Attending the University of Victoria’s #edcamp was an amazing opportunity to collaborate with fellow teacher candidates and various education professionals. During this event, we attended a zoom meeting where we were encouraged to switch into different breakout rooms and join into various conversations. I am a learner that learns best in discussions with others so I can ponder different perspectives and further develop my own. During this camp I attended three different group discussions including: diversification in the classroom to reach all learners, how to use group work in the classroom and infusing Aboriginal world views into your practice. I found all of these sessions to be deep and meaningful for my ongoing learning.
During the first discussion on classroom diversification and inclusion I enjoyed the insights provided by the other students and professors in my group. It was brought up by one of the current elementary teachers in the session that this is something that we need to work on in our educational institutions. As a group, we came up with many various approaches to inclusion and also agreed that every classroom will be different depending on the teachers and students. A students-based approach is key to better help them and their individual needs.
For example, one of the students brought up how during her observational practicum, she observed a student whose first language wasn’t English, and the class was doing a novel study. This teacher candidate explained that in this classroom, the teacher let the students pick a book within a genre instead of all the students doing the same book. Due to this approach, students at different reading levels were able to participate in the novel study while getting the most out of their learning. Graphic novels were also brought up as an option for students who might be behind their grade’s expected reading level. Sometimes in classrooms, you will get students at different stages in their education, despite their grade level. When these students are not given the option to learn at their own pace, they might not feel comfortable expressing their need for help. This idea was of a modified novel study was new to me and I think that it is a really good idea that can be applied to different age groups or students with various reading comprehension skills.
I also really enjoyed the discussion I joined on incorporating Aboriginal perspectives into the classroom. In this breakout room, one of the main points was how we are not trying to abolish or eliminate western perspectives, but how to better include and validate other worldviews. This point was important to me because even though I know how problematic western views can be, they are a still a part of who I am. Acknowledging the western world’s colonial past doesn’t mean I have to get rid of this part of me. I want to alter this western part of myself to be more inclusive and accommodating. Decolonizing and indigenizing education means “seeing with two eyes”, meaning being able to incorporate different cultures and perspectives into our education institutions (and please check out the source below on this subject!).
Overall, I really enjoyed #edcampuvic2020 and this learning experiences filled both my mind and soul. A big part of education for me is these discussions. I am always amazed when others share experiences or perspectives that I would have never thought of. These collaborative opportunities allow us as educators to find new ideas for our own teaching practices. I also find that these activities also spark my own creativity and show how some other people’s ideas can be modified for own classroom to fit into my personal teaching pedagogy. Teaching and learning are always evolving, hearing from others is a chance to evolve with them.
Happy learning everyone!
Interesting in some additional sources? Here are some resources on Indigenizing education we shared during this education camp:
Allan, B., Perreault, A., Chenoweth, J., Biin, D., Hobenshield, S., Ormiston, T., Hardman, S. A., Lacerte, L., Wright, L., & Wilson, J. (2020). Pulling Together: A Guide for Indigenization of Post-Secondary Institutions. https://opentextbc.ca/indigenizationinstructors/.
First Voices. (2020). First Voices. https://www.firstvoices.com/home.
(This resource above is used to teach people how to speak or learn Indigenous languages)
Indigenous Education Resource Inventory. (2020). The Government of British Columbia.https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/sites/curriculum.gov.bc.ca/files/pdf/indigenous-resources-inventory.pdf.
Marshall, A. (2017). Two-Eyed Seeing – Elder Albert Marshall’s guiding principle for inter-cultural collaboration. Thinkers Lodge. Climate Change, Drawdown & the Human Prospect: A Retreat for Empowering our Climate Future for Rural Communities, Pugwash, NS. http://www.integrativescience.ca/uploads/files/Two-Eyed%20Seeing-AMarshall-Thinkers%20Lodge2017(1).pdf
