Cristina González

Place-based Co-learner

Pedagogical Approach

Connection to Place
Using the environment as an integrating context for learning increases engagement, motivation and sense of well-being, while deepening learners' connections to their communities.

Experiential
I am a passionate and imaginative FSL educator who believes that exposure to rich, contextual oral language is at the root of language learning—whether it be one’s mother tongue or an additional language. I use the natural and built environments of school communities to implement the interdisciplinary and real-world connections of a place-based approach to language learning. Language learning becomes hands-on, experiential, and relevant for learners of all ages.

Fostering Learner Autonomy
I foster autonomy by providing primary-aged learners with tools to drive their own learning. I create visuals and routines to support learners in developing growth mindset and metacognitive awareness. Using a gradual release of responsibility model, some of these include:
Stoplight: a visual that assists in setting daily goals and reflecting on learning;
Two Stars and a Wish: a format for giving and receiving detailed descriptive feedback;
Think, Pair, Share along with Paraphrase Passport: strategies for maximising learners involvement in discussions and developing attentive listening skills.

Also within a gradual release of responsibility model, I show learners how to locate resources to answer their questions and to solve problems. I intentionally integrate technology as a tool—to record observations and thinking, to identify aspects of the natural environment, to conduct research, to collaborate synchronously and asynchronously, and to communicate with families and other authentic audiences outside the learning environment.

Learner-led Inquiry
I establish an environment of trust and respect through the creation of projects that recognise, validate and respond to learners’ unique interests and gifts. I take inquiry into the urban environment as another way of immersing learners in cross-curricular and problem-based approaches to authentic language learning. Some recent projects have included the creation of communal and individual field guides for the school environment; the design and building of an Ocean-Friendly Garden; and a solar system inquiry in which learners chose one of three ways to demonstrate their learning—a science fiction comic, designing a space rover or designing a game.

Arts Integration
I draw on my background in the performing arts to incorporate theatre, dance, puppetry, song, photography and other visual media into cross-curricular and inquiry-based projects that capitalise on learners’ interests and strengths. My collection of puppets—who speak and understand only French—assist young learners in developing phonetic awareness and motivating them to speak the language. Oral stories and rhymes accompanied by gesture that expand learners’ vocabulary and appreciation of French syntax and orthography often become the basis for movement, theatre and visual arts projects. I engage learners in artivism (combining art and stewardship) by taking them on plastic fishing expeditions along creeks, rivers, lakes or the coast. This entails collecting plastic debris, arranging it in the form of a fish and taking a picture to raise awareness about the impacts of single use plastics on the natural environment.

Contact

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1234 Somewhere Road
Toronto, ON 00000

000-000-0000
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