The five teaching competencies the Education Department at Mount Royal University introduced are fundamental aspects for educators.
One’s personal accountability of their role as an educator. A prioritized respectful relationship with students, colleagues, parents, and others. This includes honouring all types of diversity. Educators must embed their knowledge and understanding of the school system, curriculum, and socioeconomic issues around education. They are also responsible for expressing their career-long vision and overall purpose within their career.
Establishing an environment where students feel free to express their diverse learning styles. Teachers are supportive and adaptive to the student's individual needs. Educators must demonstrate knowledge of learner development and differences and use this knowledge to plan learning experiences. Planning for specific activities and assignments that are relevant, and aligned with learning goals.
Nurturing students' understanding using many different teaching strategies. Being an adaptive expert when it comes to different students and how they learn. This requires teachers to build an understanding of students' previous knowledge, skills, and strategies to be able to scaffold from them.
Creating and maintaining an accepting space for all students, no matter their differences. Altering one's practice to create a positive atmosphere to learn in. This means understanding and being able to approach a personal learning experience no matter one's differences such as different races, genders, sexual orientations, religions, cultures, etc. But also different learning differences such as varied learning abilities, mental health states, physical health states, prior knowledge, second language learning, cognitive ability, etc. All these factors can affect learning and it is educators' job to be aware of and well-read on all unique situations that make up a student's learning profile.
How to effectively and efficiently give constructive feedback to further improve students' learning and understanding. Using formative and summative assessment, educators should be capable of giving accurate feedback while balancing positive and negative advice. Using rubrics and other assessment tools, one must have clear instructions of goals and expectations for students. It is crucial to be able to reflect on the assessment with artifacts and examples with parents, students, and colleagues.