I enjoyed attending the Teacher Education Conference held at Niagara University. The week was jam-packed with fantastic guest speakers. Every session I participated in that week was very informative and helpful to my professional development as an aspiring educator. The workshops have been engaging and not only gave resources to the new educators but also gave us tools and knowledge on topics. Two workshops that stood out to me were Unpacking Resilience by Jennifer Johnson and Ten Strategies to Create a Collaborative Classroom Culture by Tony Ceelen, which gave me valuable insights and strategies as a new teacher. Reflecting on these workshops, I connected to the following OCT Ethical Standards for the Teaching Profession.
- Commitment to Students and 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.
- Ongoing Professional Learning: Members recognize that a commitment to ongoing professional learning is integral to effective practice and to student learning. Professional practice and self-directed learning are informed by experience, research, collaboration, and knowledge.
One of the workshops close to my heart was Unpacking Resilience, a critical piece to work on as a new teacher. Learning about Resilience and bringing the right tools and resources into the classroom is vital to help nurture our students and allow students and educators to bounce back from stress, failure, challenges, and events that impact students and educators. In addition, when students have Resilience, they have a positive mindset and feel empowered, which is developed through experience. As a teacher, I aim to build on my Resilience and help students build on their Resilience to thrive. Walking away from the Unpacking Resilience seminar, I gained a deeper understanding of the importance of having a program like Captains & Poets, a Social Emotional Learning (SEL) program that students will take with them and work on throughout their lifetime. In the workshop, I found the learning meaningful; I learned how important it is to keep your heart and mind open and to find inner strength. In addition, I realized that to be resilient, we need to accept our reality first and understand how acceptance plays a crucial role in seeing things the way they are and finding ways to solve problems. As an educator, I will model gratitude and allow students to express it. I will foster Resilience in my classroom by using the books and resources in the workshop. I will ask my students to create a resilience shield or crest. I will never forget to leverage the captain and poet in them and model taking risks by supporting and empowering my future students and building on my Resilience as a teacher.
The second workshop I attended was Ten Strategies to Create a Collaborative Classroom Culture. I gained a deeper understanding of the importance of connecting with families and students from the first day. Tony mentioned that having a 3-minute conversation with the families and talking about their child after reviewing OSR was vital.
As an educator, getting to know your students, looking at their OSR, and learning about them are essential. Also, it's crucial to have reflective practice and not overlook the students who are strong in the classroom. This workshop was centered on cultivating a positive and safe classroom environment where educators promote moments of wonder and awe and provide students with various opportunities to express themselves through daily journals.
The most noteworthy takeaways from this workshop are to plan cross-curricular lessons that are engaging for students while meeting curriculum expectations across subjects and giving descriptive, specific, and prompt feedback. I have learned many valuable lessons from the workshop and look forward to bringing them into my classroom.
Here are some simple poem ideas that Tony shared with us in the workshop
I used to….. but now I ……
I wish ….. So…..
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