Education professor Catherine Vanner says it is a privilege to learn from her students sharing their research and life experiences.

Now students training to become teachers in elementary classrooms have collected video, audio, and text-based essays in an e-book. Classroom Practice in 2022 covers a range of issues, including bullying; mental health; teacher-student relationships; trauma-informed pedagogy; and equity, diversity, and inclusion.

“I am excited that, through this project, the knowledge contained in their assignments becomes accessible to each other and to the broader public,” says Dr. Vanner. “They emphasize common themes such as mutual respect, teacher reflexivity, and community within creative presentations that convey their enthusiasm for effective and inclusive teaching.”

The project grew out of her “Classroom Practice” course for primary and junior teacher candidates and offers practical strategies for teachers in Ontario classrooms.

“I invite anyone to dive into these chapters and learn from these works that began as conversations in our class but have been taken much further through the students’ extensive research, personal insights, and hard work,” Vanner says.

The book is available free through the eCampus Ontario open library.