Community Service Learning Reflection

For the past three months, I have been attending my Community Service Learning Placement at Roland Michener Public School, located in Kanata, Ontario. My learning experiences are based in a grade two classroom, with my associate teacher demonstrating lessons, providing feedback, or educating me on alternative areas of the education system. My associate teacher is very open and takes time to explain all areas of education for me, such as report cards, Independent Educational Programs, or curriculum components.

As for planning and preparation, my associate teacher has demonstrated the importance of being prepared to ensure lessons run as smooth as possible. Being prepared involves anticipating possible distractions or issues that can arise and trying to counteract them before they occur. As my associate teacher has been in the education system for many years, he has binders and online documents filled with past lesson plans for various subjects and grades. Also, many resources are incorporated to aid the students’ learning, such as Epic Books or Mystery Science, which reinforces different learning goals and has provided me with tools for my future teaching experiences. Assessments are typically prepared previously to ensure that lessons meet the requirement being assessed in the evaluation. An assessment is usually at the end of a unit and takes up a period of class. Students are unaware that the assessment acts as a test evaluation, although they know they cannot receive as much support as usual. This method allows students to demonstrate their knowledge without being overwhelmed about answering incorrectly. As I have planned and executed a few lessons, I have tried my hardest to incorporate what I have learned, such as preparing alternatives for specific students or having a substitute plan if something goes awry.

Secondly, the classroom environment is a very welcoming place as we value respect and promote mindfulness of self and others. Three emotional zones, green, yellow, or red, are used to help gauge students’ emotions and remind them that the green zone is optimal for being engaged while learning. If the students are in the yellow zone, such as excited or unfocused, then we use mindfulness activities to revert them to the green zone. The physical environment is set up to promote the forming of relationships and to provide diverse learning settings, such as desks, a reading area or carpet. Depending on the activity, we suggest different seating arrangements to promote movement and inclusivity. Independent work is typically done at one’s desk, whereas group learning is conducted on the carpet. Another element that is prominent in the school’s environment is eco-awareness. Achieving ECO school status is a goal Roland Michener Public School wants to achieve, which is promoted through educating the students on proper recycling, composting, and litter-less lunches. This goal also instils responsibility in students as they are aware of their effect on the environment and what they can do to eliminate their impact.

Thirdly, my associate teacher utilizes multiple strategies to teach lessons, such as videos, read aloud, worksheets, kinesthetic learning, and various seating arrangements. The reasoning for implementing various techniques is to provide all students with the opportunity to best showcase their success. In addition, it keeps the students interested in lessons as the variation creates continuous engagement. I try my best to plan lessons that are multimodal, effective, and exciting for students. For example, recently during our math unit on telling time, I led a lesson involving building individual wristwatches and using it to complete a worksheet. All students were interested in building their watch and using it to tell different times throughout the day, especially recess. Another prominent teaching strategy throughout my school is the use of incorporating the outdoors in learning. For example, during our math unit of measure, our class measured the area of our soccer field to prepare for the Terry Fox Run. Involving the outdoors in simple methods, such as the one discussed, promotes multiple learning techniques, targets kinesthetic learning, and gives value to our environment and active learning.

Next, my associate teacher highly values his professional responsibility, as he is aware of the importance of communication and obligation to his career. To provide the best learning environment for students, communication is open between the teacher and parents. Weekly or monthly newsletters are sent out to my student’s parents to keep them informed on important dates and deadlines. In addition, my associate teacher uses an application called Class Dojo, to show parents pictures of their children’s learning at school and to show elements of their curriculum. I have also been added to our site on Class Dojo as a teacher to keep me informed on the students and schooling when I am not there. Being listed as a teacher on Class Dojo also shows the parents of my student the role I play within the classroom and how I am committed to their children’s learning. My associate teacher has discussed the significance of being an open communicator with parents, especially concerning a child’s progression in class. If a student is struggling, my associate teacher aims to have an early parent-teacher interview to inform parents and build a plan to help the student work up to grade-level standards. I have heard my associate teacher say he never wants a parent to be surprised by a student’s below standard testing.

I have found Community Service Learning to be the most important factor in my education so far. This experience has allowed me to build my professional reputation, build on my knowledge, learn from multiple educators, and execute my ability to teach or plan lessons. I strive to build my professional responsibility by being a prominent educational figure within the school’s community. I aim to ensure that the students, staff, and families know I am committed to Roland Michener Public School and will always strive to do my best. My associate teacher is my main source of education, but I have been offered and taken the opportunity to view multiple teachers and experience alternative sides of learning, such as the body break room. Knowing how to best support my associate teacher, as well as other educators within the school, is important for me to demonstrate my commitment, provide students with a positive experience, and learn. In addition, demonstrating to my student’s families that I am committed to their children’s learning is crucial in my opinion, as I want to be someone they trust to educate their children. To showcase my desire to be involved with the families, I am a part of our Class Dojo and have attended parent-teacher interviews. I have sought out opportunities to partake in extracurricular activities outside of Community Service Learning, such as the boys’ soccer tournament and my grade two’s science field trip. These experiences are beneficial to me as it shows me alternative school experiences through the point of view as a teacher.

In conclusion, my Community Service Learning has been a great introductory experience to the educational community and lead in to teaching. It has allowed me the opportunity to adjust to being involved in a school community, focus on learning from my associate teacher, and work towards building relationships with my students. I feel very fortune to be welcomed into a school that is very community-based due to its small size. The feeling of community has made the environment extremely welcoming, as staff and students have worked hard to integrate me into school life.