My Educational Beliefs
“My brain hurts from thinking so hard.” I had succeeded! In a classroom full of students who were unengaged in the geometry I taught, I had found a task that not only engaged my students but made them think… hard. They used critical thinking skills unlike what they were used to in a series of classrooms spitting out equations and rules and asking them to spit back answers using a set of rules. Lots of Squares was the math problem and my students spent two whole class periods trying to answer the one question that goes with the problem. They drew squares all over their paper. They were eager to come up to the board and show the discoveries they had made. They came closer to understanding a proof through this exercise.
Physical, social, and emotional factors
As a teacher, in order to reach my students I need to get to know them and understand where they are coming from. In order to engage them and teach them anything, I need to structure my lessons so that the learning is important to what the students want to achieve. If they are not interested in algebra, perhaps they would be more interested in building their brain to be able to solve problems related to their interests. I can connect the benefits of being able to do math with other aspects of their lives and help them learn. Many students this age are interested in the social aspects of their day to day lives. In fact, Chris explains this is a necessary part of childhood development in order for adolescents to learn how to separate from their parents and find a place in the world through healthy relationships (2010). By allowing them to work in groups and discuss their thoughts, these needs can be met and they may find out different ways to think about math as well as different ways that it can be useful to them based on peers’ experiences. Peers can talk about the frustrations and successes that each of them have and can not only learn to connect better with each other but learn how to themselves experience both the frustrations and successes that go along with learning. These social interactions will not only help my students better understand the mathematical concepts but will teach them social skills they will need after graduation. Young adolescents are going through a time where they crave independence and autonomy. I work with them so that they are able to think more independently and solve problems by struggling through their work. This meets their need of feeling independent and also prepares them for the world ahead that will require them to solve real-world problems without a set formula for how to do it.
Learning environment
In Steven Johnson’s TED talk, he shares how coffee houses sparked an age of innovation in England in the 1600s (Johnson, 2010). The reason for this is because people were coming together and sharing ideas and creating new ones based on past and new knowledge blending. I want my class to be like a coffee house: a place where students can come and get what they crave (coffee turns into knowledge). They can spend time thinking on their own, but they can spend even more time discussing and collaborating with others. They can take what knowledge they already have in their heads, combine it with knowledge of their peers and teachers and create new ideas that they will take with them for the rest of their lives. I want my class to allow students to have time to think and allow them to develop new, good ideas.
I create an environment in my class where students feel comfortable coming up in front of the class and sharing their explanations about how they think through problems. My students see me making mistakes and learning from them and they know that making mistakes is a good thing and that they learn from this. My students learn how to talk about their thinking so that they will better know how they think and can also analyze others’ thoughts.
Expectations
I expect students to want to learn to better themselves and make them better thinkers. Not just so they know everything about working with numbers, but so they know how to think critically and solve problems. I believe that all students can succeed in math and studies show this is true. I expect them to be able to reflect on what they are learning and keep track themselves of what they know and need to learn. I scaffold so that they are able to self reflect on their own by the end of my class. I show students my own struggles and commend them when they struggle. Mistakes are not looked down upon but rather celebrated as a learning opportunity.
If a student leaves my class, only being able to work a math problem, I will not feel that I have succeeded. Instead, I want them to be able to discuss their thinking, be comfortable with struggles and making mistakes, and know how to go about solving a problem that previously may have stopped them in their tracks.
Classroom Management
The foundation of my management plan is based on the curriculum and teaching that I want to create in my classroom. The Win-Win Discipline approach describes well these preventative measures: “an interesting and challenging curriculum, cooperative activities that allow students to work together meaningfully, and an interesting, stimulating teacher who adapts the curriculum to student interests and needs” (Kagan, S. et al., 2004). My classroom management is about providing a learning environment that supports my students’ needs and interests and causes them to want to think. I will get to know each student at a deeper level so that I can understand where they are coming from and alter my instruction to better meet their needs.
My expectations also drive my classroom management. In order for my students to meet the expectations of becoming great learners, they must show respect for themselves and those around them. When this does not occur, I provide a warning and then privately ask that the student to come to my classroom during lunch. This time is spent asking the student questions so that again, I can better understand them and meet their needs. I also ask them questions to help them to understand what it means to be a respectful adult and how to discern when it is okay to argue and speak out and when it is appropriate to remain quiet to respect those around them. If my own interactions with the student do not help behaviors, I contact the parents to better understand my student by talking to their family. My hope is that the family will provide additional support in both understanding the student as well as teaching lessons on respect.
Meeting the needs of all students
In order to meet the needs of my students, I must first understand what their needs are. I study the cumulative files to gather information regarding special needs of students. I have administered a survey at the beginning of class to find out about my students from their own perspectives. As the year moves ahead, I learn each student’s needs with greater clarity. Early on in the school year, I spend time in class asking my students questions, such as what do they want to get out of life, school or this year at school. I always look to see how I can connect what I’m teaching to what my students want and what is important to them.
For English learners, I employ multiple SDAIE strategies such as emphasizing key vocabulary, giving clear explanations of tasks, allowing interaction and discussion and integrating all language skills in activities and assessments (Echevarria, 2014). I include activities in my lessons so that learners of multiple intelligences can be engaged and challenged. Scaffolding is a key technique to help out students who need the additional support early on. I always think ahead to include more challenging questions for the advanced students that may finish early and need additional challenge to keep them engaged.
Professional, Legal, and Ethical Obligations
As discussed in the Association of American Educators, I follow the Code of Ethics for Educators (AAE, 2014). This includes obligations to my students, myself, colleagues, parents and community. I see the heart of these obligations being to my students because they are the center of the purpose of education. We act professionally, legally and ethically both to show our students what is appropriate and to take care of them so that they can learn in a safe, comfortable and challenging environment.
I require students to respect not only themselves but those around them. If they do not already know, I teach them to be kind to others and to know how to disagree in an appropriate manner. By modeling good behavior to them, they know what acceptance of all people looks like, but I also have discussions with them when necessary so that they all know how to act appropriately and the consequences that naturally come from not showing respect.
I have entered the field of education because I want to make a difference in the students’ lives that I teach. I see education going through a great transformation right now with the Common Core and am excited to come in at a time when I can really put my education belief system into action as a teacher.
References
AAE Advisory Board. (2014). Code of Ethics for Educators. Association of American Educators. Retrieved February 16, 2014 from http://aaeteachers.org/index.php/about-us/aae-code-of-ethics/
Chris. (June 5, 2010). Teenagers & Peers. In Understanding Teenagers. Retrieved February 15, 2014, from http://understandingteenagers.com.au/blog/2010/06/teenagers-peers/
Eshevarria, J., Vogt, M., and Short, D. (2014) Making Content Comprehensible for Secondary English Learners: The SIOP Model (2nd ed.). Boston, MA. Pearson.
Johnson, S. (2010, July). Steven Johnson: Where good ideas come from. Retrieved from http:\\www.ted.com/playlists/20/where_do_ideas_come_from.html
Kagan, S., Kyle, P. and Scott, S. (2007) Win-Win Discipline. San Clemente, CA. Kagan Publishing.
Physical, social, and emotional factors
As a teacher, in order to reach my students I need to get to know them and understand where they are coming from. In order to engage them and teach them anything, I need to structure my lessons so that the learning is important to what the students want to achieve. If they are not interested in algebra, perhaps they would be more interested in building their brain to be able to solve problems related to their interests. I can connect the benefits of being able to do math with other aspects of their lives and help them learn. Many students this age are interested in the social aspects of their day to day lives. In fact, Chris explains this is a necessary part of childhood development in order for adolescents to learn how to separate from their parents and find a place in the world through healthy relationships (2010). By allowing them to work in groups and discuss their thoughts, these needs can be met and they may find out different ways to think about math as well as different ways that it can be useful to them based on peers’ experiences. Peers can talk about the frustrations and successes that each of them have and can not only learn to connect better with each other but learn how to themselves experience both the frustrations and successes that go along with learning. These social interactions will not only help my students better understand the mathematical concepts but will teach them social skills they will need after graduation. Young adolescents are going through a time where they crave independence and autonomy. I work with them so that they are able to think more independently and solve problems by struggling through their work. This meets their need of feeling independent and also prepares them for the world ahead that will require them to solve real-world problems without a set formula for how to do it.
Learning environment
In Steven Johnson’s TED talk, he shares how coffee houses sparked an age of innovation in England in the 1600s (Johnson, 2010). The reason for this is because people were coming together and sharing ideas and creating new ones based on past and new knowledge blending. I want my class to be like a coffee house: a place where students can come and get what they crave (coffee turns into knowledge). They can spend time thinking on their own, but they can spend even more time discussing and collaborating with others. They can take what knowledge they already have in their heads, combine it with knowledge of their peers and teachers and create new ideas that they will take with them for the rest of their lives. I want my class to allow students to have time to think and allow them to develop new, good ideas.
I create an environment in my class where students feel comfortable coming up in front of the class and sharing their explanations about how they think through problems. My students see me making mistakes and learning from them and they know that making mistakes is a good thing and that they learn from this. My students learn how to talk about their thinking so that they will better know how they think and can also analyze others’ thoughts.
Expectations
I expect students to want to learn to better themselves and make them better thinkers. Not just so they know everything about working with numbers, but so they know how to think critically and solve problems. I believe that all students can succeed in math and studies show this is true. I expect them to be able to reflect on what they are learning and keep track themselves of what they know and need to learn. I scaffold so that they are able to self reflect on their own by the end of my class. I show students my own struggles and commend them when they struggle. Mistakes are not looked down upon but rather celebrated as a learning opportunity.
If a student leaves my class, only being able to work a math problem, I will not feel that I have succeeded. Instead, I want them to be able to discuss their thinking, be comfortable with struggles and making mistakes, and know how to go about solving a problem that previously may have stopped them in their tracks.
Classroom Management
The foundation of my management plan is based on the curriculum and teaching that I want to create in my classroom. The Win-Win Discipline approach describes well these preventative measures: “an interesting and challenging curriculum, cooperative activities that allow students to work together meaningfully, and an interesting, stimulating teacher who adapts the curriculum to student interests and needs” (Kagan, S. et al., 2004). My classroom management is about providing a learning environment that supports my students’ needs and interests and causes them to want to think. I will get to know each student at a deeper level so that I can understand where they are coming from and alter my instruction to better meet their needs.
My expectations also drive my classroom management. In order for my students to meet the expectations of becoming great learners, they must show respect for themselves and those around them. When this does not occur, I provide a warning and then privately ask that the student to come to my classroom during lunch. This time is spent asking the student questions so that again, I can better understand them and meet their needs. I also ask them questions to help them to understand what it means to be a respectful adult and how to discern when it is okay to argue and speak out and when it is appropriate to remain quiet to respect those around them. If my own interactions with the student do not help behaviors, I contact the parents to better understand my student by talking to their family. My hope is that the family will provide additional support in both understanding the student as well as teaching lessons on respect.
Meeting the needs of all students
In order to meet the needs of my students, I must first understand what their needs are. I study the cumulative files to gather information regarding special needs of students. I have administered a survey at the beginning of class to find out about my students from their own perspectives. As the year moves ahead, I learn each student’s needs with greater clarity. Early on in the school year, I spend time in class asking my students questions, such as what do they want to get out of life, school or this year at school. I always look to see how I can connect what I’m teaching to what my students want and what is important to them.
For English learners, I employ multiple SDAIE strategies such as emphasizing key vocabulary, giving clear explanations of tasks, allowing interaction and discussion and integrating all language skills in activities and assessments (Echevarria, 2014). I include activities in my lessons so that learners of multiple intelligences can be engaged and challenged. Scaffolding is a key technique to help out students who need the additional support early on. I always think ahead to include more challenging questions for the advanced students that may finish early and need additional challenge to keep them engaged.
Professional, Legal, and Ethical Obligations
As discussed in the Association of American Educators, I follow the Code of Ethics for Educators (AAE, 2014). This includes obligations to my students, myself, colleagues, parents and community. I see the heart of these obligations being to my students because they are the center of the purpose of education. We act professionally, legally and ethically both to show our students what is appropriate and to take care of them so that they can learn in a safe, comfortable and challenging environment.
I require students to respect not only themselves but those around them. If they do not already know, I teach them to be kind to others and to know how to disagree in an appropriate manner. By modeling good behavior to them, they know what acceptance of all people looks like, but I also have discussions with them when necessary so that they all know how to act appropriately and the consequences that naturally come from not showing respect.
I have entered the field of education because I want to make a difference in the students’ lives that I teach. I see education going through a great transformation right now with the Common Core and am excited to come in at a time when I can really put my education belief system into action as a teacher.
References
AAE Advisory Board. (2014). Code of Ethics for Educators. Association of American Educators. Retrieved February 16, 2014 from http://aaeteachers.org/index.php/about-us/aae-code-of-ethics/
Chris. (June 5, 2010). Teenagers & Peers. In Understanding Teenagers. Retrieved February 15, 2014, from http://understandingteenagers.com.au/blog/2010/06/teenagers-peers/
Eshevarria, J., Vogt, M., and Short, D. (2014) Making Content Comprehensible for Secondary English Learners: The SIOP Model (2nd ed.). Boston, MA. Pearson.
Johnson, S. (2010, July). Steven Johnson: Where good ideas come from. Retrieved from http:\\www.ted.com/playlists/20/where_do_ideas_come_from.html
Kagan, S., Kyle, P. and Scott, S. (2007) Win-Win Discipline. San Clemente, CA. Kagan Publishing.