Blog Post 4: Oral Communication

Hello Everyone!

Katic, K, 2015©. Gourmet Food and Wine Expo, Toronto.

I cannot believe it is almost the end of the semester, it feels like just last week that we all began our journey at Brock, and here we are, the holidays are coming quickly! There are plenty of assignments and lesson plans that need to be addressed, however, for me, I have much to look forward to this holiday season; amazing memories created with my family, wholesome food, and yes, great wine. I was fortunate enough to take a study break today to visit my cousin, Jesse Parent, play at the Gourmet Food and Wine Expo in Toronto. Be sure to check out his music if you are into soulful, feel good country-blues! Needless to say that good family time with great food and wine helps to inspire everyone to get through the cold Canadian winters!

For the final blog post this semester, I will be discussing the importance of Oral Communication, and how all 4 strands of the Language Curriculum are so important and interconnected to one another.

Treasure, Julian (2015). Ted Talks. 

The first resource that I discovered that is truly amazing is a Ted Talks, 5 Ways to Listen Better, by Julian Treasure. He is a huge advocate for teaching people how to truly listen better, if you have the time I highly recommend it, it's really worth the watch. He provides an incredible amount of information within the 8 minute video. So where am I going with this? Well, I believe that to be a more effective oral communicator, one has to be a very effective listener, after all, if we cannot listen and internalize information, we cannot be expected to communicate effectively. My grandfather once a very old proverb by Epictetus, a Greek Philosopher who lived 55 to 135AD, "We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak". This, in essence, is what Treasure is trying to convey to the audience as well as therapeutic techniques for how to listen better. We have so much ambient noise around us on a daily basis, and it is important to learn how to listen to information and the world not harder, but smarter.

As such, now that I have stated my opinion on how important it is to be an effective listener, let me disclose by saying that personally, I am not a huge fan of debates, and while they are a very effective way to demonstrate student's oral communication skills, I find them to be highly stressful and quite honestly stress inducing. However, they are truly a fantastic way to evaluate your students, even if they are not consistently participating orally. However, debates are crucial for students to reap the benefits that come along with being great debaters, as naturally extroverted students become better listeners, naturally introverted students become more confident, ELL students become exposed to new vocabulary, students who are bored with the Curriculum become more engaged, and fundamentally every student at every stage can benefit in some way, shape or form from debates in the classroom. It is important to remember that even though some students truly hate the idea of debates (such as myself when I am in my student role), it is really up to the teacher to create a positive classroom environment and then selecting interesting topics for their students.

CBS, 2015. The Photo Ark

Keeping with the theme of oral communication in the Ontario Curriculum, I discovered this amazing resource, titled The Photo Ark: Preserving Species Before They Disappear, and within this video, it discusses a multitude of important issues we need to discuss with our students. This video addresses a project conducted by National Geographic Photographer Joel Satore, and he is essentially creating a visual database of (critically) endangered species. He is thus embarking on a mission to engage young students with his project, as he believes that engaging these young minds with such an important aspect of our lives will help change the future.

The reason I adore this resource is because it can be used in a multitude of ways in the classroom, and it can easily address the Oral Communication component from the Curriculum. In my Professional Learning Conversation in Language Class, I discuss a variety of ways that this resource can be referenced cross-curricularly with geography, science and the arts. It is important to be able to discuss important and relevant issues with our students to make them aware, informed and critically analytical citizens.

Thank you to everyone who has read my blog posts so far, it has been a really interesting experience reflecting on the four strands of the Ontario Language Curriculum: Media Literacy, Written, Reading, and Oral Communication. I am very much looking forward to embarking on my new journey as a new teacher, and guaranteed I will utilize all of the resources I have learned about in this course. Stay warm during this holiday season!

References
BrainyQuote (2015). Epictetus Quote. We have two ears and one mouth so we can listen twice as much as we speak. Retrieved http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/e/epictetus106298.html
CBS News (November 15 2015). ThePhoto Ark: Preserving Species Before They Disappear. CBS News Sunday Morning. Retrieved http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-photo-ark-preserving-species-before-they-disappear/ 
Gourmet Food and Wine Expo (2015). Gourmet Food and Wine Expo. Retrieved http://www.foodandwineexpo.ca/sitepages/ 
Jesse Parent (2015). Jesse Parent Music. Retrieved http://www.jesseparentmusic.com/ 
The Ontario Language Curriculum (2006). The Government of Ontario. https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/language18currb.pdf
Treasure, Julian (2015). 5 Ways to Listen Better. Ted Talks. Retrieved https://www.ted.com/talks/julian_treasure_5_ways_to_listen_better?language=en

Blog Post 3: Reading Literacy

Hi Everyone,

Katic, K. (C) (2014). My sister and I at my cousin's wedding.

I have currently been engaged with a discussion regarding Reading Literacy within our Ontario school system. You can check out the Ontario Curriculum here.

As I am writing this blog post, I am in the depths of Chapters, surrounded by books. For me, books are so important for not only gaining more information, but it is critical for expanding my creativity and life experiences. Reading is such an important skill that is required within our society, and it needs to continuously be practiced throughout life. My favourite memories consist of my sister, my dad and I going to the library every week to pick out books to read at bedtime, and as we got older we were able to go to Chapters to spend our Christmas and birthday money on books we so desperately wanted to read, we still can't get enough of reading! Blue Spruce, Silver Birch and Red Maple were book clubs my sister and I actively participated in throughout our Elementary School career; reading is a critical element to my fondest memories, and it is a skill I practice daily.

Asher, Jay (2011). Thirteen Reasons Why.

While I didn't know it back then, learning to read fluently from such a young age completely benefitted me throughout my education, and I can now recognize that I was meeting the reading requirements within the Ontario Curriculum without even realizing it! Within the Curriculum, there are four overall expectations expanding to all grade levels: Students need to demonstrate an understanding of a variety of texts, recognize a variety of text forms and demonstrate how they help communicate meaning, use the knowledge of words and cueing systems to read fluently, and reflect on and identify their strengths as readers, areas for improvement and the strategies they found most helpful before, during and after reading. I cannot emphasize enough how important these strategies are.

Reading is indisputably a complex process that involves applying so many strategies before, during and after reading. It is so important to know that the specific expectations for each grade focuses on a variety of strategies, and teachers need to use their professional judgements in deciding which strategies to model and teach, based on the needs of their students.

Anderson, Laurie Halse (2001). Speak.

There have been a few key books that I have identified to use within the novel study unit for my grade 8 students. As shown in my previous blog post, Borderline by Allan Stratton is one such book I wish to use, however after consultation with my advisor and mentor, we agreed that Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher and Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson are critical books for our students to read during this unit. They address such important issues prevalent in society today, and the experience of reading, extracting information and lessons to last a lifetime is all part of the process. I am a strong advocate for reading that demonstrates insight and thoughtful reflection, especially for my grade 8 students. I believe it is extremely important to choose insightful books, especially for a novel study unit, however I will give my fellow student teachers a word of caution: when dealing with books that have mature subject matter, it is important to pre-teach about appropriateness and having a mature attitude and perspective when reading these books. Quite obviously students are exposed to mature adult topics from what feels like an early age, so it is critical to have an open discussion regarding such issues so the students feel comfortable enough to ask questions and consult the teacher if they feel unformforable about any subject matter.

I really hope that the topics I discussed above is helpful to my fellow pre and in-service teachers. Feel free to leave any comments or questions below. Keep warm this fall season, the cooler weather is quickly approaching!

References
Anderson, Laurie Halse. (2001). Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/439288.Speak?from_search=true&search_version=service
Asher, Jay. (2011). Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1217100.Thirteen_Reasons_Why
Stratton, Allan (2010). Borderline by Allan Stratton. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6618155-borderline 
The Ontario Language Curriculum (2006). The Government of Ontario. https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/language18currb.pdf

Blog Post 2: Writing Literacy

Hello Everyone,

Currently, I have been engaged with a discussion regarding Writing Literacy within our Ontario school system. You can check out the Ontario Curriculum here.

(Katic, 2015 October 21©. Photo) 

First and foremost, while there are many different resources available to teach how to be effective writers and the common principles to follow, you cannot write simply about nothing, and there has to be a purpose and inspiration for writing. This can come from any aspect of your life. For me, I am often inspired by nature and spending quality time with my friends and family. To the left I have included a recent picture of my sister and I; I often get inspired when we have thoughtful discussions about a variety of topics, and I draw upon such conversations when I engage with writing.

With that said, I will be discussing a variety of useful resources for teachers to access on how to effectively incorporate the Writing Literacy strand into their own classrooms. There are so many available resources it is hard to know where to begin! I generally start with Pinterest and Twitter, they are two extremely effective forums to draw inspiration from.

Within the Pinterest and Twitter forums, I am including two very effective links. The Complete Guide to Twitter Hashtags for Education is an effective toolbox of hashtags to access; there are hundreds of possibilities for including a variety of effective activities in the classroom. In addition there is a Pinterest Page through Brock University's IRC website that lists many pages for effective literacy within the classroom. Through this Pinterest page is where I drew inspiration for my literacy teaching Block this January.

(Stratton, 2015. Photo)

I have always known that I would love to do a Novel Study unit with my Grade 8s, and recently I came across the book titled Borderline by Allan Stratton. While I will give my Grade 8s a few different books to read during their Novel Study, this will definitely be on the list. This novel is based around 15-year old Sami Sabiri, whose father sends him to a private boy's school where he is the only Muslim student. The fundamental themes surrounding this book are based around loyalty, identity, courage to fight for the truth, the importance of family and friendship, and most importantly, the internal conflict between fitting in and staying true to oneself. My grade 8s are at a pivotal turning point in their lives, and I feel this book will allow them to have an internal dialogue between these central themes within the book and their own individual identity. Within the writing strand of the Ontario Curriculum, I believe that conducting a Novel Study encompasses all of the requirements. Within the Novel Study, I will have my students create a Newspaper Article that requires them to organize their ideas and summarize key themes within the read, which will address overall expectations 1 and 2 within the Curriculum. Afterwards their articles will be posted to a pin board, and individually I will do a gallery walk with my students where they will explain the main messages in their article, the use of specific images, evaluate their effectiveness, etc. which will address overall expectation 3 within the Curriculum. Finally, I will have my students reflect on their strengths as writers by having them complete a 5 paragraph essay, reinforcing all the themes addressed within the Novel Study as well as their own personal reflections, which will address overall expectation 4. The beauty of this idea is that it can be conducted using a variety of books, so not all of the students need to read the same book in order to meet all the requirements. By allowing my students the choice of the book they wish to read (from a list I create), it will allow their engagement with the material to increase out of interest.

In addition to this Novel Study, I must teach and review these fundamental principles with my Grade 8s if they are to be successful for all the activities and evaluations. I have included a link on how to be an effective writer, because writing is not as simple as taking a pen to a piece of paper, or typing: it is about consistent making connections and inferences, drawing questions and conclusions, and reflection, to name a few. This resource is great as it clearly outlines key principles of effective writers and common errors that inhibit writers from reading their full potential. You must organize and argue your ideas, be concise, write exactly what you mean, write with force, write for a reader, revise, and finally avoid common errors.

I hope everything I have discussed is helpful! Teaching our students to be effective writers is so important if they are to be successful in their schooling and eventually their adult lives.

References
Pinterest (2015). Pinterest Homepage. http//www.pinterest.com/ 
Pinterest (2015). Pinterest Page IRC Brock University. https://www.pinterest.com/ircbrock/ 
Stratton, Allan (2010). Borderline by Allan Stratton. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6618155-borderline 
Te@chthought (2015). The Complete Guide to Twitter Hashtags for Education. http://www.teachthought.com/twitter-hashtags-for-teacher/ 
The Ontario Language Curriculum (2006). The Government of Ontario. https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/language18currb.pdf
Twitter (2015). Twitter Homepage. http://www.twitter.com 

Blog Post 1: Media Literacy

Hello Everyone!

Going on nature walks can help inspire students.
Chan, W.M.© (2015). Photograph.

My name is Kathlene Katic, and I am a teacher candidate at Brock University. I have many passions in life, and becoming an effective educator is clearly one of them! I aspire to teach my students effectively, and engage them with many valuable life lessons and foundational principles. I am an advocate that anyone can reach their fullest potential in life granted they have a supportive foundation and underlying moral values. In addition, I am also a huge supporter that one needs to have a healthy mind, body and environment if they are to be successful in life, and in the future I aspire to become that teacher who will be able to inspire my students to become the absolute best they can be. One strategy I find particularly helpful to become more productive is to go on a nature walk; being outside in the environment helps the body and mind relax within the present moment, then become fully engaged when it is time to work again.

Currently, I am engaging with critical discussion within our Ontario School system. Have you ever wondered about the function of our Ontario school system? I don't just mean classroom dynamics, but the Ontario Curriculum and how this affects student learning. Within the Ontario Language Curriculum, there are 4 different literacy strands that are critical to students; media literacy, reading, writing and oral communication. Throughout the duration of these posts, I will be reflecting on each strand. The first strand I will discuss is the media literacy strand.

Recently, I have discussed with my peers how important I believe it is for students to be critical readers and thinkers. As such, there are many teaching strategies I am going to encompass within my lesson planning, some of which can be found here. According to the NEA, the 4Cs of the 21st Century include Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity and Innovation. This directly relates to the requirements within the Ontario Language Curriculum, media literacy strand. The curriculum specifically states that students must be able to demonstrate an understanding of various media texts, make connections, create their own media texts, and finally reflect. In a recent class activity, I found that the topic I engaged with reflected each of these principles, and is one that I will use in the future. I wrote a review regarding Banned Book Week in the American context. In short, Banned Book Week is a week allocated in America where students can access a variety of books that have been placed on the banned book list. Many teachers are advocates for promoting their students to explore these banned books (as a class collectively) as it teaches them to engage with controversial media material, make connections, create their own opinions and reflect on the issues.

Amazon.ca (2015). Autobiography of Malcolm X.

It further allows students to explore the overarching idea that this Banned Book List prohibits them from the right to read whatever material they so wish to do so. I believe that inquiry in the classroom is extremely important as the skills that students learn during the inquiry and critical thinking process are transferable skills they can take with them into their adult lives. There are a multitude of banned books on this list that, arguably, have shaped American History: see the list here. For example, to the right is a picture of The Autobiography of Malcolm X, a book on the American Banned Book List, however, it is argued that Malcolm X is one of the most influential human rights activists and one of the most influential Americans in recent history.

However, in the Canadian context, there are only a few books on the Banned Book List, which can be found here. As an emerging educator, I find this to be a fascinating observation, and it would be a source of discussion for my students. I would ask them discussion questions such as, Why do you think the government bans books? Do you think the government banning books is a good or bad idea? Why do you think that the States has such an extensive Banned Book List compared to Canada? Questions such as these will teach my students to holistically engage with controversial topics, think critically about the information presented to them, and further reflect on how this will affect their personal lives. As such, there are many fundamental aspects within the media literacy strand of the curriculum that I am a huge advocate for, and I am going to incorporate many of these fundamentals within my lesson plans in the future.

References: 
Amazon.ca (2015). Autobiography of Malcom X, 2007. http://www.amazon.ca/Autobiography-Malcolm-X/dp/0141032723 
Banned & Challenged Books (2015). Frequently Challenged Books. American Library Association. http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks 
GDC Team (2015). 12 Ways to Teach Critical Thinking. https://globaldigitalcitizen.org/12-ways-to-teach-critical-thinking-skills 
The Ontario Language Curriculum (2006). The Government of Ontario. https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/language18currb.pdf 
Wikipedia (2015). Book Censorship in Canada. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_censorship_in_Canada