Inclusive Environment
Year 4
Goal
My goal is to continue to work on minimizing lost time through effective classroom routines and monitoring student behaviour. I think that I saw a good amount of growth around classroom routines in my Year 3 practicum as I got closer to the end. I believe that I need to work on consistently monitoring and responding to student behaviour as my "teacher voice" continues to be developed.
Year 3 Practicum
Goal
My goal for my Year 3 Practicum is to minimize lost time through effective classroom routines and monitoring of student behaviour. I want to be able to complete a lesson by the end of the practicum where students are able to follow routine without being prompted (IE, 1). I hope to keep track of my time throughout my practicum and see how long or short they are going.
Growth
I think this goal is something that can be continued to be worked on as I navigate my educational journey. I believe that I made some strides with effective classroom rountines and monitoring student behaviour but it is something that constantly needs to be grown. There were a few times early on where students wanted to push the boundaries of what they could get away with during lessons that created lost time. As I began to develop my "teacher voice", it became easier to manage those behaviours. I continued to work on different attention grabbers in order to bring the group back together. I also worked on setting expectations at the beginning of lessons in order to minimize lost time. During an observation, I asked my Faculty Supervisior to watch the pacing of my lesson which helped with my understanding of time management and improved my future lessons.
WINTER 2023- EDUC 2375
Goal
My goal for this semester is to learn strategies that my Mentor Teacher uses in their classroom when it comes different student variables such cultural backgrounds, social and economic factors, and cognitive ability.
Growth
Some of the strategies that I learnt from my Mentor Teacher included making lessons about certain celebrations such as Lunar New Year in order to promote different cultural backgrounds. They would also naturally incorporate different student languages through casual conversation and make connections between different students who spoke the same lanaguage. They'd highlight upcoming religious celebrations and ask the students personal questions such as how they celebrate at home. In terms of students with learning disabilites, I learned about using visuals such as emotion charts or manipulatives such as building blocks to connect with the student.
FALL 2022 - EDUC 2371
Goal
My goal for next semester is to see how my Mentor Teacher makes their decisions in response to contextual variables in their classroom.
Action Plan
My plan is to discuss and observe what strategies my Mentor Teacher uses in their classroom when it comes to students with different variables such as cultural backgrounds, social and economic factors, and cognitive ability.
Artifact from Fall 2022
There was a student in my classroom for Fall 2022 who was visually impaired. My Mentor Teacher introduced a CCTV into the classroom to help the student. They are also in the process of gathering resources for the student to learn braille. The CCTV and the introduction of braille demonstrates the use of "appropriate and targeted strategies and supports to address students' strengths, learning challenges and areas for growth" (IE, 5).
WINTER 2022 - EDUC 1233
Goal
This semester, my goal is to expand my knowledge on creating inclusivity in the classroom and implement it into my field experience. I would like to learn more about the TQS competency of "Applying Foundational Knowledge about First Nations, Metis, and Inuit" in order to understand how I can respectfully incorporate it into future lesson plans.
Strategy
I intend to utilize resources such as Walking Together: First Nations, Metis, and Inuit Perspectives in Curriculum from last semester and Weaving Ways: Indigenous Ways of Knowing in Classrooms and Schools from this semester as guides to improve my understanding of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit and be able to incorporate that knowledge in a safe way.
Growth
As discussed in my third journal entry, I was able to teach a lesson on Anishinaabe animal totems to my Kindergarten class. With the use of an incredible book by Metis author Danielle Daniel called Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox, I was able to guide my students into a conversation about animal totems and their meaning. We also discussed what our animal totems would be and why. Lastly, we created totems based on what animal guides represented us. This lesson allowed me to learn much more about Indigenous culture and how to incorporate Indigenous perspectives into a classroom setting.
A wonderful book on Anishinaabe animal totems that I read to the class for a lesson on Indigenous culture.
FALL 2021 - EDUC 1231
Goal
My goal is to see firsthand how a teacher makes the environment inclusive through their actions. I want to learn about the small things like classroom setup that fosters a safe learning environment for students.
Strategy
My strategy is to make note of ways that my mentor teacher promotes a positive environment through their choice of classroom decorations, intentional participation of students to play to their strengths and learning challenges as well as their routines to ensure positive behaviour.
Growth
After observing my mentor teacher, I learned that everything in her classroom is intentional to promote a positive and inclusive environment. It starts with the way that she welcomes her students into her classroom to the way that she provides positive feedback to her students. She always supports her students in their learning and was consistent in how she managed her classrooms. I learned that it is not just about talking about inclusivity in the classroom but instilling a mentality of positivity in everything that one does that helps build trust between students and teachers.
Creating an inclusive environment through the power of positivity!