"Educators engage in professional development and reflective practice, understanding that a hallmark of professionalism is the concept of professional growth over time. Educators develop and refine personal philosophies of education, teaching and learning that are informed by theory and practice. Educators identify their professional needs and work to meet those needs individually and collaboratively."
Evidence 1: 2018 National Coaches Clinic Blog Post (+Reflection)
The first piece of evidence I have chosen for TRB Standard 7 is a link to my blog post. The post consists of the experience I had through attending the 2018 National Coaches Clinic in Toronto, ON. This clinic was put on by the Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Academy and Jays Care. Due to working as the Jays Care Coordinator for the Boys & Girls Club of Central Vancouver Island (BGCCVI), I had the opportunity to attend this clinic to further develop my coaching skills and prepare to organize and run successful baseball camps for the youth and children at the BGCCVI. Much of the information and tools that I gained from this clinic will transfer into my leadership role as a teacher as well.
I was able to do a lot of reflecting with the other coaches that attended this clinic. We reflected on our coaching strategies that we already implement within our own individual programs, which included games and activities that work best for our participants, and others that aren't so beneficial. Through collaborating with other attendees of this clinic, I was able to learn a lot about other programs. The sharing that took place over the weekend was very beneficial for me as I was able to take new and fresh ideas from this clinic that I will be applying to the program that I run in Central Vancouver Island; ultimately, enhancing my program and making for a more inclusive and engaging environment for our participants. Taking part in this professional development has helped me grow as a coach, a leader, and a teacher.
We were able to witness ex-professional baseball players and coaches talk about their experiences of working with a range of players from youth ages to professionals. These presentations were not only very engaging, but extremely informative as well. Most of the presenters preached the idea of creating team culture and building relationships with his/her players. Here is a passage derived from my blog post on Mark Shapiro's beliefs on the importance of relationship building: "Our second presenter was the Toronto Blue Jays President, Mark Shapiro. Mr. Shapiro preached more on team culture and how it is vital that coaches build relationships and prove to their players that they love and care for them. Mr. Shapiro went on to say that if a coach is successful in building relationships with each of his or her players, the team results will handle themselves." I enjoyed this part of his presentation because I strongly agree with utilizing this philosophy in not only the coach's role, but also the role of a teacher. A teacher must build positive, trusting relationships with his/her students to make for a supportive, caring classroom culture. It is our responsibility as teachers to support our students' learning - each student must understand that their teacher is there to support them, and this understanding comes from the positive relationships that are created. This is evident in the article, The Effects of Teacher-Student Relationships: Social and Academic Outcomes of Low-Income Middle and High School Students: "Teachers who support students in the learning environment can positively impact their social and academic outcomes, which is important for the long-term trajectory of school and eventually employment."
This clinic has made a positive impact on my coaching and teaching philosophy, which makes it very clear to me how important it is for student teachers to attend professional development sessions. As educators, it is vital that we continue to develop over time as our students do the same. Being an effective teacher includes committing to a lifetime of learning; which will take place through gaining experience in the classroom, but also should occur through professional development.
At the clinic, we had the opportunity to listen to former ex-professional player, Chris Robinson, speak about his Four Concepts of Coaching. Mr. Robinson spoke about the importance of using a Gradual Approach when coaching youth players. Meaning that we need to introduce new skills and concepts gradually and allow our players to develop and complete the objectives that a coach has set for their players. This coaching concept is very transferable to the teacher's role as we need to allow and encourage our students to learn at their own pace. We shouldn't rush their learning and then expect positive results. Another one of Mr. Robinson's concepts that relates to teaching is, Setting Objectives (that are challenging, but attainable). Coaches and teachers should not be creating learning objectives for our players and students that are far too difficult. If the goals that we are setting for our youth are not attainable, this may result in possible burnout for our players and students. It was beneficial for me to listen to a successful coach speak on these approaches to coaching and teaching. These two concepts that I have touched on are approaches that I will not only include in my coaching, but in the classroom as well.
A strength of this evidence piece is how this blog post paints a very clear picture of what I learned through this coaches clinic. My commitment to this TRB Standard is demonstrated through this blog post's reflection. I was able to obtain new strategies and approaches which will help me create a more inclusive and engaging learning environment for our future Rookie League baseball camps. The post also speaks on the collaborating that we did at the clinic which has resulted in my personal philosophies on coaching and teaching to develop. I gained new ideas that I will implement into my coaching and teaching. These ideas include having a more gradual approach to allow for student success over time, and to set challenging, but attainable goals for my future classroom. I believe that both of these approaches will enable my students and players to gain a feeling of mastery over time as they accomplish their learning objectives.
"Educators engage in professional development and reflective practice, understanding that a hallmark of professionalism is the concept of professional growth over time." This passage, from TRB Standard 7's definition, makes it clear that educators must engage in professional development in order to grow and develop throughout our careers. Teachers need to take advantage of opportunities that promote professional development - such as the clinic that I attended. Professional development opportunities will enable our teaching philosophy to develop and progress; ultimately helping teachers be more resourceful in the classroom.
As I continue to develop as a teacher, I will hold this Standard true by attending future clinics, workshops, and teaching seminars in order to progress as an educator and adapt to my future students' needs. By staying true to this Standard, my skillset as a teacher will always be improving - making me a more effective educator.
I was able to do a lot of reflecting with the other coaches that attended this clinic. We reflected on our coaching strategies that we already implement within our own individual programs, which included games and activities that work best for our participants, and others that aren't so beneficial. Through collaborating with other attendees of this clinic, I was able to learn a lot about other programs. The sharing that took place over the weekend was very beneficial for me as I was able to take new and fresh ideas from this clinic that I will be applying to the program that I run in Central Vancouver Island; ultimately, enhancing my program and making for a more inclusive and engaging environment for our participants. Taking part in this professional development has helped me grow as a coach, a leader, and a teacher.
We were able to witness ex-professional baseball players and coaches talk about their experiences of working with a range of players from youth ages to professionals. These presentations were not only very engaging, but extremely informative as well. Most of the presenters preached the idea of creating team culture and building relationships with his/her players. Here is a passage derived from my blog post on Mark Shapiro's beliefs on the importance of relationship building: "Our second presenter was the Toronto Blue Jays President, Mark Shapiro. Mr. Shapiro preached more on team culture and how it is vital that coaches build relationships and prove to their players that they love and care for them. Mr. Shapiro went on to say that if a coach is successful in building relationships with each of his or her players, the team results will handle themselves." I enjoyed this part of his presentation because I strongly agree with utilizing this philosophy in not only the coach's role, but also the role of a teacher. A teacher must build positive, trusting relationships with his/her students to make for a supportive, caring classroom culture. It is our responsibility as teachers to support our students' learning - each student must understand that their teacher is there to support them, and this understanding comes from the positive relationships that are created. This is evident in the article, The Effects of Teacher-Student Relationships: Social and Academic Outcomes of Low-Income Middle and High School Students: "Teachers who support students in the learning environment can positively impact their social and academic outcomes, which is important for the long-term trajectory of school and eventually employment."
This clinic has made a positive impact on my coaching and teaching philosophy, which makes it very clear to me how important it is for student teachers to attend professional development sessions. As educators, it is vital that we continue to develop over time as our students do the same. Being an effective teacher includes committing to a lifetime of learning; which will take place through gaining experience in the classroom, but also should occur through professional development.
At the clinic, we had the opportunity to listen to former ex-professional player, Chris Robinson, speak about his Four Concepts of Coaching. Mr. Robinson spoke about the importance of using a Gradual Approach when coaching youth players. Meaning that we need to introduce new skills and concepts gradually and allow our players to develop and complete the objectives that a coach has set for their players. This coaching concept is very transferable to the teacher's role as we need to allow and encourage our students to learn at their own pace. We shouldn't rush their learning and then expect positive results. Another one of Mr. Robinson's concepts that relates to teaching is, Setting Objectives (that are challenging, but attainable). Coaches and teachers should not be creating learning objectives for our players and students that are far too difficult. If the goals that we are setting for our youth are not attainable, this may result in possible burnout for our players and students. It was beneficial for me to listen to a successful coach speak on these approaches to coaching and teaching. These two concepts that I have touched on are approaches that I will not only include in my coaching, but in the classroom as well.
A strength of this evidence piece is how this blog post paints a very clear picture of what I learned through this coaches clinic. My commitment to this TRB Standard is demonstrated through this blog post's reflection. I was able to obtain new strategies and approaches which will help me create a more inclusive and engaging learning environment for our future Rookie League baseball camps. The post also speaks on the collaborating that we did at the clinic which has resulted in my personal philosophies on coaching and teaching to develop. I gained new ideas that I will implement into my coaching and teaching. These ideas include having a more gradual approach to allow for student success over time, and to set challenging, but attainable goals for my future classroom. I believe that both of these approaches will enable my students and players to gain a feeling of mastery over time as they accomplish their learning objectives.
"Educators engage in professional development and reflective practice, understanding that a hallmark of professionalism is the concept of professional growth over time." This passage, from TRB Standard 7's definition, makes it clear that educators must engage in professional development in order to grow and develop throughout our careers. Teachers need to take advantage of opportunities that promote professional development - such as the clinic that I attended. Professional development opportunities will enable our teaching philosophy to develop and progress; ultimately helping teachers be more resourceful in the classroom.
As I continue to develop as a teacher, I will hold this Standard true by attending future clinics, workshops, and teaching seminars in order to progress as an educator and adapt to my future students' needs. By staying true to this Standard, my skillset as a teacher will always be improving - making me a more effective educator.
References
Armstrong, T. (2018, January 27). 2018 National Coaches Clinic - Jays Care [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://tyler-armstrong.weebly.com/blog/toronto-blue-jays-2018-coaches-clinic
Gallagher, E. (n.d.). The Effects of Teacher-Student Relationships: Social and Academic Outcomes of Low-Income Middle and High School Students - Applied Psychology OPUS - NYU Steinhardt. Retrieved from https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/appsych/opus/issues/2013/fall/gallagher
Ministry of Education. (n.d.). Standards for the Education, Competence and Professional Conduct of Educators in BC. Retrieved from https://www.bcteacherregulation.ca/Standards/StandardsDevelopment.aspx
Armstrong, T. (2018, January 27). 2018 National Coaches Clinic - Jays Care [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://tyler-armstrong.weebly.com/blog/toronto-blue-jays-2018-coaches-clinic
Gallagher, E. (n.d.). The Effects of Teacher-Student Relationships: Social and Academic Outcomes of Low-Income Middle and High School Students - Applied Psychology OPUS - NYU Steinhardt. Retrieved from https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/appsych/opus/issues/2013/fall/gallagher
Ministry of Education. (n.d.). Standards for the Education, Competence and Professional Conduct of Educators in BC. Retrieved from https://www.bcteacherregulation.ca/Standards/StandardsDevelopment.aspx
Evidence 2: Frame of Reference (+Reflection)
The second piece of evidence that I have chosen for TRB Standard 7, is a link to the 'Frame of Reference' portion of my e-portfolio. This piece of evidence speaks on the type of educator that I currently resemble, and strive to be as I progress through my teaching career. My Frame of Reference includes my personal teaching style, the classroom management styles that I implement with my students, and the forms of assessment that I find most effective. Early on in my teaching journey, I have already noticed that my philosophy has changed over a short period of hands-on experiences, and it will continue to be developed and refined as my career progresses.
Through the creation of my Frame of Reference, I learned how a personal teaching philosophy can change greatly through gaining experience. The initial credo that I had originally developed before my revisions, differentiated greatly from the Frame of Reference provided within this evidence piece. I still have some aspects from my previous Frame of Reference included, such as the importance of the teacher providing leadership in the classroom, and how vital it is for teachers to build relationships with his/her students. New aspects that have been added to my Frame of Reference include the three different forms of assessment that I find to be effective: Self-assessment, formative assessment, and summative assessment. I am finding as I continue through the Elementary Education Program and gain experience from actual hands-on teaching, as well as talking with other professionals in the field, my Frame of Reference is changing with each conversation and experience. Therefore, the process of refining my Frame of Reference has proven to me that through theory and practice, my teaching philosophy will continue to develop.
This evidence has allowed me to reflect on my previous and current teaching philosophy; resulting in the recent refining and development of my Frame of Reference. Ultimately, this evidence for TRB Standard 7 has provided further confirmation of how important it is for teachers to engage in career-long learning. By taking part in professional development, conversing with other teaching professionals, and gaining additional teaching experience, I have been able to reflect and continuously build upon my Frame of Reference. This reflecting process allows my teaching philosophy to change over time, and enables me to engage in reflective practice consistently.
This second piece of evidence for this standard does not resemble a specific form of teaching or learning; however, it involves several leadership styles that I will implement with my students, and other teaching and learning strategies that I have either found useful in the past or look to utilize in the future. For example, I have included one leadership style that I currently use with the students or players that I work with - the coaching approach: "The coaching leader develops people for the future. If this style were summed up in one phrase, it would be “Try this.” The coaching style works best when the leader wants to help teammates build lasting personal strengths that make them more successful overall. It is least effective when teammates are defiant and unwilling to change or learn, or if the leader lacks proficiency." Rather than addressing a specific teaching style, I believe that the purpose of my Frame of Reference is to demonstrate which strategies and tools that I have found useful in practice so far, which strategies I plan to utilize, and leaving room leftover for my philosophy to grow and develop as I do the same.
My Frame of Reference represents my commitment to the standard by providing my personal thoughts and credo on teaching. A strength of this evidence is how it is broken up into different categories and sub-categories; ultimately making my approach to teaching and learning very clear to my viewers. Part of the definition for TRB Standard 7 states the following: "Educators develop and refine personal philosophies of education, teaching and learning that are informed by theory and practice." The piece of evidence that I have chosen, contains examples of how my personal teaching philosophy has changed and developed through experience.
Personally, I believe that this standard is extremely important for educators to fulfill. This is due to the "professional development" and "reflective practice" pieces implemented in this TRB Standard's definition. As an educator, I will continuously assess and reflect upon my teaching philosophy - this will result in constant progression and growth in my ability to be a successful teacher. I will hold this standard true by reflecting on my Frame of Reference after each teaching experience; whether that be one lesson, one practicum, or one year of teaching. My goal is to become the most proficient teacher that I can possibly be for my students, and I believe that reflecting and refining my credo plays a significant role in accomplishing this goal and improving upon my knowledge and skills as a teacher.
Through the creation of my Frame of Reference, I learned how a personal teaching philosophy can change greatly through gaining experience. The initial credo that I had originally developed before my revisions, differentiated greatly from the Frame of Reference provided within this evidence piece. I still have some aspects from my previous Frame of Reference included, such as the importance of the teacher providing leadership in the classroom, and how vital it is for teachers to build relationships with his/her students. New aspects that have been added to my Frame of Reference include the three different forms of assessment that I find to be effective: Self-assessment, formative assessment, and summative assessment. I am finding as I continue through the Elementary Education Program and gain experience from actual hands-on teaching, as well as talking with other professionals in the field, my Frame of Reference is changing with each conversation and experience. Therefore, the process of refining my Frame of Reference has proven to me that through theory and practice, my teaching philosophy will continue to develop.
This evidence has allowed me to reflect on my previous and current teaching philosophy; resulting in the recent refining and development of my Frame of Reference. Ultimately, this evidence for TRB Standard 7 has provided further confirmation of how important it is for teachers to engage in career-long learning. By taking part in professional development, conversing with other teaching professionals, and gaining additional teaching experience, I have been able to reflect and continuously build upon my Frame of Reference. This reflecting process allows my teaching philosophy to change over time, and enables me to engage in reflective practice consistently.
This second piece of evidence for this standard does not resemble a specific form of teaching or learning; however, it involves several leadership styles that I will implement with my students, and other teaching and learning strategies that I have either found useful in the past or look to utilize in the future. For example, I have included one leadership style that I currently use with the students or players that I work with - the coaching approach: "The coaching leader develops people for the future. If this style were summed up in one phrase, it would be “Try this.” The coaching style works best when the leader wants to help teammates build lasting personal strengths that make them more successful overall. It is least effective when teammates are defiant and unwilling to change or learn, or if the leader lacks proficiency." Rather than addressing a specific teaching style, I believe that the purpose of my Frame of Reference is to demonstrate which strategies and tools that I have found useful in practice so far, which strategies I plan to utilize, and leaving room leftover for my philosophy to grow and develop as I do the same.
My Frame of Reference represents my commitment to the standard by providing my personal thoughts and credo on teaching. A strength of this evidence is how it is broken up into different categories and sub-categories; ultimately making my approach to teaching and learning very clear to my viewers. Part of the definition for TRB Standard 7 states the following: "Educators develop and refine personal philosophies of education, teaching and learning that are informed by theory and practice." The piece of evidence that I have chosen, contains examples of how my personal teaching philosophy has changed and developed through experience.
Personally, I believe that this standard is extremely important for educators to fulfill. This is due to the "professional development" and "reflective practice" pieces implemented in this TRB Standard's definition. As an educator, I will continuously assess and reflect upon my teaching philosophy - this will result in constant progression and growth in my ability to be a successful teacher. I will hold this standard true by reflecting on my Frame of Reference after each teaching experience; whether that be one lesson, one practicum, or one year of teaching. My goal is to become the most proficient teacher that I can possibly be for my students, and I believe that reflecting and refining my credo plays a significant role in accomplishing this goal and improving upon my knowledge and skills as a teacher.
References
Armstrong, T. (2018). Credo. Retrieved February 20, 2018, from http://tyler-armstrong.weebly.com/credo.html
Bellis, R. (2018, January 8). 6 Leadership Styles And When You Should Use Them. Retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com/1838481/6-leadership-styles-and-when-you-should-use-them
Ministry of Education. (2012, January). Standards for Education, Competence and Professional Conduct of Educators in British Columbia. Retrieved from https://www.bcteacherregulation.ca/documents/AboutUs/Standards/edu_stds.pdf
Armstrong, T. (2018). Credo. Retrieved February 20, 2018, from http://tyler-armstrong.weebly.com/credo.html
Bellis, R. (2018, January 8). 6 Leadership Styles And When You Should Use Them. Retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com/1838481/6-leadership-styles-and-when-you-should-use-them
Ministry of Education. (2012, January). Standards for Education, Competence and Professional Conduct of Educators in British Columbia. Retrieved from https://www.bcteacherregulation.ca/documents/AboutUs/Standards/edu_stds.pdf
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