I think the future of education belongs in nature. I made this AI image with that in mind and I really like it. It reminds me of an image pulled right out of a storybook, it’s a magical scene.
It’s important to remember how magical education is, and by bringing nature into the curriculum we can reinvigorate our classroom.
There is a quote I heard once and have never forgotten. This quote guides my learning and what type of teacher I want to be, and I would like to leave this class with this in mind.
“We teach you the rules, so you can break them properly”
At the beginning of this project, I expected it to be an opportunity for me to interview my friends about the art they do but it didn’t turn out like that at all. Instead, I took a new form of art every week and explored it on my own.
Throughout the assignment, I have learned a few lessons.
Lesson 1: You don’t need to be good at something to enjoy it.
There are lots of things I like doing that I am not necessarily super good at. Throughout this assignment, I appreciated having the chance to try new activities or show off a craft I enjoy doing. For example, I don’t think I am necessarily very good at sculpture, but it is so fun to do! I enjoyed getting my hand dirty and crafting in a new way. It also encouraged me to try new things in the future, without caring if I’m “good enough” at them.
Lesson 2: Digital collage is actually pretty fun.
Throughout this course, I have made three digital collages, two with PowerPoint and one with Canva. I really enjoy it, and although I don’t think I will make a full transition to digital collage, I will certainly revisit this medium in the future. It has a lot of different aspects (like changing the tone/colour) that I can’t do with paper collage. But, I do miss the texture of multimedia. Here are my creations.
Made with PowerPointMade with CanvaMade with PowerPoint
Lesson 3: I need a new chair.
I’ve been using a dining room chair as my desk chair. I do my homework and all my crafting in this pretty uncomfortable chair. I think I might try and get some kind of cushy chair topper that helps me keep my back straight. It gets really painful after a while, and I needed to stop working a few times just to switch up my position. Good thing the holidays are coming up!
In conclusion.
I had a lot of fun during this assignment, it gave me the chance to do some activities that I love for school. It also acted as a nice break from regular reflections and assignments. I would like to end this post with a quote from my mom. She has said this to me many times and it’s something I keep in my mind often.
Mistakes are only opportunities for embellishment.
This week, I’ve been having a hard time with my art projects. Two days in a row my projects didn’t work out and I began to feel really frustrated. I made an audio recording that explains what I tried to do (see below), but the main lesson I learned is that sometimes it’s good to go back to the basics.
So I chose to paint my nails. Like I said in my audio clip I’ve been painting my nails for many years and I find it really calming. Here is a picture of the outcome. And a few pictures of my many embroidery attempts.
A photo of my supplies, when I had high hopes.Here is the design I had planned. Tip: I use a Frixion felt marker to draw on the pattern. It comes right off with heat. And an example of my stitches. I did try more after, but they got progressively worse.Finally, my painted nails.
This week was a good reminder that sometimes things do go wrong, and that’s okay.
I feel way out of my depth when it comes to coding. I was hoping that our lecture today would show me how I can incorporate coding into my classroom, but I still don’t feel like I could. There is so much lingo and information that I felt lost.
Often, when there is a large topic I really don’t understand, I look to see if Crash Course has a video or playlist available, and in this case, I’m right!
The only time I have done any coding is with Twine. About a month and a half ago in my Multiliteracies class, I was introduced to Twine. Twine is a platform that uses simple coding to create a choose-your-adventure style story. During that workshop, I started to write a story featuring a Dungeons and Dragons character I play named Wilco. When I could use coding in a minimal way, and create a story about a character already love, it made it much more accessible. I’ve added to the story and attached the link to the Twine here.
All in all, I think I need to become more comfortable with coding before I can think to bring it into a French class. So I better get started on that playlist now. 😉
P.S. If you want to learn more about world-building, check out my post on World Anvil in my Free Inquiry category.
I love dressing up. There is nothing like a well-constructed dress to make me feel great for the rest of the day. But I didn’t fall in love with clothing until I started dating my current partner, and he took me into the world of thrifting. I had bought some clothes second-hand before nothing like him. He taught me all sorts of tips and tricks and now, almost six years later, nearly my entire wardrobe is second-hand.
Perks of being a thrifter.
Buying second-hand has many perks. First off, it’s way cheaper. I am able to buy much nicer, higher quality clothes in a thrift shop than I ever could in a store new. One problem I hear many people complain about when they go thrifting is that they can never find anything, which I understand. It’s hit or miss sometimes. But I have grown to love the hunt, I am completely addicted to the feeling of finding something beautiful at a fraction of the cost.
Buying second-hand is also a much more sustainable way to shop. If you are a consumer who wants to buy clothes new but also wants to shop sustainably, you have to be willing to dig deep into your pockets. And there is nothing wrong with that. One of my favourite pieces that I bought new is a coat from BC brand Anian, a “circular fashion company” that repurposes old materials into new clothes. And although companies like Anian may be sustainable for the environment, they are not sustainable for my bank account. Which is why I love thrifting.
The tough parts.
Thrifting can be more work though. It takes time to riffle through racks of clothes filled with blouses only your grandmother would wear, and with thrifting becoming so popular it gets harder to find things. Thrifting can also be a challenge for sizes. I am fortunate that I can almost always find things in my size, except for shoes. Shoes are one of the things I usually buy new, simply because my size isn’t very common.
Also, when I buy pieces second-hand, I sometimes need to do some minor adjustments. Whether a pair of pants need to be taken in or a button replaced, this also takes time. But these adjustments allow me to get to know the piece better. I get to explore it, mend it, and really make it mine.
An example.
So let’s get into it. Last Tuesday I went to a clothing swap with some of my friends, (we all bring clothes we are no longer wearing and trade) and I picked up two coats when I was there. On one the lining was completely ripped and was missing a button, and the other had shoulder pads. I also have one of my partner’s shirts that has a larger rip up the back that I will mend.
On coat number one I removed the liner, I am not sure if I plan to replace it or not, but for now, I am going to leave it. I also replaced all the buttons with these gold ones I found at the Button & Needlework Boutique in Trounce Alley downtown Victora. The owner of the store told me they were from Czechia and I just happened to pick ones that were 50% off (score!).
My partners’ shirt was easy to sew up by hand, but it took a lot of time. I used an embroidery hoop to keep everything in place while I sewed. I think it turned out pretty well! There’s a small hole I still need to fix, but I will do that once I find a nice patch.
Here’s the end result.
In conclusion.
I think it is important to take care of the things we have, and take the opportunity to use art to upcycle old things and make them our own. New clothing takes a massive hit on our Earth, so why not try shopping second-hand!
Today in class we were fortunate to have Chantelle Morvay zoom in to talk to us about technology and accessibility in schools. She is the secretary for BC EdAccess, a volunteer-run organization that supports learners and the parents of learners with learning disabilities and exceptionalities. As of now, they have over 5000 members all across BC.
One part that really stuck out to me from the presentation was the discussion of accessing supports for students. She mentioned the challenge of getting psycho-educational assessments for students. Either they need to cross their fingers and hope they are chosen from the school or cough up the 3000 dollars to have it done themselves.
I was also shocked to hear about how many ways and how frequently students with disabilities are excluded from school. It seems so insane that in this day and age somehow schools and districts are able to get away with overt discrimination based on ability. In particular, because of some of the ways students are excluded seems to be an easy fix. But even if it wasn’t, it is part of the Professional Standards for BC Educators that we “respect and value the diversity in (our) their classrooms, schools, and communities.” So I do not understand how parents are not provided with the information necessary to ensure their child is safe at school. Or that a student could be excluded from a class because the materials are not adapted.
With all that said, I am excited to see how we as new teachers can ensure everyone under our care is receiving inclusive education. Below is a Ted Talk by Shelley Moore called “The Importance of Assuming Competence”. She also has several shorter videos about inclusive education that are linked below.
I’ve made another attempt at a craft video tutorial! Although I still need to work on my framing (apologies in advance), I think it turned out fairly well. Check it out below.
At work, I tutor international students who are learning English while completing the IB program. Despite the fact I have been learning a second language since I was 12, I have gained a new appreciation for how challenging language learning is. The students I tutor complete all of their classes in English, so they are doing twice the work in every class. So I think it is important to remind them that learning a new language doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, it can open you up to new cultures, stories, and worlds.
In my undergraduate degree I completed a minor in Film Studies, and I plan to use film and TV regularly in my classroom. I think it is a fantastic way to bring different dialects, and cultures into the language classroom. But one problem that comes up is what language to put the subtitles in. If I use subtitles in the students’ first language, students will simply read that and not be able to make the connection between the two languages. On the other hand, if it is in the same language as the film, they may not understand the film. That’s where Language Reactor, a Chrome extension comes into play.
Language Reactor will pop up in Netflix and provide both the translation language (language the viewer speaks fluently) and the Netflix subtitle language (the language the viewer is learning) simultaneously. This allows the viewer to make direct connections between both languages while still understanding what is happening. But Language Reactor is so much more powerful that than. The viewer can also click on any word and get a direct translation, hear it out loud, and save it for later.
Here is a video that shows this awesome resource in action.
I am currently working as a tutor for a school that has many international students. Although I help them with any homework they may have, we mostly work on their English. This past weekend I was working with a student on a Science 10 assignment about force. Now I like to think I remember my Science 10 fairly well, but I’d be lying if I said I needed a bit of a refresher. What was so fantastic about this assignment is that it was supported by an online simulator. This was so helpful because we didn’t need to have a shared language to understand. The clear representation of force made the assignment more accessible to her.
Here is the link to the force simulator. https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/forces-and-motion-basics/latest/forces-and-motion-basics_en.html
This ties into today’s discussion in class about the multimedia learning hypothesis. My teachable is French, and one technique for language learning is to reduce as much of the students’ first language as possible. One way this can be achieved is by showing images instead of translation. For example, if a student asks what fromage means, we can show them an image of cheese, instead of saying cheese.
Here is a vocabulary sheet I made on Canva to help with vocabulary about travel!
