Statement of Beliefs

The Purpose of School

I believe the purpose of school is, in a broad sense, to create the conditions for long-term beneficial change in our society. Schools should be part of a system that moves society towards a more cohesive and productive state. School should be the first step in causing cascading societal effects that minimize disparity and increase wellbeing and prosperity. Specifically, our goal as educators should be for students to leave school with more knowledge, the skills to apply that knowledge to the benefit of their own lives and their community and finally, with the desire to and confidence to do so. In this statement of beliefs, I will detail my thoughts on how I will accomplish this goal as an educator.

My Pedagogy

As such, I believe that this sentiment should inform our actions as educators. This may seem like an overzealous and unrealistic expectation, but the truth is that teachers are making changes to society whether we intend to or not. To create the conditions for beneficial societal change, we must think about teaching as an artisanal craft rather than just a mundane occupation (Rutherford, 2013). It is a practice that cannot remain static but must be dynamic and changing. A teacher’s craft should constantly be improved and refined over time as the teacher gains experience and knowledge through professional development days and engaging contemporary research. A good teacher will always adapt their pedagogy to accommodate the needs of their students. My goal is to create a classroom culture in which the students are excited to come to class, and in which they are so engaged that learning happens easily. Some examples of specific pedagogical strategies I will employ in order to create the aforementioned classroom culture are an inquiry based learning approach, experiential learning, and outdoor education.

Inquiry and curiosity are the backbone of science, and as a science educator, I value that high quality learning is driven by questioning and exploration. In my classroom, students will actively construct their own understanding through inquiry based experiences. This constructivist approach not only promotes deeper engagement, but has also been shown to improve long term knowledge retention and support learning at higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, such as analysis, evaluation, and creation. (Piaget, 1952)(Bloom, 1965).

Experiential learning and outdoor education go hand in hand and will be common in my pedagogy. In critically reflecting on my own education, I can acknowledge that the most powerful learning moments were those that the educator purposely intended to be experiential. Of these important experiential moments, the absolute highlights were those that occurred outdoors. It is known that learning science in outdoor, multi-sensory environments has numerous benefits. When students explore, observe, and use their senses independently, they gain deeper environmental understanding and develop more positive attitudes toward nature (Rios and Brewster, 2013). I have been on the student side of this effective pedagogy, and now will use it as an educator to create valuable learning experiences for my students.

Inclusion

My highest priority when it comes to inclusion is being fully educated on all matters of inclusion in Canada. This includes being aware of the history of inclusion and exclusion in Canada and work to meet the inclusive ideal in my classroom. In recent history, indigenous youth were purposely relocated to residential schools to be assimilated and have their culture removed, people living with disabilities were segregated, and same sex marriage was illegal. Understanding the historic and contemporary harm that these issues created and how these same groups are still disadvantages today is a critical first step in creating an inclusive classroom, which is why I will make it one of my missions as an educator to be fully knowledgeable on the history of inclusion in Canada.

         This leads me to my next point, which is my commitment to teacher research. In a time when research on pedagogy and inclusion is so rich, we must as educators keep up to date. Things that were acceptable not long ago are now taboo, and strategies to help disadvantaged youth are constantly evolving. For example, in the very recent past the accepted framework for explaining gender, gender expression, and sexuality was the spectrum. However, now the spectrum is considered outdated, and has been replaced by an improved ‘galaxy’ framework It is our responsibility as teachers to keep up to date on these matters, so we can best address them in the classroom. My classroom practice will continue to be informed by contemporary research and change to reflect best known practices.

Relationships with Students

         It is clear that a precursor to meaningful learning is a strong connection between the student and the teacher, as well as between fellow. When students feel known and respected they are more willing to ask questions, and engage fully in the learning process. For this reason, I plan to intentionally dedicate time ongoing to building relationships and creating a supportive classroom community. Through structured and purposeful community building activities and collaborative norms, I aim to create an environment of trust and belonging. This will support deeper engagement and academic growth as the year

continues.

Citizenship

As teachers, we must be aware of, and take advantage of, the hidden curriculum. It is inevitable that students will take lessons away from their school experience extra to those purposeful lessons that come from the curriculum. Our job is to make sure that these extra lessons are to the benefit of our students. As a male teacher, I take it as my responsibility to be a good role model to young men and teach them to use their privilege to be allies, rather than causing harm. I also believe that in this time of political radicalization and digitalization, it is important to inspire qualities of citizenship and community in young Nova Scotians.