*Note: This is an ongoing page that will be edited and revised as necessary*
As I am writing this post, I have just finished my second block in the education program. At this point in time, we have had the opportunity to observe in classrooms for 11 weeks in Block 1, we have had numerous teachers come into our classes as guest speakers to offer advice based on the experiences they have had in their careers, and we have had the opportunity to learn and take classes from 6 professors and instructors in the education program. We have also had the opportunity to learn from our coaching teachers on a one-on-one personal basis for three weeks during our Education 391 practicum experience. During this time, there has been a great emphasis on developing your personal pedagogy and finding out what is part of your identity as a teacher. Although it has been an amazing experience to learn from such a diverse and knowledgeable group of teachers, I have found it overwhelming at times. There is no one right way to teach so I have been trying to observe the teachers I have encountered in terms of their styles, mannerisms, and ways of teaching and assessing among other things so I can gain a better sense of what I like and don’t like and what I will want to do and not want to do as a teacher. I also had the experience of being in my coaching teacher’s classroom and having to fit my teaching style to hers to a degree- the students are in the middle of their school year and have expectations the teacher expects them to live up to and classroom management strategies to help her students always make sure they are meeting her expectations- since I was only in the classroom for a short amount of time, I had to follow her classroom management strategies and make sure students were still meeting her expectations as I was teaching to not disrupt the daily routine they had come to expect too much. My coaching teacher and I were similar in terms of what we valued and expected from students so I got lucky this way and felt like I was staying true to myself as I taught. During my next practicum I will have a new coaching teacher with new expectations and classroom management strategies and I will have to change and morph myself again to fit somewhat into this mold, no matter if I agree with his or her ideals and values as a teacher or not, so as not to completely disrupt and disregulate the classroom environment on such a short-term basis.
Because there has been so many teachers we have encountered and each has their own unique teaching style and pedagogy, my spiral of inquiry involves me looking inward.
Spiral of Inquiry Question: How do I develop my own personal pedagogy as I find myself surrounded and influenced by teachers who are further along in their pedagogy and teaching style development? How do I know when I have found something that is part of my personal pedagogy and values and not just something that is important to me because it is important to those around me like my coaching teacher or practicum supervisor?
I know these questions are hard and I am not expecting to have the complete answer by the time I am finished this program. What I am hoping for is that through the rest of my time in this program, I can have unexpected and surprising “aha” moments, so much so that I know I have found something important to me and something I value and not something I value just because I think others around me expect me to value it.
I am sitting here completing my spiral after finishing my 10-week practicum. I got the opportunity to work with another amazing and experienced teacher and to observe her pedagogy and adapt some of the practices she uses to fit my style. Because I was teaching full-time in this practicum, I feel like I now have an answer to my spiral question. Every teacher I worked with was unique and had their own style and values but through all my experiences, there are some things that have stayed important and consistent in my teaching practice including
- Building relationships with the students and making sure they feel safe, loved, like they belong, and like the classroom is a safe space and a home away from home is one of my most important jobs as a teacher
- Incorporating students’ interests and skills into lessons help them feel more involved and engaged with lessons and leads to greater success and relationships in the classroom
- Being adaptable is an important skill to have as a teacher- you have to be aware enough to understand when things are not going well and you have to be willing to change the plan and direction of the lesson when things are not going well or when students steer you in a different direction
- It is important to me that my professional identity and personal identity cannot be separated and I act the same way with my students as I would with my family and friends in real life- I laugh and joke with them, I tell them about my life and listen when they talk about theirs, I laugh off my mistakes and say teachers can make mistakes too because that is what makes us human, and I am kind, caring, respectful, collected, and don’t take myself too seriously because those are qualities I treasure about myself outside of the classroom
- Including Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Being of local First Nations, Inuit, and Metis people will be something that is always going to be important to me but that I will be working on and learning about throughout the entirety of my teaching profession
- I don’t let students say something is “easy” because just because it’s easy for them doesn’t mean it is easy for someone else in the class and I don’t want anyone to feel bad or inferior if they are having trouble and can’t understand a topic someone else finds easy. I ask students to find a different word to minimize this risk.
I know that my teaching practice has just started and my pedagogy will continuously grow and develop over time. I am happy I found some things that I know are important to me and I will keep hold of these values in the years to come. I can’t wait to see how my practice will adapt and change as I continue on this path of lifelong learning.