Amy

Philosophy of Education

I believe that being a teacher means having the ability to give children the tools that they need to succeed in school and in life. The power that teachers have is often underestimated and many don’t realize that to be a great teacher, one must be passionate about his/her teachings. Education is the key to a successful future, and as an educator, my main goal is to assure that all of my students thrive to their fullest potential in my classroom.

To be a successful teacher, it is imperative that I facilitate learning. I need to not only present the necessary materials to the students, but also to allow the students to develop their own independence in learning. By teaching students responsibility, organization, and critical thinking skills, I will be providing them with the tools they need to flourish both in the classroom and in the outside world.

It is crucial for all educators to create a classroom learning environment that is conducive to all students. This means being a culturally relevant teacher as well as using differentiated instruction. Each and every student is different in their culture, experiences, personalities, strengths, and learning styles. My goal will be to learn about all aspects of my students so I can best meet their individual needs. By taking the time to understand what will affect their learning and how each student learns best and applying those factors to my teaching approach, I will be able to help my students reach their greatest capabilities.

My Framework



Prepare: Get Ready: Learn!: Guided Practice: Individual Practice: Reflection on Progress: Expression of Knowledge: Reflection of Learning:
 * **Types of thinking (Literal, Interpretive, Creative)** - By students recognizing their own type of thinking they will be able to understand their strengths and weaknesses as a learner, and apply that to their learning. In turn, if teachers take the time to figure out the types of thinking of their students, they will be able to better prepare evaluation, assessments, and the approach of teaching to meet the needs of all students.
 * ** Intellectual stamina ** (attention control, power thinking, responsibility framework, goal setting) - If students are able to prepare their minds for learning by setting goals and establishing power thinking, they are much more likely to be successful in the learning process!
 * **Piaget's Stages of Development** - From a teacher's stand point, understanding Piaget's stages of development can be extremely beneficial in recognizing individual student needs. While it is imperative to realize that not all students will reach these stages at the same time, it is helpful to identify the stages as the students develop and take that into consideration while teaching.
 * **Intelligence (Learner Differences and Learner Needs)** - In this stage, teachers and students both need to identify the learner needs. Although each student does not have the same learner needs, if the student and teacher are aware of individual needs, instruction can be prepared accordingly and students will be able to recognize what they need to do, as a learner, to succeed.
 * **Components of the Law -** The teacher must be aware of all of the IEP's and 504 Plans for the students in his/her classroom. Without reading these through and knowing specifically what each student needs, legally, he/she can get in a lot of trouble and jeopardize the students' ability to learn to their full capacity.
 * **Task Analysis** - Teachers, in the preparation stage can be task analyzing the information and content that they need to teach. If they task analyzing BEFORE teaching, they will have a better idea of how to approach the instruction and break it down into smaller steps when necessary. It also helps the teacher analyze all of the components of the content before any teaching takes place.
 * **Assessments -** While it may seem strange to place assessments in the "Prepare" category - it is extremely beneficial to plan assessments before instruction begins. When teachers plan their assessment for a unit before beginning the unit, they will be better prepared to teach the unit - emphasizing and focusing on the main, important point that will be assessed. When teachers do not plan assessments before instruction, the students often are overloaded with knowledge - with a lack of balance of the amount of time spent on a particular topic and that topic's weight for the assessment.
 * **Teacher's Sense of Self-Efficacy -** While students have to believe in themselves, it's important for teachers to believe in themselves, too. Teachers must begin teaching with the confidence that they are capable of teaching and reaching each and every one of their students. Without this, they are much more likely to just give up on high-needs learners. In addition, when teachers genuinely feel as if they are capable of reaching each student, it will have a domino effect. The students will have a greater chance of feeling as if their teacher believes in their ability to succeed. That feeling alone can be enough to motivate some students.
 * **Goal Orientation -** Recognizing students' goal orientations is imperative to developing instructional plans. When teachers are able to identify the beliefs that students have about learning and achievement, they will have a better understanding of each individual student.
 * **Utilizing Computers -** If teachers are aware of student needs before teaching, they may be able to determine which students may find use in engaging activities that the computer can provide. While all students can benefit from computer use, there are some higher needs students who may need this interaction more than others. This technology can be the key to motivating some students.
 * **Caring Relationships -** When students feel a sense of community in the classroom and in their school, they are much more likely to feel a sense of purpose in their learning. For example, if a students really respect their teacher, they will feel more motivated to please him/her. These caring relationships can also provide a safe learning environment for the students - where being wrong is okay and taking risks is encouraged. When students feel emotionally secure in their environment, they will be more mentally capable of learning.
 * **Learner Differences and Learner Need**s - Teachers need to realize that to be ready to learn, each student is going to need to access prior knowledge. What is important to consider is that all students do not have the same prior knowledge. Understanding this can be key to making sure students are ready to learn!
 * **Learning Strategies -** These are ideas for accomplishing the goals for learning. By setting up this strategy, students are setting a purpose for their learning and attempting to get ready to learn!
 * ** KWL Charts ** (Specifically, the "K" and "W" parts of this chart ) - When students access what they already know about a subject and then what they would like to know about a subject, they are accessing prior knowledge and then setting a purpose for their learning!
 * **Intrinsic Motivation -** Students need to set a purpose for their learning and attempt to find a way to be internally motivated. Although this is not always easily done, the teacher may be able to tie certain things into the curriculum that will make the student more motivated to learn.
 * **Extrinsic Motivation -** Although teachers can try to tie student interests into the curriculum so that they are intrinsically motivated, the teacher can also set up reward/punishment systems that extrinsically motivate the students and get them ready for learning.
 * **Rules -** Having the students help in creating the rules can be a great way to help set a purpose for them. When students are engaged in setting the rules, they are more likely to understand the reasoning behind them.
 * **Assimilation/Accommodation** - As students learn new things, they either assimilate them into something that they already know, or create a new meaning completely. They gather new information and figure out where it fits compared to what they might already know.
 * **Multiple Intelligences** - Teachers must attempt to teach to all types of learning styles and intelligences!
 * ** New American Lecture Strategy - ** One tool to help the students make understanding of the content while teaching is taking place is to have them fill out graphic organizers in lecture situations.
 * **Attention -** It is important, while the learning process is taking place for the students, that the teacher and students are both conscious of what research tells us about attention. It is something that we have to choose to do, but, there are often too many choices of "things" to pay attention too, so it can be helpful for teachers to make sure they are focusing the students' attention on one thing at a time, with limited distractions. Teachers also need to be aware of the things that may take away from the students' ability to pay attention and also take into account the needs of students who have extreme difficultly, and my have ADHD or ADD. Students, have a role in this, too. Students need to learn that it is their choice to pay attention. They should also try to limit the number of things that they know are going to distract them and hinder their ability to pay attention.
 * **Maintenance Rehearsal -** If students, when learning information, repeat the information in their mind, they will be more likely to put the material in their working memory.
 * **Elaborative Rehearsal -** When students are able to connect the information that they are learning to things that they already know, that information will then go into the long-term memory. Being conscious of this when learning can help students attempt to make connections that are meaningful to them while they are learning. In addition, if teachers are aware of this and consistently try to help students make connections, it well likely help many students learn the information.
 * **"Two are better than One" -** According to Allan Paivio, information is stored as visual, verbal, or both. Psychologists agree that when it is stored in both the visual and verbal, there is a higher likelihood that people will remember the information. This can be helpful for teachers to know because by simply adding meaningful pictures into powerpoints or anytime presenting information, it may help the students remember the information. Also, it may be helpful to allow time for students to make a mental picture of what the teacher is describing.
 * **Mneumonics** - When teachers provide the students with mneumonics or students are able to come up with their own mneumonics, they are much more likely to retain the information. The key here is also that these can be used for information that is often time "overwhelming" for students - which may require a significant amount of memorization. Here, a mneumonic device can make this memorization much more manageable and efficient.
 * **Learning Tactics -** These specific techniques used to learn can help students remember information that they need to memorize and also make sense of information that may, otherwise, seem confusing to them.
 * **Triarchic Reciprocal Causality -** While the Triarchic Reciprocal Causality puts some of the pressure on students to monitor their own learning and set goals for themselves, it is also imperative that teachers realize that they, too, can play a role in how well students learn. Teachers need to be aware that their instruction, along with their feedback, is going to impact each and every learner in a variety of ways.
 * **Engaged Time -** This is the time that is devoted to learning, in which the students are actively engaged in learning specific tasks.
 * **Assimilation/Accommodation** - While students are working with support to develop an understanding, they may take on new meanings of the knowledge they had just learned. Perhaps, when they were gathering information they did not fully understand a concept, and as their comprehension grows, they may either assimilate or accommodate this new understanding accordingly.
 * ** Scaffolding - ** It is important during this guided practice for the teacher to give the appropriate level of guidance and support. By working with the students and getting a sense of their level of understanding, the teacher can get a sense of when to back off and slowly pull away to work towards individual practice.
 * **Triarchic Reciprocal Causality -** As an educator, it's important to provide ample and effective feedback for students during the guided practice stage of learning. This feedback can help guide students in the right direction.
 * **Assimilation/Accommodation** - When students are given an opportunity to practice individually, they may still reach another level of understanding. Again, perhaps when they were gathering information they did not fully understand a concept, and as their comprehension grows, they may either assimilate or accommodate this new understanding accordingly.
 * ** Memory Flashing - ** One thing that students can do on their own during individual practice to remember important content is memory flashing. This mean they can look at their notes 1 minute, 1 hour, 1 day, etc. later to help provide the repetition and practice necessary to master content.
 * ** Most Difficult First - ** Teachers can provide students with the opportunity to do the "Most Difficult First" to help differentiate instruction and attempt to make sure that all students are working at the appropriate levels when practicing independently.
 * **Assimilation/Accommodation** - At this point, students should recognize what they do not understand and re-learn the material (going back to the learn step). Re-learning this information requires figuring out how to assimilate and accommodate appropriately.
 * **Scaffolding** - When students seem to need to re-learn the material because they do not understand what has been taught, it can be helpful for the teacher to attempt to figure out where that student is comfortable, and scaffold the content in a way that the student has a higher comprehension level than the first time around.
 * **Metacognition -** This allows students to think about their thinking, and learn about their learning. When students are able to look at what they have learned (and perhaps, what they have not), they will better be able to determine where they fall short and what may need to be re-learned.
 * **Formative Assessment -** This instruction allows the students, and teacher, to monitor the progress of learning as the learning is taking place. These assessments can help guide the teacher and students where to go next with the instruction and learning process.
 * **Triarchic Reciprocal Causality -** Within the "Self-Influences" portion of these three forces, there is the Self-Regulatory Progress. This means that students must self-regulate, or recognize their individual learner needs at specific moments in time, to achieve success. At this stage of learning, it is imperative for students to self-regulate, identify what it is they are struggling with, and attempt to re-learn the missed material.
 * **Learner Needs and Differences** - Teachers must take their students' individual needs when preparing opportunities for students to express what they know. Allowing differentiated tests, projects, etc. will help assure that all students are simply being assessed on whether or not they hit the desired benchmarks - in a way that they can best "show-off" what they've learned.
 * **Authentic Assessments -** Allowing students to express their knowledge in a way that they would authentically in "real life" gives a better chance that the assessment is truly demonstrating what the student knows. When the assessments are not as authentic, students' nerves or teacher biases may impact the student performance.
 * **Informal Assessments -** When students are assessed informally, and not given a grade for their performance, it gives the potential to boost their confidence. With the amount of states tests and assessments, students will often feel overwhelmed. Informal assessments lower the stress levels while still giving the teacher feedback to help guide instruction.
 * **Journals -** Journals are a great way for students to express their knowledge in a more creative way. They also incorporate writing - allowing students to practice their writing skills without the pressure of the formal essays, etc. assigned in ELA.
 * **Metacognition** - After students express their knowledge and complete their assignments for a unit of learning, it is imperative that they learn about their learning. In other words, students should, at this point, look back and recognize what strategies and tactics worked or did not work. Once they do this, they will be better prepared to approach learning in the future.
 * **Summative Assessment -** After summative assessment occurs, teachers and students can look at what was learned and how the learning took place. Teachers can use these summative assessments to guide instruction in the future - recognizing what concepts that students, overall, may have missed.
 * **Triarchic Reciprocal Causality -** Students need to reflect on their learning, and set new goals based on their past results. By recognizing what they need to improve, they will be better prepared to set new goals and motivate themselves for future learning.
 * **Cognitive Behavior Modification-** Many have the idea that the teacher is responsible for monitoring behavior. However, students can also monitor their own behavior. This is as skill that needs practice, as many students will have an easier time blaming the teacher for "poor teaching" than themselves for "poor behavior that may be affecting learning," but when students are able to do it, it can be an extremely powerful thing. For example, if a student talks continuously throughout a teacher's instruction, and the teacher constantly reminds her to be quiet, the student may listen (or not listen) without fully understanding WHY talking is not acceptable. However, if that same student eventually recognizes the correlation between talking while the teacher's talking and doing poorly on tests, he/she will be much more likely to change behavior in the future.
 * **Self-Evaluation -** At this point, students need to evaluate themselves. Sure, the teacher will give a grade for an assignment completed - but the student is responsible for making full sense of that grade. What sections of that assessment were suffering? Which sections were done extremely well? And what does all of that mean in terms of weaknesses and strengths as a learner - what needs to be worked on, and what should be continued?
 * **Intrinsic Motivation -** When a unit is completed and teachers move onto the next thing, they often will not ask students (or give students time) to reflect on their learning. Unless students are struggling, teachers most likely will not have the time to individually talk to each student about "what they can be doing" to enhance their learning. That means, especially as students get older, they will need to be intrinsically motivated to reflect on their learning - their strengths, their weaknesses, and how these affect them in the classroom. This level of intrinsic motivation is what will be the distinguishing characteristic of the extraordinary learner.