Engagement in schools is a word that is tossed around quite frequently. Teachers and administrators everywhere are constantly implementing strategies and creating programs to increase student engagement, sometimes to no avail. As a camp director, I have spent entire summers with kids of all ages. At the end of the summer, I always ask them if they are looking forward to going back to school, and I am sure you can guess what their responses are. Why is there this disconnect? How is it that students still have this gloomy attitude about school even when so many educators are working towards making kids want to come to school?
I in no way have an answer to this question, but I do know from experience that when those same kids are asked about their experiences at camp, they have very different answers than with school. So, to me, would it not make sense to align what students love doing at camp with the 10 months they spend in school? As mentioned in past posts, I recognize that there is more to education than playing team building games, creating interesting art projects, going swimming and playing sports. However, it is proved that kids love to do this, so why not try to replicate those feelings in a classroom environment?
There are so many educators before me that have discovered this secret, and they are doing amazing things in the classroom. There are so many examples on Teachers Pay Teachers of teachers that have created camping-themed units to do with their students. The units are integrated across multiple subjects. Students incorporate science, math and language while learning how to build tents, solve camping related problems and learn high frequency words associated with the theme. I cannot think of anything cooler!
Another amazing idea I found on Pinterest was in a blog by the The Brown-Bag Teacher. In her classroom, she decided to do a Place Value Bootcamp, where she dressed up as an army sergeant and took her class through an entire day of bootcamp filled with math games to practice their place value knowledge. She also incorporated youtube videos to teach her students a song about place value, as well as DPA when she found they were getting restless. Doing an activity like this would definitely take time to plan, probably more than any teacher wants to take on. But! Wouldn't it be worth it to see your students truly engaged in their learning? I do, but everyone needs to decide for themselves.
These 2 ideas are only the tip of the iceberg when considering how to engage students in meaningful ways. My Pinterest page has many more ideas, including holding dress up days for you and your students to take part in or using brain breaks to give your students time to be silly before focusing on their work. I absolutely love finding teachers who are taking the time to truly make their students' learning meaningful. By engaging students in unique ways, I truly believe more authentic and deep learning can occur.
Now that I have shared my belief of building a community in the classroom, I felt it important to discuss the second part of my three part magic formula to bringing ideas of camp into the classroom (I'm working on a patent as we speak...). As my title suggests, teamwork is something to consider when deciding how to frame a classroom environment. Although very similar to community in the way of creating a learning environment in which student support one another, teamwork offers another extra-special ingredient to the mix. To me, teamwork is the process of working together to solve problems. As I am sure you can imagine, teamwork is crucial when working in a camp setting, as there are so many stakeholders to consider and in order for the day to run smoothly, every person needs to work together. But even though those same things are important in the classroom, I feel teamwork is something we often overlook as teachers.
Now, I am not necessarily referring to feeling like you are part of a team, as I feel that I have covered that in my last post about community. What I want to talk about are ways in which you can can allow students to work together as a team to solve problems. I find that much of my teaching philosophy stems from Vygotsky's ideas of social learning as well as creating problem-based learning opportunities. I feel that our education system today reflects and supports these beliefs I have, but I have also witnessed an increase in individualized learning tasks in classrooms - but I can understand why! In most classrooms, there are very large gaps in achievement ranging from students who are several grade levels below expectation on IEPs to those who were gifted and needed constant extensions to learning tasks. So it is not a surprise to me that teachers prefer activities that allow for differentiated instruction, because it allows students to work at the level in which is best for them. In no way am I criticizing these methods - I believe DI is crucial in the classroom. However, I find that many students are losing those social skills because they have become so individually driven.
For example, in a task I did with my students, I had them work together to solve a patterning problem. Many of the groups erupted into arguments because they did not know how to go about dealing with differing opinions. This task showed me that before I continued with group work, I needed to have a discussion with my students about how to work together as a team. They needed to know how to be both active participants and listeners, they needed to know how to speak to someone with respect and they needed to know that in order to succeed they had to succeed together. I recognized that my camp experiences allowed to develop these skills, but young students may not have had the opportunities to do so. From this experience, I learned that creating an environment where students know what is expected of them in all types of activities would help them be more successful in the future.
How can we allow students to become a team in the classroom? There are many Team Building Activities you can use to start the conversation. But I also think creating problem based learning opportunities where students work in groups to solve issues can be very valuable. For example, Teachers Pay Teachers have an activity called Build a Boat that I would love to try in my future classroom!
Students need to learn that there is more to school and to life then competition and being 'the best'. Sometimes, they need a chance to know that we are all in this together - High School Musical style!
Monty, N. (2016). We're all in this together [Online Image]. Retrieved from.
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to create an infographic based on my Genius Hour research - a task that I really enjoyed doing! I felt that it was the first time since creating my iMovie that I felt truly connected to my Genius Hour topic. Now don't get me wrong, I am still invested in my topic. But with the craziness of the past 2 weeks, I have had trouble finding time to consolidate my thinking around my question: How can the feelings of camp be incorporated into the classroom? Re-watching my iMovie and creating this infographic has helped me to focus my attentions again, so I felt it time that I write about my process of getting to this point and why I feel that the three components of Community, Engagement and Teamwork are important in answering my Genius Hour question.
First up! Community. What does community mean to me? It means creating an environment where everyone feels they are appreciated, that they are able to take risks without fear of ridicule and that they know that no matter what happens, someone has their back. I have been lucky enough to have this sense of community on more than one occasion, but I feel that the strongest connection I have to this feeling is through my own camp experiences. I have been either a counsellor or a director of a camp since age 16. I have dedicated 7 years of my life to various camps, but I truly feel that it has given me much more than I could possibly give it, and that comes from the relationships I have formed with my colleagues. In an odd way, I have formed relationships with people from camp that I have never had in any other context. I think that comes from a few things. First, you spend every day of the summer together with these people, which comes with it a sense of family. Second, you share something with them that you do not have in other experiences. When working with kids, you are given the opportunity to be creative, active and very very silly! Most jobs you cannot say that about, and I think allowing your peers to see that silly side of you and being accepted for it is insanely powerful.
The past 4 years, I have been able to plan a training week for our incoming counsellors for the summer, and I absolutely love creating an environment where the counsellors feel comfortable with being silly and enthusiastic - but it isn't easy! One of the first things I do is set the tone of the week by saying that counsellors should expect to do a lot of things that are out of their comfort zone, but it has purpose. The goal is bring them closer to their fellow counsellors and to us as directors! And I find that once they get past the 'I'm too cool" stage and see how goofy we as directors are being, the walls come down quickly. Activities such as dressing up in funny costumes and playing Minute to Win It games where we all have to do weird things allow counsellors to let go their inhibitions and be in the moment. And that's when the magic happens!
In the classroom, things do not have to be any different! I think that teachers often get caught up at the beginning of the year in the sheer amount of subject matter they need to cover that they forget to establish a sense of community with their students. I remember all too well as a student being assigned a desk and getting right into writing your name on every journal or binder, writing a reflection on what I did in the summer or doing some sort of artwork about "Getting to Know Me". Although I am not bashing any of these strategies, why can't we start the first day of school with community building games? Why can't we as teachers take our kids outside and play cooperative games that get students active and engaged in getting to know one another! These are the kids you will be spending an entire year with, why not start it off right? For some specific ideas of icebreaker games you can use with your students, check out this video done by Parks and Recreation of Ontario!
My Pinterest page also has some interesting ideas for icebreaker games you can do with students. If you are interested in learning more check out Icebreakers That Rock!
Yes, some teachers might see this idea as "fluff" with no real "relevance" to the curriculum. However, I am almost positive that that "fluff" is what your kids will remember when asked about their year. Sometimes "fluff" is what stands between teachers and a fantastic year with students who feel they know one another and you, their teacher. Students can feel more comfortable with making mistakes and taking risks because they are not afraid of being judged. Even with the stress of the beginning of the year, I think building a community in your classroom takes precedence over all else.
What comes next? Teamwork and Engagement! Stay tuned for my next post :)
Clearly, technology is a major tool integrated into classrooms today. However, there are still discussions surrounding the effectiveness and role of technology on our students learning. Although I believe in continual assessment of tools being used in the classroom, I really feel that the question of whether technology 'belongs' in the classroom is outdated. Of course it belongs in the classroom, the question is in what contexts can and should it be used?
The article Let's Change the Conversation about Education (Technology) discusses these points in length. Shapiro and Tomassini explain that technology is not a teaching method but a tool to be used in teaching and learning. Technology can help students develop skills such as critical literacy, problem-solving and communication. However, technological software can sometimes malfuntion or be unsuccessful and therefore is often blamed. But instead, we need to focus on the positives that technology provide in the classroom. There is a plethora of examples of how technology can be used effectively to empower students, allow them to produce and share their creations and engage them in new ways.
Ferriter, B. (2013, July 11). What do you want kids to do with technology [Online Image]. Retrieved from.
This week was quite a busy one! I learned about a variety of resources to help me further my Genius Hour portfolio and recognized the role they could play in the classroom. For example, I was formally introduced to iMovie, which I technically have had for over five years now but never attempted to try. When I began, I justified why I had never touched it before, as it seemed impossible to use! I needed to fit my ideas and photos into their preformed examples, which at first I resented. However, upon further reflection, I recognized the relevance this type of activity could have in the classroom.
This week, I went back to volunteer at my placement school. I was so excited to see my Grade 2 students and observe what they have been learning about since I have been gone. Their topic in language was procedural writing and their teacher was stressing the importance of being concise. Naturally, this was not the focus of the lesson. But the students understood that when writing in a procedural way, for example in recording a recipe, there is no room for 'fluff' words. You must be specific, to the point and clear in what you are writing. I could immediately see the connections between their work and what I was doing on iMovie! Some students enjoyed being able to write concisely, because descriptive writing was not their forte. But other students adopted the same frustration as I did - they felt they could not fit everything they had to say in the spaces provided.
I think it would be very interesting to see their lesson adapted with the use of technology, and observe how they work with a program like iMovie. I have no doubt that they would be more successful than I was, and I feel that the stress of physically needing to scribe the information might dissipate when put onto the computer or iPad.
Needless to say, I can see the relevance of a program such as iMovie in the classroom. Although it was quite stressful to create, I am proud of the work I have done - especially because it is on a topic that I am passionate about!
I will be posting it quite soon, but until then I will continue building my Pinterest page!
THE END (sticking with the movie theme of course :)
As I continue my search for resources for my Genius Hour topic - how can the feelings of camp be incorporated into the classroom, I find myself on Pinterest quite often! I love Pinterest for various reasons. One, because you could type anything into the search bar and find thousands of amazing ideas and resources, and two, because you can create boards with a collection of these ideas and resources to refer back to at any point! As a result, I have created a page called Camp in the Classroom that I would like to share!
I have been contemplating my goals for this Genius Hour project, and I think that creating a Pinterest board with quality resources would be a great way to show my progress! My goal is to find interesting ways that fellow educators are implementing aspects of camp life into their classrooms. I am excited to see where their ideas take me and in the ways I can synthesize the resources I gather to create a make shift 'tool bag' for others who are in the same position as me - trying to find ways to connect their camp counsellor/director role to the education world.
My research for my Genius Hour portfolio is slowly piling up! However, I am finding it difficult to find relevant research, which I find very surprising! There is no way I am the only person thinking about the link between camp and the classroom, so my search continues! I think my challenge will be to make those connection myself, rather than finding an article that outlines exactly what I believe. So, I've taken the approach of researching what makes camp so great then reflecting on how these strategies can be incorporated into the classroom.
For example, I found this article online called Why Camp is So Great for Children. This article is written about Rockbrook Camp for Girls, but extends to my experiences with summer camp! It includes 10 things that children do at camp that foster positive experiences to show that camp is an amazing opportunity for all children. A few of my favourites are that camp builds resiliency in children and learn valuable social skills. These aspects definitely resonate with me, as I feel they are often ignored in the every day classroom. Children need to learn how to make mistakes and to know that those mistakes are necessary to growth. Teachers should show students how to take risks in their work, rather than replicating the same ideas over and over again. Social skills are another crucial part of school. But children are rarely given the opportunity to be in authentic social situations. Teachers constantly put students in groups, arrange their desks in clusters, etc. But I am a firm believer that children need to learn how to interact appropriately with peers. Simple things such as being empathetic, polite or even kind are sometimes left out of the classroom. Not always - but sometimes it can be overlooked in the craziness of lessons and schedules!
One comment in this article surprised me! It mentioned the idea of 'unplugging' from technology as an asset to summer camp. I think this is an interesting approach. Do children need time away from technology to get that 'camp' feeling that they love? Definitely some food for thought! I plan on looking into this a little more in my Genius Hour journey!
So, I'm going to keep chugging along... trying to find some answers to my multi-faceted question!
Today in our Technology class, we started brainstorming and researching possible Genius Hour topics. This is the first I have heard about Genius Hour, and I am quite intrigued about the entire concept. Through my readings, I discovered that it is a concept that Google started with their employees. Google decided that they would allot their employees 20% of their time to research and investigate topics they are passionate about. What a great idea! They found the productivity of the company increased and so many interesting things came out of it, including some technologies that Google now uses (such as Gmail!). Of course, educators around the world got on the band wagon and began to incorporate it into their classrooms. Students were given opportunities to research topics that were of interest to them during the instructional day. In my school years, I was able to do a couple ISU (independent study units), but the topics of these always felt directed or suggested. In Genius Hour, students are able to research anything of their choosing, as long as it is appropriate and a topic they can collect research on.
I find this concept so interesting, but I have yet to see it in the classroom. But! Before I have to think about to teach or incorporate Genius Hour into my classroom, I get to create a Genius Hour!
I am excited to get started! I have decided to connect back to my experiences with camp. I have been involved with Summer Camp, either as a counsellor or director, for seven years. It really has been my only job, and I have loved every minute of it. Unfortunately, this will be my last summer working for camps, as I need to be a student to be hired. So, as endings often do, I feel a sense of reflection is necessary. And, since my next transition will be into the teaching world, I want to see what aspects of camp can be taken with me and applied in the classroom. Sn many students share with me their love of camp, but they do not necessarily have the same type of fond memories of school. This is where my interest lies. I want to know where that disconnect is, and whether it is possible to incorporate the aspects and feelings children get at camp, to the classroom environment. Although I have just started researching, I have already found a few resources. Most are simply camp themed classrooms, which I do not necessarily want to focus on. But, the Institute of Play has an interesting website that I look forward to looking at more in depth.
It is very interesting for me to finally grasp the idea of copyright. In our undergrad, copyright was explained to us in the form of plagiarism and how important it is to ensure your work is original and protected. However, there is so much more to copyright than the fear of plagiarizing or being plagiarized. Copyright stems from the idea that everything, and I mean EVERYTHING that you produce online automatically has copyright, and it is the choice of the author to share it or not. But not only does copyright protect your work, it also governs what you can and cannot do not do when creating work using resources from online. As a student, I found it very difficult to follow copyright laws, as it is so easy to simply go onto Google and have so many images, resources and videos at your finger tips. I did not feel that I had proper training on how to maneuver through the online world and therefore I feel a sense of responsibility to be that resource for my students. For example, teaching students to used advanced search in Google to find resources that follow copyright law or having discussions about the responsibilities they have online to follow certain rules could harbour an awareness for students to be careful of what they use and create online. However, I think it is also vital to show students the collaborative power the internet can have and how they can access it through creative commons. In the 21st century, it is not necessarily about creating something brand new but rather interpreting and adapting ideas in different ways to add perspective.
Ribeiro, L. (2008, June 30). Children at school [Online Image]. Retrieved from.
