Reflections and Connections
Please scroll below to read my reflections and connections as a pre-service teacher.
Reflections
Welcome! Listed below are the direct examples and specific instances where I demonstrated meeting the expectations of all 6 TQS Benchmarks, which are supported with artifacts such as images, documents, and papers.
1: Fostering Effective Relationships
Student Artworks:
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As a student teacher in 3 different schools throughout 3 practicums, as an ECE Level 1 staff member (2021-2023), and as a library circulation desk and programs assistant, I can establish caring, respectful, and positive relationships with children, youth, staff, colleagues, parents, and guardians.
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Ensuring respect and integrity for all students by using kindness and checking in with students throughout the day to ensure they feel safe and supported.
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I consistently create and maintain positive and productive relationships with all my students, as I strive my best to build healthy relationships by initiating engaging conversations ranging from "How was your weekend" to discussing their favourite hobbies.
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As a minority person, (Filipino by birth and became a Canadian citizen in 2019.) I encourage, embrace, and celebrate the diversity of all students, parents, guardians, and teachers. For example, I greet students, staff, and guardians who celebrate traditions around the world, such as Diwali, Hannukah, Eid Mubarak, etc. I always take vast opportunities to deepen my knowledge by learning more about different norms, traditions, and cultures through fruitful conversations.
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I have collaborated with a community service professional, Cayse Ruiter from AdventureSmart.ca, he is a volunteer for Cochrane Search and Rescue to do a presentation about outdoor education and safety called Hug-A-Tree-And-Survive. The children and youth who attended this presentation in the High River Library during the summer 2022 and 2023 gained better insight on steps to do if you get lost outdoors.
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Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: I consistently incorporate ways into my lessons that provide opportunities to learn about a variety of diverse cultures and make explicit connections to the curriculum to increase the intercultural understanding of students. A direct example is a snippet of my lesson plan, outlined below.
Snippet of my Lesson Plan:
2 students have individually gifted to me these drawings as their thank-you gifts for all my help and support. Their drawings were meant to resemble my facial features.
Results of my Personality Test:
INFJ - Advocate
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Helping Others​
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Empathetic
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Compassionate
Empathy photo from Google Images:
An excerpt from one of my lesson plans highlighting the concept of multiculturalism by embedding this topic into the social studies grade 2 lesson facilitated through student discussion.
Throughout this section, I have embedded some examples of letters of gratitude that I am happy to have received from my grade 2 students.
Gratitude note gifted by a student:
2: Engaging in Career-Long Learning
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I have participated in multiple PD day sessions through my experiences as a student-teacher (2021-present) and as an ECE Level 1 staff member at Daydreams ELCC Ltd. in High River. (2021-2023)
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I deeply value and place high importance on participating in and attending PD sessions, as these are gateways to constant access to learning new knowledge. I have an open mind to learning new concepts and discovering approaches to diverse ways that we can educate our students. Furthermore, PD sessions educate me to build my personal professional capacities and expertise. (TQS 2).
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I will continue to participate in current and future PD day sessions as a way to advance my personal and collective professional skills, maintain accountability, and obtain a proficient level of up-to-date knowledge to enhance my teaching practice.
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Collaboration with my co-pre-service teachers by working in groups and the sharing of knowledge and resources. Also, constantly collaborate with my mentor teacher and more experienced teachers through the weekly meetings in the grade 2 teaching team. Additionally, I continue to develop my skills based on the feedback received from my mentor teachers and other more experienced teachers. ​
Hello! This is Me in Presenter Mode:
This is an image where I am doing a school presentation for children and youth summer programs as the
High River Library 2022
Summer Reading Club Coordinator.
As the saying goes, you can't pour from an empty cup! Thus, wellness is a priority.
This Cartoon Photo
is from Google Images
I prioritize the success of all students in relevant domains. (wellness, academic, sports, positive social interaction, etc.) I do this by providing all my current and future students with a safe, respectful, welcoming, and caring environment that cultivates and maximizes their ability to learn in my classroom. This includes direct examples of greeting students as they enter the school in the morning, frequent check-ins throughout the day, mindfulness activities such as 5-minute yoga/stretching and positive self-affirmations, and ensuring that every student feels happy, safe, and respected in the classroom.
3: Demonstrating a Professional Body of Knowledge
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To meet the learning needs of all students in my classroom, I ensure to effectively plan, design, and implement fair and equitable assessments. In the grade 2 context, I created a math worksheet for them to complete and solidify information through playing math games such as the game, Bump - which is related to numeracy-based student skills development.
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All of my lesson plans follow the Alberta Program of Studies student learning outcomes.
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Short-term planning involves the daily plan for each day of the week.
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Medium-term planning involves the weekly grade 2 teaching team meetings.
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Long-term planning includes PLC, biweekly staff meetings, and month-long planning.
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Encourage students to use a variety of learning tools: group discussions, becoming efficient with technology usage (ie: digital citizenship), and art mediums. I explained to students the high expectations for them to meet the Alberta Program of Studies learning outcomes.
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Specific examples: I encourage students to increase their skills to effectively use digital technology. In my grade 7 practicum, I had one lesson where students were in groups, rotated between 3 stations: 1) complete an online worksheet, 2) jigsaw puzzle diagram of the rock cycle, 3) match the Rock Cycle science terms to their definitions via Quizlet.com
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My field experience 2 mentor teacher and I co-created this quiz, laboratory report, and laboratory rubric as assessments for grade 7. This is evidence of my ability to effectively and productively collaborate with my mentor teacher.
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Another example: In my grade 2 practicum, I implemented multiple interdisciplinary connections to the domain of art such as drawing a watercolor buffalo art piece to conceptualize respect and FNMI. (More detail is outlined in Section 5.) I also implemented the activities of drawing a generalized-looking cat using broad language, (For example: a cool cat) and compared it to drawing a specific cat by following a specific writing piece. (Example: twinkling eyes and shiny caramel brown fur.) This was meant to improve the writing of grade 2 students by adding specific details when writing, this is a direct example of literacy-based student skill development. This was a mini-unit for grade 2, see below the part one of the cat drawing lesson plan and the accompanying slides.
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4: Establishing Inclusive Learning Environments
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As a person of minority (Filipino born in the Philippines, and I became a Canadian citizen in 2019.) I know how it feels to be ostracized and racialized. I do not wish for my current and future students to experience a harsh racialized and discriminated environment. I will do this by creating a classroom environment that is equitable, respectful, supportive, and accommodating towards all cultures and ethnicities by implementing aspects of multiculturalism throughout the classroom. Therefore, I embrace, welcome, and celebrate the diversity of all students and ensure that they feel cared for, respected, and safe in my classroom.
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I provide opportunities for student leadership, I have demonstrated this by providing student autonomy in grade 7 science. I have provided students a choice in which activity they would like to do to solidify the information about soils. (Unit: Plants for Food and Fibre). I have incorporated student-led learning by doing lessons utilizing the rotating learning stations and laboratory groups. These provided an opportunity for students to lead their group by collaborating with their peers.
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Differentiation is a major component in all of my practicum experiences. In my field 3 school placement location, I am routinely assigned to three grade 2 students (1 student with ADHD, 1 student with autism, and 1 studnet who is behind on academic school work.) to improve their academic levels of achievement from the mark of 1 to 2. I work with them in small groups, learning centers, for U-FLI (Phonics literacy-based program - speaking and pronunciation, spelling, and writing.) I was very glad when my student who has autism spoke and participated in group class instruction in front of 50 kids on my last day at the school, especially makes me proud that I built up the student's confidence levels when this student does not participate at all. I also provide an extra layer of support for every student in the class and ensure that I am flexible to meet every learning need of the students.
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I have also implemented differentiation in my grade 7 math class where my mentor teacher and I co-teached, implementing team-teaching. Students were grouped into similar grades in the math fractions pre-assessment quiz. There are 3 groups, one did a worksheet, another did group instruction with my mentor teacher and I had a group where I addressed commonly made mistakes and relevant math vocabulary terms. All students responded very well to this lesson and improved their performance on the next math quiz. This is made possible by identifying and incorporating the students' personal strengths in the teaching and learning environment.
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I recognize and value the rights of all students under the Alberta Human Rights Act and the Canadian Charter of Freedoms. I will implement classroom management techniques that are productive, positive, and respectful. Examples include setting up boundaries of what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour, outlining rules and student expectations, and inspiring students to be good role models for their peers.
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Based on student feedback, the original roll-and-read game created by the grade 2 teaching team was getting too repetitive for the students. So in response to being flexible towards the learning needs of students, my mentor teacher asked me to re-vamp the roll-and-read game. I created a board game that focuses on literacy-based student skill development of speaking. I improved the original roll-and-read game of the grade 2 students. Based on the feedback of my mentor teacher and the grade 2 students, they loved and enjoyed playing this board game! This is a targeted strategy to support student learning and growth.
5: Applying Foundational Knowledge about First Nations, Métis, and Inuit.
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In the past, I have participated in 2 Indigenous Education PD day sessions under CBE. These experiences have allowed me to deeply learn more about the land. Where I can reflect on my actions as a settler on the land, and reflect on ways that I can be an advocate for Indigenous peoples by amplifying their voice through sharing Indigenous education awareness posts and doing research on how to better support Indigenous peoples and communities.
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Incorporate Indigenous ways of knowing such as learning from the land through morning walks, sit spots, and using our 5 senses that grade 2 students and teachers have implemented in my 3rd practicum.
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I have created a lesson plan that focuses on the Seven Sacred Teachings. Specifically, the concept that the Buffalo symbolizes respect. The students enjoyed this lesson as we discussed what respect looks like, feels like, and sounds like. They created their own buffalo art pieces and wrote on an index card to demonstrate how they show respect at home, at school, and in the community, this index card is pasted below the artwork.
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I have been in 2 university courses that allowed me to learn more about Indigenous peoples, culture, history, and current events:
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SOCI 307 - Sociology of Indigenous People in Canada
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EDUC 530 - Indigenous Education
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Taking these courses demonstrates how I understand the historical, social, economic, and political implications of residential schools, treaties, legislation, and agreements between Canada and Indigenous communities.
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As a settler on the land, I value stating the Indigenous land acknowledgment at the very beginning of a school year or when I do my first-ever lesson for a school.
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I show support for Indigenous communities by wearing the Every Child Matters shirt on Orange Shirt Day to acknowledge the atrocities of Canadian residential schools and to honour all Indigenous communities on Canada's National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
Buffalo Art Teacher Exemplar:
Students brushed on watercolor paint, and glued magazine strips vertically to create their own buffalo art that follows the same theme of the buffalo frolicking in the field during the sunset.
This poster is co-created by my co-pre-service teachers in EDUC 530. This demonstrates my ability to work and collaborate with colleagues and my in-depth reflection and commitment to continually learning and supporting Indigenous communities.
This is a photo of me wearing the
Every Child Matters Shirt for Orange Shirt Day!
6: Adhering to Legal Frameworks and Policies
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I will abide by the rules and responsibilities stated in my contract and the rules of my designated schools. I am consistent in following the policies and procedures of my designated school authorities, as demonstrated and maintained in all 3 practicum school placement locations where I have been a student teacher. I will continue to follow these policies and procedures in the present as a pre-service teacher and in the future as I emerge as a full-time teacher.
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I will follow the implied (internalized) and written rules and responsibilities associated with being a teaching professional, including on and off-duty conduct.
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I will follow and uphold the Professional Code of Conduct. Additionally, I will ensure to follow the Teaching Quality Standards to maintain a high level of self-integrity and accountability to the teaching profession.
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My actions will reflect that of a teacher who follows the high level of conduct expected of all teachers.
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I am aware and will respond to the requirements under the Education Act.
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I am fully aware of abiding by the high standards of professional teacher conduct because I am an adult who is entrusted with the care, education, and custody of students at all times
Snippet of my co-created ethics paper in EDUC 525: Ethics and Law in Education:
As an aspiring full-time teacher, this is my statement of commitment:
I will follow the rules and responsibilities associated with the teaching profession. I will abide by the Code of Professional Conduct both on and off-duty work hours and uphold the tasks and responsibilities outlined in the Teaching Quality Standard and any relative legislation outlined in the Education Act and teaching contracts. I will follow the established and most recently published documents of the CoPC, TQS, Education Act, and any relevant school legislation to ensure that I follow the most up-to-date information.
Connections
Looking at my artifacts at a holistic level, I can make the connection that my strengths as a pre-service teacher include my ability to prioritize students and put them at the center behind the purpose of why I do this work. I want to ensure positive engagement levels and high well-being levels for my students. My embedded certificate in Mental Well-being and Resiliency has taught me that student well-being should be prioritized. Because if students are not having their basic needs met, this means they are not able to learn the best way. For me, I noticed that the patterns in my artifacts focus strongly on student connection and relationship-building. I continuously strive to be a positive mentor and to make sure that students can be successful, supported, and respected in the classroom, this may look different for each student, as there are many domains such as academic goals, sports, wellness, social friendships, and so on.
My experiences connect with my artifacts because they are intertwined, my artifacts activate a memory that I have experienced, and it reminds me and takes me back to the time that I taught that lesson, which is a great way to reflect upon my previous lesson formatting techniques. My experiences and understandings connect with each other in terms of how the experiences shape and inform my teaching philosophy, where I highly value being a lifelong learner myself, because learning never stops, it continues even after graduation!
I have developed a more in-depth understanding of teaching and learning based on my experiences as an ECE Level 1 Educator, a library circulation desk/ programs assistant, and most importantly, a pre-service teacher. I am grateful for all the life experiences that I have faced because it allows me to become humble, and resilient towards facing life's challenges and to share these values of gratitude, humility, and resiliency with my students. I have noticed that the gaps that I struggle with most is that I take lots of time to do planning because I like to be careful with my lesson plans and activities. This sometimes impacts my mental health, as it's taking up time to do the extra work at home. However, I learned that as we progress more into the teaching profession, we will get better at planning and become more efficient with our time. In the future, my experiences will become vaster, creating even more artifacts, and I will develop a deeper level of understanding about the student community, parent and guardian community, school environment, and the teaching staff and administration. As I grow and progress my teaching professionalism skillset, I will be able to overcome these learning gaps and challenges.
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I will also maximize colleague collaboration in order to address some of the gaps, as I can seek extra help to get prep work and planning time more efficiently when working together. I also learned that my peers do the work behind teaching because they truly like supporting and helping students to be the best that they can, which aligns with my values. I was able to integrate peer feedback into my portfolio by asking them to look at my portfolio draft and providing constructive feedback to improve my portfolio.
Professional Teacher Growth Plan
Teaching Quality Standard (TQS)
Goal: Improve literacy skills (reading, writing, spelling) of grade 2 students whilst providing a supportive, safe, welcoming learning environment that supports the needs of all students, this will be accomplished through frequent UFLI practices.
School Year: 2023 - 2024
Targeted Benchmarks:​​
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3 – Demonstrating a Professional Body of Knowledge
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4 - Establishing InclusiveLearning Environments
The reason why I wanted to develop this goal is because my aim is to see an improvement in grade 2 students' abilities to write, read, speak, and to improve their literacy-based skills that will serve as foundational skills that will be prominent and a practical skillset for students to know for all grade levels. As they progress from grade 2 to grade 3 to grade 4, and so on, they will be able to become more proficient in reading, writing, and speaking.
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In our PLC and staff meeting, the administration asked the grade two teaching team to improve both the numeracy and literacy-based skills of second-grade students. In this assignment, I will focus on literacy skills. The administration instructed us to focus on phonics - decoding and sounding out phonics and spelling, reading, and writing commonly used words in the English language which will be established through UFLI - a teaching guide.
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STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE:
Timeline:
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For grade 2 students to achieve the goal by the end of Field IV (April 2023).
Strategies:
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Place students into pairs, and group students who are not as strong in reading/writing/speaking pronunciation with a student who is collaborative and is a bit strong in reading/writing/speaking.
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Do frequent check-ins with each pairing and ask them how they find working with the group of 2 they are assigned to. Rearrange groups if needed.
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Utilize the UFLI booklet for group instruction. Then ask students to return to groups to do the activities. (The various types of activities listed under resources!
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Different strategies will be a combination of whole class instruction, and peer-to-peer student mentoring, also, the usage of different engaging student activities such as games, stories, and working with technology like tablets, iPads, and computers.
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RESOURCES:
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Printed out Decodables worksheets which include reading a story and then highlighting vowels/consonants of the day based on the UFLI guidebook while in groups.
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Do fun board games related to literacy, similar to the roll-and-read or the Pig board games.
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Implement fun guessing games like charades or classroom trivia to guess the word of the day!
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Evoke a sense of digital citizenship with the students and try out websites that have read-along books like Starfall.com
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INDICATORS OF SUCCESS:
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Continuously seek student feedback, and ask if these strategies are working. I hope that adding more fun and engaging activities as ways to help increase grade 2 students' motivation to learn and improve their ELA literacy skills in writing, reading, spelling, and speaking.
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A significant improvement in grade 2 students' ability to read, write, spell, and speak. (Referring to pronunciation)
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75% of grade 2 students can create writing pieces that are legible, understandable with a basic plot and storyline, with little to no spelling errors, and can read their writing efficiently and effectively to a peer or a teacher.
