Professional Practice

The Standards of Practice for the Teaching Profession

Focus: Professional Practice

OCT Expectations

       "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" (Ontario College of Teachers Foundations of Professional Practice, 2012, p. 13).

Curated Material



Sanchez, Diana. Differentiated Classroom Instruction. Youtube, 2015.

Analysis/Reflection

Definition of Professional Practice (Drawn from video)

       Sanchez provides a good analogy of what it means to implement professional practice when she defines differentiated instruction.  She defines differentiated instruction as: "adapting content, process, or product according to a specific students readiness interest or learning profile" (Sanchez, 2015). To my mind, this definition of differentiated instruction coincides aptly with the requirement of professional practice which demands "appropriate pedagogy, assessment and evaluation...responding to the needs of individual students"  (Ontario College of Teachers Foundations of Professional Practice, 2012, p. 13).

Why the Resource Informs my Understanding of the OCT standard Professional Practice

       This resource helps to expand my understanding of the OCT standard Professional Practice because it acts as an exemplar of professional practice.  That is, Sanchez's demonstration and promotion of differentiated instruction is consistent with instructional strategies that adhere to Professional Practice as defined by OCT.  Sanchez provides an excellent example of how differentiated instruction can be implemented to improve instruction and learning.  Differentiated instruction responds to the needs and interests of students and is therefore a positive application of the professional practice of teaching.

Level of Reflection

       I believe that this artifact best exemplifies pedagogical reflection.  Pedagogical reflection as defined by Cooper and Larrivee is described as: "striv(ing) to understand the theoretical basis for classroom practice and to foster consistency between espoused theory...and theory-in-use" (Cooper & Larrivee, 2005, 14).  Sanchez's instructional video on how to incorporate differentiated instruction with teaching practice provides a bridge between understanding differentiated instruction in theory and applying it in practice.

References

Cooper, James M., Larrivee, Barbara. An Educator's Guide to Teacher Reflection. Houghton Mifflin, 2005.
Ontario College of Teachers Foundations of Professional Practice, 2012.
Sanchez, Diana. Differentiated Classroom Instruction. Youtube, 2015.