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Educators act ethically & maintain the integrity, credibility, and reputation of the profession

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Educators act ethically & maintain the integrity, credibility, and reputation of the profession

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During my practicum experience, I had the unfortunate experience where my two TM's, exhibited tension, in which I initiated a professional and ethical mediation approach with private conversations with each individual to understand their concerns. I was able understand each TM's concerns, and relay to them empathy but also the fact that they should voice their concerns with one another, with ground rules emphasizing respect and active listening.

I never did get to follow up to see how their meeting went if they met at all. If they did end up meeting I expect that they facilitated a brainstorming session for solutions. With confidentiality being maintained throughout the process, ensuring a discreet handling of the concerns and an effort to create a positive working environment for all involved.

Although I wasn't there for the end result, I can rest assured that I acted ethically & maintained the integrity, credibility, and reputation of the profession, as a TC.

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Educators value the involvement and support of parents, guardians, families, and communities in schools

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Educators value the involvement and support of parents, guardians, families, and communities in schools

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We are committed to contacting parents regularly. We will aim to do this by keeping open communication with families via communication forms/agendas, phone calls etc.

Regular communication between parents and teachers is essential for fostering a positive and supportive educational environment. This collaboration positively impacts a child's academic success by providing parents with insights into their child's progress and learning needs. Behavioral and social development also benefit, as open communication allows for concerns to be addressed and promotion of positive behavior both at home and in school. Early identification of potential issues is can be facilitated, enabling timely intervention and support. By having regular communication, consistency in expectations is achieved. Individualized learning approaches can be developed based on a better understanding of each child's unique needs and learning styles. Through doing this, positive teacher-parent relationships are established, fostering trust and collaboration for effective problem-solving. We believe, this regular communication contributes to a positive school culture focused on the child's overall well-being and success.

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Educators implement effective planning, instruction, assessment and reporting practices to create respectful, inclusive environments for student learning and development.

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Educators implement effective planning, instruction, assessment and reporting practices to create respectful, inclusive environments for student learning and development.

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As a new teacher, I feel our program has placed strong emphasis on effective planning, instruction, and assessment in order to aid us in developing inclusive and equitable classrooms.

Effective planning is a keystone element of our program. This is evident both in course assignments, and the paperwork we prepare and submit for our practicum experiences (one of which I have attached). Our course material teaches us that effective planning is critical for inclusive teaching. The most effective lessons I delivered were those that provided students with experiential learning, and the ability to make choices.

I feel the attached unit plan is a piece of evidence that showcases how each of these elements is evident in my own teaching. Many lessons involved students discussion of ideas for engagement, but others (such as talking about lift force to counteract gravity) required some direct instruction. Students were able to complete and receive feedback at multiple times in this unit via their experiment sheets, which is the same for the final product which they were assessed on. I also thought this unit made an inclusive learning environment for students, as so many materials were hands on; my final assignment had students independently researching and constructing different paper airplane designs, and conducting an experiment to determine which counteracted gravity most effectively. All this was done with little assistance from myself, as I had practiced similar steps with them throughout the week. My TM had me assess these and create a report card line to go on the student's report cards, which gave me a direct involvement in the reporting process.

While I would change things to improve this unit, I am proud of it as a piece of evidence that I as an educator am capable of effective and inclusive planning, instruction, assessment, and reporting.

Luke

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Educators respect and value the history of First Nations, Inuit and Metis in Canada and the impact of the past on the present and the future. Educators contribute towards truth, reconciliation and healing. Educators foster a deeper understanding of ways of knowing and being, histories, and cultures of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis.

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Educators respect and value the history of First Nations, Inuit and Metis in Canada and the impact of the past on the present and the future. Educators contribute towards truth, reconciliation and healing. Educators foster a deeper understanding of ways of knowing and being, histories, and cultures of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis.

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One of the larger shifts in my thinking that has occurred in recent years is my understanding of the word history. Prior to entering this program, I took HIST 3711: Histories of Indigenous Peoples and Canada. One of the earliest questions posed in this course was: "Who's telling the story?" I quickly learned that there was no such thing as "history," but rather "history as told by...x." This lead to the realization that my understanding of history, stemmed from history as told by and as recorded by Europeans. An author chooses the dialogue and details to include, but they can never tell the whole story. And when it comes to history, by listening to one author you listen to one part of the story. This epiphany was what prepared me to learn.

I hope all of us have learned how crucial the role of the educator is in moving towards reconciliation. While the steps we take may feel small, such as using the medicine wheel, designing lessons according to FPPoL, or implementing talking circles into our classrooms, it is crucial that each of us takes those steps. It is equally important that each of us continues in those steps, because as we grow more confident we will be able to take larger ones. Our students will not know the story that many of us grew up hearing: the story of Canada being explored for the first time by brave individuals. Our students will learn that Canada's story began long before any explorers arrived, and how the story is still continuing today.

I believe it is critical that all educators participate in this work. By developing a holistic understanding of the past, our students can better understand the present. We can all do a good thing in the world by showing reverence to the values, language, and culture of those who have lived on this land for so long. In this way, we will all contribute towards truth, reconciliation, and healing.

Luke

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Educators value the success of all students. Educators care for students and act in their best interests.

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Educators value the success of all students. Educators care for students and act in their best interests.

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As an educator, valuing the success of all students is at the core of my teaching philosophy. This commitment extends beyond academic achievements and encompasses the awareness of the diversity inside the classrooms that I step inside. Students will be different and diverse regarding their education and emotions inside the school. I have personally been able to gain a deeper understanding of this in my current practicum. I have entered a position where I have 29 students, many of them from diverse backgrounds. It has given me personal value in what I am teaching and has allowed me to bring content inside the classroom to make it feel like a welcoming place for everyone. For example, one way I celebrate diversity inside my classroom is in February; for black history month, the grade 5 students will be reading Underground to Canada and taking part in a unit on the Underground Railroad and important figures to learn about in black history month.

Another way I demonstrated this value in my last practicum was having a student in my class who was on an IEP. Student A often works alongside an education assistant but has demonstrated difficulties when it comes to handling their emotions in-game settings or when the content may cause problems. Recently, I was preparing a Jeopardy slide show on Underground to Canada and wanted to find a way where I could still include student A in the games which will take place in the unit. For example, we found ways the student could be the game show host, where they would not have to choose to be on either side but instead take part in leading it.

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Educators demonstrate a broad knowledge base and sundering of areas they teach. 

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Educators demonstrate a broad knowledge base and sundering of areas they teach. 

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As a teacher candidate, I prioritized gaining a solid understanding of the curriculum as my teacher mentor would work one-on-one with me to find the best teaching content. The time I would spend with my teacher, mentor, and class would also give me a strong understanding of how I can continue to grow in the area. When it states, "Educators cultivate their values, beliefs and knowledge of Canada's democratic and inclusive society, it supports the idea that educators job goes beyond just knowledge acquisition. As a future teacher, let's share the essential values of inclusivity, compassion, and empathy.

In my next practicum, I incorporated group discussions, collaborative projects, and interactive activities that encouraged students to share their perspectives and learn from one another. This intentional focus on interpersonal skills aimed to create a classroom culture where diversity is normalized and students can build a strong understanding of one another.

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Educators engage in professional development.

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Educators engage in professional development.

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An area of interest I have that I would like to explore through professional development and a life-long learning lens - is special education. "Access to high-quality, meaningful professional development (PD) for in-service teachers around inclusive practices is an important element that has the potential to influence change in classroom practice and student outcomes. This is particularly important for children with identified disabilities." (abstract). -Anastasia

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Educators engage in professional learning. 

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Educators engage in professional learning. 

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Finding a way to make math more engaging for my future students is one area where I would be interested in professional development. In previous practicums, I found great success in teaching math when the students could use mini whiteboards, and the class would work on solving the math equations together. However, I would love to explore further how I could get better at math for my future students and also find a way where I will be to connect the content to the students more.

While researching engaging ways to connect students to math, I found an article called Bringing Math to Life: Provide Students Opportunities to Connect Their Lives to Math, and it goes into detail about the positive effects when teachers connect the student's life to math. The article would state the following, "Karen Scales' (2000) study of using math journals in a third and fourth-grade classroom, she conveyed that positive outcomes from journal submissions included the benefit of witnessing a student's understanding of the mathematical concepts being taught, their attitudes toward the concept and their reflection or self-assessment of their learning." The article also states that using math journals would allow the teacher to alter the lessons when they see many students struggling in the unit where the class would be. Making math more engaging for students is essential for those who may get anxious about math.

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Educators contribute to the profession. 

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Educators contribute to the profession. 

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Throughout the program, we have seen how many contribute to the profession by sharing our resources. We all have found that having people with the same passions as ourselves surrounding us allows us to work together and share resources and books when needed.

We all believe this is important to honour in the future to keep the workplace healthy for yourself and as a reminder that being a new teacher is complex and will present challenges. Our team also believes that when teachers work in collegiality, it provides a safe and inclusive place for all students inside the school.

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Educators understand and apply knowledge of student growth an development

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Educators understand and apply knowledge of student growth an development

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"Educators demonstrate an understanding of individual learning differences and needs... Educators work together to create a positive, safe and inclusive environment to best meet the diverse needs of students"

I have a special place in my heart for special education. I believe in removing any barriers that may be in the way of students learning and offer supports to help them be the best learner they can be.

In each lesson I try to include:

1. Multiple means of Engagement that enables students to be purposeful & motivated

2. Multiple means of Representation that enables students to be resourceful & knowledgeable

3. Multiple means of Action & Expression that enables students to be strategic & goal directed

This includes information that is presented in a variety of ways such as visual- information displayed on the white/SMART board, auditory- spoken instruction, and kinesthetic/tactile- by students getting students up and interacting with one another and working on hand-on projects/activities.

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Educators engage in professional learning

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Educators engage in professional learning

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An area I would like to continue learning about as an educator is the integration of technology in the classroom. While my practicum class doesn't have consistent Chromebook access, I was able to use them on a previous practicum to have students research the cost of things they would want if they didn't have to think about money. I then had students compare the value of their items with one billion to help them understand how incomprehensibly large of a number that is. I don't think that the engagement that I saw from students in that lesson would have been possible without technology.

While researching this topic, I learned that there has been a shift in what technology in the classroom looks like now. For my generation, I was taught how to use technology. Learning how to type is an example of this. For current students, there is a greater emphasis on learning how to use technology for learning (Appova et al. 259). The same authors also state that professional development (lack of) is one of the major barriers for technology integration in classrooms, noting that there is a gap between available technologies and teachers' actual usage of technology.

I am grateful to have been exposed to assistive technologies such as google read and write in this program. I want to continue to learn about how technology in the classroom can enhance student learning.

Luke