Learning Outcome 5:

A big theme emphasized in the courses that I have had to take at York

University, is the theme of inclusivity and figuring out exactly what you

envision when teaching a student. Questions such as, what is the specific

type of student you think of when you teach? really opened my eyes to the

ways in which each student has different learning needs and

accommodations, which means that it is careless to assume that all students

can be directed to conform under one specific teaching style, and one

specific method of learning. Therefore, a teacher along with the school needs

to provide the necessary accommodations to ensure the student is able to

gain access to the curriculum.

In that regard, my current school placement is very inclusive and

accepting of students and their unique personalities. Aside from the minor

issue of stigmatizing in students with I.E.Ps, the school consists of several

groups that vouch for inclusivity and recognition of difference. For instance, I

was recently informed of a group at our school called Interact, which is a

group that raises funds for Indigenous women that suffer domestic violence.

In addition, several of the students that I have met that have Individual

education plans are extremely involved in the school community programs

such as the rugby team or basketball team. Furthermore, there are daily

activities such as acknowledgment of the lands as well as daily random

dancing sessions that are held to not just to improve student teacher
relations, but also to help with ensuring the well being of students mental

health.

One of the things I noticed about the school in relation to the theory

that I have been studying is the ways in which it challenges or improves on

ideas about schools. In an article by Jean Anyon, a student body focused on

grades characterizes a middle school classroom, and answers being largely

within the textbook, therefore the responsibility really lies upon the student

to produce the grade that they desire. While I can certainly see this to be the

case in terms of the handouts that I have collected, I do think one of the

things the article undermines is the fact that the reason some of these tools

are very formulaic is because some of the much bigger concepts in literature

for instance, are things a student has probably never encountered before. In

that regard, it is important to have the basics down before anything else is

further explored.

Furthermore, I do believe that my mentor teacher balances her lesson

well enough to allow for creativity within the classroom. She often will

incorporate things such as creative writing or drama within the classwork,

and students for the most part really enjoy doing those things.

Another observation that I made is that the teacher certainly has a

responsibility in terms of classroom management. Often students will

surprise you by getting out of line within the classroom on a random day. I

interpret such events really as the students attempt to learn about the

teacher. In these instances, as my mentor teacher has explained in the past,

there definitively has to be some level of control enforced by the teacher to

demonstrate to the students that certain types of behavior will not be

tolerated.