My Professional Growth, Learning and Development
Learner-Centred
As an EA I’ve lived with the everyday reality that different learners have different gifts, skills, and challenges. As part of my teacher training, I’ve come to see how important it is to have a differentiated approach to teaching and learning. In every lesson plan I’ve written I’ve responded to the need to include considerations for differentiation, and this practice has helped me develop a strong learner-centred approach to teaching. In my practicums my Associated Teachers have helped me pay attention not only to what and how I was teaching, but also, and at the same time, to what and how students were learning. Being learner-centred has meant, for example, that I’ve made appropriate adjustments when individual students weren’t responding to a generalized teaching approach. And I’ve learned to be more intentional and more creative about giving students some options, appropriate to their age, cultural and pedagogical backgrounds, and learning styles, to achieving curricular expectations.
Community-Centred
In my B.Ed. program I’ve learned how important it is to be attentive to the culture, values, goals, and style of the communities in which I’m operating. These communities are mainly the classroom, the school, and the neighbourhood.
In order to be community-centred in the classroom, I’ve aimed to understand how the classroom itself develops a culture that reflects the interplay of the cultures of the students. The classroom communities at my practicum placement have been highly multicultural. Most of my students are first- or second-generation Canadians, and members of what some call “visible minorities.” Many are still emergent English speakers. The mutual getting-to-know-you that my students and I have been practicing has been not so much challenging as almost embarrassingly fun, and I count it a great privilege. One day I learned about their food culture when some of them made me pretend meals from their home cultures, fabricated from play-doh. Often they taught me some words in their first language that made better sense for them of what I was trying to teach than my English words. I listened to the stories that they wanted to tell me about themselves. We explored our common interests and our differences. I chose stories to read among which this diverse group of students could find ones in which they could see themselves As Christmas approached, I discovered that many children didn’t know “Jingle Bells”; and they discovered that I didn’t know their Bollywood songs! We taught each other some music that achieved some expectations of the Ontario curriculum for the arts in unexpected ways. In all this, we’ve become more connected to each other’s cultural communities, and therefore more connected to one another as a classroom community.
Thus being community-centred in the classroom is a way of building understanding, trust, and respect, not only between individual students and me, but among all of us in the classroom. My commitment to the classroom community also pushes me to communicate teaching goals in ways that will move students to want to share them, so that all of us have a common ground in the educational enterprise. As a result, my grade 1 students are learning as a community, working in small and large groups, talking and working and playing with one another, supporting and encouraging one another, and even teaching and learning from one another in their presentations, artwork, singing, and other ways.
Still another aspect of community-centred teaching is promoting the positive values of the school itself. The stated values of my school includes a “safe, accepting, inclusive, and healthy learning environment” and “activities in the classroom and school that represent the diversity, needs, and interests of the student population.” Not without lapses and flaws, Canadian society celebrates social justice, inclusivity, and equity; not all my students have come from cultures that do so. In this respect my commitment to teaching in a community-centred way has been to help my students feel comfortable in a community that wants them to find their own place in the world and to develop their gifts in a free but guided and healthy way. To help them recognize the diversity of Canada, I’ve included lessons from parts of Canada that aren’t represented in the classroom, notably Indigenous nations. I’ve been able to draw on my own educational background in Indigenous studies in my lesson planning.
Finally, community-centred teaching recognizes the richness of professional collaborative relationships among educators themselves, especially those in one’s own school. I attended every grade 1 meeting that was held during the days of my practicum placement, and was impressed, and a bit surprised, that these meetings were a powerful resource for the teachers, a place where they could share problems and concerns, and receive counsel and support. To the extent that i thought it was appropriate for a teacher candidate to do so, I also contributed to these meetings.
Knowledge-Centred
Incorporating trauma-informed practices into knowledge-centred teaching is crucial, especially in primary grades where students are still developing emotionally and cognitively. I remember working with a Grade 6 student who had experienced the unimaginable—he witnessed the death of his father. This kind of trauma deeply affected his ability to focus, trust, and feel safe in the classroom. A knowledge-centred approach, combined with trauma-informed strategies, could make a world of difference for him. For instance, a lesson I taught was about writing narratives, and I could create a safe and supportive environment by offering choice in topics and allowing him to write about fictional scenarios instead of personal experiences. This way, the student could engage in the learning process without being triggered. I could also scaffold the learning by breaking tasks into manageable steps and providing consistent, calm encouragement. By weaving trauma-informed practices like establishing trust, providing predictability, and recognizing signs of distress into the teaching of core concepts, the student could slowly rebuild a sense of safety while still accessing meaningful learning. Knowledge-centred practices are not just about what we teach but how we teach, and when we approach them with empathy and awareness, they can be transformative for students navigating deep challenges.
Pedagogy-Centred
In my grade one practicum, I’ve found that pedagogy-centred practices like inquiry-based learning and collaboration are incredibly effective in engaging students. During a science lesson on weather, I started with an inquiry-based approach by asking students, “What do you think causes rain?” Their curiosity sparked a class discussion, where they shared ideas and asked more questions, like, “Why do clouds look different?” We explored these ideas together through hands-on experiments, like creating “rain” in a jar with shaving cream and water. This approach empowered students to take ownership of their learning, helping them construct knowledge by actively investigating and connecting new concepts to their prior experiences. The process of discovery made the learning meaningful and memorable for them.
Collaboration and reflection are equally powerful tools for supporting students. For instance, during a literacy activity in my grade six practicum, I had students work in pairs to create their own comic book strips. One student would illustrate while the other narrated, and they would switch roles. This collaborative approach not only built social skills but also deepened their understanding of storytelling. Afterward, we reflected as a class, with each pair sharing what they learned and what they found challenging. Encouraging reflection helped students become more aware of their own learning process, boosting their confidence and fostering a growth mindset. These practices, constructivist, collaborative, and reflective, support young learners holistically, enabling them to build critical thinking and interpersonal skills while staying engaged and motivated.
Professional-Centred
I’m excited to embrace professional-centred practices to grow as an educator and build my teaching toolkit. I’ve already taken steps to immerse myself in opportunities for learning, such as attending a workshop with my AT that helped deepen my understanding of strategies like differentiated instruction. Recently, during my practicum, I had the privilege of shadowing the Special Education Resource Teacher, which was incredibly inspiring because I aspire to become a special education teacher. Watching how the SERT supported students with diverse needs, collaborated with classroom teachers, and adapted lessons to create inclusive learning environments gave me practical insights that I’m eager to apply in my future teaching. I also look forward to taking Additional Qualification (AQ) courses to specialize further and enhance my ability to support all learners effectively. For me, professional growth is not only about learning new strategies but also about fostering meaningful connections with mentors and peers who inspire and challenge me to continually improve.