As an educator I am versed in the four foundations that allow learning to happen which is recognized by the Ontario Ministry of Education. I recognize the need for students to experience a sense of Belonging in the environment where they are valued members with skills and ideas to contribute to the group. I recognize the need for students physical and mental well-being to be cared for and respected. I recognize the need for students to participate in active engagement to build their skills and support their development, and I recognize the need for students to have opportunities to express themselves verbally and non-verbally. In my practice, I recognize all four foundations that support student development and learning.
Class HDLH Board
Included is an example of a How Does Learning Happen board I created collaboratively with my grade 3 students. Students learned what it means to feel a sense of belonging, and the need to feel well physically and emotionally in order to thrive and learn. Students also reflected and shared on what engagement means and their own learning preferences, and considered how learners demonstrate their learning many ways, including verbally, nonverbally, and creatively. Students co-created definitions for the words “Belonging,” “Well-Being,” “Engagement,” and “Expression.” Throughout the year, we then added images that reflected these definitions for students to revisit their learning experiences.
Classroom Community Building – Learning Story
Above is an example of how I have incorporated the foundations of How Does Learning Happen into formal lesson plans in my practicum experience that also address the Overall Expectations of the Ontario Language Arts curriculum. Specifically, this learning opportunity highlights a sense of Belonging as students used their skills, abilities, and assets to contribute to a large group experience. Each student also received several affirmation cards which allowed students to see themselves as valued members of the classroom community.
When We Say Good-bye – Student Creative Expression
When it was time for my grade 6 class and I to say good-bye at the end of my first practicum, two students chose to use their time to creatively say good-bye and express their experiences with me as part of their classroom by creating a comic strip. This comic strip demonstrates how students express their learning from the time I was with them about Black History Month, Probability and Family History and shows my relationship with students, and what we accomplished, through the students eyes. Student expression is critical to recognize what students have learned and value, and listening to students is an important practice to recognize what they have learned and how they have grown.
Arts Engagement – Bringing together Visual Arts, Music, and Collaboration
Students listened and expressed their own ideas through creative visual arts after learning about the Jazz genre. Here’s what our kindergartners think of when they hear Jazz.
Slide Decks for Well-being
Attached above is a slide deck I created when teaching a virtual grade 2 class to support students understanding of emotional health and mental well-being. The educators role in this lesson was to facilitate students conversation and reflection about what positive mental health is and how it can be supported. Students engaged in creative expression to create their own how air balloons after reading the book, Why You Were Made to Be which highlighted how everyone has different interests and strengths to share.
Miss Izabel - Educator, Advocate, and Learner 