Guiding Lights- We teach who we are:
Relationships with learners, parents, colleagues and community:
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My background is in the field of social work; my experience has lead me to believe a crucial value: Education is the key to empowerment! I have encountered so many people in difficult situations, where education is the crucial component to their being able to help themselves, instead of relying on someone to help them. Education has always been the precursor to an individual’s ability to choose their own path. “Being oppressed means the absence of choices” (Bell Hooks) and my calling is to support students in their journey to self-determination. My training in anti-oppressive practice has taught me to look for the context that support a person’s decisions; we must “consider people’s experience in the world, instead of judging them for their situation, we can create a more understanding and loving world.”(Singh, 2013)
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Teaching and Learning Strategies: Light Your Spark!
“Intelligence plus Character- that is the goal of true Education.” Martin Luther King
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My teaching practice is grounded in the belief that each person has a creative spark which is the foundation of both well-being, and positive decision making. By using a combination of circus arts, storytelling, collaborative teamwork and peer-to-peer support, I strive to convey that success is possible if you surround yourself with positive people who support and nurture your creative spark.
Effective education is based on Relationship. "Make one-to-one conversations a ritual in our classrooms" (Knight 271) The Search Institute identifies the key components of a Developmental Relationship- one which supports and encourages the formation of developmental assets which lead to increased resilience and agency. By building positive relationships with students, encouraging them to explore their sparks, and finding adult support for developing their individual interests, I can ultimately help young people create a vision of who they want to be in the future. The critical thing to remember in this is that it is not solely the teacher’s job- each student is surrounded by adults who must work together to encourage and support the child. By engaging parents, the community and other educators, we can help the student realize their dreams. |
Revisiting the role of Education
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If the personal relationship between teacher and student is not grounded in caring, it doesn't matter how skilled of a teacher you are; If the students don't feel you are a caring teacher, there is less success of teaching. (McDowell 2016)
I believe that the goal of education is not only to teach academic subjects, it’s to socialize children and prepare them for adulthood. Effective curricula is used to deepen understanding about the role of friendship, perseverance, dedication- in other words, to build character. There are many different forms of character education, but all explore the development of values. Values guide our decisions as to what is good, true and right. They depend on our feelings as well as our thoughts. The challenge as a professional teacher is to develop principles for dealing with values-laden issues in a open and ethical way. I believe my role as teacher is not only to instil facts and skills, it's to foster creative thinking, trust, teamwork, and positive relationships. Everything I teach, whether it be Circus, Science, Math or English- all are simply different tools to instil the confidence and values of emotionally competent human beings. My teaching philosophy is grounded the child development theories of Piaget and Kohlberg; both discussed the importance of moral education and reasoning. I also believe that children need to have open and public discussion of day-to-day conflicts and problems to develop their moral reasoning ability. Vygotsky’s teachings also resonate in my practice, in that children are social creatures and learn best when able to discuss and process their learning in a social way. As Laura Chandler states, “The one who is talking is the one who is learning”. Children should be encouraged to verbally explore and express their wonders and their learnings. |
An engaged class is a managed class |
Values must be co-created and shared by a community in order to be developed. All classrooms should have a value identifying and community building activity that will carry through the year, and has hopefully reflected in the school philosophies. "Community building is an essential component to good teaching." (Knight, 246). My strength in building relationships with my students and my natural confidence and authority in front of the class can allow me to have a creationist style of management once boundaries and expectations have been put in place. My experience both as a social worker and as a parent allows me to see beyond the behaviour to the need of the child- what is the need that is not being met that is the reason for the behaviour?
I am excited to be training in best-practice education techniques such as inquiry-based learning to teach the competencies outlined in the new curricula. My history in circus training has always been in using non-competitive, supportive, growth based formative assessment methods. My teaching reflects the progress principle: When students experience small wins on a daily basis and see clear evidence of their progress they are much more motivated to take on greater learning challenges. They believe in themselves/have confidence. This encourages a growth mindset and creates a supportive, inclusive classroom. I am attuned to the children’s emotional state as I understand the direct link between affectual state and ability to learn, and I tend to encourage a discovery based classroom, which grounds learning into personal experience. Assessment practices is an area of ongoing growth and professional development, and I truly believe that it is effective formative assessment contributes to engaged and successful learners.
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Why Circus?
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Circus activities are non-competitive and progressively complex set of skills that address gross and fine motor control providing repetition and practice of specific motor skills. The various activities provide opportunities for participants to improve proprioception, coordination, sense of timing, and rhythm.
Perseverance and problem solving is encouraged while participants engage in bi-manual hand use and crossing the mid-line to manipulate, grasp and reach different objects. Teamwork, trust and empowerment are cornerstones of not only my Circus PE program, but my practice as a whole. |
Relationship Between Theory and Practice
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My practice is grounded in social justice and equality. Theory and practice are interlocking circles that inform each other. It is by reflecting on our own actions that we examine our own biases, and it is the only way our deeply held beliefs and values, our own personal theory, is brought to light. Combine this reflection with ongoing professional development and learning, and you can become a truly adaptive practitioner who acts with integrity. Being conscious of the theoretical underpinnings of your practise is denotes you are a professional.
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Needs of Diverse Learners Through Inclusive Practices |
Planning for differentiation and beyond that, universal design for learning, is essential in today’s diverse classrooms. Truly differentiated lessons are designed so that while the end goal is set, we have planned many different paths that a learner can take to get there. We will always have a wide range of student’s abilities, from varied literacy and numeracy levels to ELL/ESD learners. Being able to plan a teaching strategy that will assist all your learners to understand a concept is an ongoing challenge, but one that makes a professional teacher.
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Spiral of Education: “The path isn’t a straight line; it’s a Spiral. You continually come back to things you thought you understood, and see deeper truths.” Barry H. Gillespie
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