Commitment to Students & Student Learning
"Members are dedicated in their care and commitment to students. They treat students equitably and with respect and are sensitive to factors that influence individual student learning. Members facilitate the development of students as contributing citizens of Canadian society." - OCT
An integral aspect of my practice, I demonstrated this in my Spring 2021 practicum in a TDSB Virtual School Setting. As was widespread in virtual schools across the province, student engagement was at an all-time low, and there were many concerns about the overall well-being of students due to the strains the pandemic was putting upon education. Lack of socialization, technical difficulties and distracting home environments made motivation and progress in the virtual school setting a real challenge for educators and students alike.
My way of combatting this was letting students know how much I cared, by seeing them all as equally capable and in a positive light, as well as empathizing with them about their current struggles.
One of the most rewarding experiences I've had as an educator to date occurred on the last day of this Spring practicum, when we were saying our goodbyes as a class. One of the students whose participation was consistently minimal and who had been at times a behavioural distraction to the class, wanted to speak. He shared in a genuine and heartfelt manner;
"When I first met Jackson, he seemed like a nice guy. As time went on and we got to know each other over these weeks....
[he paused, leaving me in suspense]
...he made me feel like I can do anything."
I was moved, thanked him for his kind words, and immediately shared that I truly believe he can do anything, as long as he applies himself to it. Knowing this feeling may have been somewhat of a novelty for him in his educational setting further solidified how important it is to see all students as equally capable - regardless of their current contributions or 'levels' - and that students want and need to know that you believe in them. Of course, differentiated instruction is an essential element of effective teaching and meeting students where they are at is more likely to lead to their success. But at the root level of it all, in your core and in theirs, it must be known how much potential and ability a student possesses. If we expect less from certain students, they may do or be less. If we expect more from them, they may do or be more. It really can be that simple.
As for empathizing with students, I learned how powerful this approach can be from the modelling of some of my excellent professors at OISE; such as Christine Jackson, Rebecca Hughes, Gurpreet Sahmbi & Andrea Guljas. The way they made genuine space for us in class to share how we felt, our disappointments and frustrations with our entire program being moved online before it even began, actually made me more motivated to participate in the preceding 2 hours of zoom. By validating us we were able to feel heard, seen, and understood, and were thus more willing to move on together. So in my practicum I made sure to state at least once a week how impressed I was with this group of grade 6 students who are showing up to virtual schooling, even when they may not want to, or when the zoom does that annoying audio glitch again, or they have to troubleshoot yet another issue, or they are simply so alone, feeling isolated or down. I listened to their sentiments, and reminded them that I was also an online student, how I didn't want to be or sign up for that either, and that I knew how hard it was to focus and bring myself to the screen each day. I think this praise and genuinely seeing the students in the position that they were in helped them. Their mood and energy seemed to boost just a little bit after these talks - as much as I could tell from the zoom setting...
:)
My way of combatting this was letting students know how much I cared, by seeing them all as equally capable and in a positive light, as well as empathizing with them about their current struggles.
One of the most rewarding experiences I've had as an educator to date occurred on the last day of this Spring practicum, when we were saying our goodbyes as a class. One of the students whose participation was consistently minimal and who had been at times a behavioural distraction to the class, wanted to speak. He shared in a genuine and heartfelt manner;
"When I first met Jackson, he seemed like a nice guy. As time went on and we got to know each other over these weeks....
[he paused, leaving me in suspense]
...he made me feel like I can do anything."
I was moved, thanked him for his kind words, and immediately shared that I truly believe he can do anything, as long as he applies himself to it. Knowing this feeling may have been somewhat of a novelty for him in his educational setting further solidified how important it is to see all students as equally capable - regardless of their current contributions or 'levels' - and that students want and need to know that you believe in them. Of course, differentiated instruction is an essential element of effective teaching and meeting students where they are at is more likely to lead to their success. But at the root level of it all, in your core and in theirs, it must be known how much potential and ability a student possesses. If we expect less from certain students, they may do or be less. If we expect more from them, they may do or be more. It really can be that simple.
As for empathizing with students, I learned how powerful this approach can be from the modelling of some of my excellent professors at OISE; such as Christine Jackson, Rebecca Hughes, Gurpreet Sahmbi & Andrea Guljas. The way they made genuine space for us in class to share how we felt, our disappointments and frustrations with our entire program being moved online before it even began, actually made me more motivated to participate in the preceding 2 hours of zoom. By validating us we were able to feel heard, seen, and understood, and were thus more willing to move on together. So in my practicum I made sure to state at least once a week how impressed I was with this group of grade 6 students who are showing up to virtual schooling, even when they may not want to, or when the zoom does that annoying audio glitch again, or they have to troubleshoot yet another issue, or they are simply so alone, feeling isolated or down. I listened to their sentiments, and reminded them that I was also an online student, how I didn't want to be or sign up for that either, and that I knew how hard it was to focus and bring myself to the screen each day. I think this praise and genuinely seeing the students in the position that they were in helped them. Their mood and energy seemed to boost just a little bit after these talks - as much as I could tell from the zoom setting...
:)