Educational Goals.
Professional Semester 1 Goal:
During my first Professional Semester, my goal is to design, implement, and evaluate hands on learning strategies within my grade 4 classroom. I want to support my students learning by igniting a sense of excitement in the classroom. I will do this through observation, reflection, and formative student feedback. This led me to the inquiry question: To what extent does “hands on learning” influence student engagement, motivation, and enjoyment in the classroom?
Rather than learning about static electricity sitting in a desk, we explored how it interacts with us and our environment!
I truly believe that students learn more when they are having fun and engaging in hands on activities. Alongside this, I highly value the idea of learning through discovery. Throughout my practicum, I attempted to incorporate as many “hands on” learning methods while simultaneously teaching the materials provided by my mentor teacher.
This is an image of the grade 4 students testing their egg drop contraptions to discover how gravity acts on objects. This lesson got a little messy!
Professional Semester 2 Goal:
Inquiry Question: To what extent does celebrating effort and personal growth (rather than
winning or performance) influence students’ confidence and love for physical activity?
Goal: My goal during practicum is to create an inclusive and supportive Physical activity
environment by implementing assessment strategies that emphasize growth over performance.
This will be achieved through individualized feedback and focusing on progressing students
confidence in physical activity rather than winning. The aim is to foster a positive attitude
towards physical activity and encourage lifelong participation.
Teaching dance during my practicum directly supported my inquiry question and goal of celebrating effort and personal growth over performance. Leading a dance unit with grades 2-9 students pushed many of them outside of their comfort zones, as dance can feel vulnerable and intimidating, especially in front of peers. I was intentional in creating an inclusive and supportive environment where every student felt safe to try their best without fear of judgment. This included being mindful of the language I used, consistently praising effort, enthusiasm, and perseverance rather than only focusing on technical accuracy. By shifting the focus to personal growth, I saw students begin to take more risks, participate more fully, and support one another. The success of this approach was evident not only in the students’ willingness to engage, but also in the positive feedback I received from other teachers who were impressed by the level of participation. This experience reaffirmed that fostering a growth-focused environment can build student confidence and inspire a more positive relationship with physical activity.
