Winter 2023 - 4th Year

Goal Before Practicum: My goal for my final practicum is to create a classroom environment that supports positive classroom management and student engagement by establishing clear and consistent routines and procedures for all aspects of the classroom, such as transitioning between activities, entering and exiting the classroom, and handling disruptions.

Growth: Coming into this practicum, my mentor teacher already had very effective classroom routines and expectations in place. The students knew exactly how their day was structured and what behaviour was acceptable in the classroom during different periods. However, when I took on my 100% teaching, I realized that it was up to me to maintain this, which was quite challenging at first. I soon found my own strategies to enforce the routines and classroom management. I implemented a different call-back each month that, we as a class, decided on. This kept the students engaged and excited to listen each time we used it. I also utilized having our helper of the day being in-charge of leading examples of our routines/expectations, transitions, and 

Winter 2021 - 2nd Year

This semester for my Education and Individual Development course I created a long-term KWL goal to research the various learning styles and multiple intelligences. Through my research I was able to come up with ways in which I can use appropriate universal and targeted strategies and supports to address students’ strengths, learning challenges and areas for growth (TQS 4b, 5g).  

This assignment really helped open my eyes to the ways in which differentiation is important to student success.

Goal: My goal is to continue to develop and learn new methods that help incorporate student interests and play to their individual strengths and learning styles.

Fall 2020 - 2nd Year

Inclusive environments are an essential part of any classroom and school; creating a space where all students feel safe, respected, and valued should be the goal of every teacher. This is not only achieved through the physical space, but also through the emotional atmosphere, which can be established through thoughtful, purposeful lessons . If students feel secure and supported in their classroom, it is going to help enhance their learning experience and academic success. 

With my classmates this semester, we have created a literature list based on indigenous children's books. Included in the list are detailed essential understandings of each story and strategies to help create meaningful activities and lessons to support them. Making our classrooms inclusive to aboriginal people so that they can see their culture and heritage reflected in the curriculum and their teachers pedagogy is crucial. 

This is a noteworthy resource that will be extremely valuable and advantageous to me not only through the rest of my schooling and creating lesson plans, but once I have my own classroom as well. This literature log is something that I can continue to add to over the years to assist me in creating inclusive lessons that showcase societies indigenous background.

Goal: My goal is to continue exploring indigenous resources, and opportunities in indigenous communities, and finding ways to incorporate them into my lessons and pedagogy to ensure I am not only educating my students on indigenous culture, but making sure aboriginal students feel respected and included.

Winter 2020 - 1st Year

This semester, although in the same classroom, I was working with a different mentor teacher as my original one had gone on leave. This was a great learning experience for me as I was able to see the different ways different teachers utilized the same space and resources. 

My new mentor teacher decided to create more routine and class discussion time into the day. One of my favourite activities that she implemented was a "circle meeting" every morning. The class would gather around the perimeter of the carpet and one by one would say how they were feeling that day, with an explanation if they felt comfortable, and they would give themselves a number out of ten (we also did this all in french so that they could practice). 

Not only did this give my mentor teacher and myself an idea of where each student was at and what we could possibly do to benefit them, but it created stronger personal relationships between the students and each other and the students and their teacher. Immediately you could see the difference that this made in their behaviour. Building these trusting relationships allows for the students to feel more comfortable at school, which in hand, helps them take more learning risks. 

Goal: My goal for the future is to look into other daily activities that help strengthen the relationships in the classroom

Fall 2019 - 1st Year

I was lucky enough to be placed in a classroom that recognizes the impact of environment on a student.The most effective way that my mentor teacher produced a positive classroom environment was through the physical set up. 

One way was by having minimal desks in the classroom. Most students sat at tables which allowed for frequent group collaboration. There were also many plants around the room, which have been proven to help increase class performance as well as reduce anxiety. 

She also incorporates lamps and string lights, along with the natural light from outside, giving the classroom a very calming vibe compared to the overhead classroom lights. And lastly, although there was a carpet for the students to sit on for class discussions, my mentor teacher also provided a couch, multiple lounge chairs, a rocking chair and other flexible seating options. Not only did this give the students choice but it created an environment where they were not always sitting below her, allowing the students to feel more like her equals. This "homey" atmosphere had a clear, positive impact on the students in terms of their ability to focus, their behaviour, and their anxiety. 

Goal: I hope to learn more about the behavioural aspect of an environment in regards to classroom management.