Land Acknowledgement
Adding a land acknowledgement to our morning routine was one of the ways in which I was able to integrate FNMI knowledge. It was also a daily routine that helped to support the students daily expectations at school.
Class Dojo
This online program has been an extremely effective tool during my time in PSIII. As students accumulate points for positive behaviour they are able to learn the value of planning and saving. Points can be spent to earn various classroom opportunities. These include changing your dojo character, having alternate seating for the day, choosing the picture of the day etc. It also is a great way to enhance the use of positive reinforcement on a daily basis. Points can also be taken away from students for various behaviours. Furthermore, this resource can be used as a platform to communicate with parents. Class Dojo offers an "online classroom" where parents can see some of the learning that their children are participating in throughout the week.
The image above shows our online classroom.
In the above images you can see the positive behaviours encouraged (left) as well as, the ways that students can lose points (right). These buttons are created and modified by the teacher for each class.
Adjustable Seating
During my time in PSIII, my classroom purchased 10 exercise balls as an alternate seating opportunity for students. Though this is a tremendous opportunity it also posed a possible management issue. Through a respectful introduction, and a fair and accurate weekly schedule for sharing these exercise balls my class has been able to successfully use them as a tool for learning.
The Zones of Regulation
(self-regulation and mindfulness)
After attending a very insightful PD day focused on "The Zones of Regulation" my T.M and I decided to implement the system as a universal strategy in our classroom. Each student created their own personal avatar which was laminated and used as a representation of themselves and their emotions. Not only did this allow for a more inclusive classroom for children who already use this language as a strategy, it also encouraged a state of mental wellness for all students. As the poster above the zones triangle states "Everyday is Full of Emotion". We strived to encourage students that all of us use regulatory strategies everyday. To help drive this point home Mr. Zielke and I both created our own avatars to communicate our emotions.
Mindfulness Activities
As a class we use mindfulness breaks such as the ones offered on GoNoodle to help us get into the right frame of mind for learning! These are often used as transitions or for breaks during some challenging lessons! These activities range from enhancing focus, to energy during and even into practicing things like patience. |