Introduction to my Alternative Practicum

Placement Site

Welcome to my blog; this is the first of a series of 5 blog posts. I want to start by telling you about my community engagement learning placement, which is my last placement at the teacher's college at OISE. My placement takes place in beautiful downtown Victoria, BC, at UWC (United World Colleges). UWC is a unique school in that it is located on the traditional territory of the Scia'new (Beecher Bay) First Nation. I am excited about this opportunity because UWC has an innovative outdoor experiential education program. This teaching experience represents a unique opportunity to teach students about the great outdoors in the context of environmental stewardship and community participation.

UWC prides itself on accepting a wide range of students from diverse economic backgrounds. The mission of UWC is to connect like-minded students and empower them to make the world a better place. Furthermore, UWC is committed to the diversity in nationalities of its students. What makes this highschool special is its commitment to environmental protection through environmental activism. Some examples of these environmental protection efforts include protecting natural forests and teaching students outdoor survival skills. Specifically, UWC Victoria protects the world-renowned Race Rocks Ecological Reserve on Vancouver Island.

Additionally, the UWC website describes some of the exciting activities students get to experience "students learn through marine science courses, diving activity and volunteering on the reserve." This statement reminded me of my diving experiences as a kid near our beach house in Turkey. There is a lot that can be learned from just a simple act of diving. Balancing pressure in your ears as you descend in the water is where Boyle's law becomes essential, where the given volume of gas at constant temperature varies inversely with pressure. Learning this in theory through a traditional classroom setting is entirely different than the embodied experience of diving.

My Anticipated Role

I will be at the school for 3-4 weeks, starting mid-February. I will be working with two associate teachers during my time there. I will be participating mostly through classroom observations, providing some classroom assistance and supporting co-curricular activities. More specifically, I will be involved in the development of sailing instructions for groups of students learning to sail and after school tutoring that takes place during evenings and weekends. During my time in Victoria, I will also have the opportunity to be a part of staff meetings, assemblies, and professional development opportunities. I feel it's essential to gain experience in both my subject areas (my teachable are biology and chemistry in the intermediate/senior division).

To achieve this, I will be supporting my primary supervisor teacher with preparing secondary students for their IB Diploma exam. Lastly, the school has newly updated science labs for allowing students to be better equipped with more hands-on experiential learning. My role at UWC will be integral in assisting the teaching of science-based learning materials. I will also assist in the facilitation of lab experiments, helping prepare lab materials and answer student questions.  

Learning Goals

I know that there is a lot of learning through experiences, and these experiences are lifelong. Our experiences in life make us connect information we learn and infer future ideas from them. Therefore, my learning goals at UWC Victoria are several. Firstly, I will learn more about teaching a range of students from diverse geographic regions.

My learning goal is to grow along with my students on the journey to becoming a global citizen.

Secondly, I would like to see how experienced teachers implement outdoor experiential learning. This experience will give me insight into different educational models and allows me to understand effective teaching strategies employed at the school. I can then draw upon my experiences to inform my future classes as a teacher. Thirdly, I seek to learn more about how I can connect nature-based learning to science teachings in my classroom. My teaching interest in terms of teaching/learning from students with diverse backgrounds and the outdoor experiential learning model substantially aligns with my interests. I feel excited about this opportunity and am looking forward to all the great experiences I will gain.

Additionally, I am excited to learn more about different models of teaching and various pedagogical approaches. This placement will also help me grow as a teacher as I experience the IB curriculum. I am eager to observe and possibly co-teach with my associate teachers and to learn about different creative activities that I can incorporate into my future classrooms. I sense this placement will enrich the learning experience of my prospective students. I feel a sense of excitement to be empowering future members of society to reach their potential.

Challenges and Further Questions

Moreover, I am aware that experiential learning may bring challenges with it. Specifically, I know that any outdoor activity is inherently more dangerous than teaching in the classroom. My utmost priority is the safety of my students, and thus every precaution must be taken to ensure the safety of students. Another challenge that I foresee is that keeping all the students organized and on task when doing experiential learning lessons. Although I am still in Canada, I feel I may be challenged fitting into this diverse community, respecting any cultural differences that may arise due to geographic differences. Also, learning about the school community and the city may prove more difficult than previously thought.

Some questions I carry into this placement are how does a teacher best leverage outdoor experiences to enrich in-class learning? I seek to capture the sense of wonder and engagement from outdoor experiences and help translate them into my classroom science teachings. Another question I have is to discover the best ways to make my students care about sustainability.

Given the increasing relevance of the environmental causes, I feel that it is critical that I teach my students to be truly passionate about protecting the environment.

Lastly, I have never visited the west coast of Canada. Therefore, my most exceptional opportunity now is to see and explore British Columbia through my alternative practicum! This placement will give me experience in exploring and understanding different subcultures within Canada as well as broaden my ability to create classroom spaces inclusive for all learners.

Thanks for reading my blog!