How Students Learn
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I firmly believe that every child can be successful if given the appropriate tools, guidance, and learning environment. The classroom needs to be a safe place where students grow not only intellectually but also socially, physically, and emotionally. As a teacher it is my goal to help each student reach his or her full potential by providing engaging activities that are (a) based on the interests of my students (b) target a multitude of learning styles and (c) appropriately challenge each student. I want to make learning fun, encourage curiosity and questioning, and help my students develop a genuine interest and responsibility for their own growth and education.
To reach my goal, I feel that it is important that the curriculum be centered on the interests of the students while maintaining an alignment to the standards. By doing so students are excited to find out the answers to their questions and intrinsically motivated to learn. Hands-on interdisciplinary projects allow me to serve as a facilitator while my students discover new information in a manner that is comfortable for them. Technology will be interwoven into lessons to give students interactive and up-to-date access to information. The learning that will take place will be more meaningful than if the lesson had been directly delivered, and a higher level of thinking will occur through the students’ own exploration.
For this teaching strategy to work students must feel comfortable in the classroom environment. I will work to create a sense of community in the classroom by making sure everyone is given an opportunity to express their ideas and concerns. Community circle time and cooperative learning groups will present opportunities for students to have their voices heard. I will frequently use texts and natural teaching moments to reaffirm the acceptance of all students, and the classroom will be a reflection of the variety of cultures represented in our class and school community. Every opportunity will be taken to encourage students to take risks and think outside of the box. All students will have a daily job assigned to them so that everyone sees themselves as a valued member of the classroom.
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To reach my goal, I feel that it is important that the curriculum be centered on the interests of the students while maintaining an alignment to the standards. By doing so students are excited to find out the answers to their questions and intrinsically motivated to learn. Hands-on interdisciplinary projects allow me to serve as a facilitator while my students discover new information in a manner that is comfortable for them. Technology will be interwoven into lessons to give students interactive and up-to-date access to information. The learning that will take place will be more meaningful than if the lesson had been directly delivered, and a higher level of thinking will occur through the students’ own exploration.
For this teaching strategy to work students must feel comfortable in the classroom environment. I will work to create a sense of community in the classroom by making sure everyone is given an opportunity to express their ideas and concerns. Community circle time and cooperative learning groups will present opportunities for students to have their voices heard. I will frequently use texts and natural teaching moments to reaffirm the acceptance of all students, and the classroom will be a reflection of the variety of cultures represented in our class and school community. Every opportunity will be taken to encourage students to take risks and think outside of the box. All students will have a daily job assigned to them so that everyone sees themselves as a valued member of the classroom.
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