My Philosophy at Work in the Classroom

1) Classroom Organization:
I think that classroom organization will probably change a lot in my classroom depending on what we are doing each day. I like to put the desks in a circle if we are having a large up discussion, in small tab groups if we are doing a lot of group work, in rows if the students are doing presentations, or up against the wall if we are doing a lot of moving around. I also see my classroom being filled with a lot of stuff. I like to have books around. I will probably have a shelf somewhere in the room with books for students to borrow or look at in free time as well as a cupboard with art supplies and maybe props for when we do skits in class.
2) Motivation:
Students are the most motivated when they are interested in what they are doing. I see myself doing a lot of free choice assignments where students get to pick what they will work on. This is especially true about writing. I will probably do a lot of assignments where students will be required to write about themselves or about what they are interested in. There will also be a few rewards. Parties are fun and a great way to celebrate the success of the class. They are also an opportunity to bring in outside community members to broaden the view points in the classroom and bring the outside world in. Field trips and movies are both educational and rewarding. They give the students the illusion of a break from school but they are actually having a learning experience. But I think the most important thing in motivating students is having fun. I want to try to make every class fun. I know that is difficult but I think it is necessary in keeping students interested.
3) Discipline:
I hate detentions. Yes, lets punish students by making them sit quietly in a room after school doing their homework and not talking. That sounds like a great plan. Making doing homework a punishment is a bad idea. Not to mention, sitting in a room after school, doing nothing, not so bad. And many kids get detentions on purpose so they don’t have to go home or because their friends have them. I hate embarrassing students. I don’t think that teachers should demean a student ever. It is cruel and heartless. It also ruins classroom environment forever. I think that students punish themselves enough when they know we expected more from them and they didn’t meet those expectations. I think that if a student really needs to be disciplined the best way to do it is by telling them the truth, that they disappointed us. And if as a teacher I feel they still need to be disciplined I think manual labor is a good way to enforce a lesson. No one really likes chopping wood, cleaning desks, sweeping, washing floors and windows or helping the kitchen staff with their dishes.
4) Assessment:
I believe assessing students learning all the time. I think that formative assessment is the best way to find out how students are doing in the classroom and adjust the lesson as needed. It is fairly easy too. As for summative assessments, I think that these should be creative projects or papers that address real world issues or problems. These help students see why they are learning the things I am teaching them because they have real world applications and not just importance in school. I don’t believe in standardized tests or doing five paragraph essays over and over again. Yes, I want my students to be able to take a test because that is often important in order to get into college or get a job. And Yes, I want my students to be able to write essays because that is one important way that we communicate our ideas about books to others. However, I don’t think that standardized testing or five paragraph essays are the only ways to assess learning. And I certainly don’t think that they always show what a student knows. There are other ways of assessing that are more effective.
5) Technology Integration:
Technology is great. I have no problem using technology in the classroom but only when it is the best way to teach something. I think that some teachers try to use technology in their classroom because they have been told that they need to. I think that there are appropriate times to use it. I think technology is all around us and it is important for students to be exposed to it because it will be important in college and in the work place. People who can use technology often succeed above people who can’t because it has become such an important part of our everyday lives. Therefore it is important for teachers to know how to use it and to find appropriate uses for it in their classrooms.
6) Learning Focus:
Learning should be about the student. It is a teacher’s job to inspire students to want to learn about themselves and the world around them. Then it is the teacher’s job to guide the students in asking questions and finding resources that give them answers to those questions. Learning should be about critical thinking skills, students’ interests and self discovery. This is what will make lifelong learners out of my students.
7) Teacher and Leadership Style:
A teacher should be a role model and a guide in the learning process. I am here to help students ask questions and get the answers. I am not here to lecture or impose my own ideas onto them. I am here to help them create their own ideas. I am not a dictator in the classroom. I am someone who wants to help them do well and learn what they want to learn. There might be some extra underlying stuff that I teach them about English without them realizing I am doing it but for the most part it is about their own learning.