My Philosophy as a Classroom Teacher - Essay Example

My Philosophy as a room Teacher My Philosophy as a room Teacher Developing an educational philosophy is critical to a teacher's success. Itis also a complicated process, involving analyzing our own experience with schooling, processing huge amounts of scholarly works on instruction, discipline, and classroom management, and finally emerging as a professional educator. Our personal theories of learning and instruction are fluid, changing as we gain real-world experience, meet other teachers and students, and engage in professional development. At this point, my personal educational philosophy is centered on creating an optimal environment for learning, using proven instructional models, providing differentiated instruction for students at various skill levels, and involving parents in their children's schooling. My Philosophy Establishing an optimal learning environment is one of the most important components of my educational philosophy. I can show up with incredible content knowledge and lesson design ability, but it will be for nothing unless students understand two things: that they are safe and accepted in my classroom, and that the work they are doing is meaningful and relevant to their lives and their future (Marzano, et al, 1992). Maintaining a safe classroom means addressing inappropriate behavior, monitoring bullying and threats, investigating parent and student safety concerns, and consistent monitoring of the students. This is essential in elementary schools where parents are leaving their young children in the care of adults who are strangers to them. The burden of care in the elementary school is great because students are less capable of caring for themselves. In middle and high schools, students are bigger and stronger. They sometimes have access to weapons or are more willing to fight. Keeping a safe classroom is essential in the secondary setting. Providing meaningful and relevant work also contributes to a positive learning environment. If a student has five subjects in a day, and completes two worksheets in each, they will have seen 1800 (often very similar) pieces of paper cross their desks in a school year - and over 23,000 over the course of their entire K-12 career. Teachers must include a variety of instructional activities that are "hands-on" and applicable to real life. Students who feel burdened by "busy work" know that their teachers have not worked hard to provide worthwhile lessons, and they are much less likely to work hard for or support such a teacher (Marzano, et al.). Our school populations are becoming increasingly diverse. It is also essential to demonstrate one's acceptance of all the students in the classroom, regardless of gender, race, national origin, ability level, or anything else. Teachers who work hard at this are what Wong calls "intentionally inviting" (1991). My educational philosophy also involves using a classical instructional approach. Certainly, teachers need to be flexible and consider different students' unique needs; but most students benefit when the instruction follows a logical progression: activating prior knowledge, providing direct instruction, offering guided practice, then independent practice, followed by assessment. While these steps serve as a strong framework for lessons, maintaining flexibility so that plans can change as they are implemented is crucial (Tanner, 1997). My philosophy calls for a careful balance between best-known educational practices and developing an ability to view each student and lesson on a case-by-case basis, to make necessary adjustments while teaching. Differentiated instruction forms another part of philosophy. It has been shown to help students at all levels achieve more (Benjamin, 2006). It can mean supplying a solid variety of learning activities to all students; it can also apply to grouping students in class according to their skill levels and needs, and modifying instruction for each group. A good teacher can take the same basic lesson, add some elements that make it more challenging for an advanced group, and add some support modifications that will also allow lower-level groups to be successful. Involving parents is another component of my educational philosophy. The home-school connection is critical. Parents must understand the goals, philosophies, and processes of teachers and schools before they offer their support. Studies show that high parental involvement boosts standardized tests scores, decreases discipline problems, and creates for parents more positive conceptions of what the school and teacher are like (Marschall, 2006). What I Do Not Want to Do An educational philosophy with which I disagree is unrestricted mainstreaming of exceptional students into regular classrooms. Harries (1997) argues that mainstreaming boosts the performance of lower-level students and helps them develop social interaction skills. No doubt this can be true. Almost anything can be done in our schools, but that does not mean it should be done. For instance, consider the offerings of local tennis school. They have classes for students at several skill levels: novice, intermediate, and advanced. It would do no good for a novice to try to learn how to put topspin on a ball when they had no idea how to hit a forehand. Likewise, a student who does not have mastery of basic computation skills is not going to do well in Algebra II. Instead, they will likely suffer frustration at their inability to perform the assigned tasks; this may lead to behavior problems. Also, the teacher will spend a disproportionate amount of time explaining rudimentary concepts outside the scope and sequence of the class to such a student. Instead of unrestricted mainstreaming, students can be placed in a class where their peers are at approximately the same skill level. For instance, a high school might assign students to world history classes at two different levels. Then, the teacher can differentiate instruction accordingly, diagnosing and assessing students' strengths and weaknesses, placing them in appropriate small instructional groups, and moving them to higher-performing groups when it becomes warranted. In this way, students still enjoy mobility in their instruction, and perform in a setting where there is still a range of expertise. In such a class, there are usually still students who others can look to as a model. Implementing My Philosophy in the Classroom To create meaningful instruction, I will ensure that classroom activities are well-planned and relevant. This will involve finding ways to link abstract content to students' personal experiences. A colleague who teaches high school once described how she introduced William Styron's Sophie's Choice to students. Before they knew anything about the story, she asked them to write on a slip of paper the names of two of their closest friends. They put the slip aside until the story was complete. Then, as Sophie had chosen, she forced each one of them to choose one of them to die. Frankly, this activity seemed a bit risky to me - but meaningful instruction involves taking risks. I'm not sure if I would use such an activity. But I have no doubt that she created a link between the story and her students that might not have existed otherwise. Scaffolding instruction in my classroom will support Tanner's theories of model instruction. To activate prior knowledge, I will use activities such as the K-W-L, where students share their knowledge, and create ownership, about a topic of study at the beginning of the unit. My direct instruction will be brief, engaging, and varied. Guided practice and independent practice will occur independently, in pairs, and as a whole group. My assessments will include traditional tests, but also projects, presentations, creative writing, and formal papers. Benjamin's theories of the importance of differentiated instruction will also inform my teaching. At the beginning of the year, I will assess students' skill levels and diagnose any potential problem areas. Students with similar challenges or strengths will be placed in the same group. I will incorporate extra challenges for high-performing groups. For low-performing groups, I will shorten assignments or otherwise change assignments (e.g., instead of writing a formal essay answering three questions, such a group could write three short answers instead). I will regularly review the progress and performance of these groups and change each student's assigned group as they improve their skills. Before enlisting parent involvement, I will check my school's policies about how and when such involvement is allowed to occur. Possible ways to engage parents include creating student assignments that call for parent-student interaction and using parents in the classroom. An example of a student assignment conducive to parental involvement: after reading a short story about a boy who moves to a new city and school, the student interviews a parent about a time when the parent was forced into new and trying circumstances. Parents could also be assigned to work with a certain reading group, sponsor clubs, and act as guest speakers about their individual expertise. My Mission My mission as a professional educator is to provide challenging, meaningful instruction for students at all levels of expertise. I will make students feel safe, welcome, and important in my classroom. I will provide them an interesting and diverse array of activities that have meaning in their lives. I will form partnerships with teachers, students, their family members, and the community to provide the best possible educational experience. My mission is to be one of the teachers who, two decades after graduation, students remember as a caring professional who worked hard for them. References Benjamin, A. (September 2006). Valuing differentiated instruction. Education Digest 72, 57-59. Marschall, M. (September 2006). Parental involvement and educational outcomes for students. Review of Policy Research 23, 1053-1076. Marzano, R., Pickering, D., Arredondo, D., Blackburn, G., Brandt, R., and Moffett, C. (1992). Dimensions of learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Tanner, L. (1997). Dewey's laboratory school: Lessons for today. New York: Teachers College Press. Wong, H. (1991). The first days of school: How to be an effective teacher. Sunnyvale, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications. Read More