Total Teaching Blog

Mini whiteboards have been around forever. However in today’s technological age they get used less and less. In today's post you will find out reasons why they are still so valuable.  Student engagement and interaction As teachers we love to think, peer, share. With a mini whiteboard we can take that one step further. Think, peer, record, share. This way you can monitor student conversations because they record ideas as well as support reluctant speakers by allowing them to show their understanding. Pop quiz/questions What are the factors of 20??? Get frustrated when DAVE keeps yelling out the answer, good one Dave. Have students record their answers on the mini whiteboard. They get time to think without one student blurting out the answers. It gives others thinking time and a chance to digest the questions. Brainstorming Students can brainstorm in the lesson while working with the teacher. The mini whiteboard is a safe tool that students can use to express their ideas without cons...

Many people across the world celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd every year. This is a day for us to raise awareness about environmental issues. It is a great day to talk to your kids about the environment and what they can do to protect the earth in their own way each day. We have collected a handful of activities that you can do at home with you children for Earth Day or any day of the year. Read a Book Reading a book is a great way to introduce your kid to environmental issues and taking care of the planet. Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax is a classic tale about the environment and trees. Written in his typical rhyming verses, Dr. Seuss tells the story of the Lorax who speaks for the trees and stands up to the Once-ler who tries to destroy the environment. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is another classic about one boy’s relationship with a tree. We can all learn that we have lots to appreciate in nature.   Go on a Walk Go for a nature walk to look at nature in your own neighbourhood...

We are celebrating reading this week so we are sharing with you one children's book a day for a week. These books have all been chosen by one of our youngest members of the Total Teaching team, Billie. Billie is 4 years old, and loves to read, draw, paint and play. Over the week she is going to share her favourite books with you all. Oh the Places You’ll Go https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VDc-B8gJMY This book is an absolute family favourite about what life can bring. Billie’s thoughts: “I like it when he won’t eat green eggs and ham on the train.” (Clearly the wrong Dr. Seuss book) Maui and Other Maori Legends https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbM3PwcGi0g We have recently purchased this book set after Billie found a love for the Maui stories at kindy.  Billie’s favourite is ‘How Maui Slowed the Sun’ while mine has always been ‘The Fish of Maui’ The Book With No Pictures https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZwY5BeYcyo This is a fun lighthearted story that all young children love. Billie...

Recently I was able to attend the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project (TCRWP) virtual reunion. This is a full day of workshops geared towards reading, writing and phonics instruction. I walked away from this day with a handful of practical ideas that can be used in the classroom and at home to support children’s literacy development. Decodable Texts One of the workshops I attended was on using decodable texts to help reading instruction. These are types of texts used in early reading instruction that provide many opportunities to practise specific phonics principles. They are largely made up of words that are easy to sound out with consistent letter sound relationships. They are one resource that can be used to help develop early literacy. When readers encounter major sound patterns in reading that they have learned during phonics instruction this can help to consolidate their learning and provide extra practice. I love using FlyLeaf decodable texts to practise phonics skills ...

In this reflection I will discuss Lesson 3 in my learning journey on mathematical mindsets from Jo Boaler at Stanford University. Find my reflections from lesson 2 here.  In Lesson 3, Jo introduced the idea that our brains want to think visually about maths. Building students' mathematical understanding doesn't just mean strengthening one area of the brain involved with abstract numbers. It means strengthening connections between areas of the brain and the visual pathways. Visual Representation and The Brain Jo Boaler, Stanford University As children get older - between the ages of 8 and 14 - they develop the ventral visual pathway (shown in orange). The brain becomes more sensitive and specialized in representing visual number forms. This showed an important and increased interaction between the two visual pathways - VTOC/pFG and IPS/SPL. This indicates that the brain becomes more interactive as children learn and develop, connecting the visual processing of symbolic number f...