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Prime Minister ’ s Award
Joanna Sanders Bobiash
2010-2011 Prime Minister ’ s Awards for Teaching Excellence
Graduate of the University of Regina , Faculty of Education ’ s Baccalauréat én éducation program ( 05 ), Joanna Sanders Bobiash , is the recipient of the Prime Minister ’ s Awards for Teaching Excellence . The Governor General ’ s Awards for Excellence is Canada ’ s way of recognizing our best teachers , promote what they have achieved , and share their innovative and successful teaching practices .
Joanna is currently a teacherlibrarian and Grade 6-8 teacher at École Wilfrid Walker School . She has 7 years of teaching experience .
Interview with Joanna
Describe a teaching moment especially encouraging for you .
I love to see a student get excited about learning , when they can explain what they have learned , how they learned it , and what they would do better next time to improve their learning . Learning is for life . It is essential that we develop critical thinking in our students so that they can look at the world around them , question what they are seeing , and then embark on their own solutions for our world ’ s problems .
What is your ‘ guiding thought ’ when it comes to teaching and students ?
It is possible to get all students excited about learning . Some get excited right away , while others are a challenge . To reach all students in my class , it is essential to seek out and understand each student ’ s interests and learning style and have them understand them as well . Giving students options and the ability to make informed choices about their learning are important to their success as learners . They will become much more engaged in what we are learning about if they feel that they have made the choice to learn about it .
What would you like to say to encourage other teachers ?
Take risks with your students and learn along with them . Many teachers I know feel that they need to be the expert , that information only comes from one source , from themselves to the students . I find if you spend the time helping students to understand how they learn and why they learn the way they do , they become much better learners . If they get to see you as a facilitator of learning , and that you are still learning yourself , they will have a wonderful role model for life-long learning .
Was there anything specific about your education at the U of R that has contributed to your success as a teacher ?
The opportunities given by the U of R to go out in the field as a pre-intern and intern contributed the most to my success as a teacher . I got to work with real students and receive constructive feedback on my teaching . It helped me grow as a learner and as a teacher because it gave me practical experience and confidence to grow into my profession .