Monthly Archives: June 2016

My first week of CFE in Nechako Lakes is drawing to a close and I’m taking a moment to sit and reflect on the experience so far. There have been many new experiences both personally and professionally. The area is beautiful, the people friendly, and the learning opportunities vast.

There are two main things that have stood out to me in the school, collaboration and growth mindset. The teachers and students at my school speak the language of growth mindset. Phrases such as I give up, I made a mistake, and I just can’t make this any better become I can always improve so I’ll keep trying, mistakes help me learn better, and this may take some more effort. There are growth mindset phrases posted throughout the school and classrooms and used frequently by staff and students. I recognize many times in my practicum classroom when these types of phrases could have been implemented to help students think more constructively about their progress.

Collaboration is another key aspect of the school. I have witnessed teacher collaboration in projects, professional development, and student interactions. Teachers work together as classes on projects and learning opportunities such as Innovation Hour. The spirit of collaboration help contributes to the feeling of community throughout the school. Students take ownership of the school and community and collaborate with one another to make items for fundraisers, clean up the school, and look out for one another.

Today I had an opportunity to teach in a Kindergarten classroom and utilize the skills that I have gained throughout the teaching practicum. I had the opportunity to act in a TOC capacity by teaching a lesson that had been planned by another teacher. I read the assignment, a journal writing assignment, and added my own twist to it by having students brainstorm some words they would need to know how to spell and having them review the expectations.

I hope to continue to learn about growth mindset and collaboration by continuing to visit a variety of classrooms and having professional conversations with teachers. I have had a few opportunities to discuss the BC curriculum and growth mindset with some of the teachers at my school. I look forward to further growing and learning from this experience.