Educators understand and apply knowledge of student growth and development.

Although I believe in and worked on all aspects of this standard, I think that my teaching practice centers itself in the phrase, “Educators work to create a positive, safe, and inclusive learning environment to best meet the diverse needs of students” (BC Teachers’ Council, 2019). This is because I believe that this is the first step to enable learning to take place. All students need to feel safe and secure before they can take the risks that learning requires. Since students, like all people, are “social beings” (BC Teachers’ Council, 2019), they need to feel a sense of belonging in order to value what is going on in the classroom.

The class discussions that I implemented at the beginning of all my classes serve this purpose, among many others. Students are given opportunity to choose topics, share their opinions, experiences, and concerns. Hearing about societal issues from their peers affects students in a profound way. They seem to be more open-minded and willing to accept others when they realize they share something in common with them. The discussions build classroom community, inclusivity, and empathy among the students and ultimately result in safe spaces where students are valued as people. With these connections in place, I was able to focus on student advocated learning, assessment for learning, and allow the students a variety of means to show their learning in the ways that worked best for them.

References:

BC Teachers’ Council. (2019, June 19). Professional Standards for BC Educators. Province of British Columbia. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/teach/teacher-regulation/standards-for-educators/edu_standards_poster-11×17.pdf.