In this reflection, first-year BEd student Bennett De Medeiros shares their experience leading their practicum class through an engaging and creative introduction to print media.

Introduction
My name is Bennett De Medeiros (he/they), a first-year Education student at 91亚色. My primary focus within my Visual Arts teachable is to provide students with diverse hands-on opportunities within the Arts. Grade 11 and 12 students from St. Edmund Campion were welcomed into the Print Media Studio at 91亚色 for a school workshop. As a Print Representative for the Visual Arts Student Association (VASA), I worked alongside David Scott Armstrong, the Print Media Associate Professor here at 91亚色.

Exploring the Creative Process through Monoprinting
In planning this workshop, our goal was to provide an experience unavailable at St. Edmund Campion. We chose Monoprinting, a unique disciplinary art form. While most Printmaking is defined by its ability to create repeatable images (like the everyday use of an ink stamp), Monoprinting produces a singular, non-repeatable design. To prepare for the workshop, I introduced my students to the global history of Printmaking and taught how to develop templates to ensure a smooth transition of the creative process once they arrived at the studio.

The SHSM Experience
This event was programmed as an Arts and Culture Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) workshop, designed to introduce visiting students to post-secondary facilities. Under the demonstrations and the guidance of Professor Armstrong, students toured the studio, analyzed existing 91亚色 student work, and dove into the technical process of Printmaking by preparing their plexiglass surfaces to roll and draw ink to create their designs. Then to produce their design, students collaboratively used Printing presses to transfer designs onto specialized paper and how to safely prepare the printing bed. A crucial component of the Printmaking is learning the essential habits of studio maintenance and safety, students handled and cleaned the ink and tools for the future Printmakers of the studio.

Reflections of Community
Beyond the technical skills, the workshop emphasized the importance of the shared studio environment. Learning to maintain a clean, safe space as it is integral to the post-secondary experience and fosters the loving creative community here at the Department of Visual Art & Art History (VAAH). To conclude the day, each student was awarded a SHSM certificate of my own design. Overall, I am incredibly proud of how these students navigated a professional studio space for the first time as their results truly exceeded my expectations.

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In the heart of Toronto鈥檚 Jane and Finch neighbourhood, often misunderstood and overshadowed by negative stereotypes, 91亚色鈥檚 TD Community Engagement Centre (CEC) is empowering students and fostering meaningful connections. Earlier this fall, the CEC, in partnership with the Jane/Finch Centre, hosted its fifth annual training session for students preparing for placements within this community.

The training session aimed to equip participants with essential insights into the community鈥檚 history, unique challenges and systemic issues 鈥� particularly those intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. 鈥淭he goal is to prepare students to create a meaningful impact in their placements,鈥� says Talisha Ramsaroop, community project co-ordinator at the CEC. These placements provide students with valuable hands-on experience in social work, education and community development, while allowing them to contribute positively to local initiatives.

Kinza Batool, a fourth-year education student at 91亚色, described the orientation as 鈥渁n impactful way to learn about the Jane and Finch area and address common misconceptions surrounding it.鈥� She acknowledged that before her involvement, she held preconceived notions shaped by media portrayals that often depicted Jane and Finch as unsafe. 鈥淚鈥檝e come to see it as much like any other neighbourhood I鈥檝e known,鈥� she said.

The CEC aims to shift these narratives by informing students about local challenges 鈥� such as limited funding and resources 鈥� while highlighting the strength and resilience of grassroots organizing within the community. 鈥淲e encourage students to look beyond surface-level judgments and engage with the lived experiences of residents,鈥� Ramsaroop explains.

Since its establishment in 2008, the CEC has served nearly 70,000 individuals from Toronto's Black Creek neighbourhood, also known as Jane and Finch. Located within 91亚色gate Mall, the CEC acts as a hub for collaboration between 91亚色 and local organizations. The centre鈥檚 commitment to inclusivity is evident in its tailored programs designed to meet specific community needs.

Through its ongoing efforts, the TD Community Engagement Centre exemplifies 91亚色鈥檚 commitment to fostering an engaged academic environment that prioritizes social equity and understanding within diverse communities. By providing resources such as Catalyst Grants 鈥� which have awarded more than $150,000 to support partnerships between Black Creek residents and 91亚色 鈥� the CEC continues to promote access to post-secondary education and community-based research.

Training sessions are held twice a year to ensure that all students undertaking placements in Jane and Finch are well-prepared. The next session is scheduled for Jan. 21.

鈥淲e want to ensure our initiatives resonate with the community and address their unique challenges,鈥� Ramsaroop says.

For more information, or to get involved with the TD Community Engagement Centre, visit the CEC website or contact Ramsaroop at talishar@yorku.ca.

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Gissela Avila, an undergraduate student in the Faculty of Education at 91亚色, talks about the enormous benefits offered by her community placement. For Avila, it was the joy found in the unexpected that affirmed her passion for teaching.

Doing a community placement with the Wadoka Academy, a North 91亚色 martial arts training school for children, is a joy for Gissela Avila;she鈥檚 a future teacher learning from a different type of teacher: a sensei, or karate master.

鈥淣ever in a million years would I have connected education with karate, but the academy鈥檚 founder, Colin Ninvalle, designed his programs to aid mental health; they are calming and help children with tempers and behaviour regulation,鈥� said Avila, a third-year Bachelor of Arts (BA) Educational Studies student.

Because the pandemic originally interrupted classes, Avila began by tutoring one of the students and his mother in English. Now, as the restrictions relax, she is working with a team to create a social media campaign for the academy, giving her the opportunity to learn social media marketing skills.

鈥淚鈥檓 really excited about it,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 know it鈥檚 something I can use for my future.鈥�

Avila is one of the education students lucky enough to have a placement during the pandemic as part of her Educational Studies (EDST) 3999 course, Experience, Inquire, Contribute. Usually, community placements are built into the Bachelor of Education (BEd) first-year curriculum as a way of familiarizing future teachers with the contributions communities make to learning; they are also required for BA Educational Studies students in their third or fourth years to allow them to explore education in community contexts.

During this academic year, third-year BA Educational Studies students have engaged with community partners. The placements for Educational Studies students are part of a year-long course and they generally work with their placement organizations weekly from September through April. The first-year BEd students usually work with community organizations once a week, assisting with programs that take place after school or on weekends.

First-year BEd community placements facilitate connection between communities and their schools. Community partnerships are at the center of developing holistic and asset-based approaches in teaching and education.

鈥淔uture teachers learn the importance of building relationships and engaging with community. These relationships help facilitate meaningful connections that support culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy in the classroom,鈥� said Lindsay LaMorre, associate director, experiential education in the Faculty of Education.

Community partnerships offer excellent resources and support for students and their families. For students in the educational studies program, it鈥檚 an opportunity to put theory into practice while enhancing workplace skills and building networks.

鈥淭eaching skills can be transferred to so many different settings,鈥� LaMorre said, citing colleague Faculty of Education Professor 鈥檚 capstone course as another way of introducing students to these opportunities. 鈥淥ur students choose to participate in quite a range of opportunities and programs with a variety of amazing community organizations.鈥�

The list of opportunities is long and varied, including such possibilities as working with the Toronto Region Conservation Authority, helping with computer literacy for visitors to the Yonge Street Mission and taking part in Basketball Beginnings, a program that uses physical activity to motivate students and incorporates tutoring.

Diane Vetter, the course director for the educational studies practicum course, noted, 鈥淢y philosophy is that the community is central and foundational to the relationship students have with their schools,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he community is the heart of the school.鈥�

By building trusting relationships with community partners, the BEd students learn about the importance of these relationships in teaching.

鈥淚t is important to have a professional trust relationship with your students so that they want to learn from you,鈥� Vetter said. 鈥淥nce you build these relationships, you facilitate learning, and it becomes so much easier for the students.鈥�

Vetter ensures that the placements are bolstered by theory and guidance. She holds quarterly class sessions and quarterly workshops for her students during the course. There are required readings and guest speakers, too.

One of the workshops is based on competencies, such as communication. Vetter asks the students to assess where they are in their development of these competencies and helps them create a learning template for improving their skills.

The students are also asked to keep a weekly reflective journal that they can draw upon to write their final paper. The paper is also reflective, allowing them to look back on the personal growth they experienced during the year and the impact community has had on them.

鈥淭he point is to develop an understanding of community,鈥� Vetter said.

It鈥檚 a point that third-year student Avila now understands and appreciates. In reflecting on her experiences thus far, Avila realizes that 鈥渁lthough I thought education was about school, it鈥檚 about so much more; it can be done in so many different ways.鈥�

鈥淔uture teachers learn the importance of building relationships and engaging with community. These relationships help facilitate meaningful connections that support culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy in the classroom,鈥� said Lindsay LaMorre, associate director, experiential education in the Faculty of Education.

Article written by Elaine Smith and was originally published in the March 2022 issue of

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The event, which was held at Black Creek Pioneer Village, provided an opportunity for guests to network, collaborate, and engage in meaningful conversations about education. It also gave partners a forum to contribute and share their voice in further shaping the community practicum experience for BEd students in the Faculty.

鈥淭he event was a way for us to acknowledge and celebrate the many offerings and learning opportunities that our partner organizations provide for our teacher candidates throughout the year,鈥� said Lindsay LaMorre, Community Practicum Coordinator in the Faculty. 鈥淢any of our partners are doing great work in their communities through their respective organizations and we鈥檙e extremely grateful for the ongoing collaborations that we鈥檝e had with them over the years.鈥�

Community partners engaged in brainstorming sessions and discussions grounded in the Faculty鈥檚 Community Practicum Experience course for first-year teacher candidates. The conversations allowed for an opportunity to collaborate, listen and consolidate thoughts on successful community practicum experiences, the specific roles of TCs, faculty, and partner organizations. It was also an opportunity to discuss next steps and how to increase authentic community engagement and professional learning opportunities for BEd students.

Hear what a few of our community partners had to say about their partnership with us.

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The Faculty鈥檚 unique community practicum placement gives 91亚色 Teacher Candidates (TCs) an opportunity to study communities and their schools in order to develop a better understanding of the communities that students come from. TCs learn how to access community resources to support families, build relationships with community partners, and consider the assumptions and biases that have an impact on learning and the school experience.

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