On Teaching
"The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery". - Mark Van Doren
My job is to teach the students well. Although this
sounds simple, teaching is more than standing in front
of a room full of students and reciting knowledge. A
good teacher knows that students learn best from
action, not passive listening. Therefore, it is my job to
give the students plenty of opportunities to gain their
knowledge from experience and to practice it for
future use. Therefore, knowledge my students leave me
classroom will not be handed to them; but instead, it
will be earned.
Students need to be active in their own learning. Not
only do they learn better by discovering the
information themselves, but they will feel accomplished and successful. This will raise self-esteem and teach them good
work habits.
On the Students
I am privileged to meet and teach every one of my students. I believe that for students to learn, they must be
interested. I will do my best to always keep the students' interests and learning styles in mind when I am planning
each of my lessons. On the first day of class, the students will fill out a survey that will give me an idea of their
learning styles and interests. I will use their answers to formulate lessons that fulfill our learning objectives while
including their interests. The survey will also tell me about the students' learning styles. People do not all learn and
process information the same way. According to Dr. Howard Ganrer of Havard Univerisity, there are eight different
intellegences or eight ways students learn. In order to help the students learn the material, we will interact with the
information in different ways, according to the different ways people learn.
Another stategy to include students' interests is to give them choices. Not only will they have choice in the way
they present their projects, but in other areas, as well. In my teaching, I have found that students respond best to the
classroom rules and procedures that they have made themselves. Together we will plan the way the classroom will be
run.
Finally, It is my goal for every one of them to succeed in my class and in their life after it. I will be available in
the mornings for extra help. I will also make other accommodations, as necessary. Every child learns and shows their
knowledge differently. In the past, I have modified assessments and notes and given alternativeassignments. My goal
is to allow the students to showcase their learning, in their own way.
No child is perfect. Because of this, I will do several things to help students remain on their best behavior. First,
classroom routines will help the students focus on their class work. Second, being proactive will cut down on many
classroom problems. The key is to stop off task behaviors before they turn into bigger problems. If there is a
problem between students, I will separate students who do not learn well in close proximity to each other. Third,
keeping parents informed about their child's behavior is a great motivator to many students to behave well. Finally,
class time is precious with the amount of new information the students need to learn this year. We will be so busy in
class, that there will not be much chance for misbehavior during class.