New Year, New Class, New Spaces

A teacher looks at a year in two ways. First, there is "The Standard Year".  This is the way everyone looks at a year. It begins in January and ends in December.  There is also "The School Year".  This year begins, (for teachers, anyway) in August and ends in June.  So, if we are following this rule of thumb, a new School Year has technically already started. 

There is a lot of preparation, as teachers know, to get ready for the new year. For me, a large chunk of time is spent on preparing our class space. This year, the time put into organizing the classroom was well worth it, and I hope that the grade 3 students who come into this space feel relaxed, welcome and inspired. 

For me, classroom set up is the key to all things.  It has everything to do with how I teach, the strategies I use and the skills and at activities that I intend students to focus on. When I put the teaching strategies I learned together with Daily 5 routines and procedures, I knew I was finally on the path to teaching in a way that benefits students, and matches my philosophy of education. 

Having a variety of spaces is a great way to help foster independence in students. They learn what works for them and, with guidance, learn strategies that will help keep them focused to optimize their learning. In our classroom, I have set up spaces that reference the Daily 5 procedures, and allow for student choice. Below is an example of one of these spaces.  This is the "Math Space". In it is the Math Daily 3 board, which acts like a Daily 5 board and a CAFE board in one.  Next to it is an information board. Students will find posters that reference strategies, number representations and other important Math information. 

You'll also notice there are some small plastic bins in this center.  These bins are for math manipulatives and math notebooks.  These bins aren't full because I only put materials out that students are using at the time. I've learned that putting out more than is needed at the time becomes visual noise.

There are also spaces for students to sit. A low coffee table provides seating for students that would like to work sitting on the floor or seated on small pillows...

and the taller end table is exactly the right size for students to pull up a chair and get to work. 

I call this area the "math space" loosely. This is not just a space where students will work on math. Clearly there aren't enough spaces for more than 20 students. Instead, they will practice any strategy in any subject here. It is, however, the space for students to access the majority of supplies they will use in Math. 

Just as students are required to find Good Fit Books, finding a Good Fit Space to work and stay focused is equally as important. This space is just one way to help students do that. 

 

Math Games

That time of year is quickly approaching-back to school!  I'm excited-I always look forward to it, and eagerly anticipate meeting my new students, creating memories, and mutual learning.  

One of the things I'm always on the lookout for are fun math games. I recently came across a blog post on a blog called Corkboard Connections that made five very good suggestions which would be very easily incorporated into a class. Games are a great way for students to practice strategies without having to do a boat load of textbook questions.  Happy "gaming"!  

http://corkboardconnections.blogspot.ca/2015/01/5-math-games-every-classroom-needs-to.html?m=1

Summer and Learning

I'm a firm believer that everyone needs the summer vacation. Students, parents, teachers, support staff, and specialists. We all need to reboot. But I'd be lying if I didn't say that I spent a fair amount of time wondering about how much my students retained, and who spent time reading, playing math games, or even drawing pictures. Basically anything that means not watching TV or playing video games. 

I'm not anti-TV. There are some YouTube videos and TV shows that my 2 year old son really enjoys. And Despicable Me. Oh my goodness, Despicable Me.  I do, however, try to put a cap on "screen time", and when I do, I watch the most amazing things happen. He learns!

On walks he sees pine cones, learns names of birds (though most of them are robins), learns the difference between the road and sidewalk, and that when he whines and doesn't hold my hand to cross the street, he gets a time out for not listening. ; )

I made him a sensory bin with rice and threw in some containers, spoons, rocks, and trucks. I saw him fill, dump, find, count, and make a major mess. It was the best. 

I was so proud of his learning!

Through these and other moments, I began to realize that maybe I thought too much about a certain kind of learning...a formal kind of learning.  I realized that I am probably not giving my students enough credit about the things they learn over the summer, and that these are also important for the upcoming year. 

It's also a good way to reflect on the upcoming year and begin to think about how students learn best. Do they learn best sitting in rows, filling out worksheets and being compliant?  Is that how our children learn best?  

I have to say that I didn't give my son a detailed lecture about how to use a spoon to eat soup, have him fill out a work sheet labelling the different parts of a typical dinner, grade him, then move on to the the next unit, "Tidy Up Time-Putting Away Your Toys".  

It may be a dramatic example, but I think the point rings true. 

Let's celebrate the fact that our students are learning over the summer, and try to think of ways to incorporate what they know into what they are going to learn with us this year!