My philosophy of teaching and education is based on the belief that education is there to support, build and extend the knowledge and skills that students bring with them to school. Supporting, building and extending students knowledge and skills through education provides students with the opportunity to be successful and contributing community members, who live safe and happy lives.
An important element of being a teacher is acknowledging that each student in the classroom brings with them different learning experiences and prior knowledge. The unique and different experiences that each student has ultimately effects how the student interprets and receives the information you are teaching them. Constructivists believe that ‘all learning is born out of what we already know’ (Reyes & Vallone, 2007, p. 31) rather than teachers creating new knowledge for students. In a constructivist classroom students work and support each other as they use a range of resources in a guided pursuit of learning goals and problem solving activities (Wilson, 1996, p. 5). Acting as a facilitator allows students to contribute their prior knowledge and experiences to the subject whilst being scaffolded by the teacher to reach the learning goals. Through active involvement, concrete materials, authentic tasks and links to real life materials, student’s knowledge and skills can be scaffolded and developed to meet learning intentions and goals.
Professional Knowledge
Piaget’s cognitive development theory underpins a constructivist classroom. Piaget claimed that children passed through a series of stages in relation to the maturity of their thinking (Sutherland, 1992, p. 8). As children progress through these stages they demonstrate new intellectual abilities and develop increasingly complex ideas and understandings of the world. Piaget believed that these stages were symbolic of the development of student’s mental processes and ultimately contributed to the way students learnt. It is important as a teacher that we present content to the class that is a reflection of and consistent with the development level of the learners because if it is not it is irrelevant to that learner. Piaget believed that children were not limited to receiving information but actively created their own through the formation and re-formation of ideas in their mind as they interact with the world (Talay & Ap, 2005, p. 62). As a teacher it is important to be aware that each individual student brings with them different schema. Each student’s pre-existing schema will vary and the information you present to them will be received differently. Some students may assimilate the information being given to them with pre-existing schema where as others may have to accommodate this new information by altering their pre-existing schema. As a teacher it is vital to have an understanding of students knowledge and prior experiences on topics so you can scaffold and differentiate work appropriately. Changing the pace, level, or kind of instruction to accommodate for different learner’s needs and learning styles gives all students in the class the best possible chance of learning.
Vygotsky believed that social interaction plays a vital role in the development of cognition (Salking, 2004, p. 278) and identified that students come to school with a zone of proximal development. This zone of proximal development identifies what a student can accomplish independently and what they can accomplish with the help from a more knowledgeable other (Hoffnung, Hoffnung, Seifert, Burton Smith, & Hine, 2010, pp. 45-46). Collaborative learning occurs outside of the child’s zone of proximal development, when a more knowledgeable other is present and scaffolding can be applied.
Both Piaget and Vygotsky’s theories acknowledge that students come to school with pre-exisiting schema that students use to reinforce old knowledge or adjust to create new knowledge. Piaget and Vygotksky both support the notion that teachers build on from this schema and do not create new knowledge. Inquiry based learning is important in both of these theories as students draw on past experiences and existing knowledge to discover facts. Through exploration, manipulation and interaction with the world students are able to discover and see results for themselves.
Vygotsky’s collaborative learning is similar to Bandura’s social learning theory, that people learn from one another through observation, imitation and modelling (from a more knowledgeable other). Bandura discusses the importance of self-efficacy, that it is the belief in one’s ability to achieve in a given area (Woolfolk & Margetts, 2010, p. 393), as to whether students will attempt or not attempt to achieve goals, tasks or challenges. It is important as teachers to model good self-efficacy as it creates an environment and atmosphere within the class where students strive for achievement and mastery.
Professional Practice
The teaching and learning cycle ultimately guides my teaching as it allows me to question what I want my students to know and how my students will get there. Through continual assessment I am able to see at what levels my students are at so I can appropriately plan out what I want my students to learn, how they are going to learn this, whether my students have learnt this (after teaching them) and what they need to know if they haven’t learnt it.
Prior to programming I will review old data on students and do diagnostic tests (such as KWL charts) so that I am aware of what stages my students are at. Being aware of what stages my students are at will allow me to differentiate work for students who may be below average or above average learners. Aligning the differentiated work with the syllabus content and outcomes through modification of content, modification of processes and individual learning plans, I believe will get them to the outcome they need to achieve.
Throughout units of work I will be flexible in my approach to programming so that the content is beneficial to students learning needs. I will continually assess students informally during lessons by questioning and checking for understanding. Informally assessing students will give me and indication of students knowledge and will help me specifically target teach areas that students lack understanding in. Through formative and summative assessment of students I will be able to get an indication as to whether students have mastered the topic or if areas need to be retaught. I will formally assess students through criteria based activities.
I believe that it is important that teachers are aware of individual learning styles within their class. These learning styles should be considered and implemented with the content and activities you are teaching students so that the content is beneficial to all students in the class.
I will base the design of my learning activities off of Bloom’s taxonomy. Planning questions and activities that promote various kinds of thinking challenges students to higher- order think.
Classroom management-
I believe that the nature of children varies depending on whether they feel they belong to a group. Alfred Adler believed that students ‘all have one basic desire and goal: to belong and to feel significant’ (McDonald, 2013, p. 39) and if this desire is not satisfied, their behaviour will be a reflection of these feelings. Teachers can gain this sense of belonging in the classroom through developing personal relationships with their students instead of demanding trust and respect in an autocratic manner. Research has shown that a ‘good’ teacher according to students is someone who is interested in them and what they are doing and who is there for them personally and academically (McDonald, 2013, p. 40). Personal connections with students will change their attitudes and behaviours towards school and often develop a connection to the school community (McDonald, 2013, p. 41). Although rules can be set in classrooms to minimise behaviour, it does not mean that students will follow them and be responsible for them. I believe as teachers we have a responsibility to create an environment where students are taught to be responsible for their behaviour. Behaviour needs to be guided by expectations and personal growth rather than punishment and reward systems. Taking the focus off of punishment and reward means the classroom is no longer about maintaining obedience but rather a needs-based or resilient-based intervention that will build on the students’ capacity to self-manage and grow in autonomy (McDonald, 2013, pp. 121-122). Misbehaviour or mistakes should be presented as learning opportunities to students and ‘are a positive part of the learning process when set within a supportive learning community’ (McDonald, 2013, p. 137).
According to Porter’s continuum the teaching style that suits my philosophy is the mixed theories. These theories are situated in the middle of the continuum meaning that mixed theories are neither Autocratic or Laissez-faire.
Similarities and summary of my philosophy: - Motivated by completing needs. - Behaviour is not disciplined but taught (long lasting approach). - Respect is gained through student teacher relationships not through being an authority figure. In all of these theories, students needs need to be met in order for students to develop their behavioural maturity further. - Restraining and manipulating thinking to change students reactions and behaviours. - Behaviour is intrinsic. - Teaches self discipline and regulation. - Reinforcement when skills displayed.
My classroom will reflect my philosophy and the theory of discipline that I have chosen and what I say and do in the classroom will reflect my beliefs about the ‘practice od discipline’ as McDonald states (McDonald, 2013, p. 291). In regards to classroom behaviour I believe that it develops in stages; the beginning of the year, and the rest of the year. I believe that the beginning of the year is the ‘prevention’ stage. Prevention allows for the teacher to reduce initial misbehaviour and stop conflict from escalating (McDonald, 2013, p. 292). Student behaviour in this stage is managed in an authoritarian style until students can display self-regulation. This stage is vital in expecting students to follow expectations about the environment of the class, following class rules and developing relationships with students.
The Positive Learning Framework (McDonald, 2013, p. 4) is a framework that outlines a range of preventative strategies aimed at developing a quality-learning environment. As a teacher it is important to be aware of how we are feeling and how our actions may be presented to students. These actions whether they are positive or negative effect the classrooms environment and our relationships with students. Recognising how you are feeling before entering the classroom or conflict with a student helps to acknowledge what is happening and how you can deal with the situation in a more positive manner (McDonald, 2013, p. 293).
In my philosophy I talk about developing a sense of belonging within my classroom. The strategies I would use to do this include: being welcoming, friendly, enthusiastic, fun, passionate, respectful and organised. I believe that the first step in making a student feel like they belong is being welcoming. his means disregarding any previous experiences with them and being happy to see them and interested in what they are passionate about.
I want students to understand that in the classroom I am the authority figure and that I am in charge, but it is also a place where exciting and fun things happen. I would establish this by:
- Meeting the students outside of the classroom, greeting them on my own terms rather than theirs. - Creating a physical barrier between the class and the room, by positioning myself in front of the door. - Ensuring appropriate behaviour before allowing them into the room, making my expectations clear. - Greeting them in a positive manner, using their first names. - Making the classroom my own. Changing the layout and putting an individual touch to it. - Moving around the classroom visiting/ helping all students throughout the day. - Having elements of surprise whist teaching to keep students interested (Cowley, 2006, pp. 164-165).
Being enthusiastic and passionate about what you are teaching is also important to me, because I believe that if you are excited to teach something the student will want to learn it. I also believe that respect towards students is important in creating an environment where you do not have to have an authoritarian style teacher. I would show my respect towards students by calling them by their names, listening to their opinions and being interested in them and their interests. By respecting students, the students are more likely to respect you and your expectations.
Having high expectations of students means that they know that as a teacher you want their very best. I believe that having expectations for students is important, it sets the standard of behaviour and work you want from them and it means that you believe in them. It is vital to have belief in your students because they know if you do not and this will effect their behaviour in the classroom and your relationship with them. Having expectations for students, I believe can also be rewarding to them because they might have people in their lives who do not expect much of them. Expecting students to be the best they can be in everything they do makes them a better person, the relationship between students and teacher better and they meet their needs to belong and feel valued. Not only should personal expectations be present within the classroom but expectations in behaviour and class rules. In the ‘prevention’ stage of my plan I would set expectations for students and they would help me extend on this list. These expectations would be about their relationships with the teacher and student and with their peers. I would use this as a contract that each student would have to follow or there would be relevant consequences.
Consequences within my classroom would be logically related to the behaviour that students display in an attempt for them to understand their actions (Kohn 1993). I have decided to discipline students like this because I believe it is the most effective way in getting students to understand and take responsibility for what they have done. A way in which they can grow as a person rather than receiving the punishment and not learning from it. Students would have no say in their consequences because although I believe students should have freedom and responsibility for their actions, they should also be aware that I am still the authority figure. Depending on how the class developed through out the year in regards to their behaviour responsibility this rule can be reviewed and lightened. Zero- tolerance would not be enforced in my classroom as it does not reflect my style of teaching. Zero-tolerance make trust difficult and motivate the student to respond angrily (McDonald, 2013, p. 202), which is the opposite to me gaining their trust and respect enough for them to be able to respond maturely.
Classroom layout has a strong effect on students’ behaviour and learning (Cowley, 2006, p. 158) and will vary depending on the year level I teach and the behaviour of students. In the ‘prevention’ stage I would choose how the classroom is laid out but as the year progressed and students behaviour and maturity progressed I would allow student input in how they want the classroom arranged and how they think the classroom could be utilised. I believe that having the desks in groups is the most effective strategy for teaching and learning. Having tables groups enables ‘exploration and group work to take place among the students (Cowley, 2006, p. 158). Group work allows for students to be more sociable and acts as a tool to help students gain respect/ friendship for one and other after a period of time. This strategy does however pose a risk of misbehaviour as the teacher may not be able to see all students and what they are doing. I would handle this by observing students and removing them from where they are positioned if their behaviour was continual. I would segment my lessons into ‘quiet’ and ‘noisy’ periods, this will make it clear when students are able to talk and when students tare not/. The classroom would be a place where students are able to enjoy learning. I would practice this by making the physicality of the classroom relaxed. Down one end of the classroom I would have the working end, where the desks and board would be. Students will know that this is where work is done and the other end would be where activities would be completed. I would have bean bags, couches and fruit down this end for students. When students do not need to be at their desks, working down in the more relaxed end would be permitted. My classroom will not be filled with students work on the walls but resources that students can use to improve their skills and learning.
Professional Engagement
Creating links between the school, the home and the community is important to student success and feeling included in their education. I will create links to students and the parents by: - creating two way communication between me and the parents - enhancing learning at school and at home - providing mutual support - making joint decisions with the parents on their child’s education I believe that it is important to have a relationship with students parents because learning happens outside of schooling hours and to have the support of parents, reinforces that they want their child to achieve. Building relationships with students parents also shows students that you are interested in them personally and strengthens your relationship with the student. Linking school and the community gives students the opportunity to demonstrate what they are learning and apply it to their local area, this gives them a sense of belonging and inclusion within their community.
I would create links between the school and home by: - Celebrating students cultural backgrounds (sharing stories, including cultures around the classroom) - Ringing parents before the start of the school year to see if children are excited. - Having parent days
I would create links between the school and the community by: - Applying what students have learnt to a local area - Students helping out locally - Learning about the local area
References:
Cowley, S. (2006). Getting the buggers to behave. A & C Black.
Hoffnung, M., Hoffnung, R., Seifert, K., Burton Smith, R., & Hine, A. (2010). Childhood. Milton: John Wiley & Sons.
Kohn, A. (1993). Punished by Rewards. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
McDonald, T. (2013). Classroom Management: Engaging Student in Learning. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
Reyes, S., & Vallone, T. (2007). Constructivist strategies for teaching English language learners. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.
Salking, N. (2004). An introduction to theories of human development. London: SAGE Publications
Sutherland, P. (1992). Cognitive development today: Piaget and his critics. London: SAGE.
Talay, A., & Ap, E. (2005). Child development and teaching young children. Southbank: Cengage Learning Australia..
Wilson, B. (1996). Constructivist learning environments: case studies in instructional design. New Jersey: Educational Technology.
Woolfolk, A., & Marhetts, K. (2010). Education psychology (2nd ed.). Frenchs Forest: Pearson Australia.