Lisa Gabrys

Mentorship:

• Acted as a School Associate for three SFU student teachers, the most recent being in Fall, 2024.
• Mentored new teacher colleagues, sharing best practices and providing guidance to help teachers adapt to new roles successfully. Acted as a peer mentor in the 2019/2020 school year as part of the Mentor 36 program in Surrey School District.
• Led professional development workshops at my school on literacy programming that focused specifically on literacy learning using mentor texts and student ownership of writing.
• Served on school committees focused on curriculum development initiatives, student leadership and community building to contribute positively to the overall school climate.

Curriculum Development and Instruction

• Implemented reading and writing strategies to increase student literacy and support reading programs, with a particular focus on student centered learning.
• Successfully wrote a grant to receive $3000 worth of student books from Indigo Books to provide mentor texts and promote a love of reading in the classroom.
• Enthusiastic about providing engaging math instruction that encourages students to think both creatively and critically. This was informed by inquiry into math instruction during diploma work.
• Differentiated instruction to accommodate diverse learning needs, ensuring each student had an equal opportunity for success.
• Managed classroom behavior effectively by establishing clear expectations, modeling appropriate conduct, building relationships and consistently enforcing established rules and protocols.
• Integrated cultural awareness into lessons by incorporating diverse perspectives and materials into the curriculum.
• Assessed student performance regularly using both formative and summative assessments to inform future lesson planning.
• Fostered positive learning environment that encouraged student curiosity and critical thinking.

Recent Professional Development to Highlight

• Cultivating Connectedness in Adolescent Learners - Rebecca Chaytor - August, 2024
• Gradual Release of Responsibility in Writers (Four part series) - Celine Feazel and Stacey Joyce - Spring 2023
• Creating Positive School Culture - Harriette Chang - 2019
• Gender and Sexual Diversity Awareness - Binder Parmar - September, 2017
• Resilience, Stress and School and What Students Need to Flourish - Gordon Neufeld- October, 2017
• True Colours - Understanding the Distinctive Ways in Which Different Personalities Approach Communication - Barb Kolbus - August, 2016
• Making Sense of Anxiety - Collen Drabot (Neufeld Institute) - September, 2015
• The Teachability Factor - Deborah MacNamara - August, 2013

Extra-Curricular

• Organized and led extracurricular activities such as the school leadership program (12 years), ski club (10 years), sailing trips and various outdoor learning opportunities that enriched students' learning experiences outside traditional classroom settings.
• Organized and led educational field trips that complemented classroom learning, from visits to museums at UBC to WE Day, broadening students' real-world understanding.

• Educated students ages 18+ in basics of English grammar and conversational speaking.
• Gave one-on-one attention to each student while maintaining overall focus on entire group.
• Facilitated positive peer interactions within the classroom by promoting respect and empathy among diverse learners.
• Supported cultural learning for students, both as visitors to Canada and as part of a classroom of diverse cultures through classroom activities and field trips