In this section you’ll find information that will assist you in your role as an Occasional Teacher. It isn’t subject specific but is related to Ontario’s Schools. This is where you’ll find information about classroom management, character education, and safe schools to name but three topics.
Classroom supports
Free Special Needs Teaching Resources
SEN Teacher is amongst the oldest teaching resource sites and has over 300,000 regular users. Their learning materials are free to share and use in schools or at home. The Print tools on SEN Teacher allow you to create, adapt and share teaching resources for a wide-range of abilities. No login or registration is required to use SEN Teacher.
Education World’s Activities for the First Day of School
Are you looking for the perfect way to get to know your students and help them get to know one another? This collection of teacher-tested icebreakers will do just that. And for OTs, one of these can be the perfect intro to an assignment in a new group at any time of year!
The Calm Schools Initiative
The Calm Schools Initiative is offering every teacher in the world free access to Calm, the mindfulness app that hundreds of thousands of people all over the world use every day. The organization’s stated aim is to empower teachers with mindfulness tools and resources they can use to help kids learn this new skill.
Classroom Organization
Despite a teacher’s best intentions, a cluttered classroom environment could be distracting students from learning. Drawing on the growing body of research, the author discusses how visual, layout, and wall colour may have a negative impact on students’ moods.
Share My Lesson
A U.S. based resource, funded by the American Federation of Teachers, this website provides a huge repository of free lesson plans and teacher PD resources. Lessons are organized by divisions, grade, and subject area so you can easily find something for your classroom. A robust section of professional development webinars provided opportunities for self-directed PD. Sign up using LinkedIn, Facebook, or Google+ credentials.
Boundaries Are More Effective Than Rules
The subtlety of the differences between boundaries and rules makes it easy to discount the impact each can have on the emotional climate in a classroom and the quality of the relationship between teachers and students. However, teachers who endeavour to shift from the win-lose familiarity of rules to the win-win prospects of boundaries report a significant decrease in conflicts and power struggles in their classes, and far greater success in reaching kids previously deemed difficult, unmotivated or, in some instances, even dangerous, than with any strategy previously attempted.
Orange Shirt Day
Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission (SJM) Indian Residential School, designed to commemorate the residential school experience, to witness and honour the healing journey of the survivors and their families, and to commit to the ongoing process of reconciliation. As a spokesperson for the Reunion group leading up to the events, former student Phyllis (Jack) Webstad told the story of her first day at residential school when her shiny new orange shirt, bought by her grandmother, was taken from her as a six-year-old girl. September 30th is now recognized across Canada as a day to commemorate the loss and suffering experienced by children who attended Residential Schools.
365 Days and Ways to Celebrate Black Canadians
ETFO’s latest project, the 365 Black Canadian Curriculum, is part of a compilation of equity resources for elementary educators. These resources, which support Black Canadian history in Ontario schools on a daily basis, include: a calendar; primary, junior and intermediate lesson plans; a workshop for staff; and a poster. With this resource, educators will have historically factual information to support the learning of issues concerning race and discrimination, while ensuring safe learning environments for students to discuss these topics in a respectful and reflective manner, while also exploring the realities of Black Canadians.
Twitterati: The Indigenous Voices Edition
Are you unsure who to follow for information about First Nation, Metis, and Inuit issues? OpenCanada, a digital publication sitting at the intersection of public policy, scholarship and journalism, shares a listing of more than 100 social media influencers in the global Indigenous community. The list includes biographies for each entry.
OpenCanada.org is a publication of the Centre for International Governance Innovation, an “independent, non-partisan think tank with an objective and uniquely global perspective.