Professional Knowledge

The Standards of Practice for the Teaching Profession

Focus: Professional Knowledge (p. 13)

OCT Expectations

       "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, eduational research and related policies and legislation to inform professional judgment in practice" (Ontario College of Teachers Foundations of Professional Practice, 2012, p. 13).

Curated Material:




 Van Aalderen, Sandra. Teachers, know your brain! Youtube, 2015.

Analysis/Reflection

Definition of Professional Knowledge (drawn from artifact)

       "The more actively you process information the better you remember it.  So why is it our children in school spend so much time just listening and reading? While they could be making more challenging assignments.  Assignments that stimulate them to think in a more creative, and curious, and active way.  Well the answer lies in teacher's attitudes...Teacher's beliefs and how they think about education has a major impact on how they act in the classroom and how they interact with children.  Just knowing active learning is beneficial doesn't change these beliefs.  Teachers need to understand why.  And that is where the brain comes in" (Van Aalderen, Sandra. Teachers, know your brain! Youtube, 2015).

Why the Resource Informs my Understanding of OCT standard Professional Knowledge

       Van Aalderen's Ted Talk does an excellent job in providing a platform for how teachers can continue to expand their professional knowledge.  In particular, she emphasizes the importance of teachers understanding modern developments in cognitive science and the potential impact this discipline has on the practice of teaching. She believes that teachers must increase their knowledge about the plasticity of the brain to deepen their understanding about how students learn.  Van Aalderen believes that is the duty of teachers to understand how the minds of students operate and how they best come to understand things.  It is only through strengthening our knowledge of neuroscience, she argues, that teachers can come to better understand and approach student learning.  Since neuroscience is developing field, teachers knowledge of neuroscience should be an ongoing pursuit.

Level of Reflection

       I believe that the implications of this artifact best relate to self-reflection.  According to Cooper and Larrivee, "Self-reflection entails deep examination of values and beliefs, embodied in the assumptions teachers make and the expectations they have of students.  Teacher behavior is driven by beliefs about students' capacity and willingness to learn, by assumptions about the behavior of students" (Cooper & Larrivee, 2005, p. 16).  Van Aalderen's Ted Talk is an attempt to influence teachers to reexamine their beliefs and understanding about how students learn.  It encourages teachers to continue to educate themselves on the value of neuroscience and its impact on our understanding of the human learning process.

Resources

Cooper, James M., Larrivee, Barbara. An Educator's Guide to Teacher Reflection. Houghton Mifflin, 2005.
Ontario College of Teachers Foundations of Professional Practice, 2012.
Van Aalderen, Sandra. Teachers, know your brain! Youtube, 2015.