Proactive Classroom Management |
Strong, positive relationships and engaging lessons lay at the foundation of classroom management. I believe that when students feel genuinely cared for and valued, they will be able to care for and respect others in return. This begins with getting to know students as individuals and providing opportunities for them to get to know each other. By learning about students’ interests, strengths and needs, I can make my content and activities more relevant to individuals and the group. Misbehaviour is often a sign of needs unmet. I believe that in most cases, providing students with engaging and meaningful activities in a context in which they feel valued and safe can mitigate the need for reactive classroom management.
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Teaching & Learning,
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I believe that it is possible and necessary to continuously learn from my students in order to help guide my planning and practice. In order to do this, I need to provide frequent and varied opportunities to hear from my learners, as everyone expresses their needs and understanding differently. Some of my favourite forms of formative assessment include strategic, open-ended questioning, think-pair-share, reflective quick-writes, informal conversation and Socratic seminar. Though there is a place for more traditional forms of summative assessment, I also believe that students should have ample opportunity to learn about and from their own learning experiences. In this regard, assessment should be a part of learning, not apart from it. Ample opportunity for self-assessment, especially in regards to the core competencies, gives learners the chance to build metacognitive skills. Students can gain greater ownership of the core competencies when they have opportunities to name and connect them to their learning.
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Identity & Belonging |
Adolescence is a time of intense identity development and therefor an ideal time to help students make deep connections between learning and self-realization. The core competencies recognize not only the interpersonal skills that can help students maintain positive relationships, but also the intrapersonal skills that can help them determine how they will navigate their successes and failures throughout their lives. I believe that encouraging students to become active agents in self-regulating their learning objectives gives them a much greater advantage in their future learning. Part of the process of building identity and belonging is building strong links with family and school. Though parents and guardians of high school students are generally less involved than those of primary students, it is important to keep parents as informed and involved as possible, and to encourage students to draw on their familial backgrounds to build meaning in their learning. For some communities, especially minority groups, education can feel disconnected from culture. Helping students build connections between home and classroom activities can let both students and families know that who they are and where they come from is a respected and valued asset to their learning.
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It Takes a Village |
I believe that it is important to give students opportunity and encouragement to get involved with the community outside of the classroom. When learners feel confident in who they are and what they can do to effect change in the their community, motivation both within the classroom and beyond, can be inspired. Building connections within their community can help nurture a sense of place and belonging by helping students recognize how their own strengths and interests connect to the world around them. Encouraging learners connect to their communities can also help me keep my lessons current and relevant. Real-world problem solving allows students and teachers to engage in co-learning and encourages a sense of ownership and pride in learning.
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