Shemo Gani & Tina Huang - Amplifying Agency Through Co-Teaching
How might our personal stories and beliefs about learning and teaching affect our practice and ability to co-teach? How might positioning ourselves as co-teachers with local staff help bring the rich history and culture of our host country into our learning experiences? How do we strengthen our relationships through a culture of trust and reflective practice?
Creating a trusting atmosphere where everyone feels included and empowered to learn is integral. Developing a supportive and collaborative relationship with colleagues can lead to powerful learning experiences for all learners.
We will explore the development of co-teaching relationships, professional development for teaching assistants, documenting learning, and building trust to ensure student voice and agency is at the forefront.
Participants are encouraged to attend with their co-teachers so that both may engage in transformative learning.
Session Audience:
Elementary – Participants are encouraged to attend with their co-teacher
Session Goals:
The goal of this session is to champion the power of co-teaching and celebrate the role of teaching assistants.
Session Outcomes:
- Evaluate own teaching practice through the lens of co-teaching best practice
- Develop a roadmap for co-teaching based on beliefs about learning
- Build a protocol for documenting student learning in a co-teaching classroom
- Identify ways in which connections can be made to host country culture through co-teaching relationships
Presenter Bio:
Shemo Gani is an Early Childhood Teacher and the Teaching Assistant Co-ordinator at Nanjing International School. She is passionate about inquiry, play-based learning and documentation. As an Early Years teacher, she hopes to enable learners to discover their potential by providing a thoughtful inquiry-based environment where all students feel included and empowered in their learning. She has a strong belief in collaboration and agency. In her capacity as Teaching Assistant Coordinator, she is fortunate to be able to work closely with her host country colleagues. Supporting, leading and facilitating professional development for Teaching Assistants has enabled her to have a greater understanding and appreciation for the impact Teaching Assistants can have in student learning.