My Commitment
Being a teacher isn't easy. Some would say it is a thankless job, but I would disagree. It isn't a career someone should consider without first questioning their commitment. It is a career that requires a constant input. Your own education as a teacher is never over. I picked the quote at the top of the page because its very important to keep an open mind as a learner. In the field of science we are constantly finding out we were wrong about a theory or that there is a more efficient way to do something we already discovered. This questioning of the already answered questions leads us to new discoveries and helps us progress into the future. As teachers we must constantly question our teaching methods, our lesson plans, what kind of atmosphere we create for our students.
This page will contain resources and documents that will help outline my commitment to teaching and hopefully show my enthusiasm to always be learning.
My Passion for Biology
I genuinely find Biology fascinating, and I want to share my interest with others. My favourite Biology topics include: ecology, evolution, and physiology. Since I took my first biology centered course in grade 11 I knew it was something I wanted to study. In biology 12 my teacher had us construct human cells out of candy and jello. We had to explain why we picked each candy to be each organelle. This helped me begin to think about the teaching aspect of biology as this lesson helped me relate to the material and remember every organelle's function. My passion for working at the SPCA has coincided with my ecology courses. I have been able to bring my ecology knowledge into the camps and help our students understand our relationship with nature, wild and urban. Evolution is very interesting and to understand the past selections made in species is a way to understand how we might develop in the future. It also helps us understand better how selective pressures effect the fitness of organisms and how humans can affect this balance. Hopefully this understand can suggest less harmful ways for humans to interact with nature when borrowing its resources. Finally physiology is a very relevant topic for me as a biology teacher and as a physical education teacher. This is knowledge that can be used in my P.E. classes as well as when I'm coaching individual athletes.
Zimmerman's Self Regulated Learning Model
Zimmerman states that students can learn to self-regulate their learning of a skill when they progress through four stages: observation, emulation, self-control, and self-regulation.
"At the observation level, students capture the key elements needed for performing the new skill by watching a model perform and listening to his or her verbal instructions. At the emulation level, students practice the skill receiving social feedback (e.g., from their teachers) that helps them to correct potential errors and form appropriate performance standards. They try to emulate the general movement pattern of the model in order to incorporate it into their personal movement repertoires. At the self-control level, students practice the skill setting goals (e.g., focusing on the technique of the skill) and self-monitor their performance using techniques like self recording which can capture performance information (e.g., number of successful trials) and help students to compare their performances with the performance standards. At the self regulation level, students have mastered the skill and can adapt and use it in changing conditions, developing their own distinctive styles of performing."
Kolovelonis, A., Goudas, M., Dermitzaki, I., & Kitsantas, A. (2013). Self-regulated learning and performance calibration among elementary physical education students.European Journal of Psychology of Education, 685-701. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
Daily Physical Acitvity
The government of British Columbia has had a daily physical activity program in place since 2008. This program has recommended amounts of physical activity per day for grades K to 12. This is a great initiative and has great potential. It is one of my goals as a physical education teacher to inspire my students to plan their daily physical activity themselves, as part as their lifestyle. This is the most effective way to ensure that they continue physical activity beyond high school for the rest of their lives. Anyone can enjoy physical activity, Some students may not enjoy certain sports and prefer to work out in the gym, while others will want to get their physical activity by playing soccer as much as possible. For students that don't enjoy the mainstream sports I feel it is important for P.E. teachers to introduce as many sports as they can to their students. However they must be introduced properly. I would have never learned about my passion for wrestling if I hadn't tried it in P.E. first. Wrestling ended up becoming my favourite sport and fueled my daily physical activity throughout high school. Other sports students may not have a chance to try include dance, gymnastics, orienteering, ultimate frisbee, lacrosse, etc. P.E. teachers have a massive impact on whether or not students enjoy physical activity. I would like to increase the interest in the optional P.E. 11 and 12 courses when I become a teacher.