Frame of Reference

My number one career goal is to have a classroom full of students who love learning.

Relationships with learners, parents, colleagues, and community

Learners: Getting to know my students will be one of the most important steps in becoming a successful
teacher. I will highlight their strengths and give them opportunity to work on their stretches. We will be
a collaborative classroom that uses our strengths to help others turn their stretches into strengths. I will
support my students and try my best to teach in the context of what they are passionate about, which
means integrated units and themes on Minecraft, emojis, and whatever else they are interested in.

My classroom will be a place where my students feel welcome, safe, valued, and loved.

I am very aware that as educators we have complete control over how we choose to speak about
children. So much of what we say determines their inner monologue. We give them the words they will
use to describe themselves. It is extremely important to me to speak about my students in a positive
way and ensure that they have positive self talk.
Parents: I will work will the parents of my students to ensure student success. This will be achieved by
maintaining open communication and collaborating with the parents in a common goal of moving their
child forward.

Colleagues: There is so much I can learn from other teachers, collaborating them will not only ensure my
own success but the success of my students. I believe in an open door policy and plan to work with the
classrooms around me. We can share lessons, combine gym/outdoor time, share resources, and split up
our students into groups and give them opportunities to work in different spaces with different
students.

Community: To achieve a teaching style that values place based learning it will be important to develop
a relationship with my community. There is so much I can learn from speaking to elders and other
community members that will benefit the quality of my lessons and my student’s growth. Weaving
Aboriginal practices and ways of knowing into my everyday teaching is extremely important to me and
will only be possible with a strong relationship to my community and the very valuable people in my
community. I would like to bring in community members and subject experts as much as possible, this
will have to start with relationship building.

Teaching and learning strategies

My number one teaching strategy is integrated learning. I think that the new curriculum has done an
amazing job at helping teachers custom create unit plans that fit their student’s needs. My year will
consist of a variety of themes that take our learning and put it into context. My students will see the
connections between all of the subjects and the connections in the world around them. Another goal for
integrated units is to give my students a connection to the content. As well as thoughtful integration I
will use the power of play to further engage them in their learning. If I have a group that is passionate
about pirates, we will have a unit centered around pirates. We will use gems as counters in math, and
complete word problems about the architecture of pirate ships. We will learn about scurvy and the
health of a pirate. We will read stories and sing old songs about life on a ship. The opportunities are
endless and there are so many ways to connect student passions to curricular competencies. I will do my
best to weave the core competencies in as much as possible as well as the successful learner traits.

I also value the ability to solve problems, both in math and on the playground. I will teach my students
to be independent critical thinkers who can solve almost any problem they are faced with. Our math will
be heavily centered around math language and creating and solving word problems. I hope to build a
classroom environment where math is not feared, but loved as it is such an integral part of creating a
well-rounded student.

My students will know that I am a learner too. I am not the gate-keeper of knowledge and they have
something to teach me too. They will know that it’s okay to not know everything and what to do when
you don’t know, how to find information.

Classroom management

It seems as though everyone is seeking the secret code to classroom management. Although I am
unsure what the secret code is, I think that a large portion of maintaining classroom management is
having a relationship that values mutual respect with my students. I will do everything I can to build an
environment where they can learn, grow, and be successful, and in turn they will contribute to an
environment that supports their peers. I think that it’s important to be firm, however raising my voice
seems hardly necessary. I will model the volume, behaviour, and curtesy that I expect from my students.

“How can I say ‘no’ less and say ‘yes’ more” is my guiding principle for behaviour management.
How can I allow them to do what they want/need to do in a safe, responsible, and productive way. How
can I give them space to be themselves and space to learn in their own way?

Teach don’t punish.

Formative and summative assessment

My opinion on summative grades are ever evolving. On a traditional mindset I value grades, I think that
they have their place and boost the self-esteem of students who get “good” grades. I think that a “good”
grade can be a goal and something a student can work toward. However, I’ve done a lot of thinking
regarding what grades really do to serve our students and have thought that perhaps what they really
do is label students and put them in a box. My goal will be to move all of my students forward. In
traditional grading structures we view students who receive A’s to be the best and students who receive
C’s to be lazy. But if we focus on moving every student forward we will notice that the C student started
off the year below grade level and has made leaps and bounds in personal growth just to end up at a C.
Meanwhile the A student started off the year above grade level and did little to no personal growth to
maintain an A, and because they were already an A student we didn’t do any work to move them
forward. My students will be more than a letter, they will be pushed to move forward regardless of their
starting point and will be praised for every step they take in personal growth. My students will receive
continuous feedback and support on the criteria that we created together.
Relationship between theory and practice

I have always found neuroscience on learning fascinating and will continue to research and implement
new strategies that will most effectively help my students learn. I also have a love for Finland and will
continue to research what is working for them and other countries and find ways to integrate their
successful practices into my teaching.

I recognize that the world around us is constantly changing and our classrooms and teaching strategies
need to change with it. We are preparing our students for jobs that do not exist yet.

Needs of diverse learners through inclusive practices

The first step well be having a very good understanding of who my students are. Once I know my
students I will be able to build every lesson plan with integrated differentiation to ensure success of all
my students. I also think it’s important to incorporate the role of choice for my students.

I will be working everyday to make my classroom more inclusive than it was the day before, constantly
trying new things.