With an Electronic Portfolio organized along the lines of the OCT's 5 Standards of Practice, it only seems fitting to use the same framework to structure my final reflection on this ABQ course...
Commitment to Students and Student Learning
I can't say enough how much I've been informed by the session dealing with the cultural education of our students. The 'cultural responsiveness' of my classroom is an area that I would like to even develop further. In the interdisciplinary unit I designed for this ABQ, I chose to work with the Social Studies curriculum and how in a unit the development of a Canadian identity by investigating student cultures and the cultures of the past, including First Nations peoples, can be a conduit by which we understand ourselves and our community in a deeper fashion. Furthermore I was very impressed with the extent to which First Nations were represented in the curriculum (and in this ABQ) - and this led me to consider how international schools address the cultural needs of their students. Here's the Social Studies / Drama unit if you're interested:
how refreshing it has been to revisit the leading theorists in education and to reflect on the how my own initial training and the assumptions challenged then have changed over time, and still so often resulting from what I think I know to be based on relevant research and what is actually based on accepted practice.
one of the most interesting elements of this ABQ course has been the readings and assignments addressing the physical, social, and cognitive growth of the junior learner. I have two children approaches this stage of their lives, and I certainly feel better equipped to understand their needs and to nurture their growth. Besides being a father, I am also presently a curriculum coordinator for students in Grades 6-10, so having a better understanding the students we are receiving from the primary school has been a powerful theme for me throughout this course.
Professional Practice
I am quite happy with my use of technology in my classroom, and so this dimension of the course didn't necessitate much stretching of my imagination, but when it came to some of the fundamentals of the junior classroom, from creating a plan for the space to the multitude of ways to create a junior learning environment using artifacts, word walls, anchor charts, and so on - to say the least I was a captive audience. So many of the strategies from this ABQ are now appearing on my walls today - even though I teach grades 10 and 11!
Leadership in Learning Communities
Leadership as members in Professional Learning Communities has been an understated theme of this ABQ, and it implies itself in the coverage of the EQAO testing and the creation of Student and Class Profiles, both of which I found to be informative and engaging exercises within the modules. I suppose the final sessions on reporting student evaluation could find itself in this category as well, particularly when it comes to reporting the learning strengths and weaknesses of the student, for this would be a collaborative effort between the teachers involved in the teaching of each student. I feel as a result of this course much more well-suited to carrying out my present duties as curriculum coordinator, for this involves classroom observations and teacher appraisals - and my feedback and reporting can now be better grounded in the theories and developmental stages of our younger students.
The discussion forum of this ABQ offers another perspective on the power of the Learning Community. It has been a pleasure to have shared in the many number of superb conversations taking place in the online environment supported by this course.
Ongoing Professional Learning
Allow me to conclude my reflection on the course with some thoughts on future professional learning:
this course has exposed me to a number of online education platforms that I would wish to visit more often for inspiration and resources. From graphic organizers to assessment strategies, it appears that the sky is the limit - and I hope to become more involved in the advantages offered via these sites.
this ABQ, my first online course in Ontario, has been a very rewarding experience and I will consider, without reservation, selecting another online adventure. I see the Math AQs are being offered at a discount...
though I am not presently teaching in Ontario, I plan on consulting the Ministry documents more often as a resource - something I would have been less likely to consider before taking this course.
Commitment to Students and Student Learning
Professional Knowledge
Professional Practice
Leadership in Learning Communities
Ongoing Professional Learning