Frame of Reference

As a student teacher, my ultimate goal is to inspire children to find their passions and
encourage them to pursue their desires throughout their lives. In order for this to occur, I must
express my passion for the subjects I teach, and I must form positive relationships with each of
the students I work with. Associated with Mary Ainsworth and John Bowlbys attachment
theory, safe, healthy student-teacher relationships must be in place for students to learn important
social and academic skills at school. I continually build upon the relationships I have formed
with my students by showing them I care about their individual needs, and that I am interested in
their personal goals. One way that I do this is by politely greeting students as they enter the room
and inquiring about their lives outside of the classroom. In hopes of encouraging students to
share personal aspects of their lives with me, I am very open about myself with them. I have
found that the more authentic I am with regards to my personality, life experiences, and passion
about the subjects I teach, the more my students respect me and willingly participate in class.
Building positive relationships with my students is essential to my philosophy on
classroom management. It is the first step I have taken to ensure that my classroom is a place that
is conducive to students learning needs. I will make certain that my classroom is a safe place to
share ideas and opinions without fear of judgement by creating what Mary-Lynn Epps, Lynn
Brown, Kerry Armstrong, and Dr. Paige Fisher call a Community of Learners. I have found
that by creating classroom rules and expectations as a group, students are very serious about the
commitments they and their teachers sign their names under. They are also more apt to feel
included and connected to one another. With such rules to guide classroom behavior, the learning
environment becomes more positive and respectful.

After establishing a respectful community, I can concentrate on understanding how each

of my students learns best. I will tailor my lessons so that the content is understood by the
majority of my students, and I will make use of multimodal learning to give my students the
opportunity to learn in many different ways. Grant Wigginss research reveals that students learn
best when work is developmentally appropriate and relevant to their lives. I agree with his theory
about authentic tasks because my high school teacher created variations of major assignments so
her students could choose which ones resonated with them best. She developed the assignments
based on the surveys she had the class submit, which outlined their strengths, weaknesses, and
interests. These are the assignments I remember most from school. Students generally produce
better work when they are interested in what they are doing.
I am aware that everybody has a unique way of learning; therefore, personalized learning
is essential to my teaching philosophy. I have been experimenting with ways to incorporate this
into my practicum. For instance, at the beginning of each class, I have clearly written the
learning objectives for each lesson on the board along with the activities students will be
engaging in. When students are aware of the rationale for the class, they are often more engaged,
and they understand what is expected of them. As a result of this, I have allowed my students to
create and hand in their own versions of the assignments I give them so long as they meet the
intended learning goals I set for them. For example, in my English 8 class, several students asked
if they could sketch a scene about a particular event from The Outsiders and briefly describe it
in a few sentences rather than write about this event in their journal as they are usually required
to do. Because the sketch and short written response would accomplish the same goal as the
journal entry (which was to check for reading comprehension by reflecting on a scene or event
from the chapter), I was happy to allow my students to choose the activity they worked on this

day. The sketches that were turned in at the end of this class revealed so much more about what
these students were thinking than they could have written in their journals in the allotted time.
Knowing that students have the potential to learn more if the work they do is relevant to
them, I will continue to construct assignments based on the knowledge I have of my students
interests. This knowledge can be used to inspire students to take ownership of their learning. I
strongly believe that learning is an active process; learners construct knowledge out of their
experiences. My ideas about teaching and learning are aligned with constructivism. Based on
Jean Piagets theory that people learn through processes of accommodation and assimilation, I
understand that my students will acquire new knowledge as they take part in new experiences,
compare new ideas with previously held beliefs, and reflect on their beliefs as they change.
I also believe that learners thrive in social settings, as emphasized by Lev Vygotsky. For
this reason, it is important for students to have a variety of support systems: their teachers, peers,
parents/ guardians, and communities. In the final semester of my teacher education at VIU I had
the privilege of developing and implementing a breakfast program with the Parent Advisory
Council. Throughout this collaborative process, I was inspired by the dedication and compassion
these parents showed for the students at Oceanside Elementary School in Parksville, BC.
In addition to ensuring students feel supported throughout their schooling, I will use
different forms of student assessment, and I will encourage students to demonstrate their learning
in a variety of ways. I believe in Grant Wiggins philosophy stating that students should be able
to learn from their mistakes before being graded: I will provide specific, detailed feedback on inclass assignments rather than simply assigning a letter grade or percentage to this type of work.
Making mistakes is a wonderful way to learn because students will recognize where they got
confused, and they will remember correctly in the future. I believe in the continuous use of

formative assessment, so I provide lots of it in my class. For instance, I allow my students to

submit multiple drafts of major assignments, edited by both their peers and myself before
submitting their final copy. This allows students to show me if they have made learning gains
between their first and final drafts. It also helps students to understand where they are with their
learning.
Furthermore, I strive to follow Ken OConnors guidelines for assessment, which state
that students should not be heavily graded on things like participation and behaviours. Rather,
most, if not all grading should reflect the actual learning they are doing. This is not to say that
poor behaviors should go unaddressed. For instance, if students arrive late to class, I do not
deduct marks from their work handed in that day, but I talk to them privately during a break or at
the end of class to ensure that my general class expectations are understood.
The values and beliefs I have outlined here reflect my teaching philosophy at this
particular moment. I realize that my personal life experiences will alter and further shape my
frame of reference. My ongoing professional development will ensure that my beliefs adapt
alongside new pedagogies.