Educators implement effective planning, instruction, assessment and reporting practices to create respectful, inclusive environments for student learning and development.
“Educators have the knowledge and skills to facilitate learning for students, including learning experiences that reflect individual contexts and local environments. Educators value collaborative practice. Educators recognize and understand the interconnectedness of all aspects of teaching and learning and employ a variety of instructional and assessment strategies. Educators communicate effectively in either English or French. Educators know when to seek support for their practice and for students.” (BCTC Professional Standards for BC Educators)
During my time as a classroom teacher I tried very hard to use differentiation in my lessons to create an inclusive environment that would be successful for my students. One of the strategies that I used was creating different small Math and Literacy groups. These groups would consist of four or five students. Rather than using numbers, or use letters like A group, or B group, I used the Dakelh words for the seasons (fall, spring, summer and winter).During Math and Literacy these small groups would rotate through different stations and work on specific assignments that were targeted to their learning needs. I was lucky to have the support of two EAs and an ELL teacher in the afternoon, so I made four groups that would rotate every fifteen minutes between each adult. The stations that the EAs ran had to be pretty stuff directed, as EAs aren’t qualified to actually teach students, but can assist in prompting students to stay on task, or as a support role. The station that the ELL teacher had was more focused on Literacy intervention, and getting the students reading (or if they were already reading, getting them to read books at their level). My station focused the Preschool Life Skills program. Because many of these students had been effected by the Covid-19 pandemic (missing many days of school, lacking in social skills etc.), the principal had the suggestion to teach this program to the students, and I agreed. The program taught basic life skills like waiting your turn to talk, saying excuse me, and saying thank you, things of this nature that these students were severely lacking knowledge about. It was amazing how much of a positive impact the Literacy groups had on the class.
This was my Literacy groups display board. During Literacy, the students could look at the wall and see their names, and know which station they were supposed to be at. I also used a PowerPoint to display the rotations for the Math groups that would be shown on the TV in my classroom.
Because each of the Literacy stations had a different focus, and each one was only 15 minutes, it allowed the students get into a routine that they could trust and depend on. Having regular routines is so important when teaching with a trauma informed lens because it allows the students to feel comfortable in their classroom because they know what will happen and it makes them feel safe. Having a classroom where inclusivity and safety were the most important aspects of the classroom culture was always my goal.
Initially class participation was very low, with only a few special students answering and participating in discussions, or a few students who used the opportunity to be silly or draw attention to themselves. Even in grade 2 there are class clowns. However, once the standard expectation of proper behavior was established, and modelled, the students started to conform and actually wanted to participate in discussions. I used positive reinforcement to encourage students that were displaying proper classroom expectations, thus, reiterating what was expected and what would be praised.
By having a routine of Math in the morning (followed by snack and recess), and then Literacy groups in the afternoon (before lunch), it enabled the students to start to fall into a routine that they could trust. Behaviors in the class started to improve, and combined with the support and communication from the parents of certain students, the overall classroom atmosphere improved.
