Standard 3 refers to being knowledgeable to student growth and development, and being able to change and adjust your practice based on the progress of society and generations of students. As we learn more about behaviour and children’s development, we are always coming up with more strategies and ideas on how to create a better environment for all students. As an educator, we must be able to keep ourselves accountable on our constant learning of these new practices, and being open and willing to change the ways we do things. Often, teachers that have been educating for a long time will become stagnant and unchanging in their processes, partly because they work in some ways, but also because it is comfortable. Challenging yourself to always be willing to change and grow is a major component that will make an impactful educator, and one that keeps student safety and growth as a priority.
In my own experience, being able to know what your students need and how to better cater to their growth and development comes from making and maintaining those connections. I found that during our in-situ at Harwin, only being there for one hour, one day a week for four weeks, making those connections was challenging as we just didn’t have enough time to build them with those students. Over the course of the four weeks, it became easier to understand the students and see their different needs. As we saw those needs, it became easier to create lesson plans that would cater better to all our students. That’s why our lessons became so much more smooth by the end compared to week 1. This was a great way of seeing first hand the impact that making connections can have in the classroom and in the growth and success of your students. Additionally, in practicum, I prioritized those connections and during my visits to the class before practicum started, I made sure to have little conversations with each child about their interests and their favourite subjects so I could gage what would capture their attention better in lessons. I also made sure to ask about those interests the next time I saw them, so they could see that I was listening and actually remembering details about them. You can see it, even in a small child, how it can be so meaningful that you just remember things about them. I made amazing connections with my students in practicum, and I got amazing feedback from my CT about the observations she made during lessons that students were responding so well. I credit this to the connections I made and being able to cater the lessons to their needs. Growth and development of your students is SO important, and sometimes it just starts with a conversation.