Professional development plan (Teacher Identity Part 2)
Pythagoras - photo courtesy of Gavin Baker
Completing my B.Ed. degree is the first step to what I hope will be an exciting journey into the field of education. The next steps I plan to take are to broaden my scope and take additional qualifications, specifically for the subjects of Biology and English. Having done research in the fields of developmental and bone biology, I feel that I would be qualified to teach Biology. Furthermore adding Biology to my teachables would be a natural and logical extension of my qualifications in Chemistry and allow me to teach both subjects with a view to introducing elements of the other. As for English, not only should the appreciation of the written language as an art form be supported, writing and communication are essentials skills for success in any field.
In addition to these organized pursuits, the next five years will bring many more classroom teaching experiences. These I plan to turn into professional development opportunities through self-directed study on the themes that interest me most: equity, diversity and social justice, student-centred learning, interdisciplinary approaches and technology. I plan to use my time in the classroom to pilot evidence-based practices that are recommended through professional organizations, such as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and the Science Teachers' Association of Ontario (STAO), or peer-reviewed education journals and discover which strategies are successful in my practice.
Equity, diversity and social justice - During my time at OISE, I have had the chance to meet some very inspiring teachers in the field who made me think differently about the subjects I teach. One guest speaker in particular, Michelle Munk, caught my attention because of the ways in which she supported diversity and promoted social justice in her lessons. As one simple example, she pointed out that when people are asked to think of a mathematician, we often come up with eurocentric names like Pythagoras. What she wanted the students to realize was that mathematics is practiced everywhere in the world, in all walks of life and is not just reserved for academics. Incidentally, there is evidence that the Pythagorean theorem existed before Phythagoras in China, Babylon and India.
In addition to these organized pursuits, the next five years will bring many more classroom teaching experiences. These I plan to turn into professional development opportunities through self-directed study on the themes that interest me most: equity, diversity and social justice, student-centred learning, interdisciplinary approaches and technology. I plan to use my time in the classroom to pilot evidence-based practices that are recommended through professional organizations, such as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and the Science Teachers' Association of Ontario (STAO), or peer-reviewed education journals and discover which strategies are successful in my practice.
Equity, diversity and social justice - During my time at OISE, I have had the chance to meet some very inspiring teachers in the field who made me think differently about the subjects I teach. One guest speaker in particular, Michelle Munk, caught my attention because of the ways in which she supported diversity and promoted social justice in her lessons. As one simple example, she pointed out that when people are asked to think of a mathematician, we often come up with eurocentric names like Pythagoras. What she wanted the students to realize was that mathematics is practiced everywhere in the world, in all walks of life and is not just reserved for academics. Incidentally, there is evidence that the Pythagorean theorem existed before Phythagoras in China, Babylon and India.
Another thought-provoking exercise that she developed for the grade 9 math curriculum, was to use public data to answer the question "Is there a relationship between female literacy and life expectancy?" Not only did students have the opportunity to practice data management skills and plotting linear data, they were also prodded to think about how education can affect future outcomes and the social implications that come from this.
Using this as an inspiration, I created a set of problems about radioactive decay and atomic energy on the theme of the Fukushima Nuclear Plant disaster and hope to develop more resources along these lines that raise awareness about global issues. |
Student-centred learning - As part of my philosphy of education I wish to mine the vast body of resources available to teachers for activities to promote student-centred learning. An example of this is Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL), which not only guides students through learning, but provides a framework for them to do so in groups, training them to work as part of a team.
Interdisciplinary education - Many of the major problems facing the world we live in are complex ones that span multiple disciplines. Solutions to problems such as global warming and future health care challenges will require expertise from many, seemingly unrelated fields such as science, mathematics, economics and law. To prepare the next generation of leaders to meet these challenges, we need to make sure our students have a broad experience base and understand the connections between subjects. Part of my self-directed study will be devoted to finding and creating resources to promote cross-curricular thinking.
Technology - With the advent of internet, social media, interactive whiteboards, apps and personal devices such as tablets, I think it is important to educate oneself on the possibilities as well as the pitfalls of technology. Attending local talks on the use of technology and familiarizing myself with each new development and how it can be used to enhance the classroom will be a continuing goal of my professional development.
Interdisciplinary education - Many of the major problems facing the world we live in are complex ones that span multiple disciplines. Solutions to problems such as global warming and future health care challenges will require expertise from many, seemingly unrelated fields such as science, mathematics, economics and law. To prepare the next generation of leaders to meet these challenges, we need to make sure our students have a broad experience base and understand the connections between subjects. Part of my self-directed study will be devoted to finding and creating resources to promote cross-curricular thinking.
Technology - With the advent of internet, social media, interactive whiteboards, apps and personal devices such as tablets, I think it is important to educate oneself on the possibilities as well as the pitfalls of technology. Attending local talks on the use of technology and familiarizing myself with each new development and how it can be used to enhance the classroom will be a continuing goal of my professional development.