Monthly Archives: November 2017

Mini-Inquiry

In this mini-inquiry, teacher candidates were required to choose an object that meant a lot to them. Then we were asked questions about this object.

  1. What is it?
    Where does it come from? Why is it meaningful?

    My object is my Winnie the Pooh teddy bear. I’ve had it since the first year I immigrated here to Canada. One of my godmothers bought it for me. I remember it was the first toy I got here from the store. It was expensive and I knew I needed to take care of it.
  2. Carefully observe your object:
    What do you notice about its texture, temperature, smell?

    Texture is very different from a regular teddy bear. The smell is non-existent as it probably smells like me/my bedroom, in which I cannot smell my own scent.Try to ‘zoom in’ and look at detail, pattern, texture. What does this different perspective on your object evoke for you, remind you of? What do these observations evoke for you? 

    I think looking at the bear in detail, reminds me of how old this is. I’ve had it since I was five years old and it is the definition of my home. I’ve travelled around with this bear in every place that I’ve left the comfort of my own bedroom and is a reminder that home is a feeling, not a place.

  3. Write the story of your object
    Where is it from? What is its history? Why and how is it significant to you? If you were to use this object as a metaphor, what would it be a metaphor for?  What do the story and significance of your object suggest about your beliefs and values? How might those beliefs and values inform your work as a teacher?

The story of my Winnie the Pooh teddy bear starts for when my godmother bought it for me when I was at a toy store. I remember pointing at it from the top shelf and my she immediately bought it for me, despite my mom resisting because it was expensive. This was the year that we first immigrated to Canada. I had a lot of other toys but for some reason I was extremely attached to this one. Possibly because I chose it, rather than it being gifted to me. It is significant because it became an object of comfort. Whenever we flew, or moved countries, I had this one thing at night to help me sleep and remind me that everything was going to be okay. In the midst of all the change I was going through as a kid, I had this one thing that never grew, and stayed the same. It was always a piece of home.

I think the metaphor for this teddy bear is that no matter how the things around me are different or can change, I will always have a piece of home with me. It is a reminder that no matter how many changes are thrown my way, I am able to change and adapt to my surroundings. Material goods and physical places do not matter as much as things like family, friends, and knowing my own identity.

My beliefs and values as an adult revolves around growth and consistently trying to improve aspects in my life. I have made it a goal, especially this year, to constantly strive for something better.

I think that valuing growth plays a huge part in my teaching. As a teacher, it is my responsibility to constantly adapt to my students and my surrounding. It is my duty to be able to grow in my profession and also in my personal life and be a good example of being a learner of life.

 

Teaching Kindness: Reflection

In our group discussion today, we started talking about peculiar cat behaviour and cute baby bunnies. Slowly our random conversation evolved into someone in our group saying, “Kindness is the highest form of wisdom” which raised the question “How do we teach Kindness in our classroom?”

Kindness can be an overarching team for questions that regard to uncomfortable conflict situations within the classroom. If we teach our students what kindness is, what it looks like and its power, then we can teach them what to do in situations of conflict or discomfort, and most importantly how to respect each other.

It would be unrealistic to force all our students to be friends. That’s not what happens in real life. We can’t all be friends. But what is realistic is to teach them that respecting others, and being kind to others even in stressful situations, can help us overcome the conflict.

Kindness can be learnt. It can be fostered and practiced and it comes from the ability to step back and self reflect. When faced with a situation where someone triggers anger in another student, the student can step back, and self reflect on why this makes them so angry. How can I respond in a kind way towards this person. This idea of self reflection also ties in with self evaluation. The ability for a student to evaluate their process in an assignment is teaching them the skills of being able to ask these same questions in their daily life. “How did I reach to my conclusion?” “What did I learn from doing this?” “How did I challenge myself” “What risks did I take?” “How did I deal with this situation with kindness?” etc.

The ability to ask these questions to ourselves and teach students to do so, could be a step forward in teaching them kindness and understanding of other people and also, themselves.