I picked two presentations to look at that I believe are not only relevant for my PSII placement but are universally relevant. The first presentation was based on the mental health of students which is important to be aware of in all grades and in all types of schools. The second presentation was based around cultural diversity tackling both sides of the coin, how to effectively incorporate culturally diversity in a very ethnically diverse classroom and in a homogenously white classroom/school. Both of these presentations were rich in well researched information and provide very good suggestions and strategies for tackling these subjects in the classroom. I think that both also did a brilliant job of covering what may concern teacher in regard…show more content… What was super helpful was the attention given to the new Teacher Quality Standards (TQS) that are rolling out and how our responsibility as a teacher is changing on the topic of mental health. Clearly outlining the difference between mental health and mental illness was very important to make as sometimes I think they can be confused as synonymous. One thing I would have really liked to have seen in this presentation was specific programs that are available as the programs they listed they were vague. However, I understand as the presentation stated, mental health programs are very different in nature and there is not one specific strategy or program that is used universally. Nonetheless it would have been beneficial if they went into detail about a couple programs or strategies that schools in Lethbridge are using to show an example of what kind of materials are out there and can be used. This is a massive topic that can only be covered in reasonable depth, especially with only two people in the group and I do truly appreciate their…show more content… I especially liked that a large portion of this project covered how to handle classes and schools that do not have a lot or any cultural diversity. For my PSII I have been placed in a rural community that lacks cultural diversity as well as I grew up in a community that was very 'white' so this topic is very relevant for me. I believe it is very important that we instill the value of learning about other students and their culture in an authentic manner. Students need to be able to understand different perspectives and the context of those perspectives, encouraging students to listen and understand regardless if they agree or not. I wondered what this looks like at a school wide approach or even a district wide approach as this would be no doubt the most effective
