Leadership in Learning Communities
"Members promote and participate in the creation of collaborative, safe and supportive learning communities. They recognize their shared responsibilities and their leadership roles in order to facilitate student success. Members maintain and uphold the principles of the ethical standards in these learning communities." - OCT
I have always been a leader in the school environment, and my time at OISE has seen this develop in new forms. One of the main ways has been reflecting on how much Teaching is a leadership position in and of itself, and how impactful the modelling of behaviours and thought-processes can be for students. The sheer responsibility and position of power you are given when you step into a school as a teacher are not to be underestimated. How you handle and share your emotions, how you discuss difficult and important topics such as race, politics and inequality, and how you make students feel really, really matters.
Another way has been through initiatives within my own cohort as a student in this program. Before classes began in September, I reached out to inquire about how we could best all connect to communicate as a cohort, and then utilized the chosen platforms to organize our first get together as a class. I hoped to set the tone for our years to come as a group, one of open-ness, excitement and inclusion for all. Below are some photos of that first meet up, as well as a class bike ride I organized and led us through later in the fall :) This involved checking the weather, inquiring about allergies, inviting everyone, sending maps and directions, and bringing food and drinks for all. Of course, not everyone could make it what with a pandemic happening and all, but all who could be present had a great time connecting together.
Another way has been through initiatives within my own cohort as a student in this program. Before classes began in September, I reached out to inquire about how we could best all connect to communicate as a cohort, and then utilized the chosen platforms to organize our first get together as a class. I hoped to set the tone for our years to come as a group, one of open-ness, excitement and inclusion for all. Below are some photos of that first meet up, as well as a class bike ride I organized and led us through later in the fall :) This involved checking the weather, inquiring about allergies, inviting everyone, sending maps and directions, and bringing food and drinks for all. Of course, not everyone could make it what with a pandemic happening and all, but all who could be present had a great time connecting together.
The other way I am showing Leadership within my cohort is by creating our Ultimate Cohort's Ultimate Resource Bank, a google folder (with many sub-folders) which we will all contribute to together and have access to years down the line. Finally, a one-stop shop for every article, lesson template and cool app we have discovered. It is almost complete and below is just a snapshot of what it's looking like currently, and this is a link to the Welcome Page. Finally, during this Spring's practicum I took the lead in ensuring smooth communication between the other TC, myself and our Associate Teacher by setting up channels and group chats, as well as creating a shared google folder and consistently organizing and updating it with our plans and resources for the weeks to come.