FRAME OF REFERENCE

BRITTANII LASOTA

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I want to make a difference in my students lives just as previous educators

have done for me. During my time spent in Elementary School and High School I

have very fond memories of my teachers whose passion was demonstrated each and

every day. All lessons were fun, engaging, and were created around my classmates

interests and my own. I strongly believe that these teachers shaped who I am today

and instilled the passion in me to positively alter my students lives just as they have

done for me.

My Future Classroom

As an educator, I will create a safe space for my students. I want my classroom

to be a place where my students feel protected, respected, and cared for. I will do

this by getting to know my students on a deep level and constructing a healthy

classroom community. My students will know that I have

Teachers who love
their best interests at heart because I will teach teaching, teach
authentically and genuinely. I strongly believe that children to love
emotional and social growth is intricately related to learning
academic growth. I will take time each day to do daily

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check ins with my students to be sure that each student is in their optimal range for

learning.

My students will know what I expect of them in regards to their behaviour

within the classroom. These expectations will be modelled and explained beginning

in September and enforced throughout the school year. I have found throughout my

experience in the classroom that the teachers who have clear expectations and

positively reinforce them are able to manage their classroom in a much more

effective manner.

In my future classroom I hope to explore our local community with my

students. I want my students to feel a connection with the land that they live on and

I believe that one way to do that is to take field trips to local beaches, arenas, parks,

and other children based facilities. Teaching my students about local plants, animals,

and cultures will ensure that my students grow up with an understanding of the

territory they are on.

To deepen this understanding I plan to bring the outdoors inside of my

classroom as well as bringing my classroom to the outdoors. I feel that it is very

important for my students to appreciate the beauty that nature has to offer. I will

initiate this by modelling to my students what it means to respect our land. Minor

changes such as bringing zero waste lunches to school, picking up garbage,

recycling, and reusing materials are just a few ways I plan to do this. If my students

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learn to respect the land we live on they will most likely adopt these strategies and

we will be able to all work together to save our Earth. During our class field trip to

the Sea to Sky District I was taught many ways to incorporate nature in the

classroom. I witnessed classrooms that used plenty of natural light, wood accents,

greenery, and simplistic designs. These classrooms were particularly calming and

created a fantastic atmosphere. Incorporating different aspects of nature such as

rocks, sticks, sea creatures, and other animals to teach counting, spelling, geometry,

and other aspects of the curriculum is another way to combine nature into the

curriculum.

Building Relationships

Having the ability to build relationships is an incredibly essential skill for

educators to possess. Not only is it vital that teachers have relationships with their

students; they must also create healthy relationships with the parents, staff members,

and the community. Creating a connection with the parents of your students may be

difficult at first, specifically you are working in an unfamiliar district, but it is

worthwhile to put in the effort to expand your classroom community. I will have an

open door policy to allow parents to feel included in their childs learning which will

create an overall positive experience. Small gestures such as extending invitations

on field trips, project showcases, and other special events will be the norm in my

classroom. One way to create open communication with parents is to create a

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classroom website. Many parents work long hours and are unable to physically be in

the classroom. With a classroom website parents can be kept up to date on the

learnings of their children in a fun, interactive way. Permission forms, classroom files,

and educational games that support the learnings of the students will also be posted

for the students to use at their parents discretion.

Developing relationships with the staff within your particular district or school

is crucial. In my classroom there will be students who require extra support, so it is

important to know who to contact to ensure that each student is receiving the care

that they need in order to succeed. There are so many resources within a school

such as Educational Assistants, First Nations Support Workers, Occupational

Therapists, Counsellors, Speech Pathologists, and many more. These trained

professionals are exceptionally knowledgeable and I feel that it is very important that

their skills are utilized within the classroom. I will always advocate for my students to

receive this help when necessary.

Throughout my time as a pre-service teacher I have realized how important it

is to know what resources you have available in your community. During my final

practicum I was fortunate enough to work alongside a teacher who utilized the

resources available to their fullest potential. He was able to take his class on multiple

field trips completely free of charge just for making a simple phone call to a

company and explaining his situation. Due to this he was able to take his Grade 4

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students to local restaurants and receive free cooking lessons, rebuilding a whale

skeleton, and many other once in a lifetime opportunities. These field trips enriched

the learning that was already being taught in the classroom and was done in a

hands-on way that the students will never forget. I plan to create these experiences

for my students to assist them in recognizing that the material taught in class is

applicable to the real world.

Personalized Learning

I recognize that each student that enters my classroom is a unique individual

that brings something special to class each day. This individuality also means that

each student learns very differently. I will have a combination of visual, kinaesthetic,

auditory, and tactile learners. Due to this each lesson must be tailored to ensure that

each student can be engaged in the lesson and

Today you are you that
develop a deeper understanding of the concept at
is truer than true. There
is no one alive that is hand. It is very important to me that all of my
youer than you.!
students reach their full potential- at their own pace.
- Dr. Seuss
Technology will definitely be an asset when it comes

sparking my students interest and providing them with the tools to further their

understanding. If I am fortunate enough to have a SmartBoard and/or ELMO

projector in my future classroom I will be sure to integrate them into most of my

lessons. In my previous practicum I was in a Grade 1 class that had a SmartBoard.

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My Sponsor Teacher used it to lead her calendar time, which combined financial

literacy, dates, counting, number sense, spelling, phonemic awareness, and reading

strategies. In a short 45-minute period she was able to cover a wide range of

subjects in a way that had the students full attention the entire time. I also found

that the SmartBoard was an effective way to keep the students on task while learning

important concepts.

Assessment

While each student learns very differently they are also able to demonstrate

that learning in a vast variety of ways. Formative and summative assessment

techniques will be used daily during my teaching. While teaching a lesson,

specifically a new concept, it is vital that I know if my students are beginning to grasp

a concept or if I will be required to re-teach. I will do this by having students put

coloured cones on their desk (green meaning they understand what is being taught,

yellow means they are beginning to understand the concept, and red meaning that

they are lost). I also use the thumbs up, thumbs down, or thumbs sideways method

to formatively assess.

To assess my students learning at the end of a unit I will allow my students to

represent their learning in a way that works best for them. Some students are able to

accurately show what they have learned through writing an essay, creating a

PowerPoint, or writing a test while others prefer to create a movie trailer, diorama, or

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presentation on that particular topic. As long as there is a clear demonstration that

the concept has been understood I will encourage my students to incorporate their

individuality and creativity regarding how they demonstrate this learning to myself.

While my students will have some flexibility in how they demonstrate their

learning to my, I will still create a clear rubric to ensure that all of my students know

what my expectations are. When a student is aware of the learning intention they

are then able to take advantage of the freedom I have provided with the various

methods of representation. In some instances these expectations will be created as

a class to provide my students with ownership over this rubric.

Social Justice

Every person that enters my classroom has different experiences and while

these may be positive or negative it is important to never make assumptions or treat

people differently because of them. The students in my classroom will have diverse

gender identities, sexual orientations, races, languages, financial statuses, and home

lives and it is imperative that I develop the appropriate language and deepen my

understanding of these differences so I can

model considerate behaviour and educate

my students. It is very important to me

that I use the most current and supportive

terminology to ensure that my classroom is

Brittanii, Kendra, Jessica, and Zoe after our

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presentation on heterosexism
inclusive. My students will go through the school year in my classroom with the

understanding that no two people are the same and these differences deserve to be

celebrated, not ignored or shunned. Each student deserves to grow up to be

successful and happy- I want this journey to be supported in my classroom. One of

the lessons that I hope all of my students internalize is that everyone is smart,

creative, strong, and deserves equality- no matter what.

My classroom will be organized in a way to best suit my students. If I have a

student in my classroom that requires the support from wheelchair or walker I will be

sure to rearrange the classroom so all areas of the room are accessible to them. I will

include literature in my classroom library that shows

diversity in family structures and races. I will lead

activities in my classroom that have students looking

from different perspectives so they are able to gain a

wider outlook on diverse topics. All of these strategies

will be implemented allow my students to feel comfortable within themselves and to

encourage them to accept others for who they are.

Governance

I understand that there will be many challenging situations that arise during

my career as an educator but I now feel much more self-confident in dealing with

these issues. When a challenging situation arises I will be sure to use my Professional

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Decision Making Model to guarantee that I am making the best choice for my staff,

students and for myself. I will be proactive by being aware of any protocol that my

school/district have put into place. I will put the safety of my students and

colleagues first. I will be calm and consider all of my options before making an

irrational decision. When a decision has been made I will be sure that it is consistent

with the BCTRB standards and I will follow up to ensure that this problem does not

arise again. These new learnings have allowed me to have the tools to reconcile

differences and conflicts that I will be faced with in the future.

Throughout this semester I have learned a lot about administration, the role of

a teacher, resources that are available in the classroom, and how funding and

resources are allocated amongst a district or school. Based on this information I have

a newfound appreciation for the behind the scenes delegating that takes place in an

attempt to ensure that our schools have the appropriate amount of supplies and

resources to run effectively.

As a teacher I feel comforted to know that I am protected under a union. In

order to earn this security I will uphold myself to the standards put into place by the

BCTF and BCTRB. I will always put my students need first and will share my

knowledge with my colleagues to allow us to collaborate and learn from each other.

!
!

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 Special Education

There will always be a diverse number of needs in my classroom. The amount of

support will be discovered in the beginning of the year when my class profile and

individual profiles are being created and will be altered

throughout the year as needed. When planning for my

classroom I will often refer to the Response to

Intervention (RTI) model. I will develop a plan with

the collaboration of my support staff to organize

my students into one of the three tiers. I will then implement strategies for my tier 1,

2, and 3 students. These strategies may include: stating an objective, using graphic

organizers, and providing clear feedback. These strategies will support all of my

students but will be created specifically with a few in mind. As I become more

familiar with this model I will be able to teach the curriculum to my specific group of

learners in a way that benefits all.

Considering the fact that all of my

students are unique individuals I must also

ensure that I am providing them with the

tools and techniques to self-regulate. I

plan to do this by introducing self-

regulation tools and techniques such as

Brittanii, Jessica, Kendra, and Zoe after our

presentation on depression and anxiety.
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breathing exercises, meditation, fidgets, wobbly chairs, calming jars, and weighted

blankets. It is so important the my students are able to recognize when they are

having difficulty focusing and are able to use the tools provided to aid them in

focusing on the lesson.

Upon reflecting on my experiences as a student and as a pre-service teacher the

vision I have for myself, as an educator, is very clear. I hope to be a teacher that

instills passion, confidence, and a positive attitude in my students. I want my

students to recognize that there are no two people on Earth that are the same and

these differences are what make us all unique and special. I want my students to find

joy in reading, writing, and learning. I want each of my students to leave the

classroom each day knowing that the world is brighter and happier with them in it.

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