Youtube Video Tour

Here is the link to a video tour of my blog which I recorded using Screencast-O-matic. Give it a watch to find out more!

Video tour of my blog!

Mind Shift

Here is the link to an educational blog I have engaged with regarding a shift in the way we see children struggling with Mathematics.

Seeing struggling Maths learners as 'Sense Makers', not 'Mistake makers'.

Google Classroom - Mind Blowing!!

At the school where I am doing my practice teaching, they are busy training their staff to use Google, Gmail and Google classroom. I found this training extremely beneficial as I learned how to integrate Google into the everyday life and tasks of a teacher. These training sessions were held on Friday afternoons. We covered Gmail and Google Calendar and how it can be used effectively in communication with parents and the rest of the staff; Google docs and the three ways of working with them – Editing, Suggesting and viewing; integrating Google forms into the classroom as well as how to work with and successfully maintain Google classroom.

Google Classroom can be compared to Edmodo which is a great system that makes all things ‘school’ much easier and organised. From admin to class work and test scores. I would really like to get started with Google Classroom, however, I cannot create an account unless I have a Google Apps for Education account and I cannot do this unless I am part of an educational institution. This is a problem as I am not yet employed by an institution but would really like to explore the possibilities so that I am aware and educated on the possibilities before I get involved in an institution.

The Google Classroom is a safe learning environment for learners to be focused in one area and not, for example, on a website like Youtube where they can be easily distracted by other possibly disturbing links. In this forum you can post announcements as well as assignments that will be sent directly to the learners. It’s a great way to ensure the learners have a backup and digital version of all the worksheets and information. Working with learners in a Google Classroom also gives you the opportunity to indirectly teach the learners to address people in the correct way as well as teach them to punctuate their wtiting correctly – both very important communication skills. Google Feedback is incredibly helpful and at the click of a button you can ask questions or ask for certain features to be implemented and if they are effective and enough people ask for it, the Google Classroom developers will develop it.

On a document when a teacher makes a comment on a learner’s writing for them to correct grammar etc., the learner has to click on the comment and engage with it in order to continue. The teacher can also see whether the comments have been engaged with or not. In Google Classroom, the teacher who creates the document or file, owns the file and can look at and access it at any point. This is great because the learner does not own the file and cannot ‘forget’ to send it back to the teacher or get away with not completing the work.

All these features are amazing and there are few disadvantages once in use, however, the one negative point that needs to be mentioned is that to set up these features takes time and quite a bit of admin, such as teaching the learners how to use it and how to submit assignments etc.

Teach100 gets 10/10!

Wow! What a discovery. Teach100 is an educational blogging website that makes accessing information easy-peasy! They have a ranking system (to easily see whats the most popular topic at present) of many educational blogs that answer some of the burning questions and address many hot topics around today's education of the youth. It is definitely worth checking out when you have a chance and are sitting with a nice cuppa ready to get an information update!

Practice makes Perfect!

My teaching practice has been the most amazing experience! I have learned so much by actually being in the classroom and interacting with the learners. I feel like I have gotten to know the learners in my class and it is going to be heart breaking when I have to leave the school to go back to varsity. I have made good use of Ted Ed as the videos, even though they do not always have videos on the topics I am teaching, they are still extremely educational and explain in language that can be easily understood by the learners.

Having an impact on these young people lives is wonderful and I feel a great amount of responsibility because of this. Encouraging them to break their barriers put up by fear or previous experiences and to learn from their mistakes is so important and seeing their growth is incredibly rewarding!

Teach it! An Educational Gold Mine

Being involved in a teaching practical this term, I am always on the look out for useful resources, websites, apps and activities to use in my lessons. I have found Teach it website extremely useful! It has extensive resources for all ages in the main learning areas. The resources they offer are also varied as you will be able to find worksheets, interactive resources, powerpoints as well as posters on many topics. It also has a 'share' function where teachers can share their resources for worldwide use. You will have to create an account, free of charge, for limited access to some resources or pay a fee if you wish to have unlimited access to the resources available. 

Interesting Article about ADHD

I came across this article that someone shared on Facebook and found it interesting to read the different views researchers have on this 'disorder'. It is definitely something that I as a soon-to-be teacher need to consider as according to the stats, the chances are high that I will have at least one child in my class with ADHD. I feel very strongly in agreement with the first ted talk in this article by Stephen Tonti as he states that people with ADHD are cognitively different and it should not be labelled as having a disorder. Worth a watch and a read! (link to the article found below)

ADHD article and video clips

Pin-tastic!

Here is the link to my Pinterest page where I have boards for many topics including teaching ideas, quotes, art and more!https://www.pinterest.com/kimblackhurst7/

Passion for Education!

Worth a watch! Love the passion she has for education.

Majoring in Mathematics and Natural Sciences, I have an interest in improving Maths and Science education in our country. I am, however, keen to get some educational experience in other countries where I can learn different strategies (that may be proven to be more successful) and then be able to apply them to my teaching back in South Africa. Any suggestions on whether this is a good idea or whether I should rather focus on starting my teaching career in SA and gaining experience with our curriculum etc?