Welcome!
This page is the meanderings of a mindful educator, a sport enthusiast, a reader, a writer, a martial artist and all other things that seem to encompass our daily lives often forgotten. It is the intention of this page to outline how we, as a community, can do better by our students, including Universal Design into our planning with a sharp focus on English Language Learners (ELL's). The below few "we will" sentences outlines the vision more clearly from the perspective of the ELL.
Vision
All students will feel accepted, respected and safe in the
classroom. Stemming from this foundation we will feel empowered to ask,
speak and participate freely within the governance of the class structure. We will participate in engaging and rich
content discussions that teach them both subject matter and the language
structures of English. We will feel
valued and appreciated by use of their own culture and language throughout
activities and daily life throughout the school and within the school
community. We will have the
opportunity to choose activities and assessment methods that allow them to
excel while still being challenging and rewarding. We will take part in their own goal setting
and take interest in ensuring they are meeting those goals and communicating
when they are not.
Educators
As and educator or community leader it imperative that we look at our planning with the mindset of all students, universally, and build and incorporate culturally appropriate, engaging and scaffold-ed content to encourage all learners and members of the community to participate and feel empowered to continually participate.