Well it’s official, I’ve finally made it to the end of my final 10-week practicum! I have so many emotions of happiness, excitement, and sadness. I feel proud of myself for completing my final practicum, excited for what’s to come next, and also some sadness as I have to say goodbye to my students and Coaching Teacher. I feel very fortunate to have had such a wonderful practicum experience, and to have been placed in such a supportive and encouraging environment.
This practicum required me to create multiple units in the subjects of Math (Measurement and Financial Literacy), Science (Matter and Thermal Energy), English Language Arts (Fairy Tales), and Social Studies (7 Sacred Teachings and Indigenous-focused Extensions). I also took it upon myself to complete others in Languages (American Sign Language) and Physical Education (Soccer). I initially found this process very time consuming and less than fun to do. However, a few weeks into my practicum I was so glad that I took the time to complete these unit plans in detail. Having mapped out my course of action in regard to the “what” and “how” of my teaching content, I was able to not become overwhelmed and to feel prepared for the progressions of learning. I also learned how valuable this form planning is as it allowed me to understand my students abilities and adapt my teaching to best fit their needs.
Speaking of needs, I was able to use this practicum to help grow my understanding of inclusive education bring more of this into my practice. As I wrote in a previous blog post, I was able to construct and implement a Languages unit on American Sign Language that I created specifically to help a student that is def and has down syndrome in my class. My objective was to create a learning opportunity for all students to grow their knowledge of ASL and use more of this to increase communication within the classroom. This unit brought me so much joy! I loved learning more about ASL myself, and I also loved being able to teach this to my students and have them excited to sign. This learning was incredibly successful as every student was able to participate and continue to develop their skills. I was able to teach the students how to sign the alphabet, how to ask “What is your name?” and respond with “My name is __________” , ask “How are you?” and respond with various emotions, how to sing/sign Happy Birthday, and stand alone words such as sorry, thank you, yes, no, stop, and excuse me, as well as the days of the week. After having so much fun and success in learning and teaching ASL, I hope to continue to bring this into other classrooms and make it a part of my practice.
Another unit that meant a lot to me and I felt proud to bring to my students was my Social Studies unit. I enlisted the help of my school’s Aboriginal Education Worker to work with myself and my class to build a deeper understanding of the Secwepemc Nation and their culture. I was so pleased when they presented the idea to teach the 7 Sacred Teachings to my class that centered on their sacred knowledge and values of their culture. To further the learning of my students, I created extension lessons that worked to continue the teaching focus of our AEW that week but built more understanding of other Indigenous peoples within Canada in relation to this. For example, after our AEW taught the students about Respect and its connection to the Buffalo, I taught my students about Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump in Alberta and how the Blackfoot and Plains Peoples used this cite for thousands of years. I am very grateful for the opportunity I had to work with my school’s AEW and build a better understanding of the resources this district has to offer. I was also appreciative that I was able to explore this topic and grow my own knowledge in this area to better myself in this role.
Through this practicum I was also able to continue my practice of positive classroom management strategies and approaches to students exhibiting difficult behaviors. I can remember having conversations with my Coaching Teacher about if I handled a situation well or her thoughts on what she would have done. I feel very blessed to have been with a Coaching Teacher that has such strong classroom management that I could learn from. From my experiences I have adopted the opinion that classrooms run best when the room itself, materials, student work, and the teacher is organized. Having an environment for kids to come into and learn in that is consistent and holds routine helps to make students feel at ease, calm, and that they know what to expect. I hope to one day be able to provide a similar environment for my own students.
Although I am sad to be saying goodbye to my practicum class and Coaching Teacher, I am looking forward to the next chapter about to unfold. I will be forever grateful for this opportunity to learn and grow within this grade 2/3 classroom and will miss these wonderful kids so much. It has been a long but incredibly joyful 10 weeks, and I am proud of myself for completing this journey.
