ObservationsReflections
The Composition 12 class did a poetry-writing activity that got them practising safely with prompts. Several first lines of poems were written on the whiteboard. Students wrote the second part of a chosen poem prompt on sticky notes and then stuck the notes onto the board. My mentor teacher read these out anonymously. He read the poems in a positive tone and acknowledged the humour of the silly ones. He didn’t criticize or give feedback for this formative diagnostic assessment. The goal was just to get students to start writing and have a positive experience sharing poetry.This is a positive experience because students get to practise, take risks, and try something relatively new without the fear of being judged by peers.

They watched Pride and Prejudice during this class. I notice that he watches a lot of movies with them.

He paused the movie after the first act (which aligns with the first act of the book.) He pointed out how Jane Austen managed to set up and introduce all of her characters in the first act.		I think the purpose behind this is to get through more literature while also reading other books. Reading a book can take weeks while watching a movie takes 1-2 classes, depending on how long the block is. I like how he paused the movie throughout and pointed to points of the plot that Jane Austen used. He looked at the literary elements written by the original author more than the filming and theatrical choices of the directors.

Telling students about Jane Austen’s setup in the first act also shows them an example of how to create an introducing act in their work. He said that authors do not have to introduce all/most main characters at the beginning, but writing like this creates momentum and context to move the story forward.
He asked, “Which of the seven story types is Pride and Prejudice?”This is an act of connecting content from previous classes to current classes. It teaches students how all of the learning is related, and it shows them a way they can use their learning to apply to other contexts.

I liked his reasoning for explaining the story types. He says that nearly every story lies in one of these types. To make a story stronger, it can be good to be aware of the type it lies under so the writing can go in that direction more intentionally. The story doesn’t accidentally arrive at a destination as much. The Comp 12 students are writing short stories this semester, so knowledge of the story types will strengthen their work and provide them with direction. Story-writing is daunting! Having a sense of structure informs writers about the direction they can bring their work.
My mentor teacher commented on Austen’s way of giving each of her characters very different emotions in this opening act. This adds dynamics to a story.

He said authors can create strong, varying emotions by knowing what each character wants. When you know each character’s desires and needs, it is easy to build up their emotion.		I like that he knows his content well and understands why it is meaningful. In EDUC 401, my professor said that “if a lesson isn’t meaningful to the teacher, it can’t be meaningful to students.” I see this emphasis in my field experience. The teacher seems to find everything he talks about valuable and ponders related questions and insights from students deeply. I can tell he is not faking his way through the lesson to get through the day. His practice is important to him.

In this specific observation, I see his value for the content in the way he admires Austen’s style and tells students how they can replicate the technique when they write.
He asked, “What do you think the symbolism is when the footmen cover the furniture in Bingley’s house with sheets?” Students gave several answers and settled on the metaphor of the death of a possible marriage.I like the way he asks open-ended questions that encourage deep thinking. This meets reasoning targets rather than recalling information in questions for knowledge targets. Students think for themselves about what the symbolism could be.

Additionally, answering this question gives the teacher informal formative information about students’ understanding of knowledge targets. If they know what the literary device of symbolism is, their answer to this question will reveal that knowledge. If students give answers that reveal they misunderstand what a symbol is, the teacher knows he will have to reteach symbolism or have a more formal formative assessment later that shows him which specific students have a gap in understanding. Then he can reteach or give a quick explanation through feedback for the struggling students instead of the whole class.

Because symbolism is a single term that can be explained relatively quickly, I would probably use the former option of reteaching everyone. I might even reteach the definition right there when the misconception is first made if it can be done in a way that is not embarrassing for the student. Then confusion is addressed so students do not solidify a belief about this incorrect information. Problems like this tend to be easier to redirect when they first happen rather than later on.
He explained the learning technique of “GO GO MO.” This stands for “Give One, Get One, Move on.” It is a way of learning facts about a topic with movement and student involvement. Each student is given a printed fact about a topic. They find a partner, share their fact, listen to the other’s fact, switch papers, and then move on to a new partner.I like activities that bring movement to the classroom. It makes the content more memorable when their bodies are involved in the learning, and slight exercise gets air to their minds that helps them think more clearly.

Additionally, this exercise involves repetition and vocalizing information. As they hear and say facts that circulate the room, this activity helps build memory and a collection of information about a topic.

I want to try this someday! It is an engaging way of spreading information. it gives a break from lecturing.
Another movement activity he mentioned is gallery walks. This is when students hang their work around the classroom. Others walk around reading the work, then leave sticky notes by them with observations. They say what they notice, like, or other forms of feedback.Gallery walks remind me of art critiques I did in my Studio Art minor! One critique style that often happened was leaving sticky notes beside others’ work. We would write notes based on a prompt.

I like that gallery walks can be implemented into other school subjects. It’s another way of having movement, and students are involved in each other’s creation process. This connects to Indigenous principles of learning because learning is communal, focused on connectedness, and reciprocal. Students are responsible for not only their own learning, but also the learning of others in the learning environment (FPPOL).