Submitted by: Kristin Balleny After recently participating in a STEM course for my Master of Education degree, I took some time to reflect on my experience. As an educator and student myself, frequently incorporating reflection into my day guides my practice and professional development. This STEM course has helped me learn new strategies and techniques to enhance the learning experiences of my students and improve my STEM teaching practices. Upon reflection, I will highlight five “big ideas” that this course has helped me learn. Big Idea #1 STEM learning experiences must be meaningful and relevant. This fosters student engagement and helps them develop a deeper understanding of the content. Connecting learning to real-world problems that students can relate to increases their motivation to learn and the likelihood that they will apply their learning in the future. With careers in the STEM fields becoming more prominent in society, it is increasingly important that we provide our students with meaningful and relevant STEM opportunities in the classroom. Big Idea #2 STEM supports the development of 21st century skills by fostering critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, creativity, communication, and technology skills. STEM activities encourage students to apply the knowledge they have learned in class to complex real-world problems, design creative solutions, and effectively collaborate with their peers. By engaging in STEM education, students gain the necessary skills needed to thrive into today’s rapidly changing, technologically advanced society. Big Idea #3 Professional development related to STEM education was greatly emphasized in this course. It is important for educators to seek out opportunities that allow them to develop their confidence in STEM education to provide their students with authentic STEM experiences. Furthermore, taking the time to collaborate with your colleagues and share your learning is essential. Learning and growing as a team fosters deeper relationships, further develops your own skills, and creates a work environment that is more effective and productive. Big Idea #4 STEM education highlights the importance of hands-on, project-based learning. Promoting active engagement and designing STEM lessons that encourage students to experiment, solve problems, and collaborate with their peers is essential. Project-based learning opportunities further enhance students’ intrapersonal skills, creativity, and problem-solving abilities. Also, considering the interests and abilities of your students maximizes their level of engagement. Big Idea #5 Cross-curricular integration is the essence of STEM learning. Traditionally, STEM has often been implemented into individual subjects. However, this course has helped reinforce the importance of blending science, technology, engineering, and math with language arts, social studies, and art. Incorporating STEM into different subject areas helps students make connections to their world in a more holistic way, fostering a deeper understanding of the curricular content. Social Studies: Students can build a model of a community, while considering environmental impacts such as waste management, natural resources, and green spaces. The model can be build using recycled materials to emphasize sustainability. To incorporate technology, the students can record themselves explaining different buildings around the community that are linked with a QR code. Finally, they can cover math outcomes by calculating perimeter and area on their map or discovering geometric attributes on different buildings. Language Arts: Teachers can read books that contain STEM concepts such as “The Most Magnificent Thing” by Ashley Spires, “Ada Twist, Scientist” by Andrea Beaty, and “Rosie Revere, Engineer” by Andrea Beaty. Students can write stories that are STEM-based. Stories would feature scientists or engineers solving a real-world problem. For example, a robot taking over their chores, a day in the life of a specific type of scientist, or inventing a machine that cleans up litter. Art: Students can design and build musical instruments using recycled materials. When decorating their instrument, it can contain elements of art such as line, texture, shape, and pattern. Using simple coding apps such as Scratch or Tynker, students can create art by coding. Students can sculpt animals that include their adaptations for survival. Stories about their animal can be written to incorporate language arts as well. Useful Websites: Play-based coding ideas without technology - https://www.naeyc.org/resources/blog/creating-play-based-experiences Detailed example of incorporating STEM into read alouds - https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1156381.pdf Guide for teaching STEM to very young children https://bostonchildrensmuseum.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/STEMGuide.pdf 239 Cool STEM websites - https://www.mastersindatascience.org/resources/the-ultimate-stem-guide-for-kids-239-cool-sites-about-science-technology-engineering-and-math/ List of 40 interactive STEM activities - https://www.playdoughtoplato.com/stem-activities-for-kids/

Submitted by: Shaye Demke Starting my post-baccalaureate as a new teacher was both exciting and nerve wracking. With only three years of teaching experience, I knew I wanted to continue learning, refining and developing my teaching practices. As a graduate of the University of Winnipeg, applying for the post-baccalaureate program was a breeze. I chose the “Inclusive Education” stream with the goal of one day becoming a Resource Teacher! I am now about halfway through the post bacc program (having completed all courses online so far), I can confidently say is has been a transformative experience. The courses have provided numerous learning opportunities which have deepened my understanding of my current teaching practices while also exploring and navigating new strategies. My studies have encouraged me to reflect, adapt, and refine my practices. Most recently I took the course titled “Exceptional Children 1” which focused on understanding and supporting children who have unique learning needs. The content of this course explored a wide range of exceptionalities and provided valuable insights through group work, individual assignments, and readings. I gained practical knowledge that I can directly apply to my classroom. One of the highlights was collaborating with other educators to share strategies for effective inclusion and differentiated instruction which was an experience I found both inspiring and practical. Starting my post baccalaureate as a newer teacher has been an incredible opportunity to grow my confidence, gain specialized knowledge, and stay current with the latest in education. Balancing full-time teaching with course work has its challenges, however the journey thus far has been immensely rewarding, both personally and professionally. I am eager to continue learning and growing as I work towards completing this degree.

Submitted by: Amber Duff Student Services Lavallee School We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to MAME for awarding us the Special Projects Grant for the Learning Commons at Lavallee School. Your generous support has made a tremendous impact on our ability to enhance the educational experience for our students, particularly in areas where interactive learning and hands-on activities are crucial for growth and development. With the funds from this grant, we have been able to purchase a range of valuable materials and resources that cater to various aspects of education. Among the items we acquired are interactive books that engage children through vivid illustrations and storytelling, helping them develop a love for reading and a deeper understanding of language. The grant also enabled us to invest in fine and gross motor activities that promote physical development and coordination. These activities are essential for building the foundational skills children need for both academic success and daily tasks. We are thrilled to have also purchased LeapPads, which have proven to be an excellent tool for interactive learning. These devices provide children with fun and engaging ways to explore topics such as math, science, and language arts, ensuring that they stay motivated and excited to learn. The addition of imaginary play kits has been another highlight. These kits encourage creativity and social interaction, allowing children to explore different roles and develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Through play, they also learn about the world around them and practice important life skills. Additionally, the grant allowed us to purchase sound blending games and phonics games, which are integral to early literacy development. These games help children build essential reading skills, including the ability to blend sounds and recognize phonics patterns, setting them up for success in reading and writing. We are incredibly grateful to MAME for making all of this possible. Your support has directly impacted the growth, learning, and development of our students, and we are confident that these new resources will provide a lasting benefit to their educational journey.

Submitted by: Jennifer Napper Working in a classroom in the 21st century, technology is prevalent. However, we often do not have enough laptops and iPads within the school setting. Using the grant from MAME to purchase two iPads and a couple apps has been and will continue to be a huge addition to the classroom. Lexico Lexico is an app specifically designed to help support students with Dyslexia. It allows for you to scan a document into the app and changes the font to a font that is more easily read. The app will read the document aloud to you and you can focus on certain words and phrases within a text. You can also add a vocabulary list to practice a certain set of words. There is a tracking practice game, to work on finding real phrases within a set of jumbled words. The app is definitely neat with the features mentioned above. However, the app is not user friendly. It took a long time to figure out how to use it and the help features aren’t super clear. It would be great if the app would tell you what the word means as you click it. The voice that is used to read aloud is very robotic and hard to listen to, it would be nice to have other choices. Inspiration Maps This app is great for organizing your thoughts for a prewriting activity. It allows you to add words and ideas and it puts it in a visually appealing way. There are many templates, or you can make your own. It is good for students who get stuck before starting to write paragraphs or stories. There are images that can be added, and it is easy to use. ClaroSpeak+ ClaroSpeak is an app for reading passages aloud. It also breaks the information down a bit into sections that are easier to follow. There are many voice choices, and you can change the size of text. You are also able to adjust how big the spaces are between lines of text, the background colour, and the character spacing. There is nothing super special about the app beyond basic reading and font. It would be better if there were more options for what to do with the text after it is in the document. We will continue to see what else is out there and useful for literacy support within the classroom and will continue to get student feedback as we get more comfortable with the apps. I hope this is helpful in starting your journey with using technology to help support students with literacy challenges in the classroom.

Shamrock School DEI Learning - June 2024 Submitted By: Brittney Casavant This year, as a staff and as a community, Shamrock School has done great deal of learning in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion. What began in November with reports of racist comments and negative behaviour blossomed into a powerful year of conversations, reflection, teaching, learning, and celebrating. In November staff members met with 2 students from each class in grade 5-8. These 40 students were asked to share their experiences of Shamrock School. Many of them spoke about incidents of racism, sexism, homophobia, and general negative behaviour between students. What students disclosed was heartbreaking and much more widespread than we had anticipated. When asked what we as a school should tackle first, they agreed racism was where we should begin. Students wanted us to work and learn together with a place to share and celebrate the many cultures at Shamrock. What followed next was 7 months of intense staff and student learning, work, and school wide celebration. As a staff we examined the feedback shared by students. As we began our staff learning a student voice group was also formed. Our hope was that the students would have a place to continue to share their experiences and guide us in our work. June was a month of cultural celebration at Shamrock! In addition to all our Pride celebrations and learning we planned a huge number of culturally focussed school wide activities in June. Guided by a group of staff volunteers including teachers and educational assistants, we planned and ran a day of cultural workshops for the entire school. On June 6th, every student in grades 1-6 participated in 3 cultural activities and the grade 7/8’s took part in 2 longer workshops. The workshops were led by teachers, educational assistants, and community members. Each workshop consisted of an activity and some learning about the culture or country where it was from. Supported by the LRSD board office, our parent advisory council and the Manitoba Association of Multi Age Educators, the workshops presented were: • Sushi making • Indigenous drumming and story telling • Bocce ball • Cricket • Halo Halo • Indigenous beading • Pinatas and Latin dance • Nigerian story telling and music • Hungarian games, art, and dance • Perogy making • African drumming • Metis finger weaving • Indigenous rock painting, feather wrapping and teachings • Tae Kwon Do • Henna art The entire day was a huge success! The energy and enthusiasm throughout the building was amazing. Students and staff were so engaged and excited. Everyone was proud to share their stories and culture and loved learning about the cultures and traditions of others. We already have plans for an even bigger day next year! Other activities in June include classroom activities such as games, art, language learning, potluck lunches, songs, and dances from around the world. As a school, we will get the chance to hear from special guest Gurdeep Pandher the Indian motivational speaker from the Yukon. We are also planning a school wide fashion show where students and staff will have the opportunity to show case their traditional cultural attire as they walk our red carpet. We have had a powerful few months of learning and reflecting at Shamrock. What started out as conversation and ideas grew into impactful school-wide experiences and education. We recognize that our work is not complete and in fact is only beginning. We have so much more to learn, experience, share and celebrate. As a staff our next steps include using our DEI lens in subject areas and classroom activities. We want to continue our learning in this area as well as expand to other marginalized groups such as the LGBTQ+ community. We are committed and looking forward to continued growth and development as we continue our exciting journey of diversity, equity and inclusion at Shamrock School!

Submitted by: Laurie Brewster Lavalle School In spring of 2024, the Lavallee School Student Services team utilized the MAME Special Projects Grant to purchase an iPad, iPad case, and Proloquo2Go App. We will be using these tools to train ourselves, our teachers, and our EA’s on using the AAC devices. Lavallee School has many students using AAC and fully supporting them requires total immersion and constant modelling. In the past, the only way to learn ourselves and to model for students, meant taking their AAC device away. Now we can practice on this new iPad and model back and forth communication without taking the students’ devices away! Thanks to MAME for this opportunity. We are already planning more AAC PD for the fall!

Submitted By: Kristie LaPorte Shamrock School Thanks to MAME and their supportive special projects grant, Ms. LaPorte’s grade 1/2 class participated in an enriching living things unit this term. We used the funds to purchase supplies that would enhance hands on learning and exploration of plants and animals. We purchased grow lights and planting materials in order to observe the growth of bean plants from seed to flower in our classroom. We also performed an experiment to determine the effects of plants not getting what they need to survive and thrive. We purchased classroom read aloud books to further our learning about growing plants, characteristics of animals and composting. We even got to make our own little mini compost snack cups. We learned about pollinators and how important they are to the environment then created wildflower seed balls to give to our grade 5/6 learning buddies. We will be completing our unit with a trip to Morning Sound Farm in June. Here is a list of some of the books we purchased with the grant money: Wanted! Criminals of the Animal Kingdom- Heather Tekavec One Bean- Anne Rockwell How a Seed grows- Helene J. Jordan Compost Stew- Mary McKenna Siddals Different? Same!- Heather Tekaev Do Hippos Brush their Teeth?- Etta Kaner

Submitted by: Amanda Lake (She/Her) Grade 2 Teacher École Sage Creek School Working on my masters in Critical Studies from the University of New Brunswick has been eye opening. This program focuses on ways marginalized groups are represented and impacted in education and discusses topics such as systematic racism, colonialism, Indigenous perspectives, feminism, disability, and more. Although the content is heavy, it's important work to do and I'm grateful for the opportunity to learn and better myself as an educator and as a human. I've had very meaningful online discussions with classmates and learned from educators across Canada who have given me many ideas and practices to implement. I find I am more regularly reflecting on the content I am teaching, the lens with which I present it, and the resources I use in my class to ensure a more equitable approach. I have taken many opportunities to dive into outdoor education and land-based learning perspectives when given optional assignments or topics to research as these two topics interest me and are part of my weekly practice in the classroom. It has reaffirmed the importance and value of the outdoors and the land. I am excited to continue with the second half of the program and continue to question, criticize, and grow.

Submitted by: Emma Easton In recent years, educators have been increasingly drawn to the concept of flexible seating as a way to enhance the learning environment and cater to the diverse needs of students. Flexible seating refers to a classroom setup that allows students to choose where they sit, whether it be at a traditional desk, on a beanbag chair, or even on the floor. This approach aims to promote student engagement, collaboration, and overall well-being by providing a more comfortable and dynamic space for learning. In my classroom I see various benefits of flex seating, especially with such a diverse group of learners. Every one of my students learn differently, and traditional seating arrangements do not always cater to the learning styles within my classroom. Flexible seating provides options for my students to choose a setup that works best for them, whether they prefer a quiet corner for independent work or a communal table for group discussions. Another aspect of flex seating that is beneficial is how it promotes collaboration between students. By allowing students to work in different seating configurations, such as small groups or pairs, students can interact with their peers easily, share ideas, and work together on projects. Not only does flex seating allow for student collaboration, but it also enhances student engagement. When students have the freedom to choose where they sit, they are more likely to feel comfortable and motivated, leading to improved focus and participation in class activities. There are many examples of flexible seating in schools. Floor pillows create a comfortable and informal seating option that can be beneficial during reading or group activities. Thus, encouraging a sense of relaxation and creativity. Adjustable or movable tables allow for easy reconfiguration of the classroom layout to accommodate different activities, such as group work, independent study, or presentations. Standing desks provide an alternative to sitting and allow students to work while standing, promoting better posture and increased blood flow, which can improve focus and concentration. Bean bag chairs or loungers offer a cozy and relaxed seating option that can be particularly appealing to students who prefer a more laid-back environment for learning or reading. Flexible seating has emerged as a valuable tool for creating a more student-centered and engaging classroom environment. By offering a variety of seating options that cater to students' preferences and needs, educators can foster a positive learning experience that promotes collaboration, creativity, and overall well-being among students. Thank you to MAME for supporting my flexible classroom setting and providing a grant which will allow for me to reconfigure the way my students learn.