Showing posts with label Stephanie (Fishing for Education). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stephanie (Fishing for Education). Show all posts

Have you ever considered Flexible Seating in your classroom? Love seeing the options online but saddened only to find they're only available outside of Australia?  Well, here are some options that won't break the bank for you!

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Hello everyone!  My name is Stephanie and I blog at FishingforEducation.com.  I'm going into the 2017 as a Year 3 teacher and have been teaching full-time since 2010.  I'm from USA and started my teaching career in Florida.  I moved to Australia in 2014 to be with my partner and was lucky enough to continue my career teaching in country Australia.  I'm now back in Perth ready for the new year!

Back to School Ideas Instagram Round-Up

I'm starting at a new school in 2017 and I'm eager to get into my classroom to set it up!  I've planned to implement many new ideas.  So here is some of the favourites I've seen on Instagram!



A photo posted by Mrs McNab 🍎☕️ (@teach_bythe_beach) on







Still looking for that perfect Aussie Teacher Planner?



You can find this planner in my TPT store at: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/2017-Australian-Teacher-Planner-2961870

Got any great Back to School Ideas you'd like to share?  Post a picture below! Share on Instagram and tag us @AustralianTeachers!
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It is nearing the end of the school year, which means we're all writing reports and already thinking about getting ready for next year.  For those of us who are uncertain of the upcoming school year, it's about applying for a teaching position!  Depending of where you're applying it may be easy or quite a daunting task.  Here are some tips we have learnt along the way!

Please keep in mind that I'm writing from a WA Teacher's perspective and each state may vary in the process.


1. Start Applying Early

I started applying for positions end of Term 3, and I feel like I was a bit behind.  From my understanding, in my area, schools start advertising for the next school year around Term 3.  However, I've noticed there were much more job postings in Term 4.  A lot of them for reference pools and not actual positions, but it is important to apply for these because it is what the school uses if a position opens up unexpectedly during the next year. 

2. Have a CV/Resume Ready

Where I'm from in the states we call them resumes and when I moved to Australia I had to Google CV. There are three major differences between CVs and resumes: the length, the purpose and the layout. A resume is a brief summary of your skills and experience over one or two pages, a CV is more detailed and can stretch well beyond two pages. (For more information about the differences, click here.)

CV is commonly recommended and often times your department will have an example layout to base yours on. I suggest checking yours out to see what they're looking for, but it is your CV and you can cater it to fit you better. Check out some of the downloadable examples: Western Australia, Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales and Wanneroo Education Network.

If I missed your state and you know of a helpful link, please comment below to let us know!

3. Write a Detailed Cover Letter

Notice the word "detailed," it is vital.  I have been asking my colleagues about cover letters as I have had conflicting thoughts about it.  For WA teachers, it is recommended for your CV to be 2 pages that is very detailed about you as a teacher.  (I was wrong in thinking my 1 page rule to keep it short and sweet, so I had a friend send me her example and amped mine up.)  Make sure you mention your accomplishments, experiences, beliefs and what skills will make you an asset to any school.

I personally like to address my cover letters to the person mentioned in the job advertisement and include the school's name and pool reference number. 

4. Touch Based with Your Referees

When submitting your application it is common to find a section asking for 3 referrals.  Be mindful in who you choose and make sure you let them know you're nominating them as your referral.  I like to choose someone who is my authority (Principal, Deputy) or someone I work closely with (teacher on the same year level).  Luckily, my partner in my year level is also my Phase Leader, which is considered an "authority" position above me. 

My Phase Leader has received emails to complete a reference check form.  I feel confident that she can fill it out with the best information about me because we work so closely together and she truly knows me as a teacher.  This is why I say be mindful of who you choose.  (But make sure to include your Principal(s).)

5. Read the School's Business Plan

Before completing your application it is important to read the school's business plan.  It outlines the jobs of all staff, especially teachers and is detailed in what they're looking for.  I would just send my short cover letter through with my application and wasn't even shortlisted.  I have heard from other principals that the best tip is to make sure you cater to the business plan. If it doesn't, then your application will be looked over. 

6. EMail & Call the Schools

After I apply for schools, I make sure I immediately email the principal, school email or person mentioned in the application.  I only do this immediately because otherwise I would forget.  However, I do think this is important because it gives you a chance to briefly speak with some of those looking at the applications and gets your name out there.  It also shows initiative and can give you a "one up" on another applicant. 

Calling schools is also highly recommended from a friend who was going through this process last year.  She told me to not let the office give you the run around and at least speak to a deputy.  I'm more timid on the phone, but I've tried a few.

7. Stop By in Person

Sometimes it's easier to remember someone when you put a face to a name.  I had a colleague recommend that I take some time to stop by schools in person.  They might give you the run around like with calling, but you may get a chance to simply introduce yourself and speak with someone briefly.

8. Be Positive

I know, trust me, I know how waiting around to hear something and getting rejected can be hard on you and make you more anxious than normal, but you must stay positive! It will eat you up and stress yourself out.  Keep a positive outlook and send the good vibes out! 

9. Prepare for Your Interview

If you're lucky to get an interview, then make sure you get prepared.  Go back to that business plan and reasearch any unfamiliar ideas, programs and process.  Check with colleagues, principals and friends who have gone through the interview process and ask them what kinds of questions they have had.  Yes, you want to be natural, but you don't want to go in unprepared.  Stay positive (again) so that you have an upbeat voice and the interviewer can have a pleasant feeling about considering you for the position.

10. Consider Teaching Regional

Not feeling lucky and no ties keeping you in the city?  Consider teaching regional.  When I moved to this regional area I was in the process of applying for my Partner Visa.  However, I got relief work right away which led to me getting hired full-time throughout the year. Not many teachers go regional, so it is encouraged to do so for a couple years then head back to the city.  You get a different kind of experience, and although I had taught for 5 years previously before more, I feel like I'm a stronger teacher now.


No feeling optimistic?  Have a Back Up Plan!

If you don't get a teaching job for the next year, don't worry and have a back up plan.  It may not be ideal, but to prepare for future applications and be considered for a job the next year you've got to have gained experience.

Relief Teaching

Easiest thing to do as a teacher is work as a relief teacher.  This is what has gotten me almost all my teaching jobs in the past.  It is a chance for you to show your face and have a variety of schools become familiar with you. I've talked with a few principals and they always say they would rather hire someone who is familiar with the school/hire within.  Just make sure you're professional and available as much as possible.  If you're eager to be at their school and have a good relationships with the principal, deputies and teachers, then someone will speak good on your behalf.

I know it isn't ideal, but relief teaching is such a great way to gain that experience needed for a full-time teaching job.  The pay is also quite good, especially in WA, and you will have less stress if you've got something that comes up during the school year. I like my routine in life, but I don't mind the "not knowing where I'll be at tomorrow" worries of relief teaching.  You get over it and don't have work to take home. 

Teach Overseas

This isn't something I've personally experienced in the sense of teaching overseas.  (Only because I am from the U.S. and I don't count my previous years as "overseas.") However, I had a friend who worked for an agency in the UK and did relief teaching for a year.  She said they set you up in a place and the pay was good that she never had to worry.  She always had work and had to turn down work a bit.  She loved it because she was able to take a couple long weekends and travel while she lived there.  

I have a friend who is leaving this year to like and teach in the UK and she's super excited to visit family and travel while working there for a year. 



Tip from a Teacher:

Chantelle at Miss Jacob's Little Learners:
In VIC, we have Key Selction criteria that applicants need to answer. There are usually 5 questions on average, based around curriculum, teaching strategies, assessment, communication, team work and collaboration and maybe even an ICT or Inquiry based question (depending on the school).

Some Helpful Links:

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Stephanie from Fishing for Education here with a blog post on one of our "not so favourite" tasks to complete as a teacher... Writing Reports!

It's that season for most of Australia where teachers spend endless amount of hours writing and editing reports.  Personally, it's not like I don't like writing them, I just am not a fan of the extra hours it takes to complete them.  I'm currently on weekend #2 of writing reports, but I'm nearly finish!  Woo hoo!  (I bet we all have a little celebration once they are done!)

This is something that is completely different than the way I used to write reports before I moved to Australia.  It took me forever the first time, but I think I'm getting the hang of it now. I figured out a way that is starting to work for me, as long as I stay organised.  However, I asked around for some tips and hopefully something can work for you too!


Tip #1 - Work Samples/Exit Slips

I couldn't used just workbooks for report writing.  They were too heavy to transport from home and school.  It took forever-r-r to look through them all for evidence.

So, this year I decided to do exit slips or work samples for each topic.  The students work independently to show how they perform on a particular learning goal.  This took a little more effort each week, but it helped me in the long run.  I've kept them simple, no more than 5 questions, and have often used Socrative.com to create them versus printing and making copies.

"I have tried many ways to write reports and by far the easiest way for me has been to collect all the work samples for one student and complete one student at a time." - Paula from Paula's Place 

For our use of Socrative.com, we have iPads in our class and use old/recycled iPhones to respond quickly, but can download them and print them if out devices aren't working.  (You can also use computers.)  Plus, this site marks the work for you and organises the information in an Excel spreadsheet!

For more information, check out the tutorial below:

Tip #2 - Filing System

We have certain assessments we have to do for each student.  After they're completed, marked and entered into our data system I place them in a filing system.  It's easy to stay organised this way and portable .  I hate to bring work home, but it's more comfortable to write my reports at home.  When I'm ready to write my reports on a student, I just grab their folder and start working one student at a time.

Check out this system from Staples:



Tip #3 - Using the iPad to Gather Work

This is a great tip from Paula!  Using your iPad is a great way to gather information and keep them with you.  We have teacher iPads at our school and I may need to snag this idea to be prepared for next semester.

"I have tried many ways to write reports and by far the easiest way for me has been to collect all the work samples for one student and complete one student at a time... Uploaded to See Saw and it is in the Maths feed - kinda like Instagram for kids. We can comment and give feedback, this way I can see a group task vey quickly..." - Paula from Paula's Place

Here are some of her examples:

Tip #4 - Don't Get Behind

"Whatever you do don't get behind on marking because there's nothing worse than marking when you should be writing reports!" - Sheri from Early Years with Sheri

Oh, how I know the pain of this!  At the end of every day this term I have made sure I spend at least 30 minutes marking workbooks.  I probably have more things to do, but it has to get done.  

Tip #5 - Brainstorm with Your Team


"The best thing I did this year was brainstorm comment ideas with my team, particularly as a new teacher to the year level." - Jem from Jem's Bright Buttons
I didn't realise this, but my team (one other teacher and myself) do this out of habit!  It's so great to be on the same page with your team.  No one gets left behind, it's a bit easier on everyone and there's no need to compare! 

Here are some sites that may help you out:



Do you have 

a tip for writing reports?


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Hello Everyone!  It's Stephanie from Fishing for Education here and in case you didn't know, I'm originally from Florida, U.S.A.  I moved to Australia in June 2014 and started teaching in Australia that November.

I was doing relief for a few months and was exposed to a variety of "new to me" books.  When I was hired full-time I was exposed to more and found joy in creating lesson plans around some awesome books.

Here are a few books I've really enjoyed along the way!  Hopefully this will help new to the country or new to teaching be exposed to some amazing books.

My Favourite Books


This was the first true Australian book I was exposed to.  I was in a Year 3/4 split class and our History curriculum had us explore early settlers and the impact they had on Australia.  It also focused on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history.  This is such an AMAZING story. This was great for my Year 3s as it exposed the story and helped explain both sides of the story.  My Year 4s were able to extend their thinking and analyse the story and imagery.  The IMAGERY!  So much detail.  We spent a few days analysing each spread and discussed what they were implying.  


I'm in a Year 4 class this year and my team teacher and I wanted to expose the students to chapter books.  This book has a good 6 chapters, so it wasn't too long for the students.  There are TONS of great vocabulary words related to the time period and boating.  My students were amazed to learn this to be a true story and living in WA they enjoyed the fact they knew what Fremantle was and instantly shouted out "I've been there!"  It has a great theme of courage and determination, not to mention anyone can make a difference.  


We were talking about characters and understanding characters based on actions, thoughts and what they say.  My students were good and understanding fictitious characters.  This book was a great transition into biographies, which we've noticed non-fiction was challenging for our Year 4s.  This book doesn't come off as your typical biography.  The images really seem to come alive as you read and my students thoroughly enjoyed the story.  We then took some time to research more about Banjo Paterson and they were amazed to see him on a $10 note.  (I'm finding myself learning more Australian history than some of my Aussie friends!)  She also has a whole series of famous Australians.  I definitely plan to get some more books in this series.


Here in WA we're now on your School Holidays and ANZAC Day right after our last day of term.  Since the students wouldn't be in school for this day we decided to have our ANZAC service this past Thursday.  We've read a variety of books, but most of my students felt the books to be too sad or overwhelming for them to follow along.  When I read this story I grabbed everyone's attention, even my special needs students who don't like stories about ANZAC as they found it too violent.  The students told me they really enjoyed hearing about the stories just like how the boy in the story did.  We used the books we had read to write about "What is ANZAC Day and why is it important?"  Majority of the writing in my class had information from this book specifically.

I'm still getting exposed to more and more, especially the books on The Children's Book Council of Australia.

What are YOUR favourite Australian Children's Books and why?

I'm sure we ALL would like to learn more about them and be exposed to some amazing books!



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Have you considered trying out alternative seating in your class?  What is alternative seating?  It's all about providing your students with options when it comes to where they learn in the classroom.  They provide a chance for students to have a choice and get to move in their seating.  Studies have shown that it has helped with behaviour and academic achievement.

This was something that I have been anxious to try for 2 years now and I finally got a back to working full-time since the beginning of the school year.  I, personally, find it adding these options in the class are easier when you introduce them from the beginning of the school year.  You still can easily add them at any time of the school year though!

Establish Expectations/Rules

You break it, we lose out.  When introducing alternative seating this is important to emphasise.  Today we had a discussion about how much was spent of these and how if they break they won't be replaced.  The students talked about how they would miss out on a different seating choice.

Make a mindful choice when picking a spot.  This is the one expectation you may need to MODEL MODEL MODEL.  We discussed how it is not a chance to sit next to a friend, but a chance to find a better learning spot.  My rule is I will warn "buddy groups" who are off task once, and if I have to warn them again they lose that privilege.

Our priority is our learning.  We also discussed how these options are for us to improve our learning in the classroom.  When we're comfortable we learn better, so our main focus is learning.

Cushions, Stools, and... Clipboards?


Cushions - the easiest of choices you could get!  This cost me $20 each at KMart and they work so well.  My students started just using them for silent reading, but we had some wonderful learners laying down and sharing cushions to work quietly.  Great comfy option!


Stools - Such a BIG hit in my class, and my neighbour classes!  These were 2 for $20 at Target recently and I got 6 to use them in small groups.  However, my students love it so much that I definitely encourage using them throughout the day.  (We even have a class coupon to sit at this table for a whole day.)  These even have small storage for each seat.  **I do have to remind my students to not rock on them as they're made of plastic and may break.


Clipboards - Yes, I consider these alternative seating.  Some students enjoy sitting on the floor but would like a hard surface to write on.  I encourage my students to grab a clipboard and pick a quiet spot around the room.  Most of the time they like laying under empty desks.  

Other Examples



A photo posted by Aly (@justaprimarygirl) on


Are you up for trying out some alternative seating?


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Steph


It's summer time and I'm definitely going to relax and enjoy my time off.  Even though I'm spending 98% of my time visiting family in the United States, I'll still be preparing for the upcoming school year!  Here are some great ways to prepare for the upcoming school year and some helpful blog posts out there!

Steps to Get Prepared:

1.  Out with the old!  I'm a BIG believer in "If I haven't touched it in years, then it may be time to get rid of it."  I'm not a hoarder because it just piles and piles up on me and I can never find what I need.  Before school ended I spent Weeks 7 & 8 cleaning out the store room. (This was my outfit those days!)

A photo posted by Stephanie (@fishingforeducation) on

2.  Moving Rooms = Moving Tubs!  I moved rooms this year and I made sure to put everything in a tub.  (My favourite place to go for storage is The Reject Shop!)  I had organised each tub and made sure they all fit in my cupboards.  This way they were ALL out of the way for the cleaners.


 3.  Got My List!  I got my list and a few notes from previous teachers to get me a bit prepared for my upcoming class.  I take in what they noted, but I make sure to start the year FRESH with each student (even my 7 kiddos moving up with me), no judgements. I'm already making a Welcome sign and preparing labels.  (Check out this cute door made by MissGirlingsClassroom)


 4.  Room Theme Decor.  I keep an ocean them in my class, goes along with my website.  It may not really be THAT important, but I know my students enjoy an inviting room.  However, some may go out and buy things, I either make them or get them off TPT to fit my classroom needs.  There's a theme, but also a PURPOSE for each.  I like to keep in mind "How will this benefit my students?" when putting up decor.


 5.  What worked this year? What didn't? I like to take a step back and think about what worked for my classroom this year.  I think about the benefits and student outcomes to help decide if I keep it or change it. There were also things I wanted to try that didn't work for me.  (And not even my students.) Things I like to focus on for the upcoming year: Parent Communication, Homework schedule, Literacy & Maths rotations, and Classroom jobs.

A photo posted by Stephanie (@fishingforeducation) on

6.  REST & RELAX!  Best thing you can do to prepare for the new year is to rest up!  Let your mind take a break and get plenty of sleep!  Go off and have fun! Experience life and bring stories back to your students!

A photo posted by Paula's Place (@paulas_place) on

Helpful Blog Posts

Here are some helpful blog posts out there to help teachers prepare for a new school year!


Enjoy your summer! 




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Steph


Hello everyone, Stephanie from Fishing for Education here with some fun ways to help with your students fluency in maths (addition, subtraction, multiplication, & division).


At my school we are asked to have our students be tested on their maths fluency each term.  They focus on all four operations each term, and my students definitely don't like the boring task of answer facts on a worksheet.  I do have them practise on a worksheet from time to time, but I implement more fluency games to continue the practise.

Whenever my students are finished early with work they can work on maths games, and I have a wide variety for the students to choose from.  Here are some that my students enjoy and find easy to follow!


Flashcards & Whiteboards

One of the games we do is practise our multiplication facts using flashcards, but we use them as a game! Flip a card and answer.  If you get it correct you keep it, if incorrect you put it back.  Most cards wins! 

My students took it a step further and made sure to build arrays based on the flashcard!  They're definitely getting better at multiplication with the daily practise.

Fraction War

We also make sure we recognise and understand fractions regularly because it is a difficult concept to grasp.  I've made these cards and the students play Fraction War!  They each flip a card and the player that has the greater fraction keeps the cards.  If you come across equivalent fractions, you go another round until there's a winner.  (Winner gets the whole bundle!)   

Fluency Dice

This is probably the best $20 I've spent!  We've used these for addition, subtraction, multiplication and adding/multiplying multiple numbers!  My students came up with a more active game where they make a small tower on the floor near a wall and toss a dice to knock some down.  They then add all the dice that fell to see who finds the sum first.  I love how they come up with their own games.

Playing Cards

Playing cards are the easiest, and affordable, way to incorporate regular games in math.  I had an old maths curriculum that had a game called TOP IT!  We did this game with addition, subtraction and multiplication.  
  1. Player 1 flips two cards and adds, subtracts or multiplies them.
  2. Player 2 picks the next two cards and does the same.
  3. Player with the higher answer keeps the cards.
  4. Player with the most cards at the end wins!
  5. If you get the same answer, you do another round.
Typical games can easily be made into maths fluency games!  What games do you play in your class?


Some great resources on TPT:




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Welcome to our Monthly Link Up ! 

Every 26th of the month we will post one of our Teacher Tips and encourage others to link up and share their tips.  Make sure you add a link to your blog post at the bottom of this post!



Stephanie from Fishing for Education here to bring you my Teacher Tip of the month!

Teacher, I'm done!
Now what do I do?


This month I'm focusing on what to do when your student is done early, those early finishers who don't know what to do!  In my class I always had a variety of choices for my students to choose to do when they finish.  I would focus the first half of the day on Reading & Writing activities, then the last half of the day focus on Maths activities.  It is up to you how you want to structure it.

I like to allow the students to have some choice in this as they enjoyed it more. Since it was things they wanted to do and understand the expectations I had less behavioural issues overall.

Students Know Expectations!

(Poster from The Teacher Wife)

I'm my class we would have a routine when it came to our work, but we made sure to emphasise what was expected of their work.  I had maybe 2-3 weeks of fast finishers who didn't finish their work with best effort.  (I had them redo the work during the class activity time, if I catch it, or during some class fun time.)  Eventually the students quite rushing through work.  Just keep on them in the beginning.

My students knew the expectations during "I'm Done! Activities" as well. Most of my activities were geared towards independent study, buddy work, or small group games with the "No more than 4" rule.  We also discussed not excluding others if we had room.  This made sure there were less behavioural issues.

Education Games



I always made and had some easy to play education games in the classroom.  I would make sure to introduce the game once and model how to play, and make sure to keep it simple.  Easiest game was to have a deck of cards (or number cards) and play Addition, Subtraction or Multiplication Top It!  I know it's old (from Everyday Math), but my students loved it and it kept their fluency up! Above is a picture of the "I CAN..." activity games for Math from One Stop Teacher Shop.

List of Activities

I would also list activity ideas on the board for students to choose from.  I made sure my lessons allowed 5-10 minutes of finishing up time for those with unfinished work or who need extra time.  I made a ring of cards that had specific activities in my classroom that students to choose from.  My students LOVED that! (It's on TPT for $1 if you'd like it.)  This is where my independent study would come into play.  Sometimes my students enjoyed some time creating their own work.  They loved writing their own stories and making their own comic strips!  (I would integrate Story Elements as well!)

What's your Teacher Tip this month?


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This month we've decided to share our ideas and resources on Australian animals on the blog!  Although I'm fairly new to Australia (13 months living here now), I've had my fair share of Australian animals encounters.  I just started in my Year 3/4 class and we're focusing our writing this term on informational writing and we decided to focus some of that on Australian animals.  So I was on the hunt for some great website in the class!  Here are some of my current top favourites! 

#1 - Your local Zoo's webpage! (Perth Zoo)

One of the places online that I found to be most helpful was Perth Zoo's webpage!  I'm several hours away from Perth, so no recent visits from me, but that's why we've got the internet to take us on virtual excursions!  


I found their Animals & Plants tab and clicked on Australia for TONS of easy to read information!  I love that the information isn't overwhelming for students.  You can get your information easily and teach your students how to research using online resources.  Some of them have videos and images.  Plus there is an easy downloadable fact sheet (in PDF format) for you to download and print, which is helpful with those who don't have enough computers to go around!  

Not sure about other Australian zoos out there, but I'm sure the one closest to you also provides you with tons of helpful information!  (I know I'll be using this in my classroom.)

#2 - Animal Fact Guide


This is another website of information that is easy to read for students.  There aren't as many Australian animals on here, but for the ones that do it goes into more detail.  Great for those students looking for more information! 

#3 - Pinterest Boards


Don't you just LOVE Pinterest and all it has to offer, PLUS easy finding!  I know I want some kind of visual to go along with our Australian animal reports and I love the ideas I've come across.  Check out my Australian Animals Unit board!  I love how a lot of them incorporated the Aboriginal art! I'll definitely be using some of these ideas!

Other Resources:

Here are some other resources I find helpful, although it may not be Australian animals specific.

What are your favourite
resources for Australian animals?





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