Pedagogy

My philosophy outlines my core beliefs and values about teaching and learning, while my pedagogy shows how I put those principles into practice. Below you will find examples of how I created a learning environment that honoured the tenets of my teaching philosophy.

  • Learning is experiential and student-centered.

The learners in my classroom are truly at the heart of everything I do. I get to know my students well so I can build and design lessons that truly interest and inspire them. Many of the learners in my classroom were bodily-kinesthetic learners, thus it was all the more important to provide hands-on learning opportunities.

Exploring chemistry through the Rainbow Milk Experiment.Students are practicing the steps of the scientific method by experimenting with rainbow milk.

 

 

Building density towers with corn syrup, water, vegetable oil, and rubbing alcohol.

My students didn’t just read about density — my students experienced density as they created 4-layer density towers using corn syrup, water, vegetable oil, and rubbing alcohol.

 

 

 

  • Learning is visible and learning goals are clear.

To ensure that learning was clear and visible to students I designed a classroom space that reflected our learning goals and documented student learning.

20140216_124038Scientific Method Poster

Our Science 7 unit was centered on using the scientific method to conduct experiments related to chemistry. Throughout the unit, students built on their knowledge and understanding of the scientific method.

 

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Renewable Energy Posters

Here is a display of the outstanding posters my grade sixes created. After researching renewable sources of energy, students were asked to pick which source of energy was the best at meeting the needs of our future planet. Student were then asked to create a poster to present to the UN arguing why the they should invest in developing that energy source.

Probability Self Evaluation Checklist – Here is a checklist I created using “I can statements” that were developed from the Prescribed Learning Outcomes for our unit on probability.

  • Learning is accessible to all students.

To ensure the success of all students in my classroom, it was crucial for me to differentiate instruction. Learning was personalized to the needs of my students to make sure that regardless of culture, background, language, or ability, learning was engaging and meaningful. Furthermore, adaptations and modifications were necessary to ensure that the needs of all my students were met. Although a variety of adaptations and modifications were used throughout my practicum, common adaptations included: access to technology (laptops or translation devices), the use of graphic organizers, adapted learning or study materials,  and oral testing. I also had the experience of reading and scribing tests for students with learning disabilities during both my long practicum, and my Community Field Experience.

Here is a PowerPoint that accompanied one of my favourite poetry lessons. The goal of this lesson was to make poetry accessible to all the learners in my classroom. Leading up to this lesson, each student in my class was asked to bring in 10 “poetic” words cut from a newspaper or magazine. The activity was kept secret which helped motivate and sustain student interest. At the start of the lesson, all students were asked to challenge their previous notions of poetry by creating a “chance poem.”  A chance poem is created by randomly selecting words from a container and arranging them on a piece of paper. Because chance poetry has no rules or confines it is accessible to all students. The activity was made more meaningful by discussing the students’ sense of ownership over the poems they had created and relating the activity to the practice of Dadaist artist, Tristan Tzara.

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(Believe) – A chance poem written by one of my students.

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“Music” a Chance poem by one of my students

  • Learning is challenging, rewarding, and provides opportunities for autonomous decision making

In my classroom, students are always being asked to think critically and to push themselves to the next level of understanding. For example, as a summative assessment in our Ancient Rome unit, students were asked to research a topic of their choice and answer the question, “How did [insert topic] contribute to the advancement of the Roman Empire?” Students also pursued their own lines of inquiry related to their topic by asking 2-3 critical guiding questions of their own using the skills and techniques for question formulation we practiced in class.

WeeblyPage_Roman ArmyStudent Weebly

Here are two of the amazing websites my students created to showcase their research.

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At the same time, students in my class continually celebrate their knowledge in a variety of ways. One of my favourite celebrations of knowledge was when my grade seven students presented the math games they designed for their probability unit. My students and I had a blast applying our knowledge of probability and playing some amazing math games!

Spin the spinner, pick a card. What's the likelihood of spinning blue?

Here are some of my students celebrating their knowledge of probability on game presentation day.

More of my students celebrating their knowledge of probability on game presentation day.

More of my students celebrating their knowledge of probability on game presentation day.

  • Learning takes place in a learning community

In my classroom, each and every individual is valued and appreciated as part of a diverse learning community. Each student is celebrated for the unique gifts and talents they bring to our community, while also acknowledging that they play a integral role in our learning network. The students in my class are encouraged to collaborate and cooperate with their peers, and we work together as a team to achieve common goals.

During my long practicum, my six/sevens had a friendly competition with the straight seven class next door. Branching off our big idea of our social studies unit: “How have the Romans contributed to modern society?” We asked students to identify references to ancient Rome in popular culture. The class who collected the most points won a prize at the end of the unit. This simple competition got students super excited about the unit and in less than ten weeks both classes had collected well over 100 points each!

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Here is a picture of my friend and colleague, Leah, who taught the straight seven class who we were competing against. As part of the conditions of my class’ victory, Leah composed a song about the Roman Empire and performed it for my class. As you can see, they are a very captive audience. In the top right corner you can even see our “pop culture points” tracking system.

  • Be an active participant and a life-long learner

Being an active participant in life and learning is the motto that I live my life by and an expectation I have for all my students. In my classroom, I want each one of my students to be actively engaged in their learning journey. In order to achieve this, it is important for me to continually model what it means to be an active participant and a life-long learner.

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Here is a photo of me in the gym participating in a game of dodge ball.

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Here my students are taking an action break. I believe that giving students brain breaks or action breaks throughout the day allows them to participate more fully during lessons.

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Here I am at Maplewood Farm learning about baby goats.

 

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