- What is your philosophy of learning?
- I believe that the classroom should be a place where students are excited about learning and feel safe making mistakes. As an educator, I believe it is important to foster this mindset in order to help students become more self sufficient and confident learners. By teaching students to revisit problems and try new strategies, it also helps them to build the skills they need to, “construct plans in response to situational demands and opportunities,” which aligns with the constructivist view discussed by Duffy and Jonassen (1991, p.7).
- I also believe that all students have unique needs that need to be met, but should be held to the same high standards. When teachers believe in students and hold them accountable for their learning, it can greatly increase motivation in students. If a student consistently feels like their teacher doesn’t think they can perform well on certain tasks, they will begin to feel the same way about themselves.
- How do you believe you learn?
- I believe that I am a visual learner and would rather read about a topic than listen to someone speak about it. I also like using technology when learning. I typically purchase my textbooks on Kindle so that I can quickly make notes and be able to search for content quickly. When a topic is relevant to me, it definitely increases my motivation and makes me want to gain a deeper understanding.
- Who are your students?
- I have taught second grade students for the last five years. They have come from all over the world including countries like, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Morocco, Nepal, Honduras, Nigeria, Tunisia, and India.
- How do your students learn?
- My students learn best when the information is relevant to them and they have opportunities to collaborate. As an example, my teammate and I just redid a unit in our ELA curriculum to focus around immigration. My students were actively engaged each day looking at maps and reflecting on how their own experiences relate to the ones of the people we read about. My students also need opportunities to be creative when learning. When I turn concepts into songs, or ask them to add art elements into their work, I see their engagement and understanding increase.
- How is this reflected (or not) in your teaching?
- After answering these questions, and particularly after reading chapter 4 of The Children’s Machine, I have started to think about my role as a learner in my own classroom. Often times when we get a new program into our county, whether it be a computer program or new curriculum, teachers (including myself) initially feel overwhelmed with having to learn something new. I know I have been guilty of hoping it would be easy for me to use. This chapter, however, made me realize how beneficial it is to take the time to immerse yourself in it so that you can get a better understanding and in turn help your students. It made me think about the importance of embracing and change and remembering my role as not only a teacher, but a learner as well.
References:
Duffy T. M. & Jonassen, D. Eds. (1992). Constructivism and the technology of instruction: A conversation. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
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