Professional Development Day Reflection
This past BC-wide Professional Development Day, I had the opportunity to learn about A Grades 6 to 9 Learning Resource about Black Canadians. Facilitated by Maureen Ciarniello and hosted by Focused Education Resources https://mytrainingbc.ca/focuseded-iabwa/index.html, the one hour session was a preview of the fantastic on-line resource to help support educators teach Black History within our Canadian education.
Image from: https://mytrainingbc.ca/focuseded-iabwa/content/3/s3-001.html
As a teacher candidate, I feel a sense of “pedagogical anxiety” when thinking about how I would approach teaching Black History. I worry about my lack of foundational knowledge and not being able to teach it authentically or respectfully. However, participating in this Pro-D day workshop has provided me with reassurance that with this resource, I will be able to teach this important subject with more confidence.
I deeply appreciated many aspects of the on-line resource and am excited to spend more time navigating it. Some of the highlights that I found useful were the ideas for lesson structure which align with BC curriculum’s Big Ideas, Learning Standards, and First Peoples Principles of Learning. I also really valued that the resource not only addresses the realities of racism and slavery, but it also prioritizes Black Joy and positive narratives.
One of my key takeaways was learning about Ubuntu philosophy, a South African Indigenous worldview which the resource is grounded in. I really enjoyed learning about how the Ubuntu philosophy and the First Peoples Principles of Learning are both centered on belonging, community, and interconnectedness.
I am grateful to have been provided with this learning opportunity and to know that when we enter into our teaching careers, that there are amazing resources such as this available.
Amy