Goal 1
I’d like to diversify my experience with elementary school students. In my practicum I’ve had a great experience of Grade 1 and Grade 6 students, mainly from immigrant south Asian cultural backgrounds. Working with these students has been invaluable in forcing me to refer to what I’ve learned in my courses and apply it, adapt it, and build creatively on it in practical, direct ways. One of my goals is to work with students at other grade levels and students from other cultural backgrounds. The intellectual and emotional development of children from age 4 or 5 to 11 or 12 is usually dramatic and profound, and if I’m to be an effective teacher for elementary school students of different ages, I doubt that anything can replace the experience of working with (and learning from!) children of all these ages. Similarly, I’ve learned that children from different cultures approach their schooling with different social and educational backgrounds, different expectations of schooling, different expectations of relationships with peers and adults, different assumptions about community, and so on. Canada has become a very multicultural country, and my effectiveness as a teacher will depend in large part on my understanding of the different cultures that are represented here.
Goal 2
I’d like to add to my professional toolkits. During my practicum, I’ve established some great elements of my professional toolkits for the elementary curriculum and for social and emotional learning. For instance, for teaching language and literacy to primary students, I’ve researched a great many picture books, and have created annotated bibliographies (and bought quite a number of books!). I’ve benefited from sharing educational resources in many areas with my Laurier classmates. I’ve developed workable approaches to helping young children deal with the developmental changes that are part of growing up, such as overwhelming feelings, social relationships, and the need for self-regulation. One of my goals is to add substantially to these toolkits. I’d like to add substantially to my resources for being an effective teacher across the curriculum for the primary and junior grades; these could include books and other resources aimed at the students themselves, professional research aimed at educators, practical teaching strategies, and experiential learning in educational psychology. Moreover, as my goal is special education, I’d love to add to the toolkits I began to develop as an EA for helping students with a variety of special needs.
Goal 3
I’d like to have more practice implementing differentiated strategies. During my practicum this year I had the opportunity to try out differentiating my own lessons for every subject I taught. This was great practice for me to meet the diverse learning needs of all students while incorporating collaborative, inquiry-based, and reflective practices to foster active engagement and deep understanding. To work on this goal, I would start by getting to know my students’ learning styles, strengths, and needs through observations and assessments. Use this information to plan lessons that include multiple entry points, offering varied activities or supports to ensure all students can access the material. Incorporate group work and inquiry-based tasks where students can collaborate and explore topics actively, encouraging them to ask questions and share ideas.