My Teaching Beliefs
Routine
I, myself, struggle with the unknown in day to day life. I have found that by implementing a routine to every portion of your day allows for smoother transitions and calmer bodies. It is important to create a routine within the first few weeks of the school year to provide multual respect for all within the classroom. Starting each morning the same way, having a subject schedule with bell times attached posted at the front of the classroom, and structure implimented within transition periods are a few examples of strategies I believe work well to build a routine.
Treat Others with Kindness
I see myself implimenting a “Treat others the way you wish to be treated” foundation within my classroom. I believe this mindset is important when developing social skills. It is much easier to reflect and communicate our actions when we are reminded to treat others the way you wish to be treated. Sitting down with your students at the beginning of the year, and talking about the importance of being kind to others, giving examples of what that may look like at school is important to start the year off with little grey area.
Individualized Feedback
I believe that every student with any range of motivation should be confident in their work. I would like to work with students struggling more than others in small groups and individually when possible as I feel they recieve the most useful feedback that way. Adopting a productive, group work environment works really well when a teacher feels they are spread thin within their classroom. Grouping students that are gifted in different subject matters in pairs of two provides each student to work together to build on each other. Sandwiching positive feedback with things they need to work on makes the student feel proud of their work, and shows that you—as the teacher—see the great things they are capable of.
Reflection
For any growth to be made, we must reflect on our actions. During my observation, I have learned that not all first ideas work how they were meant to. Reflecting lets us consider how to approach things differently in the future. Reflection is important for all bodies in the classroom as great things do not immediately come from first drafts. I believe it is important to try again and again to reflect and re-work ideas and answers to best fit the task at hand. When discussing or analyzing soft-skilled topics, taking a moment to let students think about when they felt that way or experienced that topic and providing them a space to share their thoughts and ideas or how they would have handled that differently allows them to reflect in a conrolled space.
Communication And Clear Expectations
Making your expectations clear to your class provides an outline for them to follow. It is their first time experiencing life and it can be challenging at times to continuously think about their actions. Starting the year by sitting down with your students and creating a list together that includes your expectations for them and their expectations for you is a great strategy to communicate clear expectations on both ends. Expectations are something that I can refer back to when students make choices that do not align with the expectations we agreed on and holds me accountable for my actions towards them. Communication is key in these moments and promotes reflection and growth. Communication is a foundation within the classroom that does in fact take practice. Working towards affective communication and setting reasonable boundaries helps comminication now and in the future.
Perseverance
I have witnessed many individuals give up on themselves because they believe they cannot accomplish the task at hand. I believe it is important to be a positive role model within the classroom, reminding students that they are capable of anything they set their minds to and to aim for the stars. As a teacher, you play many roles, and I see the difference it can make when the positive reinforcement given to students comes from you. Celebrate the wins, big or small, and be excited for them within their accomplishments. I believe it is important to be honest with them in regards to their future. School does get harder as they get older however, if you guide them to understand and find enjoyment within the material—even if the enjoyment is the work being finished, it will feel easier in the long run. If a teacher fully believes in their students, eventually the students start to believe in themselves.
Technology in the Classroom
I hope to teach older elementary students as I find they are still eager and excited to learn. As students grow older, the more computer skills they will need. The use of technology in the classroom depends on the funding and policies surrounding each school. In my future classroom, I would like to work on technology based skills specifically in Language Arts and Social Studies. I find that technology based activities in Language Arts guides students at this age through drafting, editing, and becoming comfortable using a computer to learn how to successfully format their writing assignments. Becoming comfortable with email writing, writing styles, and overall typing on a keyboard are all useful skills that start early in a students life and are easily taught using a computer. Using technology for Social Studies is a fun and engaging way to teach students how to narrow their searches and navigate the true and false information throughout the internet. Social Studies is often geography and fact based knowledge that can at times be hard to follow. By using technology based activities, not only do students learn long lasting life skills, they also are more likely to recall what they have learned because they found it interesting and engaging.