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I aim to create a classroom where students feel safe and secure by interacting
with them one on one and getting to know everyone. I want to build an
environment where students are encouraged to take risks, be challenged,
become passionate and reach their greatest potential. Meeting the needs of my
students and creating a comfortable environment to inspire the sharing of ideas
and interactions between peers is my priority. Children will care more about
others and be respectful when significant adults in their lives care and respect
them (Kohn 1996). As Thompson (1998) said, The most powerful weapon
available to secondary teachers who want to foster a favourable learning climate
is a positive relationship with our students (Boynton & Boynton 2014). I would
prefer my role to be more of a facilitator or guide, supporting my students to
discover and question for themselves. I believe every student is capable of
learning and achieving success and I strive to do everything I can for each and
every student. My expectations of students behaviour and quality of learning will
remain at a high level as should their own expectations of themselves.
I will use constructivism in the classroom, providing for a variety of learning
styles and needs. Using techniques which accommodate for these needs,
engaging each student and allowing them to be challenged and to achieve
personal best results. Constructivism allows students to be actively engaged,
fostering creative and critical thinking and requires students to apply knowledge
in new situations (Brooks & Grennon 1999; Elkind 2004). I aim to provide content
of interest to the students and relevant to their lives, allowing them to relate to
topics, promoting motivation and a passion to learn (McClure 2012). We are able
to stimulate interest by connecting content to the real-world and involving
students in tasks that encourage creative presentations (McClure 2012). Helping
students learn independently as well as from other students is very important as
it promotes active learning and reinforces their own learning by instructing each
other (Goodland & Hirst 1989). Collaborative learning or peer teaching supports
team-building, communication skills, supportive relationships and higher
achievement as students share a similar discourse, allowing for enhanced
understanding (Briggs 2013). I will strive to have an equitable classroom, to be
consistent and as fair as I possibly can be.
Ideally, I would like my classroom to be an environment where learning takes
place and the only rule is that everyone shows respect for one another within the
classroom. At the beginning of a new class term I will work with the students
democratically to discuss as a class what our classroom agreements and rules of
conduct will consist of and create a poster for the wall. Involving students in
creating and negotiating their own rules together encourages them to stick to
could have some effective tips or ideas to assist with this students learning.
Otherwise my mentor could direct me to the best possible person to help me
with any of my teaching concerns. If I was having problems with one particular
student persistently ignoring my classroom rules, I would consider contacting the
student support officer. She is actively involved with all of the students at my
placement and could potentially have effective advice or strategies I could
develop. The student support officer may be able to advise me of any potential
issues my student might be currently dealing with personally and recommend
how we go forward. My mentor would also be someone I turn to for assistance
with any students misbehaving in my classroom.
REFERENCES
Boynton, M & Boynton, C 2014, Chapter 1. Developing Positive Teacher-Student
Relations, Viewed 19 June 2016, < http://www.ascd.org/publications/books>.
Briggs, S 2013, How peer teaching improves student learning and 10 ways to
encourage it, Inform ED, Viewed 18 June 2016
<http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/peer-teaching/>.
Brooks, M & Grennon, J 1999, The courage to be contructivist The constructive
classroom, vol. 57, no. 3, pp. 18-24.
Elkind, D 2004, The problem with construcivism The educational forum, vol. 68,
no. 4.
Kohn, A 1996, Beyond Discipline: From Compliance to Community, Alexandria:
Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development, 10 th edn.
Goodland, S & Hirst, B, 1989, Peer tutoring: A guide to learning by teaching,1 st
edn, Nichols publishing, New York, NY.
Marzano, R. Norford, J. Paynter, D. Pickering, D & Gaddy B, 2001, A Handbook for
Classroom Instruction that Works, Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development.
McClure, N 2012, Demonstrated the importance and significance of the subject
matter, Idea, Viewed 19 June 2016, <http://ideaedu.org/research-andpapers/pod-idea-notes-on-instruction/idea-item-no-4/>.
Powell, E 2011, Is constructivsm the best philosophy in education?, Slide Share,
Viewed 19 June 2016, <http://www.slideshare.net/elizabeth_powell/isconstructivism-the-best-philosophy-of-education>.
Sprague, D & Dede, C 1999, Constructivism in the classroom: If I teach this way,
am I doing my job? Learning & leading with technology, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 6-9.
Steffe, L & Wood, T 1991, Constructivism in the classroom, Journal for research
in mathematics education, vol.22, no. 5, pp. 422-428.
Thompson, J 1998, Discipline Survival Kit for the Secondary Teacher, The Centre
for Applied Research In Education, Jossey Bass Teacher.