As a new teacher, and a teacher who has a strong commitment to life long learning, there are a multitude of subjects that I wish to learn more about. In interest is being realistic, below I have provided a list of professional development endeavours I wish to learn more about in my first two years of teaching.
Inquiry/Project-Based Learning
I am a social studies educator and social studies lends itself seamlessly to project-based learning. In order to build an engaging classroom I need to know more about project-based and student-driven learning and how to manage it.
Resiliency Resources
I am an educator with a big heart. I imagine in my practice that I will encounter burn-out, and may put more time in before and after in the interest of my students. In order to avoid burn-out I will have to have a large toolbox full of resiliency resources. On my practicum there were a few students having rough personal lives and in one case I spent time thinking and worrying about these students. It took up quite a bit of my brain space outside of school time, and once I have a long term classroom of my own, I imagine this could take a toll of my mental health.
The flipped classroom
The idea of the flipped classroom has always intrigued me as an educator interested in differentiation for the various needs in my classroom. With a flipped classroom, students can move through the material at their own pace, looking up words they need to, an exploring further those concepts they wish to. This makes more room in the classroom for discussion, which is my favourite! Of course, there are many logistical issues and trust associated with the flipped classroom that may make years to foster. I am interested in how other teachers have used and adapted the concept of the flipped classroom in their practice. While on my practicum, I tried to assign readings to be finished before the next class, so we can start the classroom with a reflective conversation and these readings were often not completed.
Technology in the classroom
During my community field experience, I was in a school with 1:1 technology, and I saw many students abusing the privilege. I do not wish to be a strict disciplinarian and believe that the best classroom management comes with mutual expectation and would like to learn tips and tricks to using technology well in the classroom. Well-structured use of technology is, in my opinion, the best way to escape the problems associated with technology. During my practicum, I did my best to find ways to make technology a part of the classroom rather than exclusive and a nuisance to the classroom and I’ll admit, more than once my attempts were met with less productivity than expected.
Social Justice Education
Social justice, as you have read in my “Where I came from” section, is a cause very close to my soul. School needs to be a safe place for all students, even those students with disabilities, learning differences, identify as LGBTQ, from a different ethnicity etc etc. I will endeavour every day of my teaching career to make every student feel like they have a safe and comfortable place in school and advocate for and with them.