The Talk…

I just turned 30.  The build up was awful – I had all of these negative thoughts about not living up to my own goals and desires but had a sudden change in thinking when I realized – hey, I’m 30. I am a woman. Stop with the 20 something doubtfulness and be a woman.  Very liberating.

In all of this, I really started thinking about all aspects of my life and one of the many topics that came up was my own identity as a sexual being.  I have been speaking with other females and realized how afraid I was to even have this discussion, not only with them but with myself.  As an educator, this got me thinking about myself a teenager and how little focus I give to sexual health in my own classroom.  When I really allowed myself to consider who I am as a sexual being, I realized that I had some very negative ideas of what sex was and how it related to me as a woman.  My personal beliefs concerning my self-image, how deserving I am as a person and what my personal needs were entangled into my own sexuality.  It was then I realized that something needs to change about the way we address and educate young girls on sexuality.  While it’s all good and well that we are teaching about safe sex practices – what we should first be teaching, no enforcing, is that females deserve to feel good about themselves and they deserve to have their needs and wants respected and listened to.  This conversation, or training, or indoctrination, should then be followed up with very frank and open conversations about sexual health and practices.  What good is teaching girls the purpose of using condoms if they don’t first value themselves enough to enforce using the protection in a vulnerable moment?  The preventative information is important.  We should be teaching all young people about how to stay safe and healthy.  There is so much more though that we don’t talk about that is just as important when it comes to sex and an openness and honesty that we should be fostering concerning our own sexual needs and health.  Just as an example – Masterbation.  It seems a common conversation for teenaged boys to have, even if just in jest, but never did I ever discuss masterbation with friends as a teenager or in my twenties.  Why? For me, it felt inappropriate, it was just not something that you should not talk about ever with anyone.  It’s this kind of closed mindedness that leads to females devaluing their own needs and wants.  As educators, youth workers, social workers, parents and mentors we need to encouraging open and honest conversations (without shame) about everything – including sex.  I am guilty of not including the topic enough over the years in my classroom.  I am not a gym teacher, so naturally I didn’t have a sex health unit in my history or drama classes, but there were ways that I could have introduced the topic and let my students know that as an adult I am someone who they can talk to about anything (including sex) without judgement if they needed to.

On that note – I know that this is old news and that many people are already doing great work in this area. So, I am interested to learn about sexual health programs for girls that are addressing these issues openly and without shame.  I’d love to hear from you about what programs you’ve seen that are most effective and focus on personal self-worth as part of the learning.

In the meantime – Meet Laci Green, she inspired this posting.  If you have a young female in your life that looks up to you why not watch these videos together and let them know – guess what you’re awesome and so am I and this sex stuff is part of life so lets talk about it… like we would talk about any other part of life!

Check out her facebook…

https://www.facebook.com/officiallacigreen

and Tumblr…

http://lacigreen.tumblr.com/

Here are some other great resources to share that I found on upworthy.com (an awesome website if you’ve never been).

https://www.upworthy.com/handy-chart-of-the-types-of-bodies-that-belong-in-a-bikini-2?c=ufb2

http://www.bodyheart.com/

Banbossy.com

Sharing Means Caring – Lesson Share

As a teacher, I have never in my life found a lesson plan and used it in its entirety – ever.  I recognize that there is no need to “reinvent the wheel” but the more I teach the more I realize how different each teachers intentions are when they develop a lesson plan.  This is the magic of teaching.  Yes, we have common goals regarding the specific skills and knowledge that we need our students to learn during a lesson – but the approach and the details that we use to reach that goal are very different.

So instead of packaging a neat lesson plan (which may or may not meet the criteria for a “lesson plan” where ever you are at this point in time) I am going share the overall idea, resources and purpose of my lessons.  Do with them what you will.  My favourite way to lesson plan is to set the purpose and goal of my lesson and then Frankenstein the best ideas from lots of different lesson plans into something that works best for me and the students I am working with at that very moment.  As every teacher knows, one lesson that works wonders in first first period can flop in third period because the dynamics of each group of students is so different.  It’s more important to be flexible and creative then it is to have totally organized and detailed lesson plans – because at any moment something could happen that will through the entire plan off track.  Now what? Improvise!

Please feel free to share your own ideas and how you used or twisted any other ideas (whether from here or somewhere else) to make a lesson plan that worked!

LESSON IDEA #1 – Impressionist Movement – Self Portraits and Impressions of the Past

Overview:

As an alternative teacher I wanted to develop an integrated curriculum where one assignment would meet the curricular expectations of two (or more) different courses.  As a drama and history teacher I find it easiest to find curriculum links between the arts, English and Canadian history courses.   I will focus on the arts aspects of my curriculum in this Lesson Share.  In the first unit we explored the Impressionist Movement.  It was a great way to introduce and set the stage for the first unit of the Canadian history course which explores the beginnings of Canada’s industrial age and gives context to the fundamental changes in thinking about how the world functioned at the turn of the century.  We began by learning about the history of the Impressionist Movement and how it changed the purpose and style of art.  We then learned how to paint as an impressionist artist using the touche technique – dry brushing and mixing acrylic colours on the canvas.  Once students had practiced the technique they were give two assignments to complete. One, an impressionist style self-portrait painting and an impressionist style painting depicting how different groups of Canadians viewed Canada between 1900 and 1919.

Purpose:

Integrated Arts – (ALC 20)

B3.1 describe how creating, presenting, and analysing a variety of art works has affected their personal values and their awareness of the values of their community and culture and those of other cultures

B4.1 identify skills, character traits, and work habits that are developed through the processes of creating, analysing, presenting, and/or promoting art works, including integrated art works/productions

C1.1  use appropriate terminology related to elements, principles, and other key concepts when creating, analysing, or presenting various types of art works

C1.2 demonstrate an understanding of elements, principles, and other key concepts associated with the various arts disciplines

C2.1 demonstrate an understanding of common symbols and themes in past and present art works from a variety of cultures

Knowledge –

My students watched a video and had a short reading to complete to gain an understanding of the Impressionist  Movement.

Impressionism

Skills –

Students needed to learn how to paint using the techniques of the impressionist painters.  As a group we watched a video and broke down the steps.  Students were given the opportunity to practice the technique until they felt comfortable.

Application –

Students were given the task of creating a self-portrait in the impressionist style practiced in class.  They were asked to use colours that best suited their personality based on symbolic representations of colours (as provided to them).

Throughout the creative process students worked in groups and with me, discussing their choices along the way.  Which picture will I use that best captures who I am?  Who am I? What do I value? What defines who I am?  Which colours best represent that?  Does it matter that this painting doesn’t really look like me at all?  What does this painting represent about me?

Unit 1 Assignment 1ART

Here is the finished result…

Outcomes:

• We learned a new skill (touche painting technique)
• We learned about the industrial revolution and gained different perspectives on its cultural impact
• We explored self-identity and personal expression
• We created artwork that became the center point of our classroom for the rest of the semester.
• The skills developed during this unit were later used in by students in different units as a new tools for creating integrated art projects.

Cool Classroom Technology

Check out this cool download that turns a regular powerpoint presentation into an interactive lesson, but giving students the opportunity to participate by controlling a wireless mouse linked to the program.  They can answer quiz questions or draw on the power point itself.

Check it out…

http://www.microsoft.com/multipoint/mouse-mischief/en-gb/download.aspx

Technology in the Classroom

I love to use technology in my classroom!  I like to show images and videos, send students on digital scavenger hunts or give them access to video cameras to present information and thinking.

In February, my co-worker and I at Pathways to Education in Regent Park will be facilitating a math program using resources from the JUMP Math http://jumpmath1.org/ program and using the Wii Mote smartboard from Johnny Lee.  I was introduced to this technology in teachers college, and it’s pretty cool.

When the program begins I will upload pictures of set up and the use of the equipment!  Try it at home, a smart board with the already needed bluetooth capable laptop, a projector plus a wii mote and a small IR light pen.  With the technology we are going to be able to engage our students in hands on learning through games and digital manipulatives!

Have you ever used this wii mote technology in your classroom???

Awesome Resource: How the Global Food Market Starves the Poor

Watch this awesome video and have your say!

What a great resource for any humanities or social science class!