First Semester of my Second Year DONE

As the first semester of my second year comes to an end, I feel I have a more holistic framework of knowledge. This year my practicum is in a Grade 3/4 split classroom at Manor Park Public School. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic teaching, this year has been quite different. I would have appreciated being in the classroom with my associate teacher and seeing how she normally runs a class where students don’t have to be socially distant. She mentions how students would be at tables collaborating and doing group work. However, we cannot do those things as the students must stay at least 1 meter apart and they have protectors on their desks. As an aside, I have created a virtual classroom with my Bitmoji character since that has become popular this year. It was fun seeing it all come together and it will be something I can use in the future.

Through the Timperley framework, I am taking the knowledge from class, applying it throughout my practice and analysing the effects of it. For example, creating success criteria in student-friendly language and using effective questioning techniques has helped keep students engaged and develop deeper knowledge on the topics. Getting to know all of the students are understanding the class helps me to plan lessons that meet them where they are.

As an adaptive expert, I am constantly reflecting on myself as a teacher candidate and who I want to be as a teacher. I want to focus on student interest and understanding their culture by becoming a culturally responsive teacher. I am aware that my culture and experiences are different from many of my students. Each student brings prior knowledge and experience to the classroom, where we can all learn from one another.

This year, I am discovering that creating differentiated instruction is easier than I initially thought. I learned that this does not meet creating multiple lesson plans for one but adapting the one to accommodate various levels. For example, instead of writing four paragraphs, a student could write two paragraphs. I enjoyed learning about the activities for multiple intelligences, such as musical (echo clapping), verbal linguistics (role-playing), visual-spatial (storyboards), intrapersonal (positive affirmations), etc. I will take these into account when planning for my students. I have learned from my classes and from my associate teacher that the environment plays a role in learning. She always has the windows/blinds up and rarely turns on the harsh classroom lights, but instead has lamps and fairy lights. My AT encourages the use of songs/music and timers to help students focus. She also emphasizes only having material on the walls that is useful to the students and nothing that is too colourful or distracting. I look forward to creating an environment that works well for students learning.

This year a couple of professors have provided many resources and articles I found very helpful. I have done many of the additional readings for the purpose of growth and interests. Many of the articles were topics around success criteria, questioning techniques, rubrics, social issues, and teaching students who have experienced trauma. I know I can incorporate the success criteria and questioning techniques into every subject, so students are in charge of their learning and think critically. I have signed up for the OCT webinar 10-part-series called “Math Matters” which is every Thursday for 1.5 to 2 hours. Thus far, I have attended one of ten sessions where I learned about the Notice and Wonder technique to spark curiosity before teaching the lesson. I hope this will increase my confidence in teaching math and I can learn strategies to keep math engaging for learners.

As I continue to grow, I want to work on creating better rubrics for and with students. I have trouble making it simple and easy to read, yet specific. I also want to learn more about the process of assessment and evaluation. How teachers keep track daily, weekly, monthly etc. and what they are noting. Finally, I would like to see what the process is when creating a long-range plan. There is still one more year of this program and I plan to make the most out of it. From creating the 10 belief statements, it has helped form my identity as a teacher by forming a clear path. This includes the use of multiple modalities, modelling for my students, creating genuine relationships, encouraging risk-taking, and having high expectations for each of them. There is an abundance of knowledge that I have learned throughout this program, which can feel overwhelming, but I am trying to organize it all. I am excited to start this block and try these amazing techniques to find out what works for me.