Class Seven Reflection

I chose this symbol because this week's class centered around cultural inclusion. This week I learned how culture connects people in many different ways, and needs to be a key consideration in culturally inclusive teaching.

Symbol created in Canva.

Class Seven Reflection

This week began with a conversation in breakout rooms surrounding our ideas about the impacts of culture on several different aspects of someone's identity. During this activity we were asked to join the breakout room that aligns with our beliefs about the question. In joining a breakout room we were given the opportunity to speak with like minded peers to discuss our feelings on the topic. I found that I was unsure how I felt around many of these topics and often had difficulty choosing a breakout room. So, what I chose to do was enter the room that I thought might best align with my thoughts and listen to my peers as they defended their thoughts. Sometimes I would agree and was able to expand their ideas by adding in my own, but other times I switched rooms because I felt my thoughts aligned better with a different perspective.

Through this activity I learned that there is no concrete answer about the defining aspects of culture on identity. But, culture looks and feels differently to everyone, making it so important to be conscious of culture within the classroom.

The next activity I worked through during class time this week was the Cultural Inclusion survey, in this survey I scored a 26 which means I fall into the 'good practice of cultural inclusion in assessment' category. This is about where I thought I would fall, as I was in this range but approaching the 'strong' category, which is where I am to work towards in the future.

The completion of this survey gave me the chance to get a glimpse into how I might do on the Cultural Competence as a Student activity. This activity did not take long but I did find it very helpful in identifying my beliefs in ways that I might not have thought of on my own. I think this activity is valuable to bring forward into my teaching career because I can use the list on page one to inform my teaching and planning. I can see each thing on the list and whether I believe it is part of culture or not, allowing myself to address these aspects when incorporating cultural diversity in my classroom. I also think this list would be a great way to begin the year (especially for older students who can think more critically, a smaller list could be compiled for younger years students). A teacher could give the list to students and instead of asking what constitutes and culture, we could be asking students ``what is important to your culture", giving us a glimpse into their values and allowing us to plan for cultural inclusion in the most mindful way possible.

The final activity I completed in this week's class was the Fixes for Practices that Distort Achievement activity. My group found this activity difficult at first as we did not know where to start. To us there were some clear statements that should be higher or lower than they were currently placed, but we did not know what number to place them at. So, we gave statements a tentative number, and then made adjustments at the end until we were all happy with our list.

When completing the poll guru after the activity, many of the responses were similar to our own answers and topics of discussion, which was interesting to me.

I think it is important to keep this list in mind as we move into the classroom in order to be mindful of the lower rated practices, as to not use them without thinking.

Assessment Jumping Game

BLOOMS Puzzle Game

The final discussion that stuck with me in this class was the discussion about national and international assessments. I did not know that things like PISA and PCAP existed, however I was not surprised to see how Saskatchewan ranked nationally and internationally. As someone who is hoping to leave Saskatchewan after I complete my degree, these resources could be a huge help to inform my decision as to where I am interested in teaching. I have lived in Saskatchewan my whole life and am excited for a change of scenery, so seeing the statistical differences between Saskatchewan and other places on the provincial and global scale is super interesting to me.

As I continue to work on and refine my Dialogue Journal, I am beginning to look forward to peer assessment this coming week. I have learned so much from the educators I had the opportunity to speak to in the past few weeks, and am excited to see the perspectives my peers have gained through their own conversations. In my next class reflection I will be reflecting on the experience of peer assessing and the new learning I have gained through the process.

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