Bravely off to Sea

While many of my core values regarding the English Language Arts in the classroom remain much the same as they were when I began this course, my ideas about how to deliver this material, inspire my students and foster a love of ELA have evolved greatly.

First and foremost, I would like to create an inclusive environment for my students by giving them varied ways to present and express ideas and by teaching in as diverse a manner as possible to accommodate different learning styles and interests. I would like ELA to be as relevant as possible for all students and, so, would like to give them many opportunities to generate their own content and to let them tell me what they would like to write and talk about. This strategy has the advantage of keeping writing and representing relevant, and therefore interesting, to students but it also has the added advantage of reinforcing what I believe is the most fundamental aspect of ELA that I would want my students to understand: ELA is not just a subject which is taught in school, it is a skill set that will allow them to express themselves to the world. It is a tool that they can use to better understand themselves and the world around them and, as such, is invaluable.

I would like all of my students to feel comfortable sharing their ideas in the classroom with myself as well as with other students. I have always wanted this, but I had not understood the importance of modelling writing for your students to achieving this goal. I hope that by writing myself and sharing my writing with my students they will be able to understand that it is a worthwhile endeavour and will be more willing to share their thoughts and writing with me.

One thing that I have learned from this course is the importance of oracy. I think that talking is something that I have just taken for granted as a skill which is picked up naturally. I was shocked to read in Constructing Meaning that studies have shown that the language used by students in the classroom is less rich than the language that they were using at home. So, I would really like to encourage meaningful conversations in my classrooms. I loved the idea of a conferencing centre where students could discuss ideas with each other or with me.

I would also like to incorporate oracy and writing into as many of the other subject areas as I can. Particularly in the elementary years, the subjects are so interrelated and can be tied together so many ways. I really believe that weaving the different subject areas together presents so many opportunities to be creative and to keep students engaged and would really enhance the learning experience.

Finally, I have learned that assessment goes beyond the teacher simply assigning a mark. The concepts of assessment as learning and assessment for learning were completely new to me, but I can certainly see their value. I think that empowering students is one of the most important aspects of keeping them engaged and focused in the classroom. Giving students the opportunity for self-assessment gives them a sense of agency and also encourages reflection on their learning and the work that they produce. It serves to remind us that children are capable of taking on responsibility earlier than we often think.

With all of these things in mind, I would really like to foster a love of ELA and learning in general in my students. It is something that I consider to be of the utmost importance and I hope to be able to encourage some of that passion in others. I look forward to putting these ideas to practice and finding out what works for me in the classroom.