Krista Belanger
belanger.krista@gmail.com | Skype: belanger.krista
Summary |
I am a passionate, dedicated, resourceful, and goal-driven professional educator who is creative, organized and thorough in lessons as well as assessment as and for learning. I have been focusing on literacy, immediate authentic feedback, integrating technology, and learning from other professionals in my own work. I want to serve my students and my community to help them to build strength academically, personally, physically, and through character.
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Highlights
- Teacher Librarianship Diploma (UBC)
- Master's degree from the University of Victoria - Masters of Education program with a specialization in Special Education
- Manitoba's Outstanding New Teacher of the Year – 2012-13 - link is available here
- Specialty areas: reading comprehension, technology, access, assessment, provincial outcome standards
- IEP writing
- Irlen screener
- Designation paperwork
- WIAT, Key Math, and WJ administration experience
- Experience in modified, adapted, and EAL programming
- Standardized testing experience (grade 12 ELA in Manitoba)
- Extensive ELA outcome knowledge, training, and experience
- Experience in all core subject areas at the middle years level
- Technology lead teacher
- 7 Habits (The Leader in Me) training
- Trained as a Middle Leadership Professional
- Specialty content courses taught: Art, Music, and Christian Studies
- Recipient of class set of iPads through Reimagine Lakeshore and Brandon University initiatives (2013-2016)
experience
Grades K-5 - Learning Commons Teacher
Prospect Lake Elementary - Victoria, B.C.
September 2019 - June 2020
Literacy: Part of my position as a Learning Commons Teacher at Prospect Lake has been growing reading opportunities by purchasing books and streamlining the Learning Commons by making staff and students aware of items within the collection. I also taught students how to use the available databases to search for information.
Programming: Working with the classroom teacher, I have been able to tackle various aspects of the curriculum for each teacher, based on their needs. In some classes, the collaboration included integrating the Indigenous Ways of Knowing, in others it included teaching about Indigenous peoples, basic math concepts, coding, inquiry projects, digital literacy, or designing science experiments. Working collaboratively with all staff members could be challenging at times to ensure their needs were being met, but the school atmosphere was overwhelmingly positive.
Technology: In cooperation with the classroom teacher, I sometimes worked with students on Google Classroom. Other times, I worked with students on iPads and ChromeBooks to learn content and to practice skills on the tablet and computer. With my experience, during the COVID-19 pandemic, I was able to assist teachers in my school to set up their Google Classrooms, create assignments, and schedule meetings with their students. I also worked with other Learning Commons teachers in the district to create how-to resources for teachers, students, and their families.
Professional Development: The majority of my professional development was in developing my own capacity of understanding of Indigenous perspectives and history on Vancouver Island. I participated in two professional development opportunities focusing on learning Indigenous perspectives and look forward to continuing to learn more. I also started a Masters program through the University of Victoria to work toward a degree in Special Education, so I have been learning about inclusion, Level B assessments, and developmental psychology.
Extra-Curricular Activities: I ran our school's Paws Picks program, which focused on boosting the esteem and capacity of students in the area of literacy and community service.
Prospect Lake Elementary - Victoria, B.C.
September 2019 - June 2020
Literacy: Part of my position as a Learning Commons Teacher at Prospect Lake has been growing reading opportunities by purchasing books and streamlining the Learning Commons by making staff and students aware of items within the collection. I also taught students how to use the available databases to search for information.
Programming: Working with the classroom teacher, I have been able to tackle various aspects of the curriculum for each teacher, based on their needs. In some classes, the collaboration included integrating the Indigenous Ways of Knowing, in others it included teaching about Indigenous peoples, basic math concepts, coding, inquiry projects, digital literacy, or designing science experiments. Working collaboratively with all staff members could be challenging at times to ensure their needs were being met, but the school atmosphere was overwhelmingly positive.
Technology: In cooperation with the classroom teacher, I sometimes worked with students on Google Classroom. Other times, I worked with students on iPads and ChromeBooks to learn content and to practice skills on the tablet and computer. With my experience, during the COVID-19 pandemic, I was able to assist teachers in my school to set up their Google Classrooms, create assignments, and schedule meetings with their students. I also worked with other Learning Commons teachers in the district to create how-to resources for teachers, students, and their families.
Professional Development: The majority of my professional development was in developing my own capacity of understanding of Indigenous perspectives and history on Vancouver Island. I participated in two professional development opportunities focusing on learning Indigenous perspectives and look forward to continuing to learn more. I also started a Masters program through the University of Victoria to work toward a degree in Special Education, so I have been learning about inclusion, Level B assessments, and developmental psychology.
Extra-Curricular Activities: I ran our school's Paws Picks program, which focused on boosting the esteem and capacity of students in the area of literacy and community service.
Grade 5, self-contained, Technology Co-Director
SML Christian Academy - Stony Plain, Alberta
August 2016 - July 2019
Literacy: Teaching students skills and to read at the grade 5 level is much more specific than teaching at the high school level. Given this difference, my professional development has been around using Fountas and Pinnell, Daily 5, CAFE, and creating opportunities for students to read for the joy and sake of reading.
Programming: Being self-contained, creating interdisciplinary projects becomes easy. There are many cross-curricular projects I have worked with my students on, including creating animal adaptations on an app similar to Photoshop. The Universal Design model is how I begin to plan for each year - knowing and being familiar with some of the needs of students prior to the year is important to me, but not indicative of how my year will be set up. All coursework is differentiated in my classes to increase access for all students.
Technology: In my classroom, I have used free-to-use apps such as G Suite, Raz Reading, and Prodigy. As the technology co-director, and being the lead on the Apple side of the school, I am very familiar with the purchasing and accessing process, as well as creating blueprints and ensuring safety precautions are taken. I try to integrate technology where possible, where greater learning can be done, but also acknowledge that technology availability is not readily available at all times in my school as two carts (iPads and Chromebooks) are shared among seven classes.
Professional Development: The majority of my professional development was around obtaining my Teacher Librarianship Diploma through UBC. Other professional development I have conducted has been surrounding technology and planned, purposeful observations in the classrooms of my co-workers.
Extra-Curricular Activities: I am one of our school's coaches for our Junior and Senior Archery teams, who compete locally, provincially, and nationally.
SML Christian Academy - Stony Plain, Alberta
August 2016 - July 2019
Literacy: Teaching students skills and to read at the grade 5 level is much more specific than teaching at the high school level. Given this difference, my professional development has been around using Fountas and Pinnell, Daily 5, CAFE, and creating opportunities for students to read for the joy and sake of reading.
Programming: Being self-contained, creating interdisciplinary projects becomes easy. There are many cross-curricular projects I have worked with my students on, including creating animal adaptations on an app similar to Photoshop. The Universal Design model is how I begin to plan for each year - knowing and being familiar with some of the needs of students prior to the year is important to me, but not indicative of how my year will be set up. All coursework is differentiated in my classes to increase access for all students.
Technology: In my classroom, I have used free-to-use apps such as G Suite, Raz Reading, and Prodigy. As the technology co-director, and being the lead on the Apple side of the school, I am very familiar with the purchasing and accessing process, as well as creating blueprints and ensuring safety precautions are taken. I try to integrate technology where possible, where greater learning can be done, but also acknowledge that technology availability is not readily available at all times in my school as two carts (iPads and Chromebooks) are shared among seven classes.
Professional Development: The majority of my professional development was around obtaining my Teacher Librarianship Diploma through UBC. Other professional development I have conducted has been surrounding technology and planned, purposeful observations in the classrooms of my co-workers.
Extra-Curricular Activities: I am one of our school's coaches for our Junior and Senior Archery teams, who compete locally, provincially, and nationally.
- Courses taught: ELA, Math, Social Studies, Science, Health, Christian Studies, Music, and Art
English Language Arts, Social Studies, and Technology Teacher
Ashern Central School - Ashern, Manitoba
September 2011 - July 2016
Literacy: I was a senior high literacy specialist, participating in a significant amount of professional development surrounding provincial exams and the changing English Language Arts curriculum. I exposed students to a wide variety of texts (such as academic textbooks, novels, short stories, photos, music, video, podcasts, television, fine art, and poetry) and taught them multiple ways of approaching these texts, mostly focusing on the three C’s – comprehension, communication, and critical thinking.
Programming: I have developed alternative programming for at-risk students, English Language Learners, modified students, and students who require significant adaptations. I have also let students decide on the direction of programming. For example, after introducing my grade 12 students to Hamlet, we decided to analyze the psychological parallels between Hamlet and the Netflix series Making a Murderer.
Technology: As the technology lead teacher, I integrated our division’s 1:1 technology plan with my grade 9 and 10 students, and two of my classes functioned as paperless classrooms. As the recipient of an iPad grant through a local university for my last two years there, I integrated iPads in my classroom to use Google Drive and Google Classroom with my grade 12 students, allowing us to become paperless.
Professional Development: While at ACS, I spent a lot of time reading books by Penny Kittle and Donalyn Miller. Being from a rural school where I was the only English Language Arts specialist, I participated in pilot marking, exemplar selection, and sample marking of our provincial English exams. My last year at ACS, I was excited to be a part of the exam creation process. I tried to take every opportunity I could to meet with other English Language Arts teachers around Manitoba to network and brainstorm with, run ideas past, and ask for feedback on lesson and unit plans.
Extra-Curricular Activities: I was the yearbook adviser for Ashern Central School and Ashern Early Years School (both schools share the same yearbook), and a co-advisor of the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance which we started my last year there in the fall.
Ashern Central School - Ashern, Manitoba
September 2011 - July 2016
Literacy: I was a senior high literacy specialist, participating in a significant amount of professional development surrounding provincial exams and the changing English Language Arts curriculum. I exposed students to a wide variety of texts (such as academic textbooks, novels, short stories, photos, music, video, podcasts, television, fine art, and poetry) and taught them multiple ways of approaching these texts, mostly focusing on the three C’s – comprehension, communication, and critical thinking.
Programming: I have developed alternative programming for at-risk students, English Language Learners, modified students, and students who require significant adaptations. I have also let students decide on the direction of programming. For example, after introducing my grade 12 students to Hamlet, we decided to analyze the psychological parallels between Hamlet and the Netflix series Making a Murderer.
Technology: As the technology lead teacher, I integrated our division’s 1:1 technology plan with my grade 9 and 10 students, and two of my classes functioned as paperless classrooms. As the recipient of an iPad grant through a local university for my last two years there, I integrated iPads in my classroom to use Google Drive and Google Classroom with my grade 12 students, allowing us to become paperless.
Professional Development: While at ACS, I spent a lot of time reading books by Penny Kittle and Donalyn Miller. Being from a rural school where I was the only English Language Arts specialist, I participated in pilot marking, exemplar selection, and sample marking of our provincial English exams. My last year at ACS, I was excited to be a part of the exam creation process. I tried to take every opportunity I could to meet with other English Language Arts teachers around Manitoba to network and brainstorm with, run ideas past, and ask for feedback on lesson and unit plans.
Extra-Curricular Activities: I was the yearbook adviser for Ashern Central School and Ashern Early Years School (both schools share the same yearbook), and a co-advisor of the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance which we started my last year there in the fall.
- Courses taught: ELA 10F, 20F, 30S Transactional Focus, 30S Comprehensive Focus, 40S Transactional Focus, 40S Comprehensive Focus, 40S Literary Focus; Social Studies 10F; ICT 15F (Computer course); Creative Reading; Creative Writing
Education
Masters of Psychology: Special Education Stream - September 2019 - July 2021
University of Victoria
Teacher Librarianship Diploma - July 2019
University of British Columbia
Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education - May 2011
University of Winnipeg: Major in English, Minor in Philosophy
University of Victoria
Teacher Librarianship Diploma - July 2019
University of British Columbia
Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education - May 2011
University of Winnipeg: Major in English, Minor in Philosophy
Credentials
BC Teaching License - October 2018 - Category 6
Alberta Teaching License - May 2016 - Category 5
Manitoba Teaching License - May 2011 - Category 5
Alberta Teaching License - May 2016 - Category 5
Manitoba Teaching License - May 2011 - Category 5
Other Information and INterests
Volunteer work: Pokemon Go Community - Victoria Region.
Formerly: Children’s Wish Foundation and Cancer Care Manitoba and Alberta volunteer.
Hobbies: Pokemon Go, sewing, weight training, hiking, biking, and dog training.
Formerly: Children’s Wish Foundation and Cancer Care Manitoba and Alberta volunteer.
Hobbies: Pokemon Go, sewing, weight training, hiking, biking, and dog training.