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Hayley Hartz

Bachelor of Education, Year Five, Nanaimo

March 11, 2017

My Frame of Reference

One of my most important responsibilities as an educator is to guide children to

become lifelong learners and responsible citizens. The students who pass through my

classroom will one day become global citizens, and it is my privilege and duty to provide

them with a safe and caring environment in which to grow. I have an obligation to

promote my students academic and socio-emotional development.

As a teacher, one of my strengths lies in building strong and caring relationships

with my students. I believe that the relationship between teacher and students is key to

classroom management and student motivation-- when students feel that their teacher

truly likes, respects, and cares for them, they are more likely to thrive at school. As a

student, I always excelled in classrooms where I knew my teachers valued me and

wanted me to succeed, and I see this in the students that I teach, too. As Gordon

Neufeld states, children learn best when they like their teacher and they think their

teacher likes them (2004).

In regards to management, students also need clearly defined boundaries and

classroom rules posted in a visible place, and should have some part in creating these

rules to increase their investment and accountability. Furthermore, I believe I can

forestall management issues by thoroughly planning my classroom structure and lesson

plans. Carefully considered seating arrangements, transitions, material distribution,

schedules, and attention signals can all help to facilitate easy and smooth management.
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As I get to know my students, I will familiarize myself with their parents and

communities as well. I will invite parents into my classroom often, and communicate

student learning and growth frequently through media such as ePortfolios, email, and

weekly newsletters. Parents are valuable partners in their childrens education and need

to feel involved and up-to-date about their childrens learning and development in

school. As I build relationships with my students parents, I will be able to communicate

with them more easily. I believe that this is particularly important in regards to Aboriginal

learners, whose families may suffer from intergenerational trauma and feel

uncomfortable with the school system. I hope to build trust and rapport with these

families.

I also intend to form professional relationships with my colleagues. In one of my

final practicums, I had the opportunity to collaborate with four other student teachers in

a grade six/seven classroom. While it was challenging at times, we used our different

strengths and ideas to support each other and create excellent lessons for our students.

I believe that collaboration and respectful relationships with other teachers will continue

to form an important part of my future practice. If I happen to run into a difficult situation

with a fellow staff member or a student, I will refer to my personal professional decision

making model and the TRB standards to make the best and most ethical decisional

possible.

As I build relationships with my students and their families, I will use what I learn

to create an inclusive classroom. Every student has unique passions, interests, and

learning needsthere is no such thing as an average student, and I must design an

adjustable curriculum to help all students succeed (Rose, 2013). Fortunately, the new
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BC curriculum is designed to cultivate personalized learning (BCs New Curriculum,

n.d.), and its flexible format will assist me in my efforts to make learning accessible and

exciting for all my students.

I believe that following the Universal Design for Learning principles (UDL) will

also further this goal. To differentiate effectively, I must plan ahead to meet my students

needs and collect as much information about my class as possible. This may take the

form of whole class reviews at the beginning of the year (Brownlie & King, 2000), or

individual student profiles (Moore, n.d.). It can be very powerful for students to share

their own learning needs and goals, and provides an excellent way for them to take

charge of their education.

Shelley Moore, 2017

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Once I have this information, I will use it to plan my lessons, management, and

teaching strategies. One student may need a scribe, while another may need extra

visual cues. Some students may need more accessible goals and entry points, while

others may need enrichment, and this frequently differs between subjects. Whatever my

students needs, I must employ best practice methods and keep track of my students

development so that I know how best to help them.

However, I know that my students will not remain at the same developmental

level forever. I will use formative assessment throughout the year to evaluate my

students needs in different areas. I have found that informal conversations with

students, notes to myself, and ticket out the door style assessments provide a simple

way to show me my students understanding of a concept. This informs my teaching of

future lessons, and helps me to decide whether I need to stay with a subject longer, try

a new strategy, or move on to the next topic. My summative assessments will come less

frequently and provide a way for students to communicate their final learning. They may

take the form of portfolios or choice projects since students have various strengths

and personalities, they need opportunities to express their learning in different ways.

Fractions Ticket Out the Door, Hartz, 2016

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Frequent formative assessment will also

help me to teach within my students zones of

proximal development (Vygotsky, 1978). My use of

scaffolding (I do, we do, you do) and

developmentally-appropriate activities will

eventually move my students towards

Zone of Proximal Development, Culatta, 2011 independence in the skills I teachone of my

principal goals in education. Many of my lessons will also include hands-on, experiential

elements, such as science experiments and the use of math manipulatives. I have

noticed on my practicums and in my work as a nature educator that opportunities to

work hands-on excite and motivate children. Students who connect their new

knowledge to the real world seem to remember more of what they have learned and

show more interest and curiosity.

Experiential learning impacts students even more when the students recognize

cross-curricular connections. For example, during my fourth year practicum, I taught a

social studies unit on Chinese immigrants in Canada. I explored this theme in several

other subject areas as well, including language arts, art, and P.E. I found that these

curricular links helped the students to make more connections to the topic and

reinforced their learning. Integrated curriculum increases student engagement and

relevance of the subject matter (Drake & Reid, 2010). I can also easily link curricular

competencies to my lessons and unit plans.

As I nurture my students passion for learning, I plan to encourage them to

develop growth mindsets as well. According to Dr. Carol Dweck (2009), students with a
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growth mindset seek out learning, develop deeper learning strategies, and strive for an

honest assessment of their weaknesses so that they can work to remedy them. A

growth mindset enables a person to accept failure as an inevitable part of learning, and

to even relish it as an opportunity to grow. Children who have growth mindsets

approach challenges more confidently. A growth mindset also diminishes the fear of

failure and anxiety. This is especially significant when it comes to mathematicsa

subject that many people feel anxious about.

I will also likely encounter many social justice issues in my classroom. I must

respond to these issues with care and sensitivity to ensure that all my student feel safe

and accepted. I hope to build a classroom community that promotes empathy, diversity,

and understanding. While I will never single a student out, I must teach lessons and

invite discussions about social justice topics, particularly those within Canadas history

(such as Residential Schools, Japanese internment camps, and the Chinese Head

Tax). I believe that acknowledgement of these issues in our classrooms will benefit the

reconciliation movement, prevent prejudice, and promote acceptance of others.

As a former park naturalist at two provincial parks, I am passionate about

sustainability and environmental education as well. In my classroom, we will engage in

place-based outdoor learning; discuss issues such as pollution, habitat destruction, and

invasive and endangered species; and learn about local plants and animals. I will

encourage my students to think about how environmental problems have come about

and what we can do to alleviate them. I will also model sustainable behaviours, such as

recycling and electricity saving, in the classroom. Students will come to understand that
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every small action counts, and that we must work together to protect and preserve our

planet.

I believe that environmental education is also a wonderful way to respectfully

incorporate Aboriginal content into my teaching. I plan to invite elders into my classroom

to share Aboriginal perspectives on sustainability issues and native plants and animals.

I believe that education about sustainability corresponds to the First Peoples Principles

of Learning (First Nations Education Steering Committee, 2008): learning ultimately

supports the well-being of the self, the family, the community, the land, the spirits, and

the ancestors.

It is important to honour the role of Indigenous knowledge in all areas of the

curriculum. In my classroom, I plan to invite elders into my classroom to share stories

and traditional knowledge, display local Aboriginal art (with permission), integrate First

Peoples Principles of Learning, and use authentic Aboriginal resources. British

Columbia has a large population of Aboriginal learners, and I believe that they should

have the opportunity to see their culture honoured and celebrated in our classrooms.

However, I must take care to avoid disrespect and cultural appropriation.

In my journey as a teacher, I look forward to learning alongside my students and

colleagues. As I gain experience, I know that my teaching philosophy will mature and

grow. However, I will always aspire to foster my students enthusiasm for learning and

knowledge. Education is not about fitting the mould or filling students heads with

endless factsits about teaching students how to learn independently as they discover

their individual strengths and passions.

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References

B.C.s new curriculum. (n.d.). New curriculum. Retrieved from

https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum-updates.

Brownlie, Faye & King. Judith (2000). Class review: learning in safe schools [template].

Retrieved from www.blogsomemoore.com.

Culatta, Richard. (2011). Zone of proximal development [graphic]. Retrieved from

http://www.innovativelearning.com.

Drake, Susan M. & Reid. Joanne (2010). Integrated curriculum: Increasing relevance

while maintaining accountability. What Works? Research into Practice, 28, 1-4.

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/whatWorks.html

Dweck, Carol. (2009). Mindset. London: Constable & Robinson.

First Nations Education Steering Committee. (2008). First peoples principles of learning

poster. Vancouver, B.C.: FNESC.

Moore, Shelley. (n.d.). Here are a few of my favourite things to do [template].

Retrieved from www.blogsomemoore.com.

Schnellert, Layton. (2011). Collecting data [template]. Retrieved from

www.blogsomemoore.com.

Rose, Todd. (2013). The myth of average. TEDX Sonoma County. Video retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eBmyttcfU4.

Vygotsky, Lev. (1978). Interaction between learning and development. In M. Gauvin &

M. Cole (Eds.), Readings on the Development of Children (pp. 29-36). New York,

NY: W.H. Freeman & Co.

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