Standard 6: Educators demonstrate a broad knowledge base and an understanding of areas they teach.
As a teacher, you should be knowledgeable in the field you will be teaching, and have the skills to pass on that knowledge to your students. This involves having strong communication skills, and being able to connect to your students in a meaningful way. It’s not enough to just know the topics in your area of expertise, its about understanding the methodologies and how to present that to your students in a way that they can understand. If you’re an elementary teacher, there is a large number of subjects that you need have an understanding of. You also need to be confident and secure in the way you teach these subjects to your students, that shows them that you capable of showing them something they might not understand well.
A teacher should not only teach from their perspective; many different perspectives should be included in order for your students to have a better understanding of the world around them. Since we are in Canada, First Nations, Inuit, and Metis perspectives should be included in daily teachings because it’s important to include perspectives that were once disregarded. Teachers should also include the perspective of their students when teaching, as it can provide an insight onto how the students are feeling about their learning. A teacher helps students learn about empathy and respect for each other through lessons and daily interactions with the class.
Photo credit: Maddie Corbett, 2022.