Mentors as Learners and Leaders - Summer Institute at UBC

Last week I attended a conference at UBC. It was 'Mentors as learners and leaders summer institute' put on by UBC and BCTF. With approx 40 other educators from across the province we shared, we learned, we listened, we planned.

I left feeling re-energized about mentorship, which has taken a bit of a hit in my district.

As a district funded program, our mentoring groups have been in place for the past 8 years. Due to budget cuts, we lost the co-ordinating position that managed the program, then faced the strike and lock-out and ended the school year with a lot of uncertainty about many things.

Despite all this, the conference went forward and was exactly what I needed to get inspired again. Now, more than ever, there is a need for mentoring of new teachers and teachers new to a position, which we continue to see more and more of with high numbers of laid off teachers.

Somethings I enjoyed at the conference that I wanted to share:

• We had an opportunity to share what our district model was. There were five models, Coquitlam was one of the five and I had the opportunity to present to educators, while my two Coquitlam colleagues rotated through other stations to hear about their models. This was especially useful because we have used a learning team model in Coquitlam for 8 years, but are moving towards site-based model for middle school next year. It was great to learn and share what works, what doesn't and ideas to overcome challenges and maximize benefits of each model.
• Home Groups. We had small "home groups" where we could share, brainstorm and reflect with each other about the information we were experiencing.
• Simulation. There was an incredible simulation activity run by Laura Servage and Jaime Beck from University of Alberta. This was something I'd really like to replicate in the future with mentors.
• Anne Phelan, UBC professor spoke to us and told such amazing stories that really brought the importance of mentoring to life.
• Linda Farr Darling was another amazing guest speaker who taught us the importance of 'place' and consciousness of place in mentorship.
• Carousel Activities that allowed us to delve deeper into some of the hot topics in mentoring such as stakeholders, funding, training, and so on.

Overall, it was an exciting and packed few days with colleagues from across the province. It really was exactly what I needed to be motivated again after a pretty challenging June.

Yes, it is summer 'break' however, the strike/lockout continues and September is uncertain.... but mentoring must continue and I am so excited to be a part of it all.

 

BCTF New Teachers' Conference 2014

This weekend I attended the BCTF New Teachers' workshop with hundreds of new teachers, TTOCs and student teachers from across BC. I was presenting two workshops over the weekend and had the opportunity to connect in person with teachers I know through social media. It was also a chance to check out some amazing workshops and chat with new and soon-to-be colleagues as well as touch base with teacher friends I only see a few times a year at such events.






I am very much looking forward to the BCTF AGM in a few weeks where a number of these teachers and more will come together for our annual general meeting.

You can also check out some tweets from the New Teachers' Conference.

I compiled a few here.

Everything is Awesome - Lego movie - BCTF version

A colleague and I made this video this weekend after the BCTF New Teachers' Conference. She had seen the lego movie recently and loved the positive pro-union message and wanted to make a lego movie for BCTF. And so we did.

Bag of Tricks Brainstorm

This weekend at the BCTF New Teachers' Conference, I facilitated two workshops. One was "Reality 101; A Day in the Life of a TTOC"

Part of that workshop involves brainstorming ideas to include in your 'Bag of Tricks' and here is what the group came up with:

If they are tough to read, try clicking the photo to see the lager version.

Another busy week of filling my teacher brain...

I spent a couple days in Williams Lake to present the New Teachers' SURT (School Union Rep Training) workshop to a group of new teachers' and TTOCs from Cariboo Chilcotin teachers.

It was awesome to talk about Professional Development, the History of the BCTF, Professional Relationships including the code of ethics and boundaries, Professional Autonomy, and the Collective Agreement. I found it so educational as the facilitator to learn some of the local language and how it differs from other locals I have presented in or my own local I work in.

Thank-you to the teachers' in Williams Lake as well as the BCTF and the CCTA for having me!

When I returned from Williams Lake I had a mentoring session with our district mentor team, where we went through some strategies and protocols to try with our own "mentees" or "prtoege" groups. I find these sessions so valuable as a mentor and hope to bring some of the strategies we practiced into our next TTOC Mentorship meeting.

Finally, on Friday, I joined the BCCLA PSA (BC Co-Operative Learning Provincial Specialist Association) at their annual conference. I am part of the new District Leadership Series and was excited to get a sampling of what we will be focusing on this year. We also had our CTA 1st VP, Chris King, as a keynote. Although I work with him often, it was incredible to listen to him speak on Safe Schools and SEL (Social Emotional Learning) and how important it is to have those connections and a safe environment so that students CAN learn.

Overall, this week was busy, but so educational! My brain felt so full at the end of each day, I am so glad I have my notebook to reflect in and return to, so that all these fabulous revelations do not get forgotten!

EdCamp - What?

Have you heard of EdCamp?

Our local Professional Development Committee was talking about it recently and it caught my interest as something very organic and useful.

If I understand correctly, professionals get together, ready to share, and through a process that can vary by group, they naturally form groups that break-out to share and enjoy professional development and collaboration.

http://edcamp.org/  writes:

We’ve all been there: A mind-numbing, passive, professional development session that aims to “fill up” your mind with knowledge and expertise. Quite often, these types of experiences leave you drowsy and uninspired.
Well, there’s a new form of professional development sweeping the nation that aims to change all that. Edcamps are unconferences for educators where learners share their experiences and their professional expertise in a collaborative, interactive learning environment. Edcamps are based on Open Space Technology (OST) which states that “whoever comes are the right people and whatever happens are the only things that could have” (Boule, 2011).

EdCamp: Do It Yourself PD: It can be face-to-face — school, district, even region-wide — and always free. Most of all, EdCamp is do-it-yourself PD, planned by volunteers and led by attendees.  




An authentic Edcamp has the following features:

• free: Edcamps should be free to all attendees. This helps ensure that all different types of teachers and educational stakeholders can attend.
• non-commercial and with a vendor free presence: Edcamps should be about learning, not selling. Educators should feel free to express their ideas without being swayed or influenced by sales pitches for educational books or technology.
• hosted by any organization or anyone: Anyone can host an Edcamp. School districts, educational stakeholders, and teams of teachers have hosted Edcamps. YOU could be the next Edcamp organizer!
• made up of sessions that are determined on the day of the event: Edcamps do not have scheduled presentations. During the morning of the event, the schedule is created in conjunction with everyone there. I know it sounds crazy, but it works! Sessions end up being spontaneous, interactive, and responsive to participants’ needs.
• events where anyone who attends can be a presenter: Anyone who attends an Edcamp is able to be a presenter. All teachers and educational stakeholders are viewed as professionals worthy of sharing their expertise in a collaborative setting.
• reliant on the law of two feet that encourages participants to find a session that meets their needs: As anyone can host a session, it is critical that participants can actively self-select the best content and sessions. Edcampers are encouraged to leave sessions that do not meet their needs. This provides a uniquely effective way of “weeding out” sessions that are not based on appropriate research or not delivered in an engaging format.

Edcamp.org continues to write:

Edcamps were founded when a group of teachers, including me, were inspired by a local Barcamp unconference on computer programming. Since the first Edcamp was held in Philadelphia in May 2010, over 50 Edcamps have been held by teachers in the United States, Chile, and Sweeden. (Interested in holding your own Edcamp? Visit the Edcamp wiki at http://edcamp.wikispaces.com)

Teachers and educational stakeholders are using this format to start meaningful conversations about their work. Social media, including blogs, Twitter, and Facebook, have served to continue the conversation in online spaces as well. Professional reflection, application, and evaluation abound.

Lately, Edcamps have received some criticism due to the interactive, unpredictable format. How can you guarantee that every Edcamp session is based on the latest research? Quite simply, you can’t. Edcamps should be used as one meaningful item on the professional development menu. There will always be a place for traditional professional development to ensure that faculties are using the latest research and effectively employing the most fundamental strategies purported by the educational organization. However, using the Edcamp format to honor teachers’ expertise and provide interactive learning opportunities is a worthy process.

Edcamps strive to provide space for teachers to learn from each other. They give everyone a voice and a forum to explore new ideas and strategies.

What's a PSA?

What is a PSA?

A PSA is a Provincial Specialist Associations and it is an excellent way to connect with colleagues in a particular specialty area.

While there is currently no "TTOC" PSA (I would love to see that change in the future!!!) PSAs provide conferences, PRO D opportunities, newsletters and support for teachers. Every October there is a PSA Pro D Day where conferences and workshops are available.

PSA memberships are available to TTOCs and the first one is free! Additionally, ProD funds can help cover any conference fees etc. If you teach in Coquitlam call the CTA for details!

Due to the changing demographics of TTOCs and the number of TTOCs that are career TTOCs, TTOCs by choice, or awaiting conversion/contracts but spend more time as a TTOC than what used to be the norm, I think a TTOC PSA would be amazing! I am interested in learning more about how to get one started, so if you or a TTOC you know is interested, let me know!

Here is a list of the PSAs you can join:

Name	Description
ABCDE	Association of BC Drama Educators
AEA	Aboriginal Education Association (formerly known as First Nations Education Association FNEA)
AEGTCCBC	Association for Educators of Gifted, Talented and Creative Children in BC
AEPSA	Adult Educators’ Provincial Specialist Association
APPIPC	Association Provinciale des Professeurs d’Immersion et du Programme Francophone
BCAEA	BC Alternate Education Association
BCAMT	BC Association of Mathematics Teachers
BCATA	BC Art Teachers’ Association
BCATML	BC Association of Teachers of Modern Languages
BCBEA	BC Business Education Association
BCCASA	BC Culinary Arts Specialist Association
BCCLA	BC Co-operative Learning Association
BCDEA	BC Dance Educators’ Association
BCEDL	BC Educators For Distributed Learning: Hospital/Homebound & Distance Education Teachers
BCMEA	BC Music Educators’ Association
BCPTA	BC Primary Teachers’ Association
BCRSSTA	BC Rural & Small Schools Teachers’ Association
BCSCA	BC School Counsellors’ Association
BCScTA	BC Science Teachers’ Association
BCSSTA	BC Social Studies Teachers’ Association
BCTEA	BC Technology Education Association
BCTELA	BC Teachers of English Language Arts
BCTLA	BC Teacher-Librarians’ Association
CUEBC	Computer-Using Educators of BC
EEPSA	Environmental Educators’ Provincial Specialist Association
ESLPSA	English as a Second Language Provincial Specialist Association
LATA	Learning Assistance Teachers’ Association
PAGE	B.C. Teachers for Peace and Global Education
PEBC	Physical Education Teachers of BC
PITA	Provincial Intermediate Teachers’ Association
SEA	Special Education Association
THESA	Teachers of Home Economics Specialist Association

Some new resources

I try not to spend a lot of money on resources. As a TTOC I don't know what grade level or subject area I will eventually end up in, so I try not to spend a lot of money on resources, but today at the BCTF New Teachers Conference there were some items I had to have.

At Artel's table, I bought some new smelly stickers. Smelly stickers are "My thing" I love them and give them out, usually in students agenda books, when I go into TTOC. Students love them and I often hear from their classroom teachers how much they love my smelly stickers. I am stocked up for after Spring Break with some cool new scents such as banana, bubblegum, apple, popcorn, blueberry, peach, tutti frutti and even DIRT!!

Barefoot Books had a table and I got a new book with cd Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush".

This book is amazing. It has a c.d. done by Fred Penner and the book explores how children from Mali, Europe, India and China do their morning routines. It's a great way to explore other cultures, morning routines, and music. They had some other great books, but again, on a TTOC budget I probably over spent... but there were a lot of free resources I got too... but I will get to that.

Lastly, bought yoga pretzel cards. I am so excited to use these in the classroom as well as at home.

My daughter loves yoga and as a TTOC I have done chair aerobics with classes, but think these fun yoga cards will be very useful. I am also ways looking for new DPA activities that I can do when I go in for a day with a new class.

Speaking of DPA acticvities, Action Schools BC was there and had a ton of amazing resources. This is the bag, books and bean bags they gave me:

They also did a workshop and everyone got an amazing kit with even more resources. I plan to book them for TTOCs in my local. Everyone gets a bag of stuff and leaves with a ton of ideas to use in the classroom - it is so great for TTOCs. I can't wait!

Some other free resources I got include:

From BC Art Teachers' Association - Collections of Lesson Ideas in spiral bound books.

From the BC Socials Studies Teachers' Association - a large map, a ton of handouts and lesson plan ideas.

From FAST (Fighting Antisemitism Together) - 'Choose Your Voice' Teacher's Guide and dvd

From Parks Canada - a number of resources and pamphlets for field trips and class games and projects.


From Poetry in Voice - 'Recitation Contest' Teacher's Guide with some absolutely amazing lesson plans and examples as well as details on preparing for the poetry competition. I strongly encourage you to check out their website: Poetry in Voice.

From CPF (Canadian Parents for French) - posters and pamphlets, which I especially enjoyed as my daughter is in French Immersion.

From the BCSCA (BC School Counsellors' Association) - stress relief squeeze "hearts" and 'Friends for Life' workbooks which I have used before and absolutely love using with students.

There was a lot more but I don't recall which tables and I don't have the items close enough at the moment to look through but a usb flash drive, pens, pencils, and a lot of lesson plan one-pagers. So useful!

I honestly hope more new teachers and TTOCs consider going to the BCTF New Teachers' Conference again next year - It was absolutely amazing!

Read more about the conference here.

New Teacher Conference 2012

I spent yesterday and today at the BCTF New Teacher Conference.

I attend a lot of conferences and I have to say this one is one of the most enjoyable. The conference is attended by a lot of Student Teachers as well as new teachers and TTOCs. There are a number of workshops to choose from and exhibitors tables to browse. Although some TTOCs complained the workshops seemed overly tailored to Student Teachers, others thought they were just perfect for any new teacher.

There was a diversity of workshops offered and tons of freebies and resources.

I was one of the reps manning the TTOC AC Table and we had an acronym sheet to help new teachers understand what all the letters being thrown around meant. We also had "Proud to be a Teacher" buttons and information for TTOCs in BC.

Today we had a spin wheel where teachers could spin and get a prize. We would ask a trivia question related to TTOCs and then they would get some BCTF Swag (touque, ruler, t-shirt, bag, etc.)

Even if they got the question wrong, they seemed appreciative if the knowledge and eager to learn more.

There were lot's of awesome free resources as well as some for sale. I came home with a ton of new resources, which I talk about here.

It was nice to see so many optimistic, energetic, new teachers and
student teachers. I really encourage new teachers and TTOCs to check out the BCTF New Teachers' Conference next year!