Notes on Resilience

What can we do to make our students more resilient?
-Brofenbrenner's Ecosystems help us understand it as how inner ecosystems are able to react to outer layers (school, family, peers, as well as the wider community, media, society and culture).
-Problem solving skills, autonomy, social competence and sense of purpose and failure (Morrison, 1997) are the key characteristics of a resilient child.

I believe students in our school are fortunate to have great support overall - in school, at home and in the community. Hearing about many of the problems local students face made me reflect on just how fortunate our students are.

Does their sheltered upbringing make them less resilient? Two students in my class cried yesterday, one from a snide remark from another student, the other from an overblown teacher reaction, yet both were able to recover quickly and seemed to have forgotten any more by the end of the day.

Our students don't face the same challenges many HK students face (exams, parental pressure, societal pressure), but does it make them more resilient? With over 500,000 families in HK living below the poverty line, perhaps the challenges my students face pale in comparison. Are they spoilt?

Using technology for group work: Making a How to... video

The shooting session on the field could have been better organized. Putting such a eight Y3girls together (especially some strong headed ones) and expecting them to cooperate in shooting a video was too much for them to handle. I tried to salvage by stepping in to be director, but the whole vibe was pretty rotten towards the end.

- If two groups work together, make sure there is someone in charge to direct.

- Confine them to a limited area, not run all over the field.

- Make it clear to them what they want to capture.

- Impose consequences that a group was simply messing around, and praise groups who managed to shoot useful footage.

For video editing:

- Should have made sure all the ICT was setup beforehand, instead of wasting half of the lesson connecting to the server.

- Using the iPhone as a recorder was a great idea for groups which didn't have a computer.

- The biggest problem was how to record their voiceover over the noise. Taking the laptop outside was one solution.

On the whole though, the project will be successful once it's finished. Too bad it just takes so much time with Y4s.

Civilization project / End of teaching Prac

Despite the huge amount of preparation - formatting 17 handouts (4 civilizations, 4-5 topics per group) really paid off. Students were focused throughout all 3 sessions, and I think they were really proud of their finished work. The poster design also allowed gave early finishers something to work at.

Having a quick recap/short presentation was a great idea - 1 fact per student. Also, giving them 3 minutes to prepare what they would say was very helpful. However, I forgot to give awards out for their poster... I should have taken notes on which group worked cooperatively etc.

Praising groups who were doing the right thing really seemed to work well in motivating other groups.

If it is clear that what you've planned isn't working

Stop and regroup. Pens down. On the carpet. All focus on you.

• Assess the problem - students may not tell you right away they don't understand. Have them chat with their neighbour about what they don't understand.

1. If you feel it is possible to salvage the lesson:

• Start from square one, assume they know nothing.
• Teacher model the task if necessary.

2. If the task you have planned seems far too difficult (or easy) even with teacher modelling, abandon ship.

• Switch to Plan B - something which requires no prep. A good idea is to ask students to write something related to the topic/instructional goals. e.g. write me down 3 facts and 3 opinions about ________.
• Have students discuss / check each other's work. This will be a useful gauge on their current level.
• Link that lesson's work to the next class - revisit the topic at the appropriate level or use that writing as a new starting point.

Classroom management tips

• Remind them of the rules at the start of the lesson.
• Give praise to students who are behaving / doing well.
• The fish analogy - rein the net in if your control is slipping. Never try to raise your voice above theirs. Make them wait and issue threats/warnings if necessary - and praise the good ones.
• Before students set off on a group / independent task, set a time limit. Have something ready for them to do if they finish early.
• Have fillers up your sleeve in case of technical mishaps or you need time to setup. E.g. Talk to your neighbour about 3 things your know / learned last lesson about, demand that they be ready to share it after the time is up.

Train wreak: World cup reading comp

When a class is going well, you know.

Students are engaged in their work, they are on-task, they are responsive to your questions...

The Y3 board game design class worked extremely well - it worked great for a number of reasons:

• students found it meaningful, they could play the game they made!
• it was approximately the right level for the class - challenging for some, but gave enough room for creativity in the high ability ones.
• it was well scaffolded

...and things were as smooth as clockwork.

But Y4 today was another story. I had the vague sense last night that it wouldn't be a great lesson, but at least not the complete train wreak which it turned out to be.

Obviously, things in the classroom can fall apart when:

• Students don't understand or find it too difficult
• Students are bored or think it is too easy
• Students are not interested in a topic
• You cannot manage a classroom
• Technology fails and students are just waiting with nothing to do

...and I think I had all these issues today.

The problems started right away from the third minute. A Powerpoint wouldn't load. I was trying to hold the discussion together whilst praying that the PPT would start. As it dragged on, some of the boys got bored and started poking each other and tattertailing. I tried to ignore them and prayed that the PPT would load - big mistake, it didn't and things got out of hand. I had to shout. Luckily, my class teacher intervened and took the troubling students outside.

Threatening to take away lunchtime etc only stems the tide... and increases the bad atmosphere. In retrospect, I should have stopped the lesson right there, admitted my faults for not being prepared instead of trying to carry on, and ditched the Powerpoint.

Without activating background information, the rest of the class never improved. The reading task was pitched at a level too high anyway, and with only a quarter of the students showing vague interest, I should have ditched the whole exercise instead of trying to ram it down their throats.

In the end, the problem lay with poor planning - choosing a poor topic, didn't generate student interest, and the inexperience of being able to salvage the lesson on the spot.

Learning to live and learn together. I get it.

Ways to control a shared reading discussions

Being able to balance student participation and teacher talk is a fine art of communication during reading discussions. How do you prevent students from all shouting all at once, and yet you want them to give their opinions?

-If asking for an answer to a question, explain beforehand that they need to explain WHY or HOW they found the answer. This will stop students from shouting out answers without thinking. (Thanks to the class teacher for suggesting this).

-If a discussion gets out of hand, say "We are too noisy" - get all the students to settle down before continuing the discussion. Stay in control.

-Avoid rhetorical or extremely easy questioning. Students become unsure if you are asking for an answer or not.

-Instead of saying "Who agrees with _____", say "If you agree with ______, raise your hand."

-If a student doesn't give the answer you are looking for.

Paperclips idea - To encourage even participation, give each student a set number of paperclips. To encourage fair participation, each student MUST use up their paperclips by the end of the class. If they've run out of paperclips, they cannot answer more questions.

Other suggestions?

Tips for being observed

Teaching observations are perhaps the most stressful part of a new teacher in training. Here is a guide to acing your teaching practice. Don't make the same mistakes I made today in my TP (like the photocopier not working).

Lesson planning:

-If you're "borrowing" a class, communicate with your class teacher in advance what you're going to teach, as he/she may be able to provide good ideas or resources.-Make sure you are VERY thorough with your lesson plan. Proofread and spell-check it.

-Follow the framework required (e.g. if task-based learning is required, make sure you have all the components - pre-task/while-task/post-task. Even if you are not going to cover all the parts in that session, include it so that your tutor can see you know where the lesson will be heading.

-Consider your class abilities. If you are teaching an easy well-behaved class, use the opportunity to try something new and interesting. It is your chance to show off your teaching skills. Conversely, a tough class will be your chance to demonstrate your classroom management skills.

-Send in your lesson plan a couple of days in advance (or whenever it is required).

-Print a spare copy of your lesson plan just in case.

-Have all your materials prepared well in advance. You never know if the photocopier will break down the morning before your class.

Whilst teaching:

-Make sure the technology works. Test it beforehand. You really don't want a technical failure to ruin your lesson.

-Try to memorize what you're going to teach, avoid glancing too much at your lesson plan or reading out loud from it.

Other tips:

-Dress smartly.

-Arrive early if possible to show your observer to your class.

-Introduce him/her to your students when you enter.

An experiment with making tea

Technology works best if it is intuitive and unintrusive.

Today's lesson on making tea was an excellent example. A simple flash site on how to make tea integrated extremely well with the activity. I printed out the cards for each group, and they had to put it in order and fill it in by hand. Then having it on the interactive whiteboard and letting students drag them in the right order was simple, clear and a great point for discussion. The entire class was focused.

My biggest mistake was running out of time and trying to make another cup of tea for the class teacher whilst letting another student put the answers in the right order. I even forgot to say well done to the student for getting it right, so absorbed was I in making the tea.

If time had allowed, I should have let students do a hands on experiment to figure out the right order. Discovery learning is great too.

Art instructions / A system for tidying up

Today's mega art / instructions session wasn't too bad. The pack of activity cards "50 things to draw and paint" was a great resource.

Everyone had something to do, and the finished collage of their drawings looked great.

At the start

Need to focus more on giving clear instructions for an activity

- Set clear goals (e.g. We are going to put together a collage for display)

- Give clear instructions, write them out on the board, especially for EAL students.

Cleaning up

One sink, 22 students.

After an art activity, a good clean up system is needed when there are paint brushes, ink, paper and glue everywhere.

-What could be a more efficient way of tidying up?

-What about students who have already tidied up? How to keep them occupied?

Wrapping up

I forgot to ask 2 crucial questions, probably for any activity

- What had they learned from the activity

- How they could improve it if they did it again

Great short stories / novellas for teaching Year 5/6 (Key stage 2)

Here is a list of my personal favourites and the sorts of writing techniques you can teach in literacy lessons.

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar by Roald Dahl

A lesser known Roald Dahl tale I use as a basis for writing a 4-part story. It's rather lengthy, but good for advanced readers to tackle at home. The 4-part story focuses on:

- character description

- story-in-a-story narrative techniques

- monologues

- narrative twists

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

The original text is really tough, but there is an simplified version at eslreading of the beginning I use for teaching how to use "show, not tell" to introduce a character.

Fat Lawrence by Dick King Smith

A silly tale about a super-obese cat who tries to lose weight.

- Narrative voice (using interjections and asides)

- Colloquial language

- Writing in the conditional tense

The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith

This book is a hilarious postmodern retelling of many "classic" fairytales.

- use of irony

- fairytale conventions, fractured fairytales

- effect of different graphics, letter styles

How to write a English tutoring lesson plan

If you work at a tutoring center or teach small groups of students English, you will know how difficult it is sometimes to come up with ideas to get through each session. Let me share some of my lesson planning tips:

Here is my formula for teaching writing to upper primary and lower secondary students.

1. Establish your genre and what your aim is

You need to know what students need to learn.

2. Find a good topic.

The topic has to be interesting and hopefully relevant to student's lives. Hopefully it's also a topic which is discussable and possibly controversial. The news is a great place to start. "Teachers adding students as friends on Facebook" or "Hong Kong tutor kings".

3. Find source reading material

This will usually come from books, websites, emails or your brain. Videos are also a great way to hook your students and give them background information on the topic. Simplify the text if necessary, but it should contain some challenging new vocabulary. Highlight those.

4. Construct some reading comprehension questions

If you are lazy, simply do it as you go in a pop quiz style format. But it helps to prepare a list of questions beforehand.

5. Find a language focus

Ideally it will be linked to text genre.

It could be grammar - using adjectives, passive voice, imperatives or structure etc. If the class is 2 hours, I like to try and make my language focus a game to refocus them after the break.

6. Homework prep / wrap up

Have some planning (e.g. storyboard / story map / vocab recap) for homework so weaker students are clear on their homework task.

7. Final game

Wind down with a game of DODO or Pass the Hamburger and end the class on a high note. I sometimes give extra points / rewards if the word is related to the day's topic.

Teacher/students as friends on Facebook

At today's staff meeting, our principal brought up the topic: "Should teachers be allowed to befriend their students Facebook, and she asked for the staff's opinion on the issue. The verdict was an unsurprising "no", but what shocked me was the lack of discussion and unanimous stance my colleagues took. No-one pointed out the potential benefits of it at all.

Pros in a nutshell:

- Easy know more about your students, making it easier to communicate with them.

- Opens an easy channel for teacher-student communication

- A simple way to keep in touch with graduated students

My thoughts:

Cons in a nutshell

- Change in teacher / student dynamic, possible loss of respect

- Students might see things in your profile you may not want (like your late night romps in bars)

- Students can judge the way you interact online

- Loss of professionalism in some people's eyes

There are clearly ways to get around the cons, such as using education portals or alternative teaching sites designed for the purpose. But they have their own drawbacks, as they are time consuming to manage, and students are far less likely to use them.

Here is my suggestion:

- Open a new Facebook account with an alias name

- Only add school alumni (not existing students still in the school)

- Only post school related content

This allows you to keep in contact with your students, and have a separate

Soon, you may be surprised (and depressed) by the kind of things you ex-students get up to, that you won't want to log on to it very often anyway.

Small classes vs big classes: the pros and cons

Individual sessions

- Really different from other types, as it is completely teacher-student interaction
- Can easily work at own pace
- Perfect for very low ability students
- Students may easily get bored. Difficult to sustain concentration for>45mins

Comments: It's very easy to slack off and not prepare (I am guilty sometimes), but a little planning goes a long way. Some simple worksheets or appropriate reading comprehension exercises can go a long way. Make sure you have a ton of reference resources available (a visual dictionary is exceptionally helpful, as is easy access to the internet).

2-3 People in a class
- Paired activities are possible, which makes the class more interactive.
- Very dependent on student matching. Try to ensure they are of similar ability level.
- Ideal size for idea sharing, reading aloud and writing workshops.

Comments: I dislike working with 2-3 students, but it is possible to have good discussions and fun activities. However, it's difficult to have anything competitive since it's rare to have students of matching ability. Ideal for idea sharing and individual writing though as they can give each other feedback.

Tutoring style (4-6 students)
- A good balance between individual attention and group energy.

- Good size for in-depth discussions.
- Very good for multiple high ability students, as they can give each other pressure.
Can give substantial feedback on homework.

Comments: a good size for task based learning, as you can focus all your attention on the one group. It is also an ideal size for debates, peer reviewing, and counseling. One of my favorite class sizes.

Mini class (8-12 students)
- Good size for team competitions / games.
- Less individual time spent with students in class.

- Task based activities possible.

Comments: Very energy consuming. Requires ample planning and interesting activities. Task based learning and group based projects are ideal. Assign individual work for homework.

Small class (12-18 students)
Can be more open with projects and let students work at their own pace and level.
Possibility for big projects.
Less feedback to students, minimal indivudual attention to individual students.

Comment: Classroom management skills are important. Design activities for a wide variety of levels and encourage task-based learning.

Medium classes: (18+)

Must plan for a large range of abilities - scaffolding, reading texts should be pitched around the middle, never too high.

Classroom management skills are imperative

Class discussions must be tightly controlled

Very important to give clear instructions.

Comments: This is where it really starts to get challenging for me. Don't forget about the oddballs at the end of the ability spectrum, as well as trouble-makers. I think this type of class requires a lot of experience to manage well and at the same time deliver a great lesson. You could have a great idea, but without good management skills, it will all go to hell.