Pedagogical Sensitivity: All Students Can Succeed

TEP supports a pupil centered view of teaching.  Educators must develop an understanding of the primacy of the pupil-teacher relationship and its ethical underpinning while honouring and respecting the needs of each pupil.  Educators must have the knowledge, skill, and confidence to adapt and develop curriculum to meet the specific needs or each pupil.

Remembrance Day all my students completed.

During my time at the University of the Fraser Valley’s Teacher Education Program, I learned how important it was to teach based on the students in my classroom.  I took the skills I learned in TEP and implemented them into my classroom during my practicum.  As much time as I put into creating unit and lesson plans, I put even more time into creating strong relationships with my students.  Each student in my classrooms was very different, but they all needed to meet the prescribed learning outcomes and it was my job to get them there.  Overall, in both my classes, I had a total of five students who had learning disabilities.  It was important for me to know how to get these students to where they needed to be and what challenges they faced in getting there.  I made great connections with these students and would ask them what I could do to help them succeed in their grade 7 year.  One of my students was very low in the classroom and almost his entire curriculum was adapted.  At the middle school I was teaching at, he would get pulled out of the classroom for language arts, math, and French, but he was in my classroom for science and health and career education.  He had no confidence when it came to writing and spelling, so for him to feel confident in finishing a test was close to impossible.  I sat down with him and asked him how I can help him succeed in the classes I was teaching.  He told me that he did not want me to shorten the questions on my science tests because he enjoys science and understands it, so we decided that when it came to any writing, he would sit at my desk with me and tell me the answers orally and I would write down exactly what he was saying.  This student exceeded my expectations during my practicum and I could not have been more proud of his accomplishments.  Overall, all five of my learning disabled students did very well and I implemented a lot of hands on learning during my practicum because I knew that these students would excel in this type of environment.  Seeing these students smile and be excited for my classes made all the time and effort I put into improving their school experience worth every minute.