Numeracy & Fluency
I was recently inspired by a presentation by SD73’s numeracy coordinator, Monica Bergeron, on Building Fluency and Multiplicative Reasoning. This was such a pivotal step in my journey to becoming a math teacher. The content she presented was practical, her explanations were concise and illuminating, and the strategies she introduced were fantastic examples of how to expand student fluency. Giving students the ability to know when to employ strategies strongly aligns with my teaching philosophy of teaching students how to learn. I found myself having many “aha” moments throughout this presentation that I am eager to pass on to my future students. The next numeracy PD workshop is in May and I am so excited to learn more!
Dancepl3y
Educators in BC have been called to indigenize their curricular content, and that includes physical education. During our communications course at TRU we were instructed on Dancepl3y, a fitness approach that incorporates movement and play. There are three rules to Dancepl3y: Be Positive. Be Fun. Be Yourself. There is no pressure to have perfect technique, posture, etc., rather it is designed to inspire joy through movement and play. This philosophy is designed to boost mental health and self-esteem. Roxane Letterlough introduced us to an indigenously inspired Dancepl3y, where we were able to learn language, stories, and animals of local significance (i.e. salmon). It’s a great method to connect learning from the classroom to fun physical movement, keeping kids smiling and healthy.
Indigenous Peoples Cultural Awareness
During my career I completed a one-day course to increase my cultural humility and understanding – Foundational Indigenous Peoples Awareness. The learning intention of this course was to deepen understanding of indigenous knowledge, working towards reconciliation. Through this course I learned about cultural safety, allyship and the complex history of racist legislation and pedagogies in Canada. I learned about respect and ways of knowing. This course was so refreshing, opening my eyes to a perspective that wasn’t one I grew up understanding. I have taken my new understanding and applied it to my educational journey, and I will continue to incorporate indigenous epistemologies throughout my career as a teacher.
Additional Professional Development through the BCIA
Throughout my career as an Professional Agrologist I completed many hours of professional development each year. I’ve extracted a summary of my PD hours from the reporting database on the BCIA website. I’ve included it below as a testament to my commitment to environmental stewardship and my drive to continually expand my knowledge.
PAg-PD-history