Blog #2

PED3150AA: Blog #2 Response

The second stage of my practicum experience continued to evolve, as I learned from my associate teacher and students, tackled more responsibility, and execute additional unit and lesson plans. Every Wednesday from January onwards I would teach the majority of the day, with the assistance of my associate teacher. I would teach lessons throughout the second and third block of the school day, focusing on English, language arts, social studies and began to teach mathematics. My associate teacher also assigned to me the responsibility of my class’ daily routine of writing notes for their daily agenda, reading a chapter from the current novel, and dismissing the students at the end of the day. My associate teacher and I would discuss during our prep period the outline for the following Wednesday, focusing on the lessons I would teach the following week. In addition, we had outlined what the final five weeks of practicum would look like, addressing what lessons and units I would execute during this time. The plan involved me branching out to teach lessons focused on science and math, as I did not feel as confident in those areas and wanted to improve. My associate teacher also assigned me the task of teaching dance, since he was seeking fresh ideas to lead that unit. Finally, I was extremely excited to begin teaching a unit in psychical education, as our principal had approved me teaching Taekwon-Do basics to my grade two students. As a Taekwon-Do instructor, since the age of thirteen, I was eager to educate my students on a passion of mine. As well as demonstrating my leadership and teaching ability within a new setting.

My most recent practicum experiences are where I began to feel like a true teacher, gaining confidence and belief in my abilities. My associate teacher's support and constant feedback helped me to feel successful in my teaching thus far but also challenged me to continue to seek improvement and learn from my previous run lessons. I made a continuous effort to try to apply my associate teacher’s feedback within my new lessons, which allowed me to see how small changes can have a significant impact on students’ learning, as well as demonstrating my value for my associate teacher’s critique.

As I continued in my Bachelor of Education journey, I was able to apply to continuously apply guidelines and theories to improve my teaching practise, such as Timperley’s Adaptive Measures, Communities of Inquiry, and OCT Standards of Practice. Firstly, Timperley’s Adaptive Measures highly suggests using students as the base of understanding and base for decision-making concerning curriculum or teaching strategies. As I began independently teaching the majority of the school day, this allowed me to interact more in-depth with the students to better understand their needs and how to tailor the lesson and unit plans to them. Secondly, the Communities of Inquiry continued to be the biggest influencer in my learning journey, as my associate teacher has more material to evaluate me on and provide feedback, as I was teaching more often. His feedback, critique, and support are key components in my growth as a teacher. In addition, my principal was a prominent role throughout my second part of practicum as she allowed me the privilege to observe critical meetings with a parent of one of my students, who is struggling on an Independent Education Program. Ms. Giles, the principal, also took time to come watch me teach the grade twos, which I highly valued as it provided additional feedback and a new perspective. Thirdly, the OCT Standards of Practice guides my everyday life within the school, such as how I teach and plan lessons, interact with students and the rest of the school community, and continue to self-improve. As commitment to students is a main goal of OCT Standards of Practice, keeping my students’ best interest at the forefront of my mind is how I planned lessons and applied teaching strategies. Also, I strive to continuously add to my professional knowledge, as well as always be following the rules and regulations to professional practice.

Although closing the schools until May is a strategic decision in hopes to eliminate the spread of Covid-19, it is unfortunate for all members of the school community. It is stressful to consider that for some students’, school is the safest place for them, and without school as an option currently; what is happening to their physical and mental health? Also, the lack of routine and normalcy is not productive for students’ development. The inconsistencies created by the strike action already demonstrated these effects in my classroom. Students were more inclined to not follow school rules, act out, or limit participation in class. It will be interesting to see how students will be able to adjust after a month-long break of education. Although I know parents/guardians are trying to support their children as best as they can with home-schooling, this additional worry can be stressful on parental figures and family-units. Questions arise, such as; should parents be enforcing a strict schooling routine at home? What are the consequences of this?

In addition, I know educators are hard at work trying to support their students throughout this time. My associate teacher has distributed resources for parents/guardians to use with students. All the resources sent out are ones we use within our classroom, such as Epic Books or RazKids. As a student teacher, I already miss the students, therefore, I cannot imagine the emotions educators are experiencing right now. Everyone involved in the school community has been affected by the unpredictable outcome of Covid-19. I wish I were able to complete the final five weeks of practicum to aid my educational journey, to acquire more teaching strategies from my associate teacher, and say a proper farewell to my students.

I did not plan to end off my first year of a bachelor of education as it is currently playing out, but I am thankful for all that I have learned throughout my university classes, working with my associate teacher, Daniel Holmes, and the feedback and interactions with my grade two students. I will take all the knowledge and experiences I have accumulated throughout this first-year of education and apply it to my second year while continuing to learn, seek professional development, and strive to be the best teacher I can be.