A strong and effective school education system is integral
to individual success, social cohesion, progress, and national prosperity. It is clear that teachers have to be more and more
successful with a wide range of learners in order to prepare future citizens with the sophisticated skills needed to participate
in a knowledge-based society. The sort of pedagogy needed to help students develop the ability to think critically, create,
solve complex problems and master complex subject matter, is much more demanding than that needed to impart and develop routine
skills. Thus teachers have to be both knowledgeable in their content areas and extremely skilful in a wide range of teaching
approaches to cater for the diverse learning needs of every student.
Teachers know
and understand the fundamental ideas, principles and structure of the disciplines they teach. They know and understand the
links to other content areas and are able to integrate learning across and between content areas. They know how to effectively
teach that content, and understand the prompts and barriers to learning likely to be encountered by students. In addition, effective teachers have a detailed understanding of how young people learn and their role
in facilitating that learning. They know and understand and can articulate a range of philosophies of learning. They critically
evaluate the range of teaching and learning theories and know how to apply them where appropriate. They know and understand
and take account of the diverse social, cultural and special learning-needs background of their students and the influences
these have on teaching and learning. Effective teachers structure learning to take account of these differences.
Rationale
The professional knowledge is the foundation of teaching practice. I think this comprises of the following aspects.
Knowledge of the students: I should know how differences arising from cultural heritage, language,
family, gender, community and other factors shape experience and impact of learning.
I do recognize strengths and weakness of students.
Knowledge of the curriculum: I strongly believe knowledge of subject area and link to other
subjects and applied to life experiences and ways to connect curriculum expectations to curriculum resources and technologies.
Knowledge of the teaching practice: I would establish and modify instructional settings, managing
time for instructions, assess and evaluate student learning, student approaches to learning and the achievement of curriculum
expectation. I will make sure to communicate and collaborate with parents and
others involved in the educational process.
Knowledge of the learning environment: As a professional, it is very essential for me to identify
and respond to provincial legislation, local policies and procedures and community norms.
Professional development should provide research-based and practice related knowledge about
- Creating
and maintaining appropriate, orderly teaching and learning environments
- Curriculum
and assessment issues and
- How cultures
that support reflective and research-based practice can built and supported.
Understanding the student as a whole person
with a history, unique perspectives and specific needs allows me to tailor text selection and guided reading lessons
to facilitate a learning environment that is most useful for the developing literacy skills of the student.
Guided reading – Click on the link to read my
lesson Plan on guided reading
EQAO Testing: Standardized testing is a reality and a governing structure in Ontario's
education system. Click on this link to read my analysis of the E.Q.A.O Testing.
For more information
on Literacy and basic skills, follow the link
Literacy and
Basic Skills > Ministry of Education
For extremely comprehensive information
regarding EQAO, follow the link
