What is your philosophy of learning?

I believe that people learn best through self-valued, real life, collaborative learning activities that enable the learners to have autonomy as they work to solve problems.  The learning space should be a safe and inviting atmosphere that promotes a culture of learning. I feel that social learning is critical for students to create multiple and deep connections.  I believe that the construction of knowledge is based on prior experiences that must be adequate for the learners to move forward.  The instructor needs to ensure that learners are ready for the learning at hand.  I also think that creating and analyzing data as students work is crucial for teachers to get a sense of what student’s are thinking and help to iron out misconceptions before they have a chance to set in.

How do you believe you learn?

I learn in many ways, but I have found that collaboration seems to be the most effective and efficient way for me, especially when I am interested in or have a need related my personal experience with the learning.  Working with others provides me with alternative perspectives, additional references for knowledge, and a sense of comradery, especially when we all do not fully understand something.  When I need to work by myself, I find that I need review a learning scenario, such as an assigned reading, then take some time away before coming back to go over the material again.  I believe this resting period to be similar to working out my body, but instead it is my brain.  Just as the body needs days of rest after a workout in order to develop and strengthen, so to does my brain.  This approach works very well, but I do not always have the time for it’s implementation.  Thankfully, I have a group of cohort members that I have developed a relationship with that I can use to ask questions and bounce ideas off of, as well as helping them when I can.  Which brings me back to collaboration.

I also need to have the appropriate background knowledge to be a successful learner.  I seriously doubt that I could attempt this course without all of my prior learning experiences.  I would be lost in just trying to understand much of the specific language that teachers use on a daily basis.

Who are your students?

I teach second grade children at Dogwood Elementary School in Baltimore County.   My students are predominantly African American with a mix of other minorities having ethnic backgrounds from around the world.  I have two Hispanic/Latino students in the English as a Second Language program.  Dogwood is a Title One school.

How do your students learn?

My students learn in several ways.  They thrive with authentic, engaging lessons that give them choice in how they become engaged, how the learning is represented and how they express their understanding.  Some students need manipulatives and support to grasp curricular goals, while other’s can think abstractly in terms of math and/or reading comprehension.  Students learn from their peers and can flourish when working with each other.  Pre-teaching and eliciting prior knowledge help prepare my students for new learning.  Sometimes they need more individualized support or will respond to remediation. Some need challenged beyond the learning objectives while others may need their instructions chunked or interpreted with images to help them learn.  There are so many different ways that students can be learn, but all of it circles back to experiences and how they create understanding from them.

How is this reflected (or not) in your teaching?

While preparing lessons I consider many of the ways students learn.  We discuss and unpack the objectives to begin to elicit prior knowledge and discuss new or complex vocabulary.  This is also a time for students to consider why a lesson may be important to them.  The objective is always followed by a “Think about it” where students further call on prior knowledge and discuss their understandings with a partner before sharing with the whole group.  I try to incorporate as much choice as possible to give students autonomy as they learn and show me their understanding.  I take anecdotal notes to analyze student understanding and create small groups with planned reteaching tactics that have been prepared for expected misconceptions.  After lessons, we come together to discuss our new knowledge and make even more connections.  Data informs decisions as to have to move forward for the next learning opportunity.

While all of these approaches above have proven to be effective in the classroom, the reality of being able to perform all of these them regularly is a challenge.  While I am mostly prepared to do everything, it takes time to implement with my students during class.  I typically have to make decisions before the lesson to prioritize activities in case a disruption slows us down.