…Self-reflections
…Group projects
…Think, pair, share
…#YTEUBC
…Cutting locks on lockers
…Course evaluations
…These will be a few of the things I’ll be unavoidably dreaming about for the next few weeks of our break.
Despite wanting a break from the term “self-reflection”, I think it is time for a self-reflection! One semester completed in the BEd program: ten courses, and a two-week practicum. It is an accomplishment for sure, but I anticipate that what is next to come will be a much larger challenge. There is so much to look forward to as well though. I have many interesting courses coming up, an inquiry project, edcamp Delta, the WestCAST student conference in Winnipeg (and side-trip to the French Canadian Festival du Voyageur – “hého!”), my ten-week practicum, an international practicum at Little Rock Academy in Kenya, ESA events, and a summer wrap up of courses to pool all my learning and experiences into an e-portfolio. Who knows what else will be added into the mix. I’m excited for all this but looking forward to the break to recuperate and refocus.
The courses I took this past semester were:
EDST 401 – Education, School and Society
EDST 402 – Education and Media
EPSE 307 – Applying Developmental Theories in the Classroom
EPSE 308 – Understanding Diverse Learners
EDUC 440 – Aboriginal Education in Canada
EDUC 450 – Inquiry Seminar I
EDUC 490 – Conversational French
EDCP 331 – Social Studies: Elementary – Curriculum and Pedagogy
LLED 350 – Classroom Discourses: Elementary
LLED 353 – Teaching and Learning English as an Additional Language: Elementary
I learnt so much in each of these courses on the subject material, but also learnt so much from each of the professors who were all very different. The additional course I took for being in the FLAGS cohort was Conversational French. It was a lot of fun and I got many ideas for teaching core French. 2014 is going to bring many methodology ie. Curriculum and Pedagogy courses on subjects such as math, science, PE, art, music, French. I’m looking forward to the variety.
One of my biggest challenges this semester was in accepting the new commuting style of my life in Vancouver. I have never had to travel very far or long to get to work, and despite not living that far from UBC, the traffic down Broadway in the morning makes it take longer. Since my classes all start so early next semester I am hoping I will be missing some of that morning traffic! Time management in group work was also one of the most difficult parts of the first semester. Since we’re always in different groups, timelines for each project differ and therefore it is hard to find group meeting times. I found that I was often planning to work on individual work during my breaks but that was not conducive to the need to collaborate. I hope next semester to restructure my individual working time and ESA responsibilities to free up the day time for group work while everyone is still at school. Another goal I have for next semester is to take greater advantage of the resources, opportunities, and people available to us. For instance, our library is full of lesson ideas and lesson plans, and very helpful staff to help you find anything. There is also the Scarfe Digital Sand box sessions to explore technology in education.
Above all, I am just so impressed with and proud of my cohort, and our cohort pair, International Baccalaureate/Inquiry-Based Learning. Everyone comes from very different backgrounds and are facing varying challenges external to the program. The resiliency and strength to focus on the program despite extenuating circumstances by my classmates is inspiring. I have also met many others from other elementary cohorts or secondary subject focus groups. These students all have different passions, and are more than willing to share with you what it is they love. I am being filled with ideas for social and emotional learning, seeing great art projects, learning what IB is all about, and getting help on my blog and twitter. These people have opened my mind to many different aspects of the educational realm, and are causing me to take initiative to learn new things and make myself a well-rounded educator. The students and faculty members aren’t the only wonderful individuals at UBC. The staff at the Teacher Education Office do so much for us, and are always greeting us with a smile!
I hope everyone enjoys their break and I look forward to reconvening in Scarfe in 2014. Happy Winter Solstice – the days are only getting longer now!
Follow