Jérôme Plamondon Portfolio Project Year 4

EVALUATION FORMCheck as appropriate: __ Year 1, __ Year 2, _ Year 3, X Year 4.

Categories Indicate exactly what you are claiming points for (e.g. Speaq conference, article in student newspaper, study abroad in University X)

Points

I. ONGOING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Association memberships

Attendance at conferencesPed day Participated during my fourth practicum 10Subscription - journalsOther

II. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENTApeal Student AssociationSPEAQ Campus Receipts 20Volunteer (other than teaching L2/school subject)

Other

III. TEACHINGReflective practice Effective Strategies to Maximize the Use of English

Classroom Management

10

10Teaching experience

Materials development (tried out)

Create your own SuperheroThe Survival GameWebquest: http://jeromep.web44.net/myfavoritevillain.html

202020

Materials development (not tried out)Website created for class http://eslteachermrjerome.weebly.com/ 30Confirmation of teaching

OtherIV. LANGUAGE/ CULTURE

Study abroadOther

V. RESEARCH

VI. AWARDS

VII. WORK EXPERIENCE(other than teaching L2/other subject)

Summer job at Centre Jardin Gérard Bourbeau et Fils. (120 hours and more)

30

EVALUATION FORM/ REFLECTIVE ANALYSIS

Year 4 30

Webfolio Year 4 50

Reflective Analysis

Compétence 1: Agir en tant que professionnel héritier, critique et interprète d’objets de savoirs ou de culture dans l’exercice de ses fonctions.Comments: Being 36 years old, my own time spent in school is way behind me. Thus I feel somewhat disconnected from the reality of the teenagers now attending high schools. For that reason, during my fourth practicum, I invested the necessary efforts in order to become more familiar whit their culture to be able to target their interests more efficiently.Compétence 2: Communiquer clairement et correctement dans la langue d’enseignement, à l’oral et à l’écrit, dans les divers contextes liés à la profession enseignante.Comments: During my fourth practicum, I spoke English 100% of the time in my classroom. Consequently, I learned that it’s not the students’ fault if they do not understand me but rather the words I use. When that occurs, I need to find other ways in order to be understood without using French. I also made sure to use proper French when interacting with the school staff.Compétence 3: Concevoir des situations d’enseignement/ apprentissage pour les contenus à faire apprendre et ce, en fonction des élèves concernés et du développement visées par le programme de formation.Comments: At her demand, I had to follow my associated teacher’s program as much as I could and in the same manner which means that I had to finish a unit before starting another one. She also wanted me to keep up with her in order to have all our groups at the same point. Moreover, the topic of most LESs were respecting their cultural interests.Compétence 4: Piloter des situations d’enseignement/ apprentissage pour des contenus à faire apprendre et ce, en fonction des élèves concernés et du développement des compétences visées dans le programme de formation.Comments: At the beginning of the stage, one of my goals was to create a classroom atmosphere that would encourage learning by conducting periods in a fun manner. Thus I proposed many team works and I conducted activities which were forcing students to interact between themselves.Compétence 5: Évaluer la progression des apprentissages et le degré d’acquisition des compétences des élèves pour les contenus à faire apprendre.Comments: In this practicum, I was able to really apply differentiation and take action accordingly. After one month, I knew all my students’ strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, I was able to intervene and provide the support needed for students in difficulty.Compétence 6: Planifier, organiser et superviser le mode de fonctionnement du groupe d’élève en vue de favoriser l’apprentissage et la socialisation des élèves.Comments: I gradually became familiar with the « Code de vie » of the school in which I was evolving. I made sure to have a good knowledge of their philosophies on all matters.Compétence 7: Adapter ses interventions aux besoins et aux caractéristiques des élèves présentant des difficultés d’apprentissage, d’adaptation ou un handicap.Comments: La Camaradière is a school with a great diversity of students. They come from all over the city and from many different ethnic groups. Therefore, it was important to adapt my approaches depending on the situation. I also had a secondary 3 kid in a wheelchair. I made sure to remove the chair at his desk at the beginning of each period so he didn’t have to do that himself.Compétence 8: Intégrer les technologies de l’information et des communications aux fins de préparation et de pilotage d’activités d’enseignement apprentissage, de gestion de l’enseignement et de développement professionnel.Comments: Unfortunately, besides the classic computer lab, I did not have a smartboard in my classroom.Compétence 9. Coopérer avec l’équipe-école, les parents, les différents partenaires sociaux et les élèves en vue de l’atteinte des objectifs éducatifs de l’école.Comments: I understand that it is essential to be informed as much as one can on students’ particularities in advance in order to avoid bad surprises and to act accordingly.Compétence 10. Travailler de concert avec les membres de l’équipe pédagogique à la réalisation des tâches permettant le développement et l’évaluation des compétences visées dans le programme de formation, et ce, en fonction des élèves concernés.Comments: I had to attend a meeting in which the staff discuss and vote for school rules. It was very interesting to assist to such a reunion in which many ideas and strategies are discussed. I also attended a meeting in which the mother of a troubled student was present to discuss her child’s situation.

Compétence 11: S’engager dans une démarche individuelle et collective de développement personnel et professionnel.

Comments: As mentioned above, during my practicum, I informed myself about students particularities and about the « Code de vie » of the school. I also read each intervention plans many times.Compétence 12: Agir de façon éthique et responsable dans l’exercice de ses fonctions.Comments: I strongly believe that I acted ethically, maturely and professionally throughout my practicum.

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Maximizing the Use of English (Practicum IV)

IntroductionIn this project I will explain how maximization of the use of English in regular classes at the secondary

level is a tough challenge and how the systems and strategies needed to achieve it have to be implemented right at the beginning of the year in order to be as efficient as possible. But first, let me establish in which context my fourth practicum occurred: I was associated with a female teacher who counts 25 years of experience in teaching English. She has been teaching secondary 3 and 5 students for the last fifteen years at l’école secondaire La Camaradière (Commission scolaire de la Capitale). The socio-economic background of her/my students is all over the place. Indeed, since the school is located in a middle-class neighbourhood, the students attending it come from all three socio-economic levels (low-class, middle-class and high-class) as well as from many different ethnic groups. I had the chance to inherit three of my associated teacher (AT) groups (out of seven), one of secondary 3 and two of secondary 5, all regular. On a cycle of nine days, each group has four periods of English so I would see all of them two, sometimes three times a week. Textbooks were available for the secondary three level, they are called: “Connecting to English”. As for the secondary 5 level, even though textbooks and resources are available, my AT doesn’t use them, she prefers to use her own material and LES’s that she created herself, although she spoke to me about starting to use them eventually. Following are the factors that facilitated my task of maximizing the use of English throughout my practicum: my AT’s attitude to the use of the target language as well as the attitude of the other English teachers in the school. Indeed, I was impressed by their professionalism and consistency toward the use of English. Basically, none of them ever speak French to their students in or outside of class. Thus, when our students get to sec. 3, they already know about the school culture regarding English class and they are mentally prepared to hear and speak English only. Another factor which helped a lot is the fact that this year’s sec. 3 students are the first cohort to receive English classes from the first grade. Therefore, those students are even more aware and conscious of what goes on in English classrooms and also how to behave and work in them. Analysis of my personal use of English

In this section, I will report the strategies I was using at the beginning and at the end of my practicum to maximize my own use of the English language during class. To do this, I drew from the first part of the completed form A as well as from my own general observations. First, here is an analysis of the percentage of English vs French spoken per activity type: in the first three weeks of the practicum, I estimated that I was using English at 100% of the time with one of my sec. 5 group when I would greet students, give routines instructions, explain how to do an activity (old or new) and while explaining vocabulary words. I would also speak 100% English when doing a pre-activity, when explaining a grammar point and also when I would interact with them during pair work. Classroom management is the only element in which I would use French occasionally. Small routine problems would be dealt in English but when it came to manage more serious problems requiring major interventions, I would automatically switch to French in order to have a greater impact on them. Indeed, at the beginning of the year, my priority was to grasp total control of all my groups in order to spend my energy at the right places throughout the whole practicum by having the students know my

personal limits. I remember an event which occurred at the second period of the year when a student muttered an insult toward me. I reacted instantly by demanding in French that the student repeat what he had just said, which he didn’t…But the point is, the student was so startled by my reaction (as the rest of the group) that he behaved properly afterward for the rest of my practicum. Thus, the use of French was better in that case in my opinion and the picture I just portrayed can be applied to the rest of my groups except that a C1 self-evaluation strategy was not used right from the beginning of the year with our sec.3 groups but this will be discussed in more depth further down the text.

Toward the end of my practicum, everything had improved. I would never speak French at all during whole classes. That was due to the fact that the only occasions I was speaking French at the beginning were during major classroom management interventions which were reduced to none at the end. I had managed to achieve my goal of having total control of my groups, discipline wise. Therefore, I would never use French in any cases, except when meeting students outside my classroom. As I explained in the forum, Maximizing the use of English at all times in the school is indeed a good way to have students speak English as much as possible, but what about the human side of our job? Personally, I believe that speaking English full-time in the classroom is mandatory and essential. Although, once I am in the halls, I will allow them to speak to me in French and I will speak French to them also. The reasons are simple, kids are not stupid, they know you can speak French and some of them may not speak to you at all if they know you are not willing to speak French with them at any time. I think that puts a barrier between us and our students to always play the role of the English teacher. Yes our primary role is to teach English, in the classroom. In the halls, I believe that the social role of our job should take over in order to create another kind of bond with the students. That way, they know they can stop us in the hall to speak to us about other matters comfortably, without feeling the pressure of speaking English.

Analysis of my students’ use of English during whole class or pair-group activitiesIn this section, I will report the strategies I was using at the beginning and at the end of my practicum to

maximize my students’ use of the English language during whole class or pair-group activities. To do this, I drew from part II and III of the completed form A as well as from my own general observations. I found that engaging students in English interactions, either when they would speak to me or to each other rather difficult at the beginning of the year. I think it might be due to the fact that it takes a while for students to get off the summer mode or maybe simply because at the beginning of the year, I was only a student-teacher to them. In any case, I would remind them of the C1 self-evaluation conducted at the end of each period and tell them that if they want points, I need to hear them speak English to me and to each other. Hence, here is a reflection on how I reacted to the use of French: when a student would ask me a question in French, I would never answer back in French. I would also tell the student that I didn’t understand his/her question as long as it wasn’t asked in English. Furthermore, I would never speak to students in French during group work and I would always remind them to speak in English if I heard some speak French to each other.

Second, here is a general reflection on the strategies I used to maximize the use of English in my class: at the beginning of the year, I discussed two rules with the students in regards of the use of English. The first one was the “No French Zone” poster on the classroom door. It was very visible as they first entered the classroom and it only served to remind them of that fact. The second rule was the C1 self-evaluation sheet mentioned above: At the end of each period, the students rate their own use of English on a printed list of the whole class. Beside their name, with colouring markers, they put green if they spoke over 90% of the time in English, yellow if they spoke 50/50 and red if they didn't spoke English at all. At the end of the term, we compile the results: green means a grade between 80% and 100%. Yellow: between 60% and 80% and red: 60% and lower. All specifications are clear. They know what they need to do in order to get green. It includes participation and interaction with the teacher as well as speaking English to each other while doing cooperative work (which represents 95% of the tasks for sec. 5 students). They also know that I have a veto right on the colour they choose. If a student uses green when I heard him/her speak French most of the time (we circulate in the class to check that out), I take the liberty to change the colour to yellow or red. Regarding that, I also tell them that it represents a test in honesty. I tell them to be fair game to respect their classmates.

More strategies were used to increase the students’ use of English in the classroom: I would often refer the students to functional language regarding specific tasks under the form of words on the board, posters on the walls and word lists. I would also remind them to refer to all of their resources, to paraphrase, mime and use notes or keywords during a presentation. Additionally, regarding presentations, I would advise students to use the heads together strategy and I would give them practice time in class as well as encourage them to practice at home. Correcting students’ errors was also part of my routine. When I heard a student make an error, I would often recast and have the student repeat the correct form. I also discussed with all my students how I learned English and why as well as why learning English could be useful to them outside of class. Some reacted positively to this, especially sec. 5 students but some were unimpressed, mostly sec. 3 students.

Toward the end of the practicum, despite progressive improvement in sec. 5 groups, not much had changed regarding the students’ use of English except in the secondary 3 groups. Indeed, as mentioned before and as explained in the forum, the self-evaluation strategy wasn’t implemented right from the start in those groups. Since we didn't use that system with sec. 3 right from the beginning, we got a little resistance when we finally did implement it. But after three classes with the system, scores had greatly improved as almost all the students began to participate orally during class. Plus, we didn't have to ask them to speak English anymore. The problem was only the fact that they weren't getting any points if they spoke English. As soon as they did, things changed a lot. Hence, that is why strategies of that sort should always be implemented right at the beginning of the year with clear instructions and expectations.

ConclusionThus, during my fourth practicum, I realized that maximizing the use of English can be a challenge if the

chosen strategies are not implemented right at the beginning of the year. I also discovered that it is possible to never speak French at all once all discipline problems have been solved and when students learn about your limits and expectations as soon as possible. My future goals are to apply all the strategies I have learned in my pedagogy classes and during all four practicums regarding the maximization of the use of English in class. Although, in order to improve that, I think I should begin to use ongoing evaluation of C1 while circulating in the class and listening to students engaged in pair work in order to have a clearer picture of who speaks English and who does not instead of relying solely on self-evaluations. Also, many different aspects of this project facilitated the reflections offered in this text, especially the form A which had to be filled at the beginning and end of the practicum.

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A Classroom Management Problem:

One can make a Difference

IntroductionIn my report 1, I mentioned the fact that I managed to grasp total control of all my three groups right at

the beginning of the year. I strongly think the main reason why I was successful in achieving that was because I adopted a classroom management strategy which I’ve learned during my third practicum as I was associated to a male teacher who excelled in managing his classrooms. His main strategy is simple: He adopts a really tough and authoritative attitude right from the beginning of each year and after a couple of months, becomes more lenient and pleasant. From his opinion, that is the best way to get good control of our classrooms because doing it the other way around is way too exhausting. Therefore, when I tried it myself during my fourth practicum, I realized that it worked great for me too. However, even though I was successful at applying that method in two of my groups, I didn’t get the expected results in the first two weeks of the practicum in one particular secondary 5 core group and all because of one male student. Indeed, the student who will be my main topic for this project and whom I will name Zachary in order to protect his true identity was a real game changer. Since I cannot pinpoint only one event regarding that student, I chose to tell his story more as a study case than an action research as I will establish the facts, interventions and outcomes as a whole. Then I will offer a reflection which will attempt to support the following thesis statement: Unfortunately, after all things considered, after all efforts have been made to bring a student into the fold and if the situation keeps getting worse and worse, it might actually be a lost case and expulsion from the school becomes the only solution. Sadly as teachers, it seems that we can’t save all of them.

A Classroom Management Problem: Analysis of the “Zachary” Problem Once upon a time, there was a secondary 5 boy named Zachary attending l’école secondaire La

Camaradière in Quebec City. Zachary lost his father as he was a young child. Apparently, as it is indicated in his intervention plan, the man left his family for good when Zachary was 7 or 8 years old leaving the boy alone with his mother. That is the only element in Zachary’s past along with possible psychological disorders which partly explains why he is such a hard student to deal with as a secondary teacher. Not only does he himself offer a real challenge for teachers, he changes the whole dynamic of the group when he is present.

The following is an in-depth analysis of the Zachary problem seen through my eyes as a student-teacher: I was teaching my second class of the year in group 504 when I saw Zachary for the first time. My AT warned me about him before the period. She informed me of the fact that Zachary did not finish last year in the school as he was expelled before finishing his sec. 4. The reason why the school re-accepted him this year is unclear and all I knew is that I would have to deal with him. It is important to mention here that I had a great first period with that group. I connected right away with the students and it was a fun and pleasant first period. Although this time, Zachary is present and is preparing to test my limits which didn’t take too long. As he was absent on the first period of the year, I greeted him and welcomed him in the group. Then he tells me his name is not Zachary and that I should call him “Tonio”. When he said that, the whole class started to laugh. They know him, they knew what he was trying to do, which is to disturb the teacher. So I told him that as long as his name was Zachary on my sheet, that’s how I would call him. He then insisted, saying that Zachary was not his real name. We must have wasted 2 or 3 minutes on that until I told him to stay quiet. He did obey me but I still could feel a big difference in the group dynamic, as if I wasn’t in total control anymore and that Zachary could manifest himself at any moment. I happened to be right. I soon discovered that he was greatly seeking attention from the rest of the class and that he was very energetic. The second episode worthy of telling (because there are too many) is when he cursed at me in French after I asked him to speak English, which he can do brilliantly. That is what is so frustrating with that student: he is very smart and competent, but he uses his intelligence for all the wrong reasons. The third and last event that occurred and that I will share is when he confronted me aggressively and insultingly about a decision I made toward another student. Zachary is always in trouble, he is in trouble so often that he occasionally tries to get other students in trouble too. He also has no real friends, which is very sad in a way. One can’t help but feel pity for him. The people he thinks are his friends are only taking advantage of him for entertainment purposes and that is an important part of the problem at hand. They

laugh at everything he does, even when he’s not even trying to be funny. It is possible to have good periods with Zachary until the others try to “start” him to get a show.

Interventions I already explained what I did when he played with me about his name. Therefore, I will now share what

I did to directly intervene when the other two events occurred. When Zachary cursed at me for asking him to speak English only, I immediately and authoritatively asked him to come with me in the hall. Once there, I stayed in the door frame with the door open so the whole group would hear this. My goal wasn’t to ridicule him in front of the class, far from it. My real intention was to make an example out of him. I then told Zachary with a strong voice to never ever swear at me again. My general non-verbal attitude was also enough to scare him a little bit (in a good way) as well as the rest of the class. The other strong intervention I had to do was when he confronted me about a decision of mine by applauding sarcastically in my face. Since he was trying to put some other kid in trouble who didn’t deserve it at all and since he was insulting, I expelled him from class. As soon as he got out, I heard some students express their own exasperation toward him which indicated that he was losing his fans. I also warned the two or three students who were constantly trying to push his buttons that they would be the ones to get out next time. All I told you about him is only the tip of the iceberg. I had countless discussions “same-side” chat style with him in the hall prior to class, telling him what I expected of him and sometimes it worked. But the thing is: Zachary is the kind of students who makes you think you got him where you want him to be and then makes everything fall apart. It wasn’t long in the year before I could hear about him throughout the whole school. I was glad to hear that I wasn’t the only one having problems with him. Another student-teacher in math told me that he made her cry many times and that he was literally ruining her practicum. Fortunately, soon enough we all understood that what he was doing to disturb us was never personal, he just couldn’t help it.

OutcomesThe major outcome was the fact that Zachary was suspended within the school for the whole month of

October. It means that he was still coming to school every day, but he would go do some work in a room called: “La Relance” instead of being in class. It gave us all a big relief as we took advantage of that to re-establish control in our groups. I also took the initiative to speak to my students about him with the support of my AT. I told them that they weren’t helping him at all by laughing to everything he does, that sometimes he’s not even trying to be funny. I also told those who claimed to be his friend that they weren’t being good friends by encouraging him into being a disturbing student. Consequently, when Zachary came back at the beginning of November, he had lost his main public and was feeling a bit out of sync. Additionally, since he had completely failed his first term because of the suspension, he gave the impression that he would try to make amend and succeed during the second term of the year. But it was all just an impression. He would keep getting expelled way too often from various courses including mine. When I left the school as my practicum was over, the direction and teachers committee were planning his definitive expulsion.

ReflectionThe main problem with Zachary is the fact that he’s very immature. His maturity is not at the same level

as the rest of his secondary 5 cohort. We were told by the school specialist that whenever he enters a crisis, we should talk to him as we would do with a 4 or 5 year old child. He is far from being ready for what’s coming in the next years as he lives in his own bubble. It is one main reason why Zachary keeps breaking the rules, it is also why he confronts teachers aggressively when he is not busy seeking attention or being totally disengaged from what is going on in the classroom. Here we can observe a parallel with Spencer Kagan’s Win-Win Discipline ABCD concept which represents the four types of disruptions. Indeed, this is how Kagan describes the four types of disruptions on page 4.5 to 4.8 of his book starting with A for aggression:

“Aggression comes in many forms. The essence of aggression is an attempt to hurt another. It can take the form of verbal abuse (yelling, swearing) or gestures (giving the finger, disdainful looks).” (Kagan, 2004)

That description is consistent with the way Zachary behaved in the episodes described above. He swore at me in French in one and made impolite gestures in the second which means he acted aggressively toward me. Next is the description of B for breaking the rules:

“Most rules can be derived from two basic principles: 1) show respect for others and 2) do not disturb learning. Rules which flow from those principles include not interfering with the teacher’s ability to teach and not interfering with other students’ ability to learn.” (Kagan 2004)

Zachary is guilty of that as well. By trying to put on a show for his classmates, he interfered with my ability to teach. He also interfered with his classmates’ ability to learn as they too began to complain about his behaviour at some point as I explained before. Following is the description of the C letter in Kagan’s ABCD concept, C for confrontation:

“A confrontation is a power play. The student verbally or non-verbally asserts that the teacher is not in charge, shows disrespect for the teacher or attempts to undermine the teacher’s authority.” (Kagan 2004)

By trying to put another student in trouble and by sarcastically and insultingly applaud to my face about the decision I made about that student, Zachary tried to undermine my authority by showing disrespect. In other words, He thought that he was in charge of the class instead of me, which made him guilty of confrontation. Next is the last description of Kagan’s ABCD concept, the D for disengagement:

“Disengagement can be a solo disruption, involving only the disengaged student. It is tempting to ignore the student who is disengaged, as the student may not be disrupting anyone else. But in Win-Win Discipline, we define a discipline problem as anything that disrupts the teaching/learning process. Disengagement can take many forms, including off-task behaviours, tuning out, or random activity.” (Kagan, 2004)

The last description also applies to Zachary’s behaviour patterns. As mentioned before, Zachary is constantly seeking attention. One of his ways is to raise his hand to ask non-pertinent questions to the teacher and stall the teaching/learning process. Firstly, it shows that he’s completely tuned out from what is going on in the classroom. Secondly, as I grew aware of that, I stopped giving him the right to speak in order to not give him the attention he was seeking. As a result, he would disengage himself completely and would go off-task. Evidently, if we follow Kagan’s reasoning, the main position from which Zachary comes from is obviously the fact that he’s extremely attention-seeking (The 7 positions, Kagan 2004). Although, what strikes me the most as I try to compare Zachary’s behavioural problems with Kagan’s win-win philosophy is that all four type of disruption applies to him while only one position does. As I’m trying to apply the “Three before B” rule, I’m realizing that it is impossible in this case. Here is a definition of that rule: “Use the Breaking the rules category only if a disruptive behaviour does not fit one of the other three categories” (Kagan, 2004, page 4.3). The problem I have with the rule in this case is that Zachary is capable of causing disruption in all 4 categories as demonstrated above. I believe that Kagan’s Win-Win Discipline philosophy can be a great tool in solving problems of a lesser kind or in a more general way. Unfortunately, in the case of Zachary, it is very hard to make sense out of those concepts as he is guilty of everything in the book. It seems that Kagan wants us to think that a disruptive student can only be attributed to one category of the ABCD which is then associated to one of the seven positions. I believe that human beings are way more complicated than that and this is something that is observable in the real world when working frontline with the students. Since Zachary is well on his way to be definitely kicked out of the school, and that absolutely nothing seems to work with him (this belief is generalized throughout the whole school from teachers as well as students), I have to say that Win-Win Discipline is of no help in this particular case. Sometimes, as teachers, we sadly have to admit that we are facing a lost case and that we simply cannot solve everything and save them all.

However, there are still ways to help teachers deal with that type of student. Indeed, educational psychologist Stéphane Côté created a website in 2013 to offer a guide which gives good tips in regards of classroom management, it’s called: “13 trucs de gestion de classe qui instaurent le respect”. Here are two of those 13 tricks:

“The reset button: Students have a short memory. Teachers should learn from that. When a class is over, move on! Smile to the disruptive student the next time you see him instead of keeping a grudge and begin anew.” (Côté, 2013)

As I said before, Zachary can have good periods as he is extremely unpredictable. Therefore, the reset button strategy is a good way to quickly forget what he has done in the last period and try to start anew every time since not much can be done to prevent his bad behaviours. Next is the second tip from Côté’s document:

“Be calm: Always stay calm when a situation arises and emotionally detach yourself from that situation. Never show your true emotions and analyze the situation calmly. Remember that it is never personal when a student disrupts the class. Also, always be calm when giving out consequences.” (Côté, 2013)

This is something that should always be applied from every teacher concerning any situation but it is even truer when it comes to students like Zachary. If you lose control of your emotions, you are giving him exactly what he wants which is to create a show to entertain himself as well as his classmates since he believes they perceive him as “cool” when he does that. Conclusion

To sum up, my experience with Zachary during my fourth practicum was extremely challenging emotionally. However, I can now acknowledge the fact that it was very formative as well. Since he made me go through all sorts of different situations and that he was extremely unpredictable, it made me question my own teaching strategies and abilities on a daily basis. I can definitely affirm that I am a better teacher now that I was at the beginning of the practicum partly because of him. He also made me realize what we often hear within school walls in the real world, that not all students can be saved from themselves or from their past. Sometimes all you can do is do the best you can with what you have and hope for the best. I wish it would be different but it’s unfortunately the reality we live in. Therefore, Kagan’s Win-Win Discipline is a great tool for general purposes. Although with heavy cases like Zachary’s, one will need to go deeper into available resources and seek help from the rest of the school personal in order to get the support and guidance he or she needs, because it simply cannot be done alone.

Reference list

Côté, S. (2013). 13 trucs de gestion de classe qui instaurent le respect. Web page : www.stephanecote.org

Kagan, S. (2004). Win-Win Discipline. Kagan Publishing, San Clemente, CA. Pages 4.3, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, 4.8.

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SPEAQ Conventions

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Tried out Material:

Create your Own Superhero

Name__________________________________________________________

Superhero/villain description sheet 1 Biography 1. Superhero (good) or Super-villain (bad) name :___________________________________2. Real name/secret identity :________________________________________________3. Gender (male or female):__________________________________________________4. Race (human, mutant or alien):______________________________________________5. Height:_______________________________________________________________6. Weight:______________________________________________________________7. Eye colour:____________________________________________________________8. Hair colour:____________________________________________________________9. Work/occupation:_______________________________________________________

Super powers, abilities and equipment10. Powers:_______________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________11. Abilities:______________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________12. Equipment: (*No fire arms) ________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________13. Weakness(es):__________________________________________________________14. Battle cry (optional):_____________________________________________________

History and powers origin (If you don’t have enough space, continue on the next page)______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Name____________________________________6th grade______________________History and powers origin (continued) Sheet 2

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Hints and tipsExamples of super powers : -Super strength -Super jump power -Magical powers

-Super speed -Flying power -Cosmic powers -Super intelligence -X-ray vision -Elemental powers (fire, ice, wind,

water)

Examples of abilities: -Hand to hand combat -Gadget expert -High intellect

-Martial arts expert -Illusionist -Weapon expert -Computer expert -Medical specialist

Examples of equipment: -Body armor -Sword(s) -Shield -High tech gadgetsExamples of battle cries: -Avengers Assemble! -I shall conquer you!Examples of weaknesses: -Elemental (fire, ice, wind, water) -Colour(s)

Example of a Superhero history and his powers origin : Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider and woke up the next day with spider abilities. The death of his uncle made him realize that with great powers comes great responsibilities. Therefore, he decided to become Spiderman and use his powers to do good deeds.Name_________________________________6th grade_________________________

Draw your Superhero or Super-villain Sheet 3

________________________________________________ Superhero/villain name

Reminders : -Your hero needs to be colorful and original. Use as much space as you can.

-Your hero needs a name, equipment and an original logo.

Evaluation Guidelines

Spoken English (C1):

Good and clear spoken English = 30Decent and somewhat clear spoken English = 18 Bad and unclear spoken English = 0

Understanding of Texts (C2):

Good understanding = 30Medium understanding = 18Low understanding = 0

Written English (C3) :

Between 1 and 5 errors = 20Between 5 and 10 errors = 10 10 or more = 0

Originality (of the superhero in general, drawing and bio):

Totally extraordinary = 10Extraordinary = 7Ordinary = 3Mediocre = 0

Effort (Time invested in the overall project):

Great effort = 10 Medium effort = 5 Minimum effort = 0

Total on /100

Presentation and Superhero evaluation

Student name :____________________________

Group:_______________________________

Spoken English (C1):____________________/30

Understanding of texts (C2)_______________/30

Written English (C3):____________________/20

Originality:____________________________/10

Effort:________________________________/10

Final mark:__________________________/100

Comments:_______________________________

________________________________________

Presentation and Superhero evaluation

Student name :____________________________

Group :_______________________________

Spoken English (C1):____________________/30

Understanding of texts (C2)_______________/30

Written English (C3):____________________/20

Originality:____________________________/10

Effort:________________________________/10

Final mark:__________________________/100

Comments:_________________________________

__________________________________________

Create your own Superhero handout

-Project spreads over 4 periods and covers all 3 competencies (C1, C2 and C3).

-Period 1: Pre-activity. Difference between heroes and superheroes established (C1 practice). 2 superheroes biographic models provided (Superman and Batman). (C2 practice). -Period 2: Story powerpoint to set the mood followed by detailed instructions of the project. Students have the rest of the period to begin their project in which they have to create their own superhero bio sheet (C2) including a short story of 2 sentences minimum explaining their character’s origin (C3). They also have to do a drawing of their superhero which needs to correspond to the information provided in the bio sheet (C2).-Period 3: Students have the whole period to work on their project. They can use all their resources (dictionaries, picture dictionaries, student books, hints and tips section provided with the project sheets, models, etc.). I walk around to supervise progress and answer questions. Students can finish their project at home.-Period 4: All students present their creation in front of the class (C1). -Evaluation guidelines: Spoken English (C1): 30 points

Presentation and Superhero evaluation

Student name :____________________________

Group:_______________________________

Spoken English (C1):____________________/30

Understanding of texts (C2)_______________/30

Written English (C3):____________________/20

Originality:____________________________/10

Effort:________________________________/10

Final mark:__________________________/100

Comments:_______________________________

________________________________________

Presentation and Superhero evaluation

Student name :____________________________

Group :_______________________________

Spoken English (C1):____________________/30

Understanding of texts (C2)_______________/30

Written English (C3):____________________/20

Originality:____________________________/10

Effort:________________________________/10

Final mark:__________________________/100

Comments:_________________________________

__________________________________________

Understanding of texts (C2): 30 points Written English (C3): 20 points Originality: 10 points Effort: 10 points Total on /100

-What worked: Overwhelming enthusiasm towards the project. Many projects were very original and funny. Some students (boys and girls alike) took it very seriously. The project allowed them to learn many new vocabulary words (height, weight, weakness, etc.) and provided C1, C2 and C3 practice. Average grades around 80%. -What needs to be improved: The project could have students formulate complete sentences throughout the bio sheet and not only in the origin story section (e.g. My Superhero name is: _______. His real name is: _______. He can shoot laser beams…) Hints and tips section is too content heavy, some student did not read it thoroughly. More emphasis on the story part with more models provided. Grading system needs to be improved in respect of C1, C2 and C3 only, originality and effort points were added on the global grade as bonuses.

-Classroom management issues: None. Motivation towards the topic and the fun factor prevented moments-of-disruption. (Except for the overwhelming enthusiasm as mentioned above. I often had to refrain discussions about comic book and movie superheroes during period 1 in order not to waste too much time and move forward).

-Theoretical concepts: Solid motivation (topic respecting students’ interests) and scaffolding.

-References: DC and Marvel comic book characters.

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The Survival Game : a Simulation (Student Sheet)

You and your companions have just survived the crash of a small plane. Both the pilot and co-pilot were killed in the crash. It is mid-January and you are in Northern Canada. The daily temperature is 25 below zero and 40 below zero at night. Snow is everywhere, the forest is surrounding the area and there are several creeks criss-crossing the area. The nearest town is 50 Kilometers away and every survivor is dressed in city clothes appropriate for a business meeting. Your group of survivors managed to salvage the following items:

-A ball of steel wool

-A small axe

-A loaded .45-caliber pistol

-Can of Crisco

-Newspapers (one per person)

-Cigarette lighter (Bic without fluid)

-Extra shirt and pants for each survivor

-20x20 foot piece of heavy-duty canvas (used for making tents)

-A sectional plastic air map

-One quart of bottled Whiskey

-A compass

-Family-size chocolate bars (one per person)

Explanation

Mid-January is the coldest time of the year in Northern Canada. The first problem the survivors face is the preservation of body heat. That problem can be solved by building a fire, minimizing movements and exertion, using as much insulation as possible and constructing a shelter. The second problem is trying to find a way to attract the attention of search planes.

The participants have just crash-landed. Many individuals tend to overlook the enormous shock reaction this has on the human body. The deaths of the pilot and co-pilot increase the shock. Decision-making under such circumstances is extremely difficult. Such a situation requires a strong emphasis on the use of reasoning for making good decisions and for reducing fear and panic.

YOUR TASK as a group is to LIST the 12 items in order of importance for your survival. Justify your choices. You MUST come to an agreement!

Team Making and Results (Teacher Sheet)As we do not choose the other individuals with who we’re flying, the classroom should be divided by rows. Ex:

Row 1 = team 1, row 2 = team 2, etc.

How to score:

-The leader of each team lists their top 5 choices in order of priority.

-The teacher writes all the answers on the board.

-To award points, look at the ranking numbers on this answer sheet. Award points to each team’s top 5 choices

according to the numbers attributed to each items. For example, the map would earn 12 points, while the steel

wool would earn 2.

-Lowest score wins (and survives)! Advice: do not inform students about that before the very end.

-Before justifying the rankings, read this aloud: The ranking of the survivors items was made by Mark Wanvig,

a former instructor in survival training for the Reconnaissance School of the 101st Division of the U.S. Army.

Mr. Wanvig currently conducts wilderness survival programs in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area. This survival

simulation is used in military training classrooms.

Rankings1. Cigarette lighter (without fluid). The gravest danger facing the group is exposure to cold. The greatest need is finding a source of warmth and the second greatest need is creating signaling devices. It makes building a fire the first order of business. Without matches, something is needed to produce sparks and a cigarette lighter can do that even without fluid.

2. Ball of steel wool. To make a fire, the survivors need something to catch the sparks of the Bic lighter. That is the best substance for catching a spark and supporting a flame even if it’s a little wet.

3. Extra shirt and pants for each survivor. Besides warming the body, clothes can also be used for shelter, signaling, bedding, bandages, string and fuel for the fire.

4. Can of Crisco. This has many uses. A mirror-like signaling device can be made from the lid. After shining the lid with the steel wool, it will reflect sunlight brightly enough to be seen from very far away. Also, the shortening inside can be rubbed on exposed skin for protection against the cold. When melted into oil, the shortening is helpful as fuel. When soaked into a piece of cloth, melted shortening will act as candle wax. The empty can is useful in melting snow for drinking water.

5. 20x20 foot piece of canvas. The cold makes shelter necessary and canvas would protect against wind and snow. Spread on a frame made of trees, it could be used as a tent or wind screen. It might also be used as a ground cover to keep the survivors dry. Its shape and colour, when contrasted with the surrounding terrain, makes it a signaling device.

6. Small axe. Survivors need a constant supply of wood in order to feed and maintain the fire. The axe could be used for that as well as clearing a sheltered campsite, cutting tree branches for ground insulation and constructing a frame for the tent canvas.

7. Family size chocolate bars (one per person). Chocolate will provide some food energy. Since it mostly contains carbohydrates, it supplies the energy without making digestive demands on the body.

8. Newspapers (one per person). Useful in starting a fire. Can also be used as insulation under clothing.

9. Loaded .45-caliber pistol. The pistol provides a sound-signaling device. The pistol handle can be used as a hammer and the powder form the shells will assist in fire building. But the gun has some serious disadvantages: anger, frustration, impatience, irritability and lapses of rationality may increase as the group awaits rescue. The availability of a lethal weapon is a danger to the group under those conditions. Although a pistol could be used for hunting, it would take an expert marksman to kill an animal with it.

10. Quart of Whiskey. The only uses of Whiskey are as an aid in fire building and as fuel for a torch. The empty bottle could be used for storing water. The danger of Whiskey is that someone will want to drink it, thinking it would provide warmth. Alcohol is the same temperature it is exposed to. So a drink of -30 degrees would freeze a person’s esophagus and stomach. Besides, drunk people are more likely to get hypothermia than sober people.

11. Compass. Because a compass might encourage someone to try to walk to the nearest town, it is a dangerous item. The town is too far to reach alive, it’s better to wait for the rescue. The only use of the compass is to reflect sunlight.

12. Sectional plastic air map. This is the least desirable item of the list because, like the compass, it will encourage individuals to try to walk to the nearest town. Its only use is as a ground cover to keep someone dry. Source: scoutingweb.com, Survival Game.

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