This gallery contains 7 photos.
We had a fantastic class on pedagogy in science and I found it very valuable when I was actually teaching. In this case, I used an activity that we learned in our class at UBC to teach a lesson on buoyancy. … Continue reading
I am not much of an artist. That is probably a giant understatement. I once drew a picture and my wife thought one of our children drew it. Really. So it’s safe to say that I was not keen on doing an art class. I had so much fun AND felt like I produced some decent artwork. I learned about focusing art on the student’s ability and doing less comparing to professionals. I also feel like I am much more capable of using art in my classroom and I have a greater appreciation for the benefits of using art.
For one of our courses, I completed an assignment that had us develop a lesson for students with English as an additional language. Courses that have helped me develop my teaching for students with learning exceptionalities, particularly teaching students with English as an additional language and students with special needs, were extremely beneficial and provided a lot of growth for me.
Today we had the opportunity to hear from an aboriginal elder who shared the story of her family and how the government policies and actions affected her life. It was hard to hear. The atrocities that were committed against her or that she was witness to were almost beyond comprehension. I believe that we need to consistently consider the perspective of others and the context that they come from and this influences my philosophy as a teacher. Today was a whole new experience. Although I had heard stories and met other survivors of residential schools, today helped me continue to appreciate how the actions of the Canadian government in the past created an entire population of marginalized and traumatized people. There is good reason for lack of trust. And even though the people who perpetrated these crimes may no longer be in positions of power, the same organizations and structures are still in power. I have a new understanding of the mistrust of Canada as an institution. I must also say that I was amazed at the forgiveness of the elder. She understood that an important part of her own healing involved releasing the anger and shame. It was a moving and powerful time.
Challenge often pushes us to accomplish more than we imagined we could. In order to be great teachers, we must be challenged. In completing a unit plan for physical education, we were challenged to not make a basic plan, but to make a complete and complex plan. After completing it, I am quite pleased and proud of what we have done. I have to say thank you to my partner Ashley Metcalfe for her contribution to the process as well. EDCP 322A – Unit Plan – metcalfe burge
