My main goals for this practicum lay in three areas:

The first is classroom management. I hope to utilize what I have learned about First People’s Principles of Learning, particularly the insight that came at the end of last semester’s EDUC 441 Innovative Community Based Approaches inquiry project that stemmed from “Learning ultimately supports the well-being of the self, the family, the community, the land, the spirits and the ancestors” (First Nations Education Steering Committee 2008). I want to take my mental and emotional learning about the FPPL to the classroom, and allow myself and my students the space and time to focus on the aspects that need it most, with permission to let go of the things that stress us out. This will be difficult, as I think it is different for each person, but my goal is to honour those differences and allow students to feel validated wherever they are at. However, since one of my strengths is facilitating discussion, and getting students talking, I think I can manage to build the relationships and trust that will be needed. To do this, I hope to incorporate some of the community building activities that I have recently learned about in EDUC 403 Mental Health and Wellness. Additionally, accomplishing this goal will involve asking for help when it is needed, accepting support when it is offered, and trusting others to uphold their part. While not doing everything on my own is something I struggle with, if I model this learning to my students, I believe it will enhance the level of vulnerability accessible to the whole class, and thus, be helpful to myself and the students.

Photo by Markus Winkler from Pexels

The second aspect I would like to work on is planning. Although I was introduced to the K-20 Insructional Strategies during the previous practicum and found them extremely useful, I would like to build more familiarity with the ideas and procedures. Making the strategies a more natural part of my teaching repertoire will mean that I will be more successful in making sure that the learning is relevant to all students.

My third goal lies in the area of assessment. I feel like this is the first chance I will have to implement assessment in a long-term, impactful situation so I want to make sure that the assessment I do will be helpful. I want to focus in on which assessment is best for each situation and how it will be helpful for the learners. In Particular, I want to work on developing a system for note taking and recording as assessment that is valuable for myself, learners, and parents. Practicing this form of assessment is new to me and will therefore be a stretch, but I think the results will be valuable and insightful.

With these goals in mind, I am looking forward to the last practicum of the B.Ed program at UNBC.

References:

First Nations Education Steering Committee (2008). First Peoples Principles of Learning. Teacher resource poster: English First Peoples. http://www.fnesc.ca/first-peoples-principles-of-learning/.

K20 Center (n.d.). “Authentic Lessons For 21st Century Learning.” K20 LEARN, University of Oklahoma, learn.k20center.ou.edu/search?type=strategies.