Artifact 2

Social Justice

TEP Program Value

TEP believes that educators must be open to and respectful of diversity and difference. Educators require the ability to see beyond their own ways of defining the world and to be advocates of social justice and the inclusive classroom. A high value is placed on the ethical responsibilities of educators.

In my Canada unit one of the PLO's that I focused on was understanding the characteristics of Canadian society. In our social justice class with Awneet at the beginning of our TEP program we had done an activity with identity bags. She explained that this was a great way to get students thinking about the world around them. At a young age level children are still very self centered so doing identity is a great way to get students think about other cultures in society. Culture is a very broad term for students to understand, so starting with a very small focus and than broadening the scope is more effective. 

I prepared the students to share their identity bags by explaining to them on the Friday before what they would need to do, and what we would be using it for. I sent a note home for the parents so they could help prepare their children with stories about their heritage. I liked that this would spark a conversation at home for students about their culture. The students were asked to have three objects that would fit inside a brown paper bag to share. The students returned on Monday and at the start of our lesson we sat in a circle at the carpet and I modeled how to share their identity bags. The students got into their own groups and shared their bags with each other. For each item they explained what it represented about their culture/heritage or themselves. After sharing their identity bags we moved on to discussing different cultures in an expert jigsaw activity. The kids were very excited to learn about the different cultures that are represented, it was a brief snippet of the mosaic of Canada, and make connections to their own cultures. 

Canada has become a very multicultural nation, specifically in the Fraser Valley and GVRD. As a teacher I want to make sure that I address multiculturalism, and make students aware of their own identity. This lesson was an excellent opportunity for me to help students open their eyes to the difference and similarities of their classmates. I also believe it is important to start this process of acceptance and awareness as soon as possible. Although the PLO did not specify looking at individual heritage, I thought this was a perfect way to begin understanding by looking at those around us.