How does your planning inform your practice?
At my current school, I have the unique opportunity to work with a team of learning facilitators to plan lessons and learning opportunities for the students I teach. Using our background and individual strengths as a starting point, we first identify an art form and culminating experience that we wish to create with the students. Then, we receive input from the students about the themes, messages, and approaches that are most exciting and relevant for them, and work with the students to design the major components of the art form. Finally, my team and I look to our curriculum to find opportunities for cross-curricular learning that can take place during the art form. We then plan the details of how we can help our students acquire the skills and processes necessary to complete the art form that we have chosen together. At each step, I am both sharing and receiving ideas about how to create the most meaningful experience possible for my students. I am also including the students in each phase of planning, so that they can exercise critical and creative thinking, feel ownership of their work and learning environment, and have collaborative art-making modeled for them. Most importantly, I have learned the necessity to balance careful, detailed planning with the ability to be both flexible and adaptable when plans must change.
How do you describe the learning environment you have created?
My classroom is a space where students feel safe to take creative risks, to share their ideas with others, and to explore and experiment with the topics that are most interesting and relevant to them. At the beginning of the school year, I take a significant amount of time to establish the classroom as a learning community where each member has a unique role to play. Through discussions, games, activities, and plenty of group work in varying sizes and forms, my students get to know each other quickly and discover what it is about each other that makes them special and unique. Throughout the school year, we spend a considerable amount of time maintaining these relationships through regular circle meetings, goal setting, positive language, and a systematic model for collaborative, student-led problem-solving.
Along with fostering a feeling of belonging, I also believe it is important to set clear and high expectations for behaviour, participation, and work ethic. At the beginning of the year, I work with students to develop a set of classroom expectations that are clear, relevant, and attainable by all. These expectations are posted clearly in the room with everyone’s signature, and they are referred to frequently throughout the year. When providing feedback to students, I focus strongly on encouraging positive behaviours I have observed, rather than emphasizing and critiquing negative behaviours. When consequences are required, however, I strive to always make sure that they are fair and logical so that the student can use the experience as an opportunity for continued growth and learning. In my classroom, relationships are the single most important aspect of our learning environment, so whether it is peer-to-peer or student-to-teacher relationships, my primary goal is to make sure that everyone experiences consistent support and belonging.
What is your personal philosophy to teaching and learning?
I believe that the purpose of school is to facilitate in the personal, social, and emotional growth of students, in addition to the development of academic skills and content knowledge. Therefore, it is my role and responsibility to not only guide students to be successful in the 21st century, but to also teach them how to build meaningful relationships and a strong sense of self. By building a community of belonging within the classroom, fostering strong relationships with and among my students, and giving my students the autonomy and motivation to participate in the creation of their own learning experiences, I hope to help students develop the confidence, drive, and global awareness to both critically analyze their surroundings and contribute to the world in innovative and meaningful ways.
My teaching practice centers around an inquiry methodology using student-focused learning opportunities to promote the development of higher-order skills of thinking, questioning, and creating. Following Vygotsky’s research on the Zone of Proximal Development, I believe that students perform best when they are working in an environment with both high levels of challenge and high levels of support. Collaboration is very important to me as well, and I strive to include pair and/or group work in each lesson with my students, while also seeking opportunities to work collaboratively with other educators in order to better my teaching and model good practices for my students.
How do you differentiate different skill levels and learning styles?
In my current placement, I work with a multi-aged group of students in years four and five. In order to meet the needs of both age groups, as well as the diverse learning needs, styles, and interests of each individual student, I must always ensure that my lessons are differentiated to allow opportunities for each student to experience challenge as well as success. I have found that not one method works alone, and that it is important to provide many different types of opportunities for students to work in varied roles within the classroom. This is largely accomplished through strategic groupings and pairings that change frequently. Sometimes, my strategy is to group students of similar skill levels or learning styles together so that they can support each other and each feel valued and included. An example of this is our leveled math and writing groups, which are fluid groupings of students based on current skill levels which allow them to receive the type of support from a facilitator that will serve them best at the present moment. On other occasions, I choose to pair students who are new or struggling with a particular objective with a partner who has already experienced mastery in that area, so that the stronger student can act as a mentor for the student who is still developing their knowledge and skills.
While groupings and pairings are important, the greatest opportunities for differentiation come from my school’s Arts Immersion learning model. In this model, students are able to exercise personal choice to investigate the themes, topics, skills, and modalities that are best suited to their own learning style. Whether they are introverted or extroverted, primarily a visual learner or more kinaesthetic, students can choose to show their understanding of a given topic through the art form that is most relevant and engaging in their mind. I have witnessed great success from each of my students using this model, and an added bonus is that students tend to be more intrinsically motivated to complete their work to a high standard when they have choice about what they learn and how they demonstrate it.
How do you establish criteria for assessment and share with your students?
I always prefer to co-create assessment criteria with my students at the beginning of each assignment. Particularly when we are working with a specific genre or art form that is new to the students, it is important that we review together, before beginning our work, the specific learning goals and objectives of a given assignment. We will not only establish a set of criteria, but also determine levels of achievement for each criterion so that students can clearly see what is required as they work towards mastery of a skill. An example of this is our current historical fiction diary assignment. Together, the students and I reviewed the specific elements required for this genre (such as including a date, writing in the first-person, and following a linear timeline of events) as well as the criteria required for the literary arts modality (such as using descriptive language and attending to writing conventions) to come up with a rubric that they will work with as they progress through their assignment.
Sometimes, we use process-based models that the students are already familiar with to assess work, including the Writing Process and the Design Process. These are models that students can reflect on throughout their work to ensure that they are meeting requirements and adhering to expectations of the genre. In these examples, students have not co-created the assessment criteria, but instead are working with targets that they should already be familiar with and are reminded of during each step of the process. For example; using the Writing Process model, students know that they need to begin with brainstorming and research before beginning a draft. In the design process model, students know that they must take time to reflect on their drawings and prototypes before beginning their final product. Using these models is beneficial because it teaches students to self-evaluate their work during each phase of production, and helps them to develop strong habits that they can carry with them into their later schooling years and beyond.
How do you use technologies to meet students’ learning needs?
In my practice, I try to create a balance between “old” and “new” technologies. I believe that it is valuable for students to work with their hands and develop the fine motor skills that are strengthened using traditional technologies such as writing on paper, drawing, sculpting, etc. Books can be a valuable resource for obtaining new information, and knowing how to use, search, and scan print sources is a skill that will encourage my students to become self-sufficient learners. My students also have the unique circumstance of growing up in a highly electronic age. As such, I believe it is also crucial that students learn how to use the technologies of the 21st century so that they can participate in the global exchange of information, prepare themselves for industries of the future, and experience new perspectives that are made available through today’s technology.
I believe that “new” technologies are best used when creating opportunities for students that are not possible using traditional means. These should, in general, not be used as a replacement for “old” technologies. Some technologies I have had success with include apps available for student use, such as GarageBand and iMovie, reputable research websites such as moma.org (Museum of Modern Art) and Google Earth, as well as a collection of online assessment tools such as Google Classroom, TurnItIn.com, and Sesame. I am also very interested in future possibilities to use tools such as Skype and FaceTime to connect students with classrooms, communities, and experts around the globe.
Other examples of technology I have used to help students with diverse learning needs include non-electronic tools such as manipulatives (“fidgets”), wobble boards, and earmuffs/headphones. Flexible seating arrangements such as carpeted areas with cushions and low tables, circular tables for collaboration, and “focus” tables for independent work have also helped to increase student focus and productivity on several occasions. Each of these tools is used to help individual students with different learning needs meet their academic goals while still allowing them to participate fully in the classroom community.
How do you establish and maintain partnerships among school, home, and community, and within your own school?
I believe that students have the best opportunity for success when their parents/families are included and valued as important members in their learning journey. Using multiples modes of communication, including e-mail, conferences, phone, agenda messages, and online and print reporting documents, I strive to always keep parents informed of their child’s progress and work collaboratively to help each child meet their academic and social goals. I put a great deal of time into building relationships with my students and their families, and try to get to know as much as I can about them so that I can have a better picture of what their current lifestyle and future aspirations might be. I also provide opportunities for students to share important achievements and updates about their personal lives with their peers, so as to build peer-to-peer relationships, understanding and belonging, and to build connections with the communities that my students belong to outside of school.
Within my school, I put a great deal of emphasis on fostering positive collaboration between myself, my teaching team, and the other members of my staff community. I check in with each of my team members on a daily basis, share any and all resources I have found to be useful, and seek support or offer guidance whenever difficulties arise. My administration team is highly valuable to me as well, and I am grateful to have developed such positive relationships with each member. Whenever I have questions about protocol, or need advice on how to proceed with school-related issues as they arise, I feel comfortable and confident speaking to my administration team. Finally, I look for opportunities to connect with people in other branches of my school community with whom partnerships are not so easily made. Facilitators from other teaching teams, support staff, and custodians form an integral part of my school community, and I rely strongly on the relationships I have built with each of them. Whether it is partnering my class with younger students in mentorship roles, collaborating with reading support staff to help students develop their literacy skills, or chatting with and assisting the custodians as they tidy my room at the end of the day, I know that without these people, I could not be nearly so successful as an educator.
At my current school, I have the unique opportunity to work with a team of learning facilitators to plan lessons and learning opportunities for the students I teach. Using our background and individual strengths as a starting point, we first identify an art form and culminating experience that we wish to create with the students. Then, we receive input from the students about the themes, messages, and approaches that are most exciting and relevant for them, and work with the students to design the major components of the art form. Finally, my team and I look to our curriculum to find opportunities for cross-curricular learning that can take place during the art form. We then plan the details of how we can help our students acquire the skills and processes necessary to complete the art form that we have chosen together. At each step, I am both sharing and receiving ideas about how to create the most meaningful experience possible for my students. I am also including the students in each phase of planning, so that they can exercise critical and creative thinking, feel ownership of their work and learning environment, and have collaborative art-making modeled for them. Most importantly, I have learned the necessity to balance careful, detailed planning with the ability to be both flexible and adaptable when plans must change.
How do you describe the learning environment you have created?
My classroom is a space where students feel safe to take creative risks, to share their ideas with others, and to explore and experiment with the topics that are most interesting and relevant to them. At the beginning of the school year, I take a significant amount of time to establish the classroom as a learning community where each member has a unique role to play. Through discussions, games, activities, and plenty of group work in varying sizes and forms, my students get to know each other quickly and discover what it is about each other that makes them special and unique. Throughout the school year, we spend a considerable amount of time maintaining these relationships through regular circle meetings, goal setting, positive language, and a systematic model for collaborative, student-led problem-solving.
Along with fostering a feeling of belonging, I also believe it is important to set clear and high expectations for behaviour, participation, and work ethic. At the beginning of the year, I work with students to develop a set of classroom expectations that are clear, relevant, and attainable by all. These expectations are posted clearly in the room with everyone’s signature, and they are referred to frequently throughout the year. When providing feedback to students, I focus strongly on encouraging positive behaviours I have observed, rather than emphasizing and critiquing negative behaviours. When consequences are required, however, I strive to always make sure that they are fair and logical so that the student can use the experience as an opportunity for continued growth and learning. In my classroom, relationships are the single most important aspect of our learning environment, so whether it is peer-to-peer or student-to-teacher relationships, my primary goal is to make sure that everyone experiences consistent support and belonging.
What is your personal philosophy to teaching and learning?
I believe that the purpose of school is to facilitate in the personal, social, and emotional growth of students, in addition to the development of academic skills and content knowledge. Therefore, it is my role and responsibility to not only guide students to be successful in the 21st century, but to also teach them how to build meaningful relationships and a strong sense of self. By building a community of belonging within the classroom, fostering strong relationships with and among my students, and giving my students the autonomy and motivation to participate in the creation of their own learning experiences, I hope to help students develop the confidence, drive, and global awareness to both critically analyze their surroundings and contribute to the world in innovative and meaningful ways.
My teaching practice centers around an inquiry methodology using student-focused learning opportunities to promote the development of higher-order skills of thinking, questioning, and creating. Following Vygotsky’s research on the Zone of Proximal Development, I believe that students perform best when they are working in an environment with both high levels of challenge and high levels of support. Collaboration is very important to me as well, and I strive to include pair and/or group work in each lesson with my students, while also seeking opportunities to work collaboratively with other educators in order to better my teaching and model good practices for my students.
How do you differentiate different skill levels and learning styles?
In my current placement, I work with a multi-aged group of students in years four and five. In order to meet the needs of both age groups, as well as the diverse learning needs, styles, and interests of each individual student, I must always ensure that my lessons are differentiated to allow opportunities for each student to experience challenge as well as success. I have found that not one method works alone, and that it is important to provide many different types of opportunities for students to work in varied roles within the classroom. This is largely accomplished through strategic groupings and pairings that change frequently. Sometimes, my strategy is to group students of similar skill levels or learning styles together so that they can support each other and each feel valued and included. An example of this is our leveled math and writing groups, which are fluid groupings of students based on current skill levels which allow them to receive the type of support from a facilitator that will serve them best at the present moment. On other occasions, I choose to pair students who are new or struggling with a particular objective with a partner who has already experienced mastery in that area, so that the stronger student can act as a mentor for the student who is still developing their knowledge and skills.
While groupings and pairings are important, the greatest opportunities for differentiation come from my school’s Arts Immersion learning model. In this model, students are able to exercise personal choice to investigate the themes, topics, skills, and modalities that are best suited to their own learning style. Whether they are introverted or extroverted, primarily a visual learner or more kinaesthetic, students can choose to show their understanding of a given topic through the art form that is most relevant and engaging in their mind. I have witnessed great success from each of my students using this model, and an added bonus is that students tend to be more intrinsically motivated to complete their work to a high standard when they have choice about what they learn and how they demonstrate it.
How do you establish criteria for assessment and share with your students?
I always prefer to co-create assessment criteria with my students at the beginning of each assignment. Particularly when we are working with a specific genre or art form that is new to the students, it is important that we review together, before beginning our work, the specific learning goals and objectives of a given assignment. We will not only establish a set of criteria, but also determine levels of achievement for each criterion so that students can clearly see what is required as they work towards mastery of a skill. An example of this is our current historical fiction diary assignment. Together, the students and I reviewed the specific elements required for this genre (such as including a date, writing in the first-person, and following a linear timeline of events) as well as the criteria required for the literary arts modality (such as using descriptive language and attending to writing conventions) to come up with a rubric that they will work with as they progress through their assignment.
Sometimes, we use process-based models that the students are already familiar with to assess work, including the Writing Process and the Design Process. These are models that students can reflect on throughout their work to ensure that they are meeting requirements and adhering to expectations of the genre. In these examples, students have not co-created the assessment criteria, but instead are working with targets that they should already be familiar with and are reminded of during each step of the process. For example; using the Writing Process model, students know that they need to begin with brainstorming and research before beginning a draft. In the design process model, students know that they must take time to reflect on their drawings and prototypes before beginning their final product. Using these models is beneficial because it teaches students to self-evaluate their work during each phase of production, and helps them to develop strong habits that they can carry with them into their later schooling years and beyond.
How do you use technologies to meet students’ learning needs?
In my practice, I try to create a balance between “old” and “new” technologies. I believe that it is valuable for students to work with their hands and develop the fine motor skills that are strengthened using traditional technologies such as writing on paper, drawing, sculpting, etc. Books can be a valuable resource for obtaining new information, and knowing how to use, search, and scan print sources is a skill that will encourage my students to become self-sufficient learners. My students also have the unique circumstance of growing up in a highly electronic age. As such, I believe it is also crucial that students learn how to use the technologies of the 21st century so that they can participate in the global exchange of information, prepare themselves for industries of the future, and experience new perspectives that are made available through today’s technology.
I believe that “new” technologies are best used when creating opportunities for students that are not possible using traditional means. These should, in general, not be used as a replacement for “old” technologies. Some technologies I have had success with include apps available for student use, such as GarageBand and iMovie, reputable research websites such as moma.org (Museum of Modern Art) and Google Earth, as well as a collection of online assessment tools such as Google Classroom, TurnItIn.com, and Sesame. I am also very interested in future possibilities to use tools such as Skype and FaceTime to connect students with classrooms, communities, and experts around the globe.
Other examples of technology I have used to help students with diverse learning needs include non-electronic tools such as manipulatives (“fidgets”), wobble boards, and earmuffs/headphones. Flexible seating arrangements such as carpeted areas with cushions and low tables, circular tables for collaboration, and “focus” tables for independent work have also helped to increase student focus and productivity on several occasions. Each of these tools is used to help individual students with different learning needs meet their academic goals while still allowing them to participate fully in the classroom community.
How do you establish and maintain partnerships among school, home, and community, and within your own school?
I believe that students have the best opportunity for success when their parents/families are included and valued as important members in their learning journey. Using multiples modes of communication, including e-mail, conferences, phone, agenda messages, and online and print reporting documents, I strive to always keep parents informed of their child’s progress and work collaboratively to help each child meet their academic and social goals. I put a great deal of time into building relationships with my students and their families, and try to get to know as much as I can about them so that I can have a better picture of what their current lifestyle and future aspirations might be. I also provide opportunities for students to share important achievements and updates about their personal lives with their peers, so as to build peer-to-peer relationships, understanding and belonging, and to build connections with the communities that my students belong to outside of school.
Within my school, I put a great deal of emphasis on fostering positive collaboration between myself, my teaching team, and the other members of my staff community. I check in with each of my team members on a daily basis, share any and all resources I have found to be useful, and seek support or offer guidance whenever difficulties arise. My administration team is highly valuable to me as well, and I am grateful to have developed such positive relationships with each member. Whenever I have questions about protocol, or need advice on how to proceed with school-related issues as they arise, I feel comfortable and confident speaking to my administration team. Finally, I look for opportunities to connect with people in other branches of my school community with whom partnerships are not so easily made. Facilitators from other teaching teams, support staff, and custodians form an integral part of my school community, and I rely strongly on the relationships I have built with each of them. Whether it is partnering my class with younger students in mentorship roles, collaborating with reading support staff to help students develop their literacy skills, or chatting with and assisting the custodians as they tidy my room at the end of the day, I know that without these people, I could not be nearly so successful as an educator.