- I value hearing other people's stories and seeing them represented in texts. Part of this involves me developing an aptitude to cross cultures. As a teacher, I'd like to gain more experience in understanding what it means to learn English and Canadian Anglo-culture as a second language/culture, and how I might go about instructing students and bridging that gap while honouring their first language and culture. I thought long and hard about taking a course at the U of L this summer on teaching ESL, and decided not to because of the additional cost (tuition, rent) and time away from my husband (we'd been living apart for nearly a year while I went to school). I'd like to get formal ESL/ELL training at some point in the next few years.
- I value information and communications technology not just as a tool in teaching but also as having potential to shape and inform better pedagogy. I have been using more and more features of Brightspace/D2L as the semester goes on (news feed, calendar, discussion forum, content repository, etc.), as well as using Google Apps for Education in one specific unit (as more of a genuinely collaborative space for project-based learning). There is a lot of unexplored potential with ICT to enable my students to construct their knowledge and develop their skills together. I want to continue to use more features of Brightspace/D2L, but I'd also like to get a GAFE Certification in the near future. While Brightspace/D2L is great about providing a lot of integrated features and is well-connected to other information hubs that the CBE is developing (such as CORE), it uses a very top-down model and is designed more for teachers to push information to students; it's also less open to grassroots initiatives from teachers and students. GAFE, on the other hand, seems to have a lively and innovative community of teacher-IT-geek hybrids eager to configure and create functionality that facilitates collaboration among school communities. That excites me!
- I value my local community and want to better the lives of people in my city. I also believe that people - including young people - want to be part of something bigger than themselves. While studying texts helps to develop empathy (by connecting with characters and their quasi-universal human experiences), this practice should be supplemented by authentic connection with real people in the students' communities. This might involve field trips (physical or virtual), hosting classroom guests (either physically or virtually), writing/presenting to real audiences (and seeking their feedback), or service-based learning. I feel like this comes more naturally when social studies and English language arts are integrated (for example, in junior high humanities programs), but such outcomes can be achieved teaching a single subject as well. I want to continue to design assessments and instruction to keep this connection alive. At the same time, I think I also need to grow in my ability to develop authentic community among my students and their classmates as well as others in the school (this is especially in a school of 2000 people, where I am now). I'm thankful for all of the clubs and programs that aid with building these connections, but am also aware that not all students participate and still need to develop and practice building genuine, trusting relationships. For that, I'm really learning as I go and trying to address things as they arise, but I'd like to be more intentional and effective with building that into my instruction, assessment, and general classroom management.
I wanted to take a moment to reflect upon my values as a person and how I want to channel those into longer term goals in my teaching profession.
0 Comments
|
Archives
August 2017
Categories
All
|