Self Reflection Paper On Reflection

Self-Reflection and Insight

My initial reaction to the icon presentation had me feeling sceptical and slightly anxious. Sharing something that held such significant sentimental value to me and my family was not something I had had the chance to do in any other class over the course of my university career. This pedagogical approach in which the teacher is situated at the front of class, educating other students with no written language, is very powerful. I find that listening to someone share something with you, without notes, and speaking purely from their heart, is one of the most powerful ways to receive, understand and process information, but more importantly, learn.

As I prepared for my presentation, I found it difficult to decide on what information I felt comfortable sharing with the class. I was sharing a piece of art that was once in my grandfather’s home in Poland, before he and his family were forced to leave during the Holocaust. I wanted to share my grandfather’s story; what he did, how he survived, who he lost. I knew my presentation had to be just a few minutes so I really wanted to do him and his story justice. As I reflected on my grandfather’s life, I thought about how lucky I am to have my family, my home, and to be living in a safe country. I thought about how he had lost his whole family, yet still had a positive outlook on life after the war. It helped me to appreciate the moment, the now, and not sweat the small stuff. I decided that I would tell my grandfather’s full story, maybe make the class sit a little bit longer than the average presentation, but justified it as that when something is important to you, and carries a significant amount of value to , It is important to share that value wit...

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...thods of learning. Scaffolding is a pedagogic technique based on the concepts of explicit pedagogy, which has had noteworthy success when used with indigenous students (Craven 2009).

Overall, I plan to adapt the icon approach in a few ways in my classroom, specifically, when introducing new subject or units of work. I plan to stand in front of the class and use common land links, symbols and images, and kinaesthetic or non-verbal teaching methods to provide insight and examples for both indigenous and non-indigenous students. Additionally, I will try and find a way to connect with the teaching material on a personal and significant level in order to help the students see the significance of learning. I will consider myself responsible for providing the students with opportunities to learn while acknowledging the fact that no student can be forced to learn.