Standard 7

Educators engage in professional learning.

Provincial Outreach Program for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (POPFASD) Certification (28 October 2018)
- Program goals (from https://www.fasdoutreach.ca/about):
  - Provide support and training for educators of students living with FASD
  - Build district capacity to serve students in their home school districts by working with a District Partner
  - Provide online access to information, eLearning videos, resources and training
  - Synthesize and share current research and successful practices to support students with FASD
  - Share knowledge and practice
  - Liaise with school districts, the Ministry of Children and Family Development, the Ministry of Health, and our multi-district Steering Committee
- In this workshop, UNBC Teacher Candidates were given a lot of information regarding children with FASD, as well as strategies to imbed into our practice to promote inclusive learning environments.

Assessment with Katie Marren (October 2018)
- In this workshop, Katie Marren walked the UNBC First Year Teacher Candidates through assessment models that promote inclusion.
- A number of these models were developed with Shelly Moore.

Trauma Informed Practice – Dr. Linda O’Neill (21 January 2019)
- This workshop, facilitated by Dr. Linda O’Neill, provided UNBC First Year Teacher Candidates with some information, resources, and skills to work with children who have experience trauma, and how teachers can have a trauma informed practice.
- Having only worked as a TTOC for a few months, and only having completed two of my three practicums thus far, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of what Dr. O’Neill had to share. The relevance of what she has to say is apparent in each and every classroom across the province.

Naloxone Treatment Workshop (18 February 2019)
- “Naloxone (also called Narcan) reverses an overdose from opioids. Drugs like morphine, heroin, oxycodone, and fentanyl are opioids.” (Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions)
- This work shop taught us how/when to administer Naloxone. With the current opioid crisis in B.C. spilling over into schools, this is a vital course that not only should all educators take, but all adults in B.C.

Emergency First Aid & CPR/AED Level C (28 April 2019)
- Completed Emergency First Aid & CPR/AED Level C with the Canadian Red Cross. This was my third time getting re-certified in First Aid, as I believe it is something that all adults in B.C., especially those who work with children, should have.

Minecraft in the Classroom (May 2019)
- In this workshop, an educator demonstrated how the game Minecraft could be used in a cross-curricular approach to also hit a number of the Core Competencies.
- They demonstrated how they had their classes build societies within a closed server on Minecraft, and after agreeing on a class charter, left it up to each student to fulfill the roles, and uphold the charter.

A Day in the Life of a Teacher Teaching on Call (May 2019)
- In this workshop, an educator shared a number of tips, tricks, and words of advice for both new and experience TTOCs.
- As I was working as a TTOC at the time, I found much of what they had to say both relevant, and extremely helpful. A number of the strategies introduced have helped me make days when I am in a room as a TTOC full of meaningful learning for students, and not just a write-off of a day.

The Power of Story – Monique Gray-Smith (20 September 2019)
- In this session, author Monique Gray-Smith (Speaking Our Truth: A Journey of Reconciliation) walked a number of us through exercises meant to spark creativity and inspiration for students with their writing.
- Gray-Smith emphasized the importance of putting student creativity and voice before language forms, grammar, and punctuation.
- This workshop posed a few quick strategies that I can definitely see having a significant impact in classrooms.

The Amazing Middle-Years – Dr. Nancy Doda (24 October 2019)
- This was a two-day workshop with Dr. Nancy Doda, one of the thinkers and voices behind the Middle Years wing in Nechako Valley Secondary School. I did my EDUC 490 practicum with two Grade 8 cohorts in this Middle Years wing.
- During the two days, Dr. Doda stressed the importance of meeting the social-emotional needs of students before focusing on almost anything else, and strategies to do so.
- As a number of the philosophies held by Dr. Doda were used when shaping the program I did my practicum in, the two sessions with her were invaluable. A number of the one-on-one conversations I had with her will resonate with me for the rest of my career.

Exemplars:

En route to professional development in SD91 with fellow Teacher Candidates from UNBC (October 2019)

Attending professional development in Fraser Lake with UNBC Teacher Candidates (SD91)

Attending a professional development webinar on campus at UNBC

Exemplars from EDUC 491 Practicum:

27 Jan

16 Feb

10 March