My Belief System
Marina Skendzic // Dr. Patricia Stall // EDSS 530 // 3 March 2014, CSUSM
I. INTRODUCTION
I strongly believe that acknowledging the importance of the individual is the absolute forefront of all learning. Learning, whether it is through life experiences or academic experiences, is reflected in the individual. Learning does, by definition, define and shape the individual. Thus, I find it of utmost importance that the individual is not simple taken into account in the classroom environment, but that the individual is recognized for their emotional connection to learning and actively working to cultivate not just more knowledge in order to pass exams, but also to cultivate an authentic life for themselves. These beliefs directly impact my classroom.
II. PHYSICAL, SOCIAL, & EMOTIONAL FACTORS
It is of utmost importance that all students feel safe, welcome, and supported. This information will help me to plan ahead, predict, and scaffold with the students' cultural, emotional, and health considerations in mind. Sometimes, it can be difficult to anticipate how a particular lesson or unit will be received by both students and their parents/guardians alike. However, with this information I will be able to plan and execute lessons that are appropriate for my students.
III. LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Students need to feel safe in the classroom environment if they are to learn optimally. Knowing my students' physical, social, and emotional development will allow me to plan units and lessons that take into account these factors -- which will most certainly have an impact on student learning. If I have students that have some developmental issue -- be that physical, social, or emotional, I will be able to accommodate them better in my planning. It is best to know about these situations in advance, so I can make my lessons and my classroom as comfortable and supportive of student learning as possible. For example, by knowing I have an antisocial student in class, I can employ the Think-Pair-Share strategy to alleviate anxiety with speaking in front of peers by letting the student know I will call on them after I hear them share with their partner.
IV. EXPECTATIONS
Peter Elbow comments on his own teaching experiences with writing, “...we gradually learned that they [students] were remarkably intelligent and talented. I can sense something deeply wrong with an educational system that made people who were smart feel stupid” (Elbow, xiv). Elbow is essentially telling us that when thrown into a positive writing environment, students will perform and reach higher standards. To motivate students to want to create meaning means teachers must practice what they preach. Teachers must be curious and determined. Teachers that are apathetic will create apathetic students. I want my students to explore--I want them to walk through the expanses of their lives and be able to synthesize what is going on around them into words that matter to them and to others. I do not want the students who take my class to give into this “enormous temptation” to be ordinary. I do not want my students to simply use a cookie-cutter process to make the grade they want. I want my students exploring their past, present and future through their writing—I want them engaging in texts actively. I feel like I may end up like that one teacher you hated in high school because he or she pushed you so hard. You did not sleep until one o’clock in the morning because you were up finishing one of the most difficult papers of your high school career. You complained to family and friends. You toiled and whined; but you finished it. Perhaps you had that experience—when, years later, you looked back on that essay that you labored so hard over and realized it was probably the best thing you ever wrote in high school. And it was only that good because someone demanded the best out of you. That is where you will find me—up in front of students, demanding the best out of them and stirring up their curious spirits. These are my expectations.
V. CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
My classroom management plan reflects the value I place on my students as individuals in my classroom, and it relies on the use of synergy as a prevention approach, discipline as self control as a supportive approach, and win-win discipline as an intervention approach (Charles). Both independently and collectively, the three approaches I have chosen to use in my classroom for the purposes of management reflect my high respect for the importance of the individual in my classroom. The use of synergy as a prevention approach, discipline as self control as a supportive approach, and win-win discipline as an intervention approach reflect my existential philosophical belief and respect that all my students are human being with real emotions that need to be validated. I believe that the use of these approaches will help my students define themselves via the personal choices they are free to make as a result of the implementation of this management structure. As a result, the end goal is that they have had a chance to cultivate an authentic sense of self through their academic explorations.
VI. MEETING THE NEEDS OF ALL STUDENTS
What information that I collect for the whole class that most influences my planning is the skill and comfort level in their academic language abilities and content knowledge. This information is incredibly influential in my lesson design because with this information I am able to make sure that the content is accessible to all students regardless of their existing levels of comfort and skills with the content. I design lessons to take each student to the next level, so to speak, regardless of where their existing level is. I take my students' answers very seriously and taken it upon myself to make sure I learn as much as possible about them in order to make the content accessible and enjoyable. It is the most influential in my planning because it is incredibly important that all students has equitable access to the content.
VII. PROFESSIONAL, LEGAL, & ETHICAL OBLIGATIONS
There is a real code of ethics for professional educators--one that has higher standards than some other professions. It is as the American Association of Educators puts it: “The professional educator strives to create a learning environment that nurtures to fulfillment the potential of all students” (Code of Ethics for Educators). I have a responsibility to be professional at all times--in front of my students, parents, and colleagues--but I also understand that being a teacher means adopting a professional lifestyle. In other words, as a person that works in the public eye, I know and accept my responsibility to maintain a lifestyle that my students could emulate. I know I am a role model, and it is my duty to maintain a clean and true image. As far as legal and ethical obligations are concerned, I also understand my duties in these arenas. There are certain situations that I must be aware of, others that I must report, and still others I have no business in. It is important to teachers to be aware of all the professional, legal, and ethical parameters because this is ultimately in the students’ best interest.
VIII. CONCLUSION
I have learned that developing a strong relationship and knowing about each of the my students is the first step to helping them achieve learning goals/objectives and helping them to meet the expectations/standards selected. The more I know about my students (both academically and personally), the better I can motivate, encourage, and adapt for them. I will make a strong effort to continuously learn about my students' in order to create lessons that make the content accessible to all students because this is my duty as a teacher. I have learned how to adapt my lessons on many different levels and in many different ways--but learning how to provide stronger and more innovative adaptations will be a professional goal that I will work towards for the entirety of my career in teaching. I will remind myself of the importance of the connection between my instructional planning and my students' characteristic when I reflect on my lessons.
WORKS CITED
Charles, C. M. (2007). Building classroom management. (9th ed.). New York: Pearson.
"Code of Ethics for Educators." Association of American Educators. Association of American
Educators, n.d. Web. 1 Mar 2014. <http://aaeteachers.org/index.php/about-us/aae-code-of-ethics>.
Elbow, Peter. Writing Without Teachers. 2nd. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. Print.
I. INTRODUCTION
I strongly believe that acknowledging the importance of the individual is the absolute forefront of all learning. Learning, whether it is through life experiences or academic experiences, is reflected in the individual. Learning does, by definition, define and shape the individual. Thus, I find it of utmost importance that the individual is not simple taken into account in the classroom environment, but that the individual is recognized for their emotional connection to learning and actively working to cultivate not just more knowledge in order to pass exams, but also to cultivate an authentic life for themselves. These beliefs directly impact my classroom.
II. PHYSICAL, SOCIAL, & EMOTIONAL FACTORS
It is of utmost importance that all students feel safe, welcome, and supported. This information will help me to plan ahead, predict, and scaffold with the students' cultural, emotional, and health considerations in mind. Sometimes, it can be difficult to anticipate how a particular lesson or unit will be received by both students and their parents/guardians alike. However, with this information I will be able to plan and execute lessons that are appropriate for my students.
III. LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Students need to feel safe in the classroom environment if they are to learn optimally. Knowing my students' physical, social, and emotional development will allow me to plan units and lessons that take into account these factors -- which will most certainly have an impact on student learning. If I have students that have some developmental issue -- be that physical, social, or emotional, I will be able to accommodate them better in my planning. It is best to know about these situations in advance, so I can make my lessons and my classroom as comfortable and supportive of student learning as possible. For example, by knowing I have an antisocial student in class, I can employ the Think-Pair-Share strategy to alleviate anxiety with speaking in front of peers by letting the student know I will call on them after I hear them share with their partner.
IV. EXPECTATIONS
Peter Elbow comments on his own teaching experiences with writing, “...we gradually learned that they [students] were remarkably intelligent and talented. I can sense something deeply wrong with an educational system that made people who were smart feel stupid” (Elbow, xiv). Elbow is essentially telling us that when thrown into a positive writing environment, students will perform and reach higher standards. To motivate students to want to create meaning means teachers must practice what they preach. Teachers must be curious and determined. Teachers that are apathetic will create apathetic students. I want my students to explore--I want them to walk through the expanses of their lives and be able to synthesize what is going on around them into words that matter to them and to others. I do not want the students who take my class to give into this “enormous temptation” to be ordinary. I do not want my students to simply use a cookie-cutter process to make the grade they want. I want my students exploring their past, present and future through their writing—I want them engaging in texts actively. I feel like I may end up like that one teacher you hated in high school because he or she pushed you so hard. You did not sleep until one o’clock in the morning because you were up finishing one of the most difficult papers of your high school career. You complained to family and friends. You toiled and whined; but you finished it. Perhaps you had that experience—when, years later, you looked back on that essay that you labored so hard over and realized it was probably the best thing you ever wrote in high school. And it was only that good because someone demanded the best out of you. That is where you will find me—up in front of students, demanding the best out of them and stirring up their curious spirits. These are my expectations.
V. CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
My classroom management plan reflects the value I place on my students as individuals in my classroom, and it relies on the use of synergy as a prevention approach, discipline as self control as a supportive approach, and win-win discipline as an intervention approach (Charles). Both independently and collectively, the three approaches I have chosen to use in my classroom for the purposes of management reflect my high respect for the importance of the individual in my classroom. The use of synergy as a prevention approach, discipline as self control as a supportive approach, and win-win discipline as an intervention approach reflect my existential philosophical belief and respect that all my students are human being with real emotions that need to be validated. I believe that the use of these approaches will help my students define themselves via the personal choices they are free to make as a result of the implementation of this management structure. As a result, the end goal is that they have had a chance to cultivate an authentic sense of self through their academic explorations.
VI. MEETING THE NEEDS OF ALL STUDENTS
What information that I collect for the whole class that most influences my planning is the skill and comfort level in their academic language abilities and content knowledge. This information is incredibly influential in my lesson design because with this information I am able to make sure that the content is accessible to all students regardless of their existing levels of comfort and skills with the content. I design lessons to take each student to the next level, so to speak, regardless of where their existing level is. I take my students' answers very seriously and taken it upon myself to make sure I learn as much as possible about them in order to make the content accessible and enjoyable. It is the most influential in my planning because it is incredibly important that all students has equitable access to the content.
VII. PROFESSIONAL, LEGAL, & ETHICAL OBLIGATIONS
There is a real code of ethics for professional educators--one that has higher standards than some other professions. It is as the American Association of Educators puts it: “The professional educator strives to create a learning environment that nurtures to fulfillment the potential of all students” (Code of Ethics for Educators). I have a responsibility to be professional at all times--in front of my students, parents, and colleagues--but I also understand that being a teacher means adopting a professional lifestyle. In other words, as a person that works in the public eye, I know and accept my responsibility to maintain a lifestyle that my students could emulate. I know I am a role model, and it is my duty to maintain a clean and true image. As far as legal and ethical obligations are concerned, I also understand my duties in these arenas. There are certain situations that I must be aware of, others that I must report, and still others I have no business in. It is important to teachers to be aware of all the professional, legal, and ethical parameters because this is ultimately in the students’ best interest.
VIII. CONCLUSION
I have learned that developing a strong relationship and knowing about each of the my students is the first step to helping them achieve learning goals/objectives and helping them to meet the expectations/standards selected. The more I know about my students (both academically and personally), the better I can motivate, encourage, and adapt for them. I will make a strong effort to continuously learn about my students' in order to create lessons that make the content accessible to all students because this is my duty as a teacher. I have learned how to adapt my lessons on many different levels and in many different ways--but learning how to provide stronger and more innovative adaptations will be a professional goal that I will work towards for the entirety of my career in teaching. I will remind myself of the importance of the connection between my instructional planning and my students' characteristic when I reflect on my lessons.
WORKS CITED
Charles, C. M. (2007). Building classroom management. (9th ed.). New York: Pearson.
"Code of Ethics for Educators." Association of American Educators. Association of American
Educators, n.d. Web. 1 Mar 2014. <http://aaeteachers.org/index.php/about-us/aae-code-of-ethics>.
Elbow, Peter. Writing Without Teachers. 2nd. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. Print.