Symbolic World: Identity Transformation

 

I create this poster to represent my identity from my childhood. When I was a kid, I was not aware of my identity. But as time passed, my identity had transformed into a sensible, mature, and caring sister, mother, wife and helpful friend. I realised that these are the identities that are given by society and came automatically. The transformation from sister, mother, daughter, wife etc., to an educator, gives me a significant responsibility. Now, I am not the only educator of two sons, but I have so many other kids in my classroom. I should be available for them as well and helping them to be successful in their lives. 

Local Matters

 Local Matters 

I can resonate the concept of “unpromising boys/promising girls” with my upbringing and culture in India. During my childhood and adulthood, I always found people saying that girls can be good cooks and take care of the family and kids, but boys can’t. This is just one social observation; there were so many others such as girls can’t work in fields or drive tractors or heavy machinery, boys are more suitable for the construction industry etc. Due to social norms, girls were not allowed to play or be friends with boys when I was in India. There were separate schools for girls and boys. In co-ed schools, boys are not allowed to sit with girls or work with girls in groups. Teachers were also biased in terms of the capability of learning. They believed that boys were careless and cannot succeed academically because they did not ask questions frequently in the classroom compared to girls. 

           During my education and experience in Canada, I am glad to see no difference between boys and girls in society and the school system. I am pleased to see the inclusivity in the classrooms. Teachers treat students equally without any gender difference. When I heard a teacher says “guys” to the whole class, I was confused at first because I thought that “guys” can be used only for "boys", but I understood that there is no gender difference in schools in Canada. During my B.Ed., I learned that providing a safe and secure environment to all the students is the main priority in school, which can be fulfilled by encouraging inclusivity. I knew that using phrases “boys”, “girls”, “guys” will separate the LGBTQ group. So, during my practicum, I used “folks”, “students” to encourage inclusivity in the classroom.

 

Mathematics for Human Flourishing

  

1. Can you describe two places in the chapter that made you stop and think?

While reading the article, the quotes “Yet society has not taken seriously its obligation to provide a vibrant mathematical education for everyone” and “We are not educating ourselves as well as we should, and like most injustices, this especially harms the most vulnerable” made me think and connects with my experience of learning math during my high school years and teaching math during my practicum. I learned math through the traditional approach, including notes and worksheets using paper and pen/pencil. During my volunteer experience before starting the B.Ed., all teachers were following the same path. But during my practicum, I used the inquiry approach to teach math. I incorporated hands-on activities and projects, which helped students to think critically and motivate them to push their boundaries. Now, I can see the difference between using the traditional approach and the inquiry-based approach. Students do not feel obligated to learn math, but they like to know. I was very comfortable using the traditional method, but I also pushed my boundaries to learn and use an inquiry-based approach to teach students. I realized that no one is perfect in their career; there are so many things that you can learn and adapt to in your career while working and practising. 

2. What does the phrase “Every being silently cries out to be read differently” (p.2) mean to you in the context of teaching? Does this phrase connect to your own experiences of learning/ teaching?

I relate this phrase with the uniqueness and diversity among students. I think that each student has a unique ability to understand and learn the math concept. As an educator, it is my responsibility to provide the resources that are helpful for every student. Teachers should use different forms and ways of explaining the concept of math and assessing the students as well. If a student does not respond in front of the whole class, it does not mean that they do not understand. The student might not feel comfortable in front of the class. During my practicum, I used games, hands-on activities, projects, classroom discussions, homework etc., to assess students understanding. 

Inquiry as Walking

 

Inquiry as Listening in Place

 

I made this inquiry at my front yard during the evening time. We live in Cul-de-sec, so there were no other noises that will distract my listening inquiry. While sitting quietly with closed eyes, I heard the noise of birds chirping on my right side. I also heard the sound of a bouncing ball from my left side. I heard the noise of water (someone will be watering the plants), dog barking from my neighbourhood, blowing of the wind. I also notice that the sound will be different if I do the same activity during the morning. 

Reflection on the practicum

 

Blog Post: Reflections on Your Practicum and Thoughts on Next Steps

 

1. Name: _Amrit Johal___

 

2. Teaching specialty/specialties: ___Math__

 

3. Highlights of your teaching practicum experience:
1. Experiences that you remember with a smile (learning, growth, “I love this job!” sorts of things)

During the practicum, I most memorable movements were when students participated in the hands-on activities and discussions in the classroom. Sometimes, they asked me to put more hands -on activities and told me that they learn well with the fun activities. The emotional moment of my practicum was when at the end of the quarter3, students give me thank you cards, and one student gave me a gift (coffee). They always come to say hi to me during quarter 4 as well.

 

 

2. Challenges: Things that were a struggle, perhaps in the “We learn and grow through challenges and hardships” category of “learning experience.”

During the practicum, there are so many things that seem hard for me. But those hard moments teach me so many lessons. At the beginning of the practicum, the biggest challenge was to be confident while interacting with students. Another biggest challenge for me was to adopt a new teaching style as my SA was using. I have done my entire schooling with a traditional teaching style, but now I shifted from a traditional style to an inquiry-based approach to teaching students. Also, my SA used the proficiency scale approach for summative assessment, and I was forced to use that approach.

 

3. Ongoing learning: Things that, at the end of your practicum, had you thinking, “I want to learn more about, or work on developing my skills in .…” (?)

Since I have used an inquiry approach teaching style during my practicum; I am willing to learn more to promote critical thinking among students. I also want to learn more about the proficiency scale approach of assessing students to not care about marks; rather, they care about learning and understanding.

 

4. Reflecting on the way the video, “Message from the future II” plays with the notion of messages across time: What is the most important thing that would write in a letter to your future teacher self (e.g. five years from now)?

The most important thing that I would write in a letter is that don’t underestimate your abilities. Keep trying and learning new approaches that might help you succeed in the coming years.

 

5. Post-BEd plans: e.g. if you have already secured a teaching job, what/where? Or, some other sort of job? Or further studies? Or, if you don’t have solid plans, what are your hoped-for post-BEd options?): Note: The purpose of this question is to provide us (Amanda and Mati) some context to get a sense of your interests and potential needs as you move into your career

My plan short term plan is to TOC at different schools or maybe different school districts as well. I am also thinking to do masters as well but not sure yet.

 

6. Anything else? If there is anything else you would like to share, please do! Amanda and Mati would love to learn more about you –

I love to use hands-on activities in the classroom to engage students in a fun way. I hope I can able to explore my skill more in future years.