One month in to my BEd- and I’ve learned a lot.

One month in the teaching program, and it has been nothing like my undergraduate degree.

Biggest learning experiences about teaching and learning.

First, the teaching program is structured in a pass / fail system. What I found the most interesting about the pass / fail system is that it has made me a lot more open to learning. I feel removing the concept of grades takes off the pressure of trying to be perfect. Which in turn allows you to be able to learn and internalize the material in a meaningful way.

I found in my undergraduate degree that most students were working towards getting into the medical program, dentistry, etc. So, it had a highly competitive culture around test scores, presentations, and overall grade point average. Since the focus was on the grades rather than the learning, I felt like information that we learned was memorized and regurgitated on the test, and then dumped out of your head to make room for the next set of content. Furthermore, I found that I was closed off and unreceptive to doing anything outside of content that would be tested. Which is kind of sad really.

However, in the teaching program, doing the writing assignments, listening to the guest speakers, and even researching for interest sake, all in the name of learning has been a real breath of fresh air.  I also feel that the passion of our instructors also has impacted the way that I have viewed this new system. Therefore, I want to implement the atmosphere, passion, and philosophy of teaching and learning that I am experiencing into my future classrooms.

Expected learning so far.

The expected learning can be generalized into 3 categories.

• The old way is not always the best way.
• Teachers need to be open to learn and adapt in order to make the classroom better place for all children.
• Changes occurring within the BC curriculum to de-colonializing and indigenizing our education system to work towards reconciliation.

When we look through the history of the Canadian Education system there are obvious horrific offenses that have occurred towards many marginalized groups in Canada. What is common in all of them is that the structure of the colonial education system is not inclusive and needs to be changed. Currently, the education system is trying to understand the diversity within the classroom and how to teach in a way to support each student’s individuality rather than try to assimilate or isolate people that are different, which was the previous method. One way in which they are doing this, is by re-structuring the BC curriculum around the First Peoples Principles of Learning. These principles are full of wisdom. The First Peoples Principles of Learning represent values of individuality, flexibility, adaptability. Therefore, teachers need to learn this philosophy and adapt their teaching style so all students in the classroom can be represented and feel successful. The implementation of the First Peoples Principles of Learning, inclusion, and demystification of Indigenous Knowledge allows for a forward’s path towards truth and reconciliation. Furthermore, the use of professional development days can give teachers the necessary training and opportunities to learn so that they know how to implement this into their classroom. Moreover, the process of de-colonizing and indigenizing education will be a lot of work but will have an amazing impact on the quality of education that the future generations will have it we do the work now.

What I have learned about myself.

One thing I have learned about myself, is a feeling of resistance to some of the teaching philosophies present and their implementation in high school sciences. However, I feel acknowledging these biases and hesitation are really highlighting the depth to which western/ colonial structure of what education is has is built into my cognitive processes. What I am doing is actively approaching these hesitations and understand why I feel that way, and then restructuring it. So, I brainstormed with my husband project ideas or different approaches to some concepts to foster their creativity, intuition, and inquiry while still covering some content.

What really solidify the fact that I must approach these apprehensions head on was in my observational practicum. I found in that in the class I was observing was probably the textbook definition of a teacher. It was a lecture, fill in notes, practice and done. There were no connections to the world outside or even to the students in the classroom. So, what I learned about myself, is that I need to challenge myself, to apply the principles we have learned so far to create connection, creativity, individuality, and inquiry into my future classroom.