Above is an image of my program from the “Dualing Arts” professional development conference I attended this past year.
The Professional Development opportunities I participated in this year were all very different and all incredibly rewarding. At the conference above I was able to go to workshops specifically focused on integrating visual and performing arts into the classroom. At the in house P.D. day at my practicum school I was able to be part of many round table discussions about the school community, developing a school action plan, and the school’s 100 year celebration. Finally, I expanded my knowledge and understanding of the gymnastics portion of the P.E. PLOs through a workshop provided by Gymnastics BC.
Within each of the above experiences I was able to participate in lively and intelligent discussions with other educators. The ability to learn from experienced professionals, as well as sharing my knowledge of contemporary practices and research was incredibly rewarding. All of the above experiences transformed my thinking and practice as a teacher in their own ways.
I feel strongly that as an educator I am not simply in charge of the betterment of my students, but also the betterment of myself and my colleagues. Vygotsky discusses the importance of “peer tutoring” throughout his theories. I believe this to be an imperative part of my educational philosophy for my own teaching, and for my own learning. For me, participating in these kind of professional development opportunities, both formally and informally, has been and will continue to be an invaluable way for me to contribute to the profession of teaching.