Professional Judgment p. 32 - SEPTEMBER 2019 THE PUBLICATION OF THE ONTARIO COLLEGE OF TEACHERS
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SEPTEMBER 2019 THE PUBLICATION OF THE ONTARIO COLLEGE OF TEACHERS Professional Judgment p. 32 Learning to do the right thing. Karen Murray, OCT
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Contents
Upfront
At the College 7
From the Chair 9
Registrar’s Report 11
24 Letters to the Editor 13
Connections
PS Poll; In Your Profession; In Your Classroom; 17
Tools of the Trade
Departments
Great Teaching 24
Remarkable Teacher 28
Features
Professional Judgment 32
Learning to do the right thing.
PHOTOS: (TOP) GERRY KINGSLEY; (MIDDLE) KC ARMSTRONG; (BOTTOM) MATTHEW LITEPLO
32 Teaching with Technology
Teachers from across the province share their
36
stories about how they use smart software and
other tech tools.
Resources
Reviews 41
Tech Class 50
Governing Ourselves
College news; Investigation Committee 52
Case Study; Hearings
Final Exam
Lindsay Wong sheds light on the school days 64
that figure prominently in her bestselling memoir,
36 The Woo Woo.
September 2019 Professionally Speaking 3
(July 10, 2019 / 13:49:49)
114298-1a_Ad_QuarterPage_03.pdf .1
44th Annual
Language Arts Conference EDITORIAL BOARD Jean-Luc Bernard, OCT; Chantal Côté, OCT (Vice-Chair);
Melissa Gaffen, OCT; Godwin Ifedi (Chair); Nicola Powadiuk, OCT;
Thursday, February 20th & Friday, February 21st PUBLISHER Richard Lewko
Sheraton Centre Hotel, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF William Powell
SPECIAL OPENING MANAGING EDITOR Kristin Doucet
PRESENTATION SENIOR EDITOR Melissa Campeau
COPY EDITOR Geri Savits-Fine
Featuring FRENCH CONTENT EDITOR Véronique Ponce
Tanya
Steve Russell
TRANSLATION Thomas Brouard; Geneviève Dubé; Pierre Ducharme;
Talaga Mélissa Dufour; Luci English; Julie Fournel; Lori Hall; Pamela Lipson;
Eleanor Paul; Véronique Ponce; Francine Tardif
Meal Keynotes that should not be missed include: CONTRIBUTORS Gabrielle Barkany, OCT; Nicole van Woudenberg, OCT;
Wendy Harris (reviews); Brian Jamieson; Stephanie McLean;
Michael Salvatori, OCT; Simon Young; Olivia Yu
CIRCULATION Kerry Walford
Sirk Productions
ART DIRECTION, DESIGN AND PRODUCTION
Studio 141 Inc.: Dave Curcio (President and Creative Director);
Andrea Beaty Esi Edugyan Max Eisen Todd Parr Hannah Browne (Associate Art Director)
Studio 141 Inc. contributors: Trevor T. Stewart; Rathan Vijearajah
2020 SUPERSTAR SPEAKERS include Kylene Beers & Bob Probst,
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CONFERENCE REGISTRATION opens on September 1, 2019.
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Plan to attend the 2020 conference!
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4 Professionally Speaking September 2019
College Council
The College is the self-regulating
professional body for CHAIR
Nicole van Woudenberg, OCT
Ontario teachers. Membership
VICE-CHAIR
is open to anyone qualified Tim Gernstein, OCT
to teach in the province and MEMBERS
required to maintain an Charles Dimitry Abraham, OCT; Diane Ballantyne, OCT;
Paige Bennett, OCT; Bob Cooper, OCT; Chantal Côté, OCT;
Ontario teaching certificate. Irene Dembek, OCT; Elizabeth Edgar-Webkamigad, OCT;
Susan Elliott-Johns, OCT; Dr. Richard Filion; Rebecca Forte, OCT;
Melissa Gaffen, OCT; Erin Glen, OCT; Mary Ellen Gucciardi, OCT;
John Hamilton, OCT; Godwin Ifedi; Jacqueline Karsemeyer, OCT;
The College is trusted to regulate the teaching Colleen Landers; Marlène Marwah; Michelle Miner-Seal;
profession by setting standards of practice Mary-Anne Mouawad, OCT; Sara Nouini, OCT; Alicia Nunn, OCT;
and accrediting teacher education programs. Gerry O’Reilly, OCT; Tom Potter; Nicola Powadiuk, OCT;
Vincent Rinaldo, OCT; Jonathan Rose; Nancy Saunders, OCT;
Stéphane Vallée, OCT; Stephen Zimmermann, OCT
The College also sets the requirements for
entry into the profession, investigates CEO & REGISTRAR
complaints involving members and takes Michael Salvatori, OCT
appropriate disciplinary action.
DEPUTY REGISTRAR
Joe Jamieson, OCT
DIRECTORS
Chantal Bélisle, OCT, Investigations and Hearings
Roch Gallien, OCT, Standards of Practice and Accreditation
Richard Lewko, Corporate and Council Services
Linda Zaks-Walker, OCT, Membership Services
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6 Professionally Speaking September 2019
AT THE COLLEGE
1
2 3
PHOTO 1 The College is a destination for delegations
from around the world who visit to gather information
on a range of education issues. Recently, the College
welcomed 53 secondary school principals from South
Korea who came to learn about the development of the
Principal’s Qualification Program (PQP) guidelines and
the content, structure and entry requirements for the
PQP development courses.
PHOTO 2 The College hosted a meeting of a provincial
writing team responsible for revisions to the guideline for
the AQ Teaching Students Who Are Blind/Low Vision.
Educators with extensive lived experience supporting
learners who are blind or have low vision shared stories
about transformative moments that shaped their
pedagogy. Watch for revised guidelines, available in 2020.
4
PHOTOS 1-4: ONTARIO COLLEGE OF TEACHERS; PHOTO 5: DENNI RUSSEL
PHOTOS 3 AND 4 As part of its mandate, the College
regularly takes part in community events to engage and
inform the public about what we do. Recently,
the College set up an information booth at the Barrie
Waterfront Festival (photo 3), and at Pride in Toronto
(photo 4). At both events, College staff members were
on hand to speak with parents about what the College
does and how it protects Ontario’s students.
PHOTO 5 As the last academic year wrapped up, College
CEO & Registrar Michael Salvatori, OCT, gave the com-
mencement address to teacher candidates graduating
from Niagara University. He shared stories from his own
experiences as a principal, and touched on the idea that
as practising teachers each of the graduates will likely
have to learn and adjust on the fly, over the course of
5 their careers.
September 2019 Professionally Speaking 7
Learn. Lead. Inspire.
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FOR DETAILED COURSE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER, VISIT coursesforteachers.caFROM THE CHAIR
My cousins’
confusion
Understanding Council’s Role
BY NICOLE VAN WOUDENBERG, OCT
@Nicole_OCTOEEO
I
am one of many teachers in my extended family. I have have done so to protect our well-being. Similarly, when
relatives who are teachers not only in the Nether- we visit our doctor, we expect that she or he will provide
lands, but also in New Zealand, Germany, Suriname the utmost care and professionalism in meeting our
(South America), and of course Canada. Family reunions health-care needs.
become a bit one-sided for the non-teaching spouses, We also expect that there are requirements for those pro-
but the beauty is the similarity in the principles we share fessionals to maintain standards and skills that keep us
in our profession. — the general public — safe from harm.
When my cousins abroad ask me now what my job The privilege of self-regulation is that Ontario Certified
entails, there is a bit of confusion. They want to equate Teachers, skilled in the art and science of teaching, make
it to the Ministry of Education’s work or the work of a decisions that help shape the profession.
union or association, but I explain that it is professional My Council colleagues, who are elected by licensed
self-regulation. College Council sets the direction for teachers, act in the public interest. They do not have a
the teaching profession in the public interest. constituency like politicians. Likewise, my Council col-
The “public interest” is defined by businessdictionary.com leagues who are appointed by the government also serve
as “the welfare of the general public … in which the whole the public. This is our unifying principle.
PHOTO: MATTHEW PLEXMAN
society has a stake and which warrants recognition, promo- We all take great pride in our profession, and the public
tion, and protection by the government and its agencies.” continues to put its faith in us when their children enter our
Ultimately, protecting the public interest means making classrooms every day. PS
decisions, developing policy or executing programs that
build confidence and trust with the general public.
When we drink a glass of water from the tap, we trust
that those who regulate the water supply in our town
September 2019 Professionally Speaking 9College? University?
Or Both?
Visit ONTransfer.ca
Help students learn how to transfer courses and programs
among Ontario’s colleges, universities, and Indigenous institutes.
Order free resources
at oncat.ca/en/resourcesREGISTRAR’S REPORT
The Heart
of Our Work
The well-being of students
is central to all that we do.
BY MICHAEL SALVATORI, OCT
@Michael_OCTOEEO
A
s I was doing some fall cleaning, I came across a The international landscape of the regulation of the profes-
file with some of my teaching materials from the sion is also varied. In many jurisdictions such as Scotland,
early 1990s, when I began my career. Among the Wales, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, professional
contents were some of my planning daybooks. After a regulatory bodies such as ours exist and have long histories.
brief trip down memory lane, which showed an evolution Among our international colleagues, there is an emerging
in my practice, I came across another artifact, my trend toward workforce councils rather than general
Ontario Teaching Certificate issued by the Ontario teaching councils. The difference is that an Education
Ministry of Education. Workforce Council, such as the one in Wales, regulates not
Before the Ontario College of Teachers was established only teachers but other professionals working with stu-
in 1996, teacher certification was the responsibility of dents in schools. These professionals include learning
the Ministry. In most Canadian jurisdictions, regulation support staff as well as youth workers and individuals
of the profession including teacher certification remains involved in work-based learning.
the responsibility of the provincial or territorial Ministry As I consider the various models of regulation of the
of Education. profession and the emerging trends, I look not at the
The only other self-regulatory body for the teaching differences but at our common interest. At the heart of our
profession in Canada is the Saskatchewan Professional collective work are the students, their well-being, safety
PHOTO: MATTHEW PLEXMAN
Teachers Regulatory Board (SPTRB). Established in 2015, and opportunities for learning, development and growth.
the SPTRB, like our College, is governed by a council The continued dialogue among our national and inter-
comprised of elected members of the profession and national partners will continue to enhance our own ca-
members appointed by the government to protect the pacity to inspire public confidence in our work. PS
public interest. Similar to our organization, the Saskatch-
ewan board is responsible for establishing standards,
certifying teachers and resolving complaints.
September 2019 Professionally Speaking 11What’s better than
a big, bright marker?
All of them.
SchoolSpecialty.ca
12 Professionally Speaking September 2019LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Tell us what Professionally Speaking welcomes letters to the editor. We reserve the right to edit
letters for length and to conform to our publication style. To be considered for publication,
you think!
letters should be in response to an article or ad published in the magazine and include the
writer’s daytime phone number and registration number. Address letters to: The Editor,
Professionally Speaking at ps@oct.ca or 101 Bloor St. W., Toronto, ON M5S 0A1.
A more critical look at stereotypes
I write in deep concern over the March 2019 article “Great Teaching: A Natural
Resource.” I appreciate that this article was attempting to share progress in
the global energy/environment curriculum and that the teacher has done sig-
nificant work toward this. However, the uncritical article highlights pedagogy
that is patronizing at best. This portrayal of an “African childhood” as one that
entails hauling water over great distances and the broader insinuations of a
poverty spectacle needing “empathy” generates the customary characteriza-
tion of Africans as a monolithic, homogenous people, overwhelmed by privation
and beggary, whose sole salvation relies on Western intervention.
What is most concerning is that there was no editorial scrutiny at the College
to prevent such an article from being published in the first place. Is the College
another institution of privilege, maintaining the status quo, rather than an
agent of change to promote equitable practice? As teachers, we must strive to
shatter stereotypes and contest prejudice and oppression in order to safeguard
and champion the very students before us. This letter is an invitation to a
critical conversation for all who are interested in equity, anti-racist pedagogy
and justice, beyond what is presented in this article. I look forward to engaging
in an open, reflective and constructive dialogue.
Tigist Amdemichael, OCT, is a program leader (science, math & business)
with the City Adult Learning Centre in the Toronto District School Board.
The bigger picture on violence in our schools
A recent trip to England alerted me to the fact that one in four U.K. teachers
experiences physical violence from their pupils at least once a week (The
Guardian, April 20, 2019). Upon return to Canada, I found a copy of Professionally
JUNE 2019
THE PUBLICATION OF
Speaking in my mailbox with a cherubic Harry Potter look-alike on the cover to
THE ONTARIO COLLEGE
OF TEACHERS
showcase the article about protecting students from teachers’ abuse. Good for
us, you might say: the British worry about student assault, and we only need to
rein in those pesky teachers abusing their authority in the classroom.
A quick Google search, however, confirms what I already know from direct
experience: a recent Canadian Teachers’ Federation study reveals that at least
Protecting
Students p. 30 four in 10 Canadian teachers have experienced physical violence from students.
The passage of Bill 48, the Safe
and Supportive Classrooms Act,
means better student protection,
So, we have a 25 per cent student assault rate in the United Kingdom versus 40
per cent in Canada: a very alarming discrepancy. Even more alarming is the
enhanced teacher professionalism
and improved governance.
silence cloaking such statistics in publications like Professionally Speaking.
Don’t you think that such data deserves a feature in our magazine, by our
self-regulatory body, with a suitable image on the cover?
Mirek Lalas, OCT, is a department head with the York Region District
School Board.
September 2019 Professionally Speaking 13LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
IN YOUR CLASSROOM
Professional
Further reflections on yoga in the classroom
Practice I am writing in response to the provocative and interesting letter: “Faith-based
Maintaining student attention levels in the classroom is
often difficult for teachers; it affects both the seasoned
and the new. After experiencing this challenge first-hand
practices in the classroom?” in the June 2019 issue.
and trying various approaches throughout my career,
I eventually landed on a technique that works well for me;
it starts with getting to know your students’ character!
Once you’ve accomplished that, I suggest you try doing
Yoga and mindfulness can be excellent calming activities for children. Learn-
ing how to deal with emotions such as anger, anxiety and stress can empower
a physical warm-up at the beginning of each class,
as well as incorporating mindfulness meditation and
deep breathing exercises — this is what I’ve found has
helped me handle my more rambunctious classes.
(For instance, one combination is jumping jacks or
lunges followed by yoga poses.)
Every group and teacher is different, but if you begin
children to make healthier choices about how to respond to these emotions.
The letter’s author suggests that teachers simply Google the origins of a
with this approach, you can then fine-tune it to what
will work best for you and your students within your
learning environment.
practice or activity, in order to ultimately avoid “the possibility of inadvertently
DAVID PARMER, OCT
TORONTO DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
exposing students to practices that are not permitted in their faith.” I expect
HAVE A CLASSROOM IDEA TO SHARE?
Send it to us at ps@oct.ca and your advice could
be published in an upcoming issue! Check out
our Professional Practice Research archive at
oct-oeeo.ca/research.
that this endeavour might often yield lengthy and conflicting results. Also, I do
Amp Up Your Eco-Education not expect that such a search could possibly reflect the multiple lenses with
BY STEFAN DUBOWSKI
You know the three Rs of environmentalism: Reduce, Reuse How about Grade 5 math? Try Playing with Decimals, a
which our multicultural and multi-faith society might view such programs.
Therefore, I wonder if instead of focusing on the divisive aspects of a practice,
and Recycle, but how about Rethink? Resources for Rethinking lesson in which students explore cost-of-living differences
(r4r.ca), a website with English and French lesson plans, between developed and developing countries. Grade 8
books, videos and more, invites students to think compre- arts? Try Antifreeze; Anti Fish, a play that illustrates the
hensively about biodiversity, climate change and other relationship between storm drains and water ecosystems.
matters of sustainability — either as a stand-alone subject
or linking it to topics such as math, social studies and art.
The non-profit Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF)
If you’re not sure where to start, visit the Hot Topics tab
for a calendar of environmental events like World Food Day,
Waste Reduction Week and the COP 24: UN Climate Change
school communities could promote inclusivity through a collaborative 21st-
created the site and has teachers review featured resources Conference, all of which you can use as jumping-off points
(which are matched to the Ontario curriculum), making it easy
to find material for all grades and subject matter. Simply use
for classroom activities.
The Ministry of Education’s elementary-level resource century approach. Is it possible to prioritize the potential value of such programs
ILLUSTRATION: KIM SALT
the handy home-page, pull-down menu to search by level, guide Environmental Education: Scope and Sequence of
to all students’ overall well-being and learning, while still remaining sensitive
topic and jurisdiction. Expectations, explains that students require the knowledge
For instance, are you teaching Grade 10 business and and skills to understand the complex issues that affect the
commerce? If so, the site recommends Chew on This, environment, both now and in the future. With Resources
a book on the fast food industry that outlines the environ- for Rethinking, you will find a range of tools that will help
mental impact of large-scale meat production facilities.
16 Professionally Speaking March 2019
students reach this increasingly important goal.
and responsive to parent concerns?
Beverley MacLean-Lindsay, OCT, a former public health nurse, is a primary
and junior teacher with a master’s degree in professional education who is
currently a continuing education supply instructor for adult English as a
Second Language students.
Concerns about yoga misguided?
I am writing in response to a letter in the June issue about faith-based practices
in the classroom. The author’s suggestion that we not use yoga because of its
roots in Hinduism are misguided at best and xenophobic at worst. The author
writes, “Some other faiths strictly forbid the practice of participating in activities
of another faith.” If the author is arguing for secularism, why adhere to these
intolerant “other faiths”?
Our school system is far from purely secular, anyway. When I was growing up in
Sarnia, we said the Lord’s Prayer every morning. We still have holidays for Christ-
mas and Easter. We teach every English-speaking student in the province to sing
“God, keep our land …” as part of our national anthem. Our province is one of the
last three in the country that still publicly funds a Catholic school board. There are
other remnants of a Judeo-Christian world view throughout our school system
that, despite their subtlety, are more obviously religious than the Hindu origins of
what is essentially stretching and breathing.
The 2010 Health and Physical Education curriculum mentions yoga 15 times.
If any parent wants to “take a school board to task” over yoga in the classroom,
the argument is clear that the teacher was only following the curriculum. It is but
a modicum of curriculum content that acknowledges the histories of hundreds of
thousands of Ontario students of Asian descent, amidst a curriculum still largely
based on tenets of European culture.
Randy Ray, OCT, is a Grade 5/6 French Immersion teacher at Corvette Junior
Public School with the Toronto District School Board.
14 Professionally Speaking September 2019LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
IN YOUR CLASSROOM
Professional
Angling for accuracy
Practice On page 18 of the June 2019 edition of Professionally Speaking, the illustration that
I use dance parties to transform my math units, no matter the
strand. We use our bodies as learning tools and math manipu-
latives. We breakdance our fractions. We learn angles as if we
accompanies the Professional Practice article is not mathematically accurate.
are inside a Pac-Man game. We explore geometric properties
as if we are martial artists. The kids love it, and I love it!
It’s based on a pedagogy by Canadian Amy Tepperman
(check out her TEDx Talk at oct-oeeo.ca/tepperman).
Even my Grade 6 students immediately noticed — without the use of a
protractor — that some of the angles as written are not even close to the angles
Science and experience tell us that getting students to move
more throughout the day has an undeniable impact on their
excitement about learning and their attention span. What’s
particularly special about dancing the math curriculum is
the movement isn’t separate from the learning — it is the
learning. It isn’t a break, it’s the lesson.
Dance parties are another tool to help teach diverse
the bodies are making. For example, simply looking at the two angles the
illustrator has labelled as 40 and 35 degrees (which would make them acute)
types of learners; and best of all, they’re fun. Because let’s
face it: learning isn’t fun all the time, but when students are
more engaged and keen, they retain more of the lesson too!
shows them both to be obtuse (greater than 90 degrees).
TYLER BOYLE, OCT
BLUEWATER DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
HAVE A CLASSROOM IDEA TO SHARE?
Send it to us at ps@oct.ca and your advice could
be published in an upcoming issue! Check out
Roberta (Bobbie) Brooks, OCT, is a Grade 6 teacher at St. Teresa of
our Professional Practice Research archive at
oct-oeeo.ca/research.
Education in the Cloud Calcutta Catholic Elementary School with the Windsor Essex Catholic
District School Board.
BY STEFAN DUBOWSKI
Here’s a simple but effective way for OCTs to help students to be the best free digital resources, including apps, videos
across the globe: share your expertise in LearnCloud and PDFs for those topics. You can visit the LearnCloud site
(learncloud.rumie.org), an online repository of digital and search by age group, subject and language to get a sense
educational resources, with the goal of bringing high- of the topics the organization focuses on. Rumie gathers
ILLUSTRATION: ROBERT SAMUEL HANSON/EYE CANDY
quality learning material to children who otherwise those recommendations and downloads the material to
Editor’s Response: You are absolutely right. We should have caught that. By the way,
wouldn’t get to access it. tablets that work without web connections. Then the group
The idea comes from The Rumie Initiative, a Toronto- distributes the tablets to children and teachers, who get to
based non-profit group working to bring electronic use the content you helped select.
material to communities worldwide. As Rumie points out, According to U.S. social media agency We Are Social,
millions of children can’t access the web, which means
they can’t benefit from the many high-quality lesson plans,
activities and other educational resources online. Rumie
about 47 per cent of the world’s population doesn’t use the
internet. That leaves a significant number without a way to
learn online. LearnCloud program manager Vanessa Kenalty,
it’s great to hear that your students were engaging with the magazine.
developed LearnCloud to help bridge the digital gap. OCT, says her organization is scaling up to make a difference
The organization connects with education groups where — and you can, too. “We need teachers and educators
web access is hard to get, to find out what topics and material to help reach learners around the world,” says Kenalty.
the children there would benefit from the most. Then Rumie “We welcome high-quality learning resources designed
invites teachers like you to go online and find what you deem for any age on any topic.”
18 Professionally Speaking June 2019
WHERE learning COMES TO LIFE!
Casa Loma is one of Toronto’s premier historic attractions! Originally home
to Canadian financier, industrialist and military officer, Sir Henry Pellatt, the
castle offers students a unique and interesting way to experience and learn
about the early 20th century.
ELEMENTARY & SECONDARY SCHOOL FIELD TRIPS
Guided Tours include: Medieval Studies (GRADE 4),
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For full program details, please email us at info@casaloma.ca GRADES
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September 2019 Professionally Speaking 15beyond
Save money at the places you love to shop, eat and play.
ontarioteachers.venngo.com rto-ero.venngo.com
Exclusive discounts throughout your career and beyond.PS POLL
ILLUSTRATION: JEANNIE PHAN
Ready, Set, Go!
Here are the Top 10 things teachers are most likely to do on
the first day of school, courtesy of our latest poll.
1. Arrive early. 6. Organize a fun activity.
2. Set classroom norms and 7. Meet and greet each
behaviour expectations. student individually.
3. Establish a routine for transitions. 8. Do a team-building exercise
with the class.
4. Have students introduce
themselves. 9. Share a story or anecdote
about yourself.
5. Send a welcome/information
sheet home to parents. 10. Do something to put students
at ease or make them laugh.
September 2019 Professionally Speaking 17IN YOUR PROFESSION
Pop Quiz
with
Eugenia
THREE MUSEUMS OF
SCIENCE AND INNOVATION
Duodu
BY LAURA BICKLE
OVER 20 ENGAGING
SCHOOL PROGRAMS
Eugenia Duodu was starting her PhD in chemistry at the University of Toronto in
2012 when she decided to Google her two passions: science and community. The
results led her to Visions of Science Network for Learning, a non-profit organiza-
tion that promotes STEM learning (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)
A SINGULAR FOCUS ON for children in Grades 3 to 8 in the Greater Toronto area’s marginalized and
INSPIRING INGENUITY low-income districts, like the one in which she grew up.
“The importance of STEM education has been gaining traction. There is a lot
of unmet need in these communities and I knew this organization could be that
bridge,” says Duodo. She became a volunteer in a Visions of Science outreach
event and quickly transitioned to the organization’s full-time executive director.
The program currently serves 700 students per year in 24 communities and
IngeniumCanada.org/schools launched a summer camp this year.
Why is it important to have an to become STEM community leaders
Has your organization focused on STEM? (a Visions of Science program for high
email address
STEM presents so many touchpoints school students), entered a competi-
where there are immense opportun- tion through the Youth and Philan-
changed? ities to change your socio-economic
status. I am an example of that. But
thropy Initiative to raise money for
the organization. As part of their
there are barriers to engagement. It’s application, they did a science
Update it today: important to make sure youth have an experiment to illustrate the value
equal opportunity to engage in STEM of the program. They won $5,000
1. Visit oct.ca
— whether to pursue a related career and invested it back into Visions
2. Click on “Members” in or just understanding how the world of Science. To see that level of civic
the menu bar and then
“My Account” to access works around them. engagement really underscored
your account why this program is important.
3. Click on “Contact Information” How do you address the barriers?
in the left-hand menu Our organization is part of an eco- What role can teachers play in
4. Click on “Edit” in the system of support for students that promoting STEM?
email section includes home, school and community. Teachers are our champions. Many
5. Update your email address We make sure programs are access- have advocated for students to be
6. Click the “Save” button ible, within walking distance, con- involved and some even volunteer in
sistent (weekly) and free of charge. We the program. In my own experience,
It’s that easy! have representative role models. Lack it was teachers who encouraged me
of representation impacts our percep- to stick with STEM. It made all the
tions about who can participate in difference. Teachers have such a
fields — youth need to learn from critical role to play in students’
people like them. educational journeys, especially for
students who are under-represented
Can you share a success story? and marginalized. Teachers can be
Two of our participants, who went on the tipping point.
18 Professionally Speaking September 2019IN YOUR PROFESSION
By the Numbers: TWEET SHEET
Year at a Glance Follow what's trending in the
education Twitterverse.
Facts and figures from the College’s Follow us on Twitter @OCT_OEEO
2018 Annual Report.
AgScape
BY STEVE BREARTON AgScape provides factual,
balanced, curriculum-linked
food literacy programs
TAKING ATTENDANCE and resources to Ontario’s
educators and students.
SUCCESSFUL APPLICATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP
2018 5,657
5,025
@AgScapeON
FOLLOWERS
Introduce your grade 11-12
#students to the evolution
GENDER & LANGUAGE of #LocalFood and #Horticul-
ture with our LOCAL FOOD &
MEMBERS’ NATIONAL LANGUAGE OF PREFERENCE HORTICULTURE resource. Sign
up and download this FREE
163,497 #teacher resource at: agscape.
ca/resources #loveONTfood
#AgEducation #OntAg
PHE Canada
Physical and Health Education
Canada is a national organiza-
55,747 tion that champions healthy,
10,520 active kids.
3,983 37 3
13.4K
ENGLISH FRENCH ENGLISH FRENCH ENGLISH FRENCH @PHECanada
FOLLOWERS
FEMALE FEMALE MALE MALE “X” “X”
Missed our last #TeachResilien-
“X” is a third-gender identifier for use by people identifying as transgender, non-binary,
two spirited or binary, as well as anyone who chooses not to display their gender identity. cy webinar on promising mental
health initiatives for your school?
The session recording is now
STATS ON SPECIALTIES online! Feel free to like, comment
or share your school’s mental
TOP THREE BASIC QUALIFICATIONS OF NEW MEMBERS BY TEACHING SUBJECT health initiative with us!
ow.ly/Z4yt50uBCDr
JUNIOR-INTERMEDIATE DIVISIONS
Canada’s
FRENCH AS A History Society
SECOND LANGUAGE 163 The national charitable
organization brings aware-
ENGLISH 135 ness to the country’s di-
verse past, illuminating the
SCIENCE 131 people, places and events
that unite Canadians.
INTERMEDIATE-SENIOR DIVISIONS 13.8K
@CanadasHistory
FOLLOWERS
ENGLISH 480
Are you teaching about im-
HISTORY 401 migration in your classroom?
Check out this lesson plan
SCIENCE — by Jennifer Janzen.
BIOLOGY 305 ow.ly/QXAn30f0SMH
#MulticulturalismDay
Source: The Ontario College of Teachers 2018 Annual Report (reports2018.oct.ca)
September 2019 Professionally Speaking 19IN YOUR CLASSROOM
Professional
Practice
Through the Ontario Ministry of Education’s Teacher
Learning and Leadership Program (TLLP), my colleagues
and I were able to conduct a professional inquiry using the
book Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement,
Understanding, and Independence by Karin Morrison, Mark
Church and Ron Ritchhart.
This book provides practical teaching techniques to help
structure thinking so students are more engaged in their
learning and are more successful in expressing their thinking.
After repeatedly using these specific routines, classroom
discussions became richer and student inquiries became more
meaningful and relevant. This professional learning experience
changed the way we phrased questions and created learning
environments that were more stimulating. Students were more
engaged in learning, metacognitive skills increased and grades
improved, which validated our use of these thinking routines.
SANDRA MASOTTI-DAUGHERTY, OCT, AMANDA
PAULIN, OCT, JOANNE ZANIN-MINKIEWICZ, OCT
HALTON CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
HAVE A CLASSROOM IDEA TO SHARE?
Send it to us at ps@oct.ca and your advice could
be published in an upcoming issue! Check out
our Professional Practice Research archive at
oct-oeeo.ca/research.
High Cost of a Heavy Load
BY STEFAN DUBOWSKI
Ask most experts and they’ll tell you students shouldn’t be to evenly distribute the force. Keep the backpack close to
carrying a backpack weighing more than 10 to 15 per cent of the body to reduce the effect of the force. When picking up
their bodyweight. It’s more than just the simple downward a pack, bend with the knees and lift with both hands. And
pressure of a heavy backpack. A recent study by Dr. Kenneth exercise: strong core and thigh muscles help.
Hansraj, a U.S. orthopedic surgeon, found that, depending on Teachers and schools can make a difference, too.
posture, backpacks exert a force on the spine that can be up Consider a school-wide education program about safe
to 11 times the weight of the bag. backpack use, right at the start of the year. For example,
That much force can really hurt. Damage to ligaments allowing students a few extra minutes between classes
ILLUSTRATION: KATIE CAREY
comes first, reducing side-to-side range of motion and to drop books in lockers or at desks can help them avoid
causing stiffness. Over time, the discs in the spine get lugging extra weight around all day.
worn down as well. When resources allow, posting assignments and
Hansraj has tips to avoid injury. Pack only what’s homework online can keep the pack load light. And
needed. Stand up straight: ears over shoulders, chest encouraging students to bring home only the books they
open, chin level with the floor, abdomen firm. (Leaning really need each night can help avoid chronic backpack
forward makes things worse.) Wear both backpack straps overload, as well.
20 Professionally Speaking September 2019IN YOUR CLASSROOM
Apps Analysis
BY STEFAN DUBOWSKI
Word Wizard for Kids Tic Toc Time Google Arts & Culture
This magical app helps children aged The makers of this app note it can be Can’t take your class to see world-
four and up practise spelling through a tough for children to learn to tell time. famous art in person? Try this app.
handful of mini-games like the talking So they created games to teach Google worked with more than 1,200
Moving Alphabet (move the letters on youngsters about night, day, light and museums, galleries and institutions. The
the screen to make words) and Scram- shadow to coax them into understand- result: a rich art storehouse for children
bled Letters (unscramble the letters to ing how time passes. Gameplay begins 12 and up. Users access thousands of
spell the words). There are lists with a with Nathan, a Canadian beaver who pictures. Browse by time period, or take
range of consonant-vowel-consonant walks players through activities and virtual tours of museums around the
words, Dolch (or sight) words, and draws connections so students start to world. Save your favourite pieces in a
others arranged by category such as see how time-telling works. Eventually personal collection. Use the popular Art
clothes, food or sports. Use the built-in the games become more sophisticated Selfie to compare your portrait with
lists or make your own. Add images to and the next thing you know, players are masterpieces. It’s fun, informative and
go with the words — it’s as easy as reading clocks and telling time. Aimed supports strands associated with
waving a wand. Aligns nicely with Grade at five-to-eight-year-olds, Tic Toc Time analyzing and evaluating in the elemen-
1 and 2 English and French spelling. complements the Grade 1 curriculum. tary and high school arts curriculum.
DEVICE Apple, Android DEVICE Apple, Android DEVICE Apple, Android
SOURCE Apple App Store SOURCE Apple App Store SOURCE Apple App Store
($6.99), Google Play (free) ($5.49), Google Play ($5.99) (free), Google Play (free)
RATING 4+, Everyone RATING 4+, Everyone RATING 12+, Everyone
BACK
TO WORK
OFFER
30 regular priced
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OFF
items *
F ro m Aug ust 21
to S e p te m b e r 2, 2019
BACK TO WORK OFFER . FROM AUGUST 21 TO SEPTEMBER 2, 2019
TAKE 30% OFF REGULAR PRICED ITEMS (BEFORE TAXES).*
*Offe r va l i d at a ny RW&CO. l o c at i o n a c ro ss Ca n a d a o n a l l re g u l a r p riced item s , exclu d in g
GO-TO ’s a n d Bra n d s , fro m Au g u st 2 1 to S e p te mb e r 2 , 2 019. Mu st p res en t th e orig in al cou p on
( no p h o to co p ie s) a lo n g w i t h yo u r te a c h e r I D. O f fe r may n o t b e a p plied
to th e p u rch a s e o f a g i ft c a rd o r p rev i o u sl y p u rc h a se d m e rc h a n d i se. Th is of fer m ay n ot b e
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Ot h e r re st ri ct i o n s m ay a p p l y, a sk o u r sa l e s a sso c i ate s fo r d e t a i l s. SC H O O L2 01 9
September 2019 Professionally Speaking 21INSPIRE. LEARN. CREATE. Book your school visit today. Be inspired by the timeless ideas of Early Rubens. Learn about the contemporary vision of Hito Steyerl. Create amazing art at the AGO. AGO.ca 416 979 6608 groupsales@ago.ca Peter Paul Rubens, Daniel in the Lions’ Den, c. 1614–16. Oil on canvas, overall: 224.2 x 330.5 cm. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Alisa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1965.13.1. Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Hito Steyerl, ExtraSpaceCraft, 2016. Three channel HD video, environment, 12 minutes, 30 seconds. Image CC 4.0 Hito Steyerl. Courtesy of the Artist, Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York and Esther Schipper, Berlin
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
Plan for Success
No one’s born with great work habits. But with a teacher’s guidance — and the help
of some easy-to-use tech tools — students can build the skills they need to up their
organizational game, find their focus and tackle big projects with confidence.
BY MELISSA CAMPEAU
1. Evernote Free for the basic version! 5. Time Timer US$2.99
“Everything in its place” applies to digital resources, as well. Two key ingredients for strong work habits? Time manage-
Students (or teachers) can use this handy tool to file away just ment and focus. Support the development of both by asking
about anything. Word docs? PDF? Web pages? Yes, yes and yes. students to zero in on just one task for a set amount of
Stay on top of schedules with to-do lists and reminders, too. time. This app offers a visual reminder of time remaining,
Bonus: It can even search for keywords in handwritten notes! which can help fidgety learners get back on track.
GRADES 7 to 12 | VISIT evernote.com GRADES 2 to 12 | VISIT timetimer.com
2. iStudiez Pro US$1.99 monthly, US$9.99 annually 6. Coggle Free for basic version!
For high school students with plenty of assignments, this Is a big task overwhelming to some of your students? Try
app’s bright, intuitive interface keeps track of teachers and this visual mind-mapping app to break it down, and nix the
projects, collates deadlines and keeps the day’s tasks orderly stress. Students can brainstorm ideas, then drag and drop
and colour coded. The result? A streamlined to-do list and assignment elements and steps into a flow chart. Suddenly
fewer hurdles on the path to organization. that massive project is Mission Possible!
GRADES 9 to 12 | VISIT istudentpro.com GRADES 5 to 12 | VISIT coggle.it
3. Remind Free for basic version! 7. Cold Turkey Free for the basic version!
It takes a village to raise an organized human. For students, Here’s an eye-opening lesson on productivity: Launch this
good habits are much more likely to stick if they’re practised app to block specific distractions — maybe certain
at home, too. Get families on the bandwagon by sending websites, social media or the entire internet — so there’s
ILLUSTRATION: JACOPO ROSATI/THREE IN A BOX
texts (you can schedule them in advance!) about upcoming nothing left to do but type. When a student tries to access a
quizzes, projects, homework and calendars. blocked site, they see a motivational quote instead.
GRADES 1 to 12 | VISIT remind.com GRADES 9 to 12 | VISIT getcoldturkey.com
4. WorkFlowy Free for basic version! 8. myHomework & Teachers.io Free for basic version!
Modelling smart project management can have a major Presentations! Tests! Assignments! Entering all these details
impact on students. By demonstrating assignments with into one tidy spot — and using the reminder and due date
this simple tool — break a project into bullet points and features — can help students manage time and plot out their
each point then expands into a new document — students to-do lists effectively. Teachers can use the companion app,
witness how to chop a challenge into manageable chunks. Teachers.io, to send assignments, notes and reminders, too.
GRADES 5 to 12 | VISIT workflowy.com GRADES 7 to 12 | VISIT myhomeworkapp.com & teachers.io
September 2019 Professionally Speaking 2324 Professionally Speaking September 2019
GREAT TEACHING
The Road Less Travelled
In a remote community on Manitoulin Island,
Chris Mara, OCT, encourages students to take
risks, make mistakes and find their own paths.
BY STUART FOXMAN
W
hat’s the formula to engage students? Take water, add diatomaceous
earth and place it on a series of eight cat litter trays. That’s what Chris
Mara, OCT, did as a student teacher during his 2000 placement at the
Pontiac School in Wikwemikong, Ont., on Manitoulin Island.
His class had a physical geography unit. On his own, Mara decided to create
a hands-on activity to show how rivers flow and erosion occurs. So he drove 2½
hours to Sudbury just to get the special earth (it’s a powdery substance used in
pool filters). Then he drove back and built a water table.
Peter Baumgarten, the teacher supervising Mara, marvelled that Mara made
the effort. How many student teachers would? “It struck me that someone with
this type of initiative isn’t going to lose it,” says Baumgarten, who later taught
alongside Mara at the local high school.
Learning is messy. That’s how Mara likes it. Students can take many twists and
turns, like a winding river, on the way to comprehension. And sometimes textbooks,
videos or presentations aren’t enough; students have to get their hands dirty.
“The students made a river and could see and feel the patterns in the earth,”
he says, recalling that early project. “That’s the experience I wanted them to have.
They were going to remember their learning. I wanted to be that kind of teacher.”
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE At Wikwemikong High School, Mara teaches math, science, computer science
To view our Great Teaching and manufacturing technology to Grades 10–12. He also coaches the school’s
video archive, visit acclaimed robotics team.
oct-oeeo.ca/GTvideos “If you see a spark, your job as a teacher is to fan the flames and keep the
curiosity alive,” says Mara, a 2018 recipient of a Prime Minister’s Award for
Teaching Excellence.
September 2019 Professionally Speaking 25GREAT TEACHING
Chris Mara, OCT, creates a classroom environment in which students are comfortable asking questions and making their own discoveries.
Mara didn’t set out to be a teacher. His science room has the usual OCT, systems principal with the
At McMaster University, he studied features — lab benches, periodic Wikwemikong Board of Educa-
science and philosophy. Then he table, Smart Board — along with a tion. “Chris is from the outside, but
moved to Ireland for graduate studies poster of common Anishinaabemowin students don’t treat him like he is.
in philosophy. Back in Canada in 1992, phrases, and another poster that says, These things are important.”
he landed a job in a youth leadership “The voice of the land is our language.” High school math and science can
program at the Anishinaabe Spiritual Mara recognizes that Indigenous be dense. Mara looks for any way in. He
Centre in Anderson Lake, Ont. Three students are under-represented in has done a rap about chemical displace-
years later he re-located an hour math and science fields. “There’s no ment, and created a nursery rhyme-type
south to Wikwemikong, First Nation acceptable reason for that,” he says. song about metals and electrons.
community with a population of He constantly seeks ways to make Former student Dehmin Eshkawkogan
roughly 3,000. the curriculum memorable, often with can still sing it from memory. “It always
Over time, Mara became interested a nod to the culture. For instance, stuck with me,” she says.
in teaching as another way to make a when discussing the concept of zero, “The reason you’re in science is
difference with young people. He he’ll use the Anishinaabemowin term that you’re curious. Have fun with
received his B.Ed. from Nipissing gaagego, which translates as “having that,” says Mara.
University in 2001. nothing.” For another lesson on Eshkawkogan, who’s now studying
Since 2002, Mara has taught at the calculus proofs, Mara weaves in the health promotion at Laurentian
high school, which has 160 students. Indigenous folklore of the “trickster.” University, also spent time on the
The Wikwemikong Board of Education What resonates with his students, he school’s FIRST Robotics team. “It was
says it promotes lifelong learning and says, is that there’s a kind of trickster a big deal. In our community we don’t
academic success guided by Anishin- thinking to mathematics. You can’t get a lot of opportunities to do things
aabe world views, so that students break the laws of the universe; they like that,” says Eshkawkogan.
PHOTOS: GERRY KINGSLEY
“develop a sense of place and purpose.” always come back to you, as the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recogni-
That’s essential to Mara, as an trickster knows. But you can find tion of Science and Technology) is an
educator and as someone who’s not workarounds. international not-for-profit organiza-
from the community. “There are When he makes such references, tion that inspires interest in STEM. One
traditions and connections here that I “You look around the room and see way is through competitions, where
have to honour and respect,” he says. eyes perk up,” says Michael Staruck, teams of high school students build
26 Professionally Speaking September 2019You can also read
