Section Two:

Teacher Candidate Background Experiences

In this section you will learn about my educational background as well as the limited

experiences that I have had that have had in this guided me in the direction of becoming an

educator. I will discuss my experience in grade 7, my time in the co-operative program in high

school and Mr. Phillips, my time coming back to Mr. room this year and my overall experiences

in sports and the different rolls a team has and how that shaped my interest in teaching.

Teacher Candidate Educational Background and Work Experiences

Grade 8

My grade 8 teacher Mr. Barrett was really one of the first teachers that I connected with.

He was involved in every school sports team and running any extra-curricular sports teams that

went on from kindergarten to the eighth grade. He was influential in my school experience not

only because he held me accountable on any teams I was on, but also in the classroom. He was

one of the first coaches that gave me the confidence that I could become a leader not only by

being vocal but also by leading by example and working hard, talent wasn’t the only way. I had

played competitive hockey and made every single hockey team I tried out for growing up. He

recognized that I may not have been the most skilled but I had the sense of the game and would

be able to apply it in the classroom as well. I remember filling out our yearbook bio and my goal

was to play in the Ontario Hockey League (most prestigious Jr. hockey league in Canada) and

Mr. Barrett pulled me aside and asked me why I would choose that and not to play in the NHL

like most of the other hockey players in the class. I had to think about that for a second, it just

made sense to me that that would be the first step to becoming a better hockey player would be
to go through that league. It was the systematic approach that I had had about the game of

hockey that he was impressed with. He told me that was wise beyond many kids he had seen go

through the school, and that if I am able to break down my education into segments like that it

can help me focus and tackle smaller tasks on the way to the end task. I continued to play hockey

at a fairly high level but never to the OHL where I had wanted to go, and it wasn’t even until

later that I really thought about what Mr. Barrett had said to me about the education side of

things as I was more interested in sports at that point.

Mr. P.

My first real introduction to being in a classroom in the figure of a teacher was my

experience in an elementary school classroom with a Learning strategies class. Mr. P’s learning

strategies class was a combination of five different grades and all different ages between the

eight students in the room. These students were in this contained room, that had two supporting

educational assistants as well, were there for a number of different reasons. Many students

suffered with some type of developmental delay that was ultimately hindering their performance

on curriculum activities. This was a chance for me to see the classroom from the other side of the

desk, a way that I had never viewed. It was a bit overwhelming at the beginning as the students

in the room were so very familiar with the teacher and EA’s and I felt like they were seeing me

as being an outsider. It took a week or two for the students to begin to warm up to me, but after

that period they became comfortable and in turn it made me way more confident. The learning

strategies classroom was a different one than I had ever been in, each student had a different set

of circumstances and background reasons for being in the classroom which was different from

the regular room that I was always in. Getting to know the kids over the course of the year really
made me feel invested in how they would do the rest of the year. I felt like I learned so much

about life and it gave me a brand-new look and perception of reality. My reality could not have

been more different than a lot of these students, it really made me thankful for the way I grew up

and the opportunities that I was afforded. This made me think that if I could have an effect for

the good on any of these students futures and give them an opportunity that they may not receive

from anyone else that it would be a great feeling. I still to this day think about where they have

gone to and what they are up to and how much of the strategies class impacted their lives. My

role in the classroom was to essentially to supervise the students when they would integrate back

into their regular grade rooms during the second half of the day and limited amounts of academic

help. I was shy and stiff unsure of my own abilities to lead at that point in high school.

The second time around in Mr. class room was even more exceptional than the first. The

second time was during out first semester during our early field experience hour course. I had

begun this program and started to learn many important things about classroom management and

little things that progress your day, cut down on transition time and cut down on opportunity for

student to be distracted or off task. His experience in these situations is incredible and he can

divert a crisis or navigate a problem before it happens so quickly it had really something to see.

The other thing that stood out to me was his ability to be able to get to each student’s level and

do exactly what need to be done individually for that student but also be able to guide and lead

the entire class with messages, rules and instruction that reaches all of them at once.

Sports

I would at no point claim that there was a certain moment in my life that I can say I

exactly knew that I wanted to be a teacher. I was not at home teaching my three sibling’s things

on an easel or commanding orders to others on the playground. Instead I was an active

participant in activities with my siblings growing up and I was just another kid on the playground

and in the classroom. Sports was where I excelled growing up, I played hockey and soccer from

the time I was 3 years old and later on in my life left the game of soccer and took on the game of

lacrosse. As I entered my last few years of hockey and my years of Jr lacrosse I started to realize

that I possessed leadership qualities and that there were young and older teammates that would

listen to what I had to say and respect my opinion and knowledge of the game and I think that

was the point where I started to think that maybe I could use the experiential knowledge in

different situations and through an outlet like sports to teach children.

My Jr team suffered a tragic event in my last year playing (21years old, oldest player on the

team) as one of our teammates, also a good friend of mine died by suicide two games before the

Ontario Finals. This was a sever blow to the team and in a time of need I was looked to heavily

to provide structure and stability to the team full of young guys that were at a loss for words. It

was a situation that makes you grow tremendously in a short matter of time and I needed to lead

by example. Being relied upon was a role that I took seriously, and I think that translates to the

ability to teach and lead in a classroom setting as well. A few years later I made a lacrosse team

where again I was the youngest players playing with some of the greatest players that have ever

played the game of lacrosse. This opportunity gave me a new perspective and a second chance to

learn form veteran guys who have been through this before and if you are willing to listen they

will give you some of the best advice you will ever get. I think my ability to understand my place

and absorb as many things in these situations can really help me on my path to becoming a

teacher. I like that I am the least experienced person in the room that gives me a chance to take in

bits and piece from everyone that I come into contact with and pick and choose the parts I like

and use these things to create my own targets and goals.

School Observations and Classroom Application

Best Practice Focus:

In the learning strategies class, the best practice that we consciously try and make would

be having the students make the right choices each and every day. Giving the students ownership

and making sure they understand that they have control over how much they do and how they

act. Mr. Phillips has clear communication and instruction, with every day’s schedule posted on

the smart board is on at the front of the classroom. It is easy to read and is also very repetitive so

the students can start to create their own good practices. The learning strategies class is also very

technologically forward with each student having access to computers at times when they need it

in the classroom or when they integrate to other rooms. We have the beauty of having a teacher

and two Education Assistants in the room as well as myself so each student gets a lot of

interaction, validation and individual teaching/help with anything they need.

Settings:

Mr. Phillips: teacher, Mrs. Jenkins and Mrs. Kekes are educational assistance Students

are Kevin grade 7, Emma grade 7, Kristian grade 4, Brody grade 5, Kierden grade 5, Jacob grade

5, Logan grade 3. Caledonia centennial is located in a small town population roughly 8,000-

10,000, however, only a small number of students in the classroom actually live in Caledonia.

The other students live in small communities and towns in the surrounding area and take busses

and taxi transportation to the school each day. Every student except Logan is on a regular school

day schedule. Logan cannot yet handle a full day school is comes at 9 and leaves at 1:40 every

day.

Description:
 The idea behind the class is that the students haven’t been able to function in the class

that they should be in whether that was due to mental illness, lack of behavior strategies, adhd,

home issues, academic issues etc. The goal is to help the student in the ways that they need to

stay on task, finish work, be able to deal with conflict internally or externally and how they

progress over the years. When the students show that they can handle themselves they are

integrated back into their classroom with one of the ea’s and they are monitored to see if they can

handle the distractions and actions of other students that triggered outburst or the onset of their

mental illness. The goal is to get them back into their classroom but for some students it doesn’t

work out and they will go from third grade to eighth grade in the Learning strategies classroom.

There are a variety of classroom strategies that are used on a daily basis. One of the most

used ones for most of the students is giving them agency. Making sure that the student knows

that they are going to be held accountable for their actions and it is no longer anyone else’s fault

and what happens is a direct result of the decision that they made. This can also be a positive for

the students because they have the ability to assess the situation, wither in the integrated

classroom or the learning strategies room and use a strategy that will not push them to the edge.

For example, the student may ask to come back to the LS class because they cannot handle the

noise in the integrated class or they cannot handle a few students that might set them off. The LS

room is busy with multiple subjects being taught at once and with many adults and moving parts

so if a student so chooses (and is allowed by the teacher) they can go for a walk in the hall to

clear their head or calm down. The have the ability to get a drink from the fountain, grab head

phones to help them concentrate or simply stand at the back of the room away from their desk,

work and distractions until they are ready to come back to work.
 As far as observation the students respond well to routine, they know what they need to

do once they come into the class in the morning and if they forget it is posted on the board. They

raise hands to ask questions when they need to do something. Mr. Phillips has an outstanding

control over the classroom during day to day activities, dealing with behavior issues, deciding

the correct course of discipline, communicating with parents as well as running a handful of

sports teams in the school. He has vast experience and knowledge in every subject and at all

grade levels he uses his amazing EA’s as an extension of his teaching when he has a lot going

on.

I observed a lot of behavior situations in all steps of its evolution. There are times when

the students are caught or catch themselves before they are about to be out of control and by

asking the right questions to the student (is this a choice you want to make, Is this the right

choice, Do you need to go for a walk, Do you need to get a drink) etc can decelerate a behavior. I

have observed small out breaks of frustration and back talk that is quickly corrected by

answering few questions or separating the student from the situation or rest of the students. I

have observed major outbreaks of students that leads to other students being distracted. From

students vandalizing desks to hitting the ea’s hands away from them with papers in them.

I have observed a lot of positive actions in this classroom and outside of it as well. The

students catching themselves before doing something they would have before. They also will tell

you that ‘old me’ or ‘last year I would have’ done something that that day they were able to

avoid because of the strategy that they have learned and applied. The work in the classroom

comes hand in hand with the behavior. If the student is not having a good behavior day the work
will suffer. There are lots of days that work gets done at an adequate rate and there are others that

we struggle to get things done from outside distractions.

There cannot be enough that I write about Mr. Phillips to do justice to his phenomenal ability to

teach and lead these student’s day in and day out. His nature, demeanor, knowledge and

intelligence demand the respect from his students and all other students in the school that have

had him as a coach. All students as well as teachers come to him for guidance and assistance

with anything and he is willing to do what he can to help.

Analysis (Connections/Links):

A lot of the best practice that we have learned through classroom fun boxes presentations

and through the philosophers that we read about are practiced daily in the Learning Strategies

room. Visually the room is full of aids to help the students that range from math rules:

BEDMAS, geometry vocabulary, shapes, math sentence symbols and graphic organizers. There

are several saying and strategies that remind students that they can control their behavior and

some ideas on how to do so.

Applications:

The biggest take away from this class is being able to understand that there are things that

you have planned for each day that should be a simple task and they wont get done due to a

distraction or students not understanding their work. Mr. Phillips knows what each student needs

and does his best to use examples that they will understand ex, one student loves fishing and tells

many stories about fishing but when he wants someone else to ‘help’ him(answer the questions

for him) he says he doesn’t know. Mr. Phillips asked him last week, if you were in the river and

you threw two casts out an knew there was a bass close by and you didn’t catch him would you

give up? No, you would do whatever it took for you to catch that fish. That is what I need you to
do with these problems, I need you to think and do whatever it is you can to try and answer them

before you say you do not know”. To me that was an incredible reactionary response to a student

who was trying to pass off ownership of his work. By relating the work to something that the

student really connected with really made it easier for him to give more of an effort to what he

was doing. Being able to relate to all your students is something that will only build a stronger

trust with the students.

Philosophy of Education

Every society wrestles with the idea of what the best way to educate children is. There

are many philosophical approaches that are out there, many that are followed and many that are

not. Over the decades there has been change and grows in many different aspects of the school

however there are still some fundamental ideas that have stayed the same.

First and foremost, the goals and objectives of the school is to educate the students and

the transmission of academic skills. The school is a place that is set to support all children and

give them an opportunity to have an education to grow and build off of for their future. This is

where the students will be following an essentialism approach, learning through a systematic

structured day that has a focus on training students practical knowledge and concepts that will

help them merge into society. Beyond the subject knowledge there is an underpinning of

socialization of children. The student will learn from just about everyone in the school from

administration, to teachers, principals and other students. One of the best ways they learn at the

school is through interactions with all of these people throughout each and every day, this

teacher them how to become active social agents. Next, they learn rules and regulations, they
begin to understand how to follow a schedule, how to meet deadlines, and how to avoid

punishment

The school institution has the ability to teach children many important lessons about life,

as it will about subject content. The boundary between the school and the society can have a

large impact on how the school functions. The changing culture that is within the school can

create inclusion for all students and help to cultivate more accepting students. Their role as a

student to become an active learner and participant in their own education starts in the classroom

and with begin with the acceptance of the varying cultures in the school including their own. It

gives them a chance to meet other people that have different morals, values, traditions and

mindsets and accept them as theirs and potentially take pieces of others and add it into the

structures of one’s own character.

John Dewey theory on Progressivism and progressive learning has a central focus on

learning being rooted in the questions and problems that arise through experiential situations.

The curriculum is no predetermined and has no body or structure that is to be followed. The

curriculum should have an interdisciplined approach that promotes the individual is an active

participant in their own education and creates meaning through their participation in experience.

There will not be a sense of isolation on one continued topic so the students can be active

learners as they can make connections between different things learned and themselves. Dewey’s

approach encourages the idea of student-centered learning allows for collaboration between

students for increased value and method of learning.

Progressivism has many different forms of learning that are determined by the teacher

and by the students in the classroom. With his theory being student-centered, the methods of

instruction may be different for each and every child in the room. The best practices of this
method can be the educator to really be engaged with all of the students and having the

foundational knowledge of them to make sure they are learning on a level that best supports them

as a student. Dewey suggest that there is heavy emphasis on con collaboration between students

as the dialogue that they create is educating them in itself. The educator provides them with

opportunity and what the students learn and experience is up to them.

Technology in progressivism is a key component as the theory gets away from the static

learning and is current and up to date, there must be a focus on technology. Books are a tool and

less of the necessity. They can use them as an opportunity to spark learning, interest and class

discussion and give the students the chance to reflect back on the book or article and encourage

them to create their own text to self, text to world and or text to experience references and make

the learning important to them. However, the technology might not be the route at all students

want to go and that is where the differentiated instructions from the educator begins to become

important.

The students and the teachers create a map of what will be learned together, and they

actively learn from each other. Progressivism, meaning change, is the idea that everything has

moving parts, and nothing is exactly the same from one day to the next in education. Dewey

stresses that since our environment is constantly changing, the learner too needs to develop the

ability to adapt to what is happening in the world around them today. The learner is placed at the

forefront of this process and self-growth and awareness is important to progressivism. The

challenge and excitement become that with students of many different cultural backgrounds there

will be a plethora of different learning styles happening on a daily basis.

This may be the toughest area of the progressivism debate, testing and evaluation of

students that have taken on the progressive model of learning is not a clear-cut set in stone
process. There are assignments and essays that can be marked and graded but they are concerned

with the ability to problem solve on a correct level. They like the idea that students have a say in

their grade, but others argue that those might not be fair or objective assessments.

Classroom management in Dewey’s approach is to be as flexible as possible. Flexible

seating and classroom layout for the students which allows for different collaboration set ups.

Stimulating things in the room to help engage the students and create ideas and spark critical

thinking. There isn’t priority grouping within the room, so the teacher doesn’t pre-determine the

groups and place a weaker student with a stronger student, they have the ability to pick and

choose who they want to work with. Discipline in the progressive approach can be self-

determined by the students in the room at the start of the school year. They have the active role

of creating the rules which may give the rules more merit and be harder for the students to break

the rules since they were the ones that created them. If there are rules that are broken they

discipline will be up to the students when they set out the rules, but the theory suggest that they

believe that the students will do a better job at governing their own behavior when they create

the rules.

Effective teachers in the progressive education realm should make sure they have the

ability to facilitate the learning and become a guide to the students. Dewey suggests that it is

there responsibly to be engaged with all the students and learn about each one of them on an

individual level. Find out what they like, how they learn, and what is important to them because

this is the way the educator will need to help them on their individual level. They have to be able

to stimulate the child’s process of leaning as well as support them and provide them will the

necessary problem-solving skill that they will need. The educator should be staying up to date

with trends and happenings of things in their immediate society and in the world that the students
might choose to engage themselves with. Implement the use of technology in the room and make

sure the students are aware that they have access to the use of it for anything they might need it

for. Characteristics of a good teacher in the progressive system is patience with the students,

allowing them tie and space to figure out what they want. The ability to be super adaptive to a

wide range of topics. Bold, there could be some upfront questions and discussion about some

interesting stuff (good and bad) that happens in our world. Communication skills must be good

for any teacher, it is essential that they teacher can adapt to different learning styles and

effectively communicate in different language levels to students. I think that an important

characteristic to have would be ambitious, this is not your typical style that they are used to and

it could be very challenging at times for many educators.

In the ever-changing world the school system is one thing that has seemed to never

change much. With the emphasis on technology shaping the new reform of education along with

that comes the re-birth of the progressivist theory. I think the biggest key to the success of this

theory will have to the ability to be flexible. Flexibility in lesson plans because some days you

will have lessons actives and plans that will work and have worked in the past, but they don’t

work with a certain group of kids. You have to adapt to the learning styles of the students in the

classroom and have the ability to facilitate the curriculum a different way to cover all of the

learners in the class. Trying to reach your students on a level that they are comfortable on and

teach the students how to learn as opposed to teaching them the content, the learning comes with

the experience. Life skills are, and the idea of the growth mindset is imperative to pass along to

the kids and young adults of our future. Have the ability to fail, learn from that failure and come

back ready and willing to work harder.

 Jacob Crans
[47 Jamieson Drive] [Caledonia], [Ontario] [N3W 2K6]
Phone: [289-440-0054] E-Mail: [jcrans1@hotmail.com]

Experience
Harm Schilthuis Construction [2017-Present]
Concrete Construction Laborer on industrial job sites. Operate machinery, hand tools etc.

Zen Construction [2015-2017]

Landscape construction foreman on residential job sites. Operation of machinery. Direction of fellow employee’s

Harm Schilthuis Construction [2011-2015]

Concrete Construction Laborer on industrial job sites. Operate machinery, hand tools etc.

The Spoke, Rim and Tavern [2014-2015 school year]

Western University Campus Restaurant cook, cashier, food preparation and service

Loblaw Great Foods [2013]

Cook and prepare chickens. Prepared salads and stocked shelves. Handled cash and customer service

Haldimand County Summer Camps [2010-2011]

Camp counselor.

Sundrim Golf Course [2009]

Golf course maintenance responsible for cutting greens and tee decks.

Glen Gowrine Farms [2004-2011]

Farm Hand. Unloading hay wagons, chores around the barn.

Education
Master of Science in Education [May 2018]
Medaille College,
Buffalo, New York, U.S.A

Completion of Level 1 American Sign Language

Mohawk College,
Hamilton Ontario

[2016]
4-yea BA in Childhood and Social Institutions. [2010-2016]
King’s University College at Western University
London Ontario,

-Played competitive lacrosse for Western Men’s Varsity Field Lacrosse team.

Ontario Secondary School Diploma [2006-2010]

McKinnon Park Secondary School
Caledonia Ontario.

Senior Male Athlete of the Year

Co-op Award (Highest Mark in Co-op Program)
Community Service Award
Blue and Gold Awards (School Involvement)
Senior Male Lacrosse Coaches Award

Volunteer

 Fire Fighter for Six Nations Fire and Emergency Services [December 2017]

Workshops and Training

 DASA training

 Smartboard training

 School Violence and prevention

 Identification and Reporting Child Abuse

Skills

 Friendly, positive attitude

 Detail oriented with strong organizational abilities
 A motivated team leader
 Trusted and responsible working with money
 Good communication, time management and problem resolution skills
 Hard worker
Accomplishments & Awards

 Ontario Lacrosse Association Men’s Senior B Ontario Champions – 2015

 Canadian Lacrosse Association Men’s Senior ‘B’ National Champions – 2015

 Ontario Lacrosse Association Junior B Ontario Champions - 2012

 Canadian Lacrosse Association Junior B National Champions - 2012

 Ontario Lacrosse Association Junior B Ontario Champions - 2011

 Canadian Lacrosse Association Junior B National Champions – 2011

 Jr.B Most Dedicated [2009]

Jr.B Most improved [2010]
Jr.B Heart and Soul [2012]
Jr.B Most Dedicated [2012]
Sr. B Transition POY [2014]
Sr. B Defensive POY[2015]

 Canadian Lacrosse League Second Team All-Star [2016]

Canadian Lacrosse League Nominee Defensive POY [2016]
OLA Most Outstanding Defensive player Nominee [2016]