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Year: 2000 – Province: Quebec
Certificate of Achievement Recipients
Maria Mastracchio-Lafontaine
School: Merton Elementary School
5554, avenue Robinson
Côte-Saint-Luc, Quebec H4V 2P8
Principal: David Hogg
School Telephone: 514-481-7425
School Fax: 514-481-1290
Grades/Subjects Taught: Kindergarten French immersion, all subjects
Teaching Approach:
- Raise students' interest level in a warm, nurturing and inquisitive learning climate.
- Good classroom management skills are the essence of a productive and attentive class.
- Prepare students to become good citizens by teaching them how to get along together and work productively.
Outstanding Achievements:
Employs a variety of innovative teaching strategies with her young learners:
- students learn to play chess, which develops their mathematic problem-solving skills
- a wall hanging of flash cards showing words, pictures and students' names helps students compose French sentences
- other wall hangings teach the whole language approach using colour swatches, weather images and shapes
- bingo-style games see students matching sentences to images, which improves comprehension and develops visual and motor skills
- overhead projector slides of stories allow the whole class to read along.
Develops creative initiatives to improve academic skills and interpersonal skills by teaming with other classes. For example, grade five students have participated in several reading and writing activities with the kindergarten students. The older students' French oral and reading skills improved, while the language skills and self-confidence of the younger children increased.
Initiated peer mediation program at school. She taught grade five students the basics of peer mediation, who then taught others to resolve schoolyard conflicts peacefully. In the classroom these skills contribute greatly to a peaceful and productive learning environment.
Trains a minimum of four student teachers each year, and shares her ideas, resources and experience with everyone who asks.
Rave Reviews:
"Maria stands in a 'star' category on her own." Fellow teacher
"I realized then that the fact that she anticipates and is on top of everything is not luck - it is a combination of commitment, talent, discipline and passion! Like all true champions, she makes it look easy!" Classroom observer