I feel that everyone learns differently and needs to be accommidated for those needs and expectations. I am a true believer that no teacher knows everything about teaching and continues to learn everyday that they teach. Therefore, I believe that no teacher should not be willing to change to accomidate a child's educational needs. Teachers should be willing to change their lessons and everyday classroom atmosphere to make sure that every student receives the education they need and deserve. All of this relates to me because I hope that when I become a teacher someday I can be flexible enough to accomidate for everyone.
I also want to be a teacher that can blend all of the philisophical approaches to teaching. I want to be able to teach your core subjects such as science, math, history, and language arts. However, I think that the nation as a whole is dumb when it comes to current events and more recent historical matters. Therefore, I think that this is a concept that I will put emphasis on. I feel that in order to understand the present you have to understand the past and in order to prevent the past from repeating itself we need to apply what happened then to what happened now. I want my students to think outside of the box and come up with new ways of thinking with hopes that this may help with our future. I want them to get a better grasp with whats wrong with today's world, apply it to the past, and find a solution to keep it from getting worse.
Finally, I want to be that teacher that students like and look foward to my classes. I had a history teacher in high school and her class was horrible and i absolutely dreaded it. I want to be that teacher who is happy with what he does and makes class fun for students but equally educational. I think that this makes the day go better for all the students and helps them to learn and enjoy school better.
Overall, I want to be able to accommidate for every student, not just some. Second i want to be able to expand the realm of the normal teacher and include every philosophy of teaching and incorporate them into one blended version of it with hopes of promoting a more knowledgable youth. Last, i want to be that teacher that is fun yet informative. Overall i think that this would be the best way for me to teach my classes, not only for the students, but for me.
I do agree with you in that everyone learns differently and a student's needs should be accomodated. I think that even within one student, his or her needs may change over time and that his or her learning style may change. If you are able to recognize this over the course of your educational career, you will be a phenomenal educator.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that teachers should be willing to change their lessons as needed. It may vary from class to class and from student to student. Reaching out to students in a way that includes everyone in the learning process is best.
It seems that it used to be teachers would "lecture" or teach curriculum but not do a very good job of getting the information across to students in a way that students could apply it to their own lives. Having students apply their knowledge learned in the classroom on current events might indeed help the past from repeating itself.
Accomodating students and teaching them about current events that are relative should not put you on a student's "dreaded teacher" list. In fact, it is more likely that you'll be put on the "favorite teacher" list. Teachers who "break through" to students are the ones that impact them for the rest of their lives. Isn't that what all future educators want? To break through to students and impact them (positively) through their teaching methods? I know I want that.
Holli
I really enjoyed reading your take on current events being taught in the classroom. I feel that way of teaching is leaning a lot toward progressivism and John Dewey's model of learning. I think that it is part of our job as teachers to keep our students well educated as to what is going on in the world. Becoming aware of a problem and proposing different ideas on how to fix not only improves their critical thinking but it also is preparing them to become functional and productive members of society. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete-Brittany
I respect that you emphasis all children learn in different ways, and they are not the only ones who are learning. Teachers do learn everyday just as the students do. I once read a quote that really reminds me of this, "while we try to teach out children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about." I also enjoy that you would talk about world problems and politics in class. I think that is a very important aspect that not many students have the opportunity of receiving. I know when I was in school no one ever talked to me about politics or world problems until high school, and even then it was just in passing. I think you have some really great ideas for your classroom, and your students will learn a lot!!
ReplyDelete-Marisa Smederovac
On your part about making class more enjoyable and still educational, I definitely agree with this idea based on what I have seen from class observations. Last semester I was placed at Alton High School in a history class, and the teacher worked to build a professional relationship with his class. He told me that, as a teacher, if you work to try to make yourself seem "more real" as opposed to simply a voice rambling about something, the students will be far more engaged in class and will learn, from what he said, "10x more" than if the teacher did not build that relationship. He also stressed that it is important to be fair, but firm.
ReplyDelete-Aaron Werths
Sounds good overall, but needs a bit more specificity about the philosophy's of ed, based on readings -integrated with your experience.
ReplyDelete