Connections to Professional Practice
From Theory to Practice
Below I make connections of how I, as an elementary teacher, can put into practice some of the topics we've discussed in class, creating a bridge between the theoretical and practical.
Using clay to tell a story about hockey!
Multimodal Learning
Multimodal recognizes that through a variety of modalities, meaning and knowledge are developed (Stagg-Peterson & Rajendram, 2019).
Through our classes we discussed at length about children's funds of knowledge and the need to teach through different modalities so that children have opportunities to communicate what they know and foster autonomy of their learning.
One of the readings we read that will stick with me through my professional practice is written by Stagg-Peterson & Rajendram (2019). In their research on Indigenous children's use of non-verbal communication, they write:
"Educators undervaluing of Indigenous children's meaning-making sends a message that 'the language through which they have expressed themselves up to this point in their lives has no value and must be replaced by a superior model...'" (p.394)
As an educator I want to send students a message that their language, and the way they express their thoughts and ideas do matter. My job is to give them the tools to weave together modes that convey meaning to them. This could look a number of different ways. It could mean including culturally relevant literature in my classroom, representing all languages spoken and exploring stories through building reading, writing, acting, art, kinaesthetic movements, etc. I hope to continue challenging how I define areas such as literacy and numeracy and expand my thinking on what development in these areas can look like.
Using clay to practice numbers formation.
Telling me and showing me all they know about ski-doos with a detailed clay model!
Community Engagement
Ianncci (2015) wrote that "This “expert institutional approach” (Bernard et al., 1995, p. 67) reinscribes the dominance of privileged pedagogies, which furthers an assimilationist orientation and, ultimately, fosters colonial relations of power..." (p.245).
When I took my first teaching job in Nunavut, I was initially excited but then once I got there, a sense of guilt kicked in. I am a white female teacher who is teaching in a territory whose name means "Our Land" with groups of students, only 7 years old, looking at me, ready for me to teach them the social studies curriculum about Inuit culture...something's not right. Yet there I was in a position of power and seen in many eyes as the "expert". It is not an easy conversation and I am still continuing to figure out how I feel about it but what I do know for sure is that in my time up North, I felt a connection to the land I never felt before, I learned about the strength and beauty of Inuit, and witnessed a piece of their resiliency when I saw 12 high school graduates walk across the stage, the most there has been in a long time.
I have learned a lot and there is lot more to learned but what I will take forth with me in my professional practice is the search for community relationships, to consistently reflect on my own bias and to learn from others.
Rogoff (2003), as referenced in Robbins (2005), argues that Piaget's zone of proximal development fails to acknowledge interactions with parents, as well as a child's engagement with skills of their community and influence that community members have on a children's involvement.
I learned that when I sought relationship with the people in the community, I ultimately grew in relationship with my students. When they saw myself and other teachers at local community gatherings and events, their eyes lit up. Being involved with the community, as it is an essential aspect of a child's experiences, is a value I will continue to prioritize throughout my professional practice.
