As a future teacher I believe education is more than creating smart and successful people that will get good jobs. Education is for teaching and learning compassion, understanding, empathy, acceptance, and change. It is not enough to teach the basics, but to look past these and teach further. I believe education is forever changing and expanding. As a society we must always be learning and growing.
I believe that each student is unique and brings differing qualities when it comes to education. My pedagogies and theories reflect this belief through constructivism, humanism and inquiry-based learning. Students will learn in differing ways. As a teacher it is my role to embrace and support these differences through my teaching style. The learning environment is the first place to start when representing the students. The classroom should allow each student to feel heard and supported. Through constructivism, humanism and inquiry I will create a learning and teaching environment that relies on the students taking hold of their own learning with the support of myself. Differences in the classroom will be supported through open ended learning. This allows students to engage in different ways while being active participants in the learning process. I will support Students individual learning styles through encouragement, to use and build off of one another in order to learn new and existing knowledge. I will encourage students to have a sense of connection with themselves and others. Inquiry will allow my students to explore learning in their own way. Trial and error supports different ways to obtain an answer. Using all differences as an advantage will allow my students learning to be expanded as well as my own.
My teaching practice will be continuing my own education. I believe that Indigenous education, racial discrimination, gender, and sexuality education are very important. I must start to become comfortable with being uncomfortable when it comes to acknowledging racism and my own white privilege. I must not insulate myself via claims that I am beyond the need to engage with the content because I “already know this” (DiAngelo, 2018, pg. 246). Staying relevant with the times will give me the opportunity to teach core subjects while incorporating ecological and social issues. Inclusion practice will give me the opportunity to check generational biases, prejudices and oppressive ideas at the door in order to make room for change.
DiAngelo, R. (2018). White fragility : Why it’s so hard for White people to talk about racism.
I understand that my treaty responsibilities are a forever promise that I will uphold. I need to acknowledge my white privilege and the gratitude I have when learning, living and teaching on Treaty Territory. I understand that treaty education is very important when it comes to all subjects within the Saskatchewan curriculum. They should seamlessly weave into each subject area. I respond to the Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s (2015) Calls to Action #10: “We call on the federal government to draft new Aboriginal education legislation with the full participation and informed consent of Aboriginal peoples; and, “Developing culturally appropriate curricula”. I admit that before my learning career I was unaware of the meaning of decolonization and Indigenization. Through my own education I was able to gain a better understanding that Indigenization means more than just teaching about Indigenous education. It means to have Indigenous representation throughout learning environments and must recognize Indigenous people as the original land and knowledge holders.
Truth Reconciliation Commission of Canada author, & Canadian Electronic Library, distributor. (2015). Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to action. (DesLibris. Documents collection).
Assessment:
Education is more than just straight A’s and teachers’ pets. It is about developing, learning, and growing. Education builds compassion, understanding, empathy, and acceptance. We cannot just teach what is commanded of us. We must move past these simplicities of teaching to move further. Education is forever changing, and therefore as teachers, we need to continue to be forever changing. The material we teach and how we assess will constantly need to be adapted to fit the students we are teaching. As a teacher, I believe assessment is a very important aspect when it comes to the classroom. Assessment can provide many positives when it comes to relationships and outlooks on education. Positive outlooks can be seen between students, teacher-to-students, teacher-to-parent, as well as parent-to-student relationships.