Educators engage in professional learning.
During my Education 391 practicum I had several wonderful opportunities to engage in professional learning that all had their own lessons. I was able to attend a webinar one evening on the BC Tomorrow environmental modeling software designed for classrooms, have a one-on-one discussion with Shannon Schinkel on her work in assessment, and observe star teachers at PGSS in their classrooms. These opportunities gave me some excellent resources, ideas, and a view into the styles and pedagogies of some wonderful teachers.
The BC Tomorrow webinar was timed with the release of the BC Tomorrow watershed simulator that was created by a local BC educator and a systems ecologist as an educational tool to help students understand the process of sustainable land use planning. One of my educational goals entering the program was to find ways to educate students on the importance of balancing the interests of economic growth, land use, and environmental integrity. This webinar was not only showcasing and excellent resource for me to use in my future classroom, but also a good opportunity to meet an educator with a similar passion. It was also a good reminder that if I am interested in a particular educational topic or method that there is likely someone else in the province to learn from, and to help develop my practice.
One such person in the BC educational community I had the chance to learn about assessment from is Shannon Schinkel who I had the opportunity to sit down with for an hour in the afternoon when I was not teaching to discuss assessment. As a teacher candidate with just enough experience to start to see the difficulties I will be coming up against in the classroom, such as motivating students and encouraging confidence (particularly in my bridging math 9 classroom) I found it very useful to have a conversation with an expert with a wealth of experience. I found encouragement and useful resources listening to Shannon particularly in using proficiency scales and gradeless assessment to help shift students from a fixed mindset to growth mindset. This mentorship helped me to self-examine some of the difficulties I had in my practicum classroom and to start to work towards implementing these ideas in my future classroom.
During my practicum I had the opportunity to observe other star teachers in various departments and observe the wonderful learning environments they have created in concert with their students. It was fascinating to observe these teachers and to see their pedagogies and personalities come through in their classrooms and all the interactions they have with students. It was an excellent opportunity to see teachers’ strengths on display and to get an insight into how to try and bring those strengths to my own practice. It was also an excellent chance for me to reflect on my own pedagogies and personality and to work towards solidifying who I want to be as a teacher.