Rationale

This specific inquiry question arose out of my experiences during school observations and short practicum, combined with my own academic interests around equity, power, and diversity. As humanities based teaching candidate, and with a background in humanities, my experiences in this field have often been largely discussion based around provocative topics. I have often learned the most and when in conversation about contentious issues, both by speaking and listening to my peers. I hope to replicate classroom conditions that help facilitate a healthy space where students are able to speak their minds within appropriate bounds, and know that their voices would be heard and voices treated seriously. The premise of respect seems like a very basic one that as children we were taught to align their behaviour with. Still, it seems necessary to reinforce these values in the classroom, particularly in a society that has become more diverse. As an individual whose personal convictions are very much based in social justice, it is necessary that as an educator, I can respect, recognize, and respond to these diversities. In turn, I hope that my students will be able to share these same values as I do, perhaps not to the same degree right away, but the simple practice of promoting community amongst their peers is a goal that I hope to achieve throughout my practicum experience. Being able to reflect on my positionality as an educator in my practicum classroom, and then my experiences as a student teacher at UBC, these experiences are not as binary as I thought. While this part of the inquiry has involved referring to academic research, I look forward to applying insights from the sources carrying into my practicum teaching experiences.