classroom Routines/Procedures: Notice some/all of the following and keep a
‘loose leaf’ inventory for your records. Store your inventory in your field binder.
-
-
Expected courtesies/forms of address: ‘please/thank you’, ‘May I …’, getting someone’s attention etc.
How are these taught or encouraged?
Entry/Exit routines: how are students to enter/exit the classroom? The school? How do students
clean-up/get ready for class time?
Nutrition break: How do students get their snacks?, How/where do they eat?, What do they do with
leftovers, garbage, recycling?, What do they do when they are finished?
Lunch Break: same Q’s as above
Locker/cloak room: How do students store their outerwear, backpacks, outdoor shoes, etc.?
Class jobs: What are they? How are they assigned?
Opening exercises/morning meeting etc.: Is there a routine?
Review/practice routines: e.g. how are students self-directed during journals, math fact practice,
spelling practice, DPA/QDPE, book exchange etc.?
Agenda/Home-School Communication: How are agendas filled out? Checked? How are notes home
distributed? Collected? (e.g. absentee notes, permission slips, order forms etc.)
Specific Classroom Routines/Procedures: Using the following checklist, develop a ‘loose
leaf’ inventory of specific routines/procedures in your practicum classroom. Keep this
inventory in your field binder.
Lesson Study: Following the instructions posted in Connect, conduct a focused observation
and lesson study of one lesson during your September schools visits.
Prior
to
Sept
16
Prior
to
Sept
23
Prior
to
Sept
30
Reading 1: Prior to Seminar 1 (Sept. 16) Complete the Pre-seminar 1 tasks (posted in Connect) which
Prior
to
Oct 7
Reading 4: prior to Seminar 4 (Oct. 7) complete the Pre-seminar tasks (posted in Connect): 2 articles
include: reviewing the UDL Overview handout, watching a 15 minute video on Learner Variability and UDL, and
completing a mini-case study.
Reading 2: prior to Seminar 2 (Sept. 23) Complete the Pre-seminar 2 tasks (posted in Connect) which
include two surveys: “What is your learning style?” and “It’s not how smart you are- but how you are smart!”
Bring your survey results to class. Also, complete the mini-case study and bring your ideas to class.
Reading 3: prior to Seminar 3 (Sept. 30) complete the Pre-seminar tasks (posted in Connect): 2 articles
and a mini-case study on using a rubric to assess student work. Bring your assessment findings from the minicase study to class.
about what to think about when creating high quality, relevant learning tasks
EDUC 424: Task Set 2
Building the classroom community, cont’d (page 2 of 3)
My Practicum Classroom: Inventory of Specific Routines/Procedures
Set up a section in your field binder and develop loose leaf inventory of the following essential classroom
routines & procedures.
General procedures:
Lesson-specific procedures:
Managing student work spaces:
e.g. storage of assignments, materials, school
supplies, personal belongings at desk, desk top and
interior etc.
Start of lesson: e.g. quieting a class, coming to
attention, introducing the lesson
During instruction: e.g. listening while teacher
is talking, asking/responding to questions,
participating in discussions, monitoring
understanding/checking for
attention/engagement
Managing student task expectations:
e.g. setting up notebook or work pages, use of
pencil/pen, printing or writing?, checking own work,
marking work etc.
During student work times: e.g. expectations
for independent work, pair work, group work,
seeking help, early finisher options, distracted
student options
Managing movement & noise level:
e.g. washroom use, washing hands, getting a drink,
walking around classroom, talking/no talking times,
use of pencil sharpener, getting supplies, seeking
help, moving chairs/desks, lining up, moving to
other parts of the school
Movement & storage of paper and
supplies/materials:
e.g. passing out, handing in, returning student
work, class marking, how are
supplies/materials (e.g. pens/pencils, art
supplies, books, technology, sports equipment
)distributed, organized, stored?
Managing the unexpected:
e.g. interruptions, class visitor, request from office,
during school-wide announcements, emergencies
(student is sick, medical emergency, student injury)
Transitions:
e.g. changing tasks during a lesson, changing
groups, between classes/subjects etc.
Note 1: If you aren’t able to finish your inventory by the task due date, please
highlight the procedures you feel you have enough information about. Complete
the rest of the inventory during your October school visits.
Note 2: Make sure you become familiar with these procedures… you will be
responsible for facilitating them when you are teaching the class!
EDUC 424: Task Set 2, cont’d (page 3 of 3)
Following your lesson study, what are some potential barriers to engagement and participation in
learning for the students in your class- individually and/or collectively? What are some of the ways
you might address these barriers in the future? (In particular, think about their learning styles, attitudes,
interests, self-efficacy and learning needs)
Revisit your mentor teacher’s classroom metaphor (from Task Set 1). How is his/her metaphor
reflected in the expectations, physical layout and routines/procedures of the classroom?
Initial thoughts about my future teaching practice:
At this point, what metaphor would you use to describe the kind of classroom community you want
to create? Why did you choose this metaphor?
Criteria for quality:
___ Complete (all required information is included and details are sufficient to convey ideas/information)
___ Critically-thoughtful (attempts to make connections between self/learning/practice are evident; provides
reasons/evidence to support insights/ideas)