Due to COVID-19, teacher candidates in the 2019/20 Bachelor of Education program have had to quickly adapt their teaching and learning styles through the use of online platforms. We are showcasing some of the wonderful examples of projects created by them as part of the community field experience.

Meena Randhawa
BEd Elementary & Middle Years (Social and Emotional Learning)

What is the name of the community partner or group you are working with?

Schools and educators, students, and parents

What is your project’s subject area(s)?

Health and career education, art, language arts, physical and health education

Tell us about your project!

My project is about bringing awareness of the importance of self-esteem and self-awareness, making healthy choices, and developing healthy lifestyle habits. This project is in the form of a social and emotional (SEL) unit with lessons and activities that correspond to positive self-esteem and body image. This project also incorporates and focuses on the First Peoples Principles of Learning.

Students will be exploring their own identity by recognizing the significance of self-esteem, learning about body image and body-talk, and recognizing how healthy eating and exercise influences their lifestyle. This project puts together self-esteem, body image, healthy eating, and exercise while informing students to make good choices for themselves. This unit can be taught in a cross-curriculum format since it involves reading, writing, physical health, art, and critical and creative thinking.

Did you face any particular challenges in the planning, making or delivery of this project?

I had already planned a HACE unit before spring break; therefore, I had most of the lessons ready to go. However, as I worked on these lessons and making them into an online platform, many of my original ideas and lessons began to change. It was a little difficult getting all of my lessons to be cohesive and sticking to my original HACE unit. But I learned that the changes that occurred added more to my lessons and this project in general.

How was the project received? Did anything surprise you about the outcome?

This project was received very well with my class and with the educators at my practicum school. One teacher thought this unit would be a great way to start the year in an SEL focused way in September. One thing I noticed was that when I taught my students in my practicum class this June, I was able to take the first lesson and extend that into 4 more lessons. That was surprising because I thought I would be able to teach at least four of my original lessons; however, it was a good thing because I was able to teach my students in a more in depth way. Also, this made me realize how easily adaptable and differentiates these lessons can be.

Can you tell us about a highlight of creating this remote lesson plan?

One highlight of creating this lesson was connecting it to current events, specifically the Black Lives Matter movement. This was not planned at all and is not part of this project but it can easily be added in as an extension. Since many of the lessons in this project are about being self-aware about your differences and accepting these as positive attributes, my SA and I decided to connect it to racial differences and the injustices that Black people are facing and have been facing for many years. This allowed us to discuss race and anti-racism with our students.

Most of our students already knew about everything that has been going on the States and also here in Canada, and that made it easier to discuss anti-racism with them. Also, race is something that we should be teaching in schools and to educate our students about. Many of our students had also requested us to educate them on these issues, so we thought it was important to respect our students wishes and desires to be educated about racism and anti-racism.

What media did you use to create your project?

Google Sites

Where can we view your project?

sites.google.com/view/meenas-cfe-project/home