Curating My Experience

Katic (2015)©. Enjoying the First Snowfall
Burlington Festival of Lights.

Hello Everyone,

My name is Kathlene Katic and I am a student teacher candidate at Brock University. I am a graduate from McMaster University, an avid cook and baker, and I am constantly on the go with different physical activities, whether that be seasonal (ex. Skiing or wake surfing), or year long (ex. Gyming or walking my dogs). I believe in order to have a healthy mind, one must have a healthy body, and it is this value, amongst many other healthy core values, I hope to one day instil in my students.

I enjoy every season that Canada has to offer, and I am constantly outside enjoying the variation in weather! When I'm not landscaping or participating in some sort of sport, a walk outside is enough to clear the mind, especially when studying! For example, the Burlington Festival Lights is a great way to get outside in the winter! In addition to being an active, outdoor enthusiastic, my family and friends are just as important to me; they are almost always with me when I am creating my fondest memories, and I would not be where I am today without them.

Katic, K (2015)©. Summer and Fall Memories of 2015
Left to Right: Me, my little sister, me, my lovely cousin, and me at the cottage.

Now that you have a bit of a background on me, I am going to explain what exactly the purpose for this blog is! As part of an assignment for Teaching in the Ontario Context, we are required to demonstrate our understandings of 5 of the 11 OCT Standards of teaching. Below, I have listed the 11 standards:

The Ethical Standards for Teaching Are:

• Care: "The ethical standard of Care includes compassion, acceptance, interest and insight for developing students' potential. Members express their commitment to students' well-being and learning through positive influence, professional judgement and empathy in practice."
• Trust: "The ethical standard of Trust embodies fairness, openness and honesty. Members' professional relationships with students, colleagues, parents, guardians and the public are based on trust."
• Respect: "Intrinsic to the ethical standard of Respect are trust and fair-mindedness. Members honour human dignify, emotional wellness and cognitive development. In their professional practice, they model respect for spiritual and cultural values, social justice, confidentiality, freedom, democracy and the environment."
• Integrity: "Honesty, reliability and moral action are embodied in the ethical standard of Integrity. Continual reflection assists members in exercising integrity in their professional commitments and responsibilities."

The Standards of Practice for the Teaching Profession Are:

• Commitment to Students and Student Learning: "Members are dedicated in their care and commitment to students. They treat students equitably and with respect and are sensitive to factors that influence individual student learning. Members facilitate the development of students as contributing citizens of Canadian society."
• Leadership in Learning Communities: "Members promote and participate in the creation of collaborative, safe and supportive learning communities. They recognize their shared responsibilities and leadership roles in facilitating student success. Members maintain and uphold the principles of the ethical standards in these learning communities." 
• Ongoing Professional Learning: "Members recognize that a commitment to ongoing professional learning is integral to effective practice and to student learning. Professional practice and self-directed learning are informed by experience, research, collaboration and knowledge."
• Professional Knowledge: "Members strive to be current in their professional knowledge and recognize its relationship to practice. They understand and reflect on student development, learning theory, pedagogy, curriculum, ethics, educational research and related policies and legislation to inform professional judgement in practice."
• Professional Practice: "Members apply professional knowledge and experience to promote student learning. They use appropriate pedagogy, assessment and evaluation, resources and technology in planning for and responding to the needs of individual students and learning communities. Members refine their professional practice through ongoing inquiry, dialogue and reflection."

In my blog, the 5 of the 11 OCT standards I will be reflecting on are trust, care, respect, integrity and knowledge. As such, feel free to explore any of my tabs created on my blog, and post any questions or comments! I will be sure to reply to you. Any suggestions for teaching in the classroom are also extremely helpful!

Additionally, to the right I have included an image of one of the most useful resources I have. What Great Teachers Do Differently by Todd Whitaker has amazing strategies on what teachers can do to be the best educators they can be. Enjoy!

References
OCT (2015). OCT Standards of Teaching Practice. Retrieved https://www.oct.ca/-/media/PDF/Standards%20Poster/standards_flyer_e.pdf