'"If we teach today's students as we taught yesterday's, we rob them of tomorrow."
- John Dewey
Teaching Philosophy
I am currently studying early childhood education, and when I think of teaching, there are two main things that come to my mind. First, I believe students should write across the curriculum because it enhances student comprehension of material. I also believe that teachers are researchers who are constantly learning how to make their classroom work with their students.
Writing is a key concept I want to focus on in my classroom. This is so important to me because I believe that writing increases student comprehension. Many people believe that reading and writing are related even though there is not a lot of evidence to prove it. To prove this works in younger classrooms, I did found some research in a first grade that wrote about subjects they were learning. Having the students write in a journal really helped them comprehend how to write and also helped them learn more about the subject they were learning. For example, the students were learning about Martin Luther King Jr., they had already been discussing him in class, and to take it a step further, the teacher asked them to write in their journal different things they knew about him. This helped the students comprehend who Martin Luther King Jr. was and the things he did in the world. In the end, the students had no problem writing a few sentences about him for a grade.
Along with teaching students to write across the curriculum, I believe no class is the same as the last. Because of this, teachers must always be researching and learning new things to make each class fit the students. Margot Iris Soven, a professor at La Salle University, states in her article “Teaching Writing in Middle and Secondary Schools” that “[a] teacher’s main area of expertise is, in fact, teaching, and every lesson can be considered as research” (243). This shows teachers are also researchers every day. Teachers who do the research to adapt to every class are also called “reflective practitioners”. In my class, I will be a reflective practitioner and a researcher. After the day is finished, I believe it is important to look back and make sure the students were able to comprehend the material they learned that day. If they did not grasp it as I hoped they would, I would think of other ways to teach them the material so they can better understand.
By doing these things for the students, I hope that in return they work with me. I want them to tell me if they do not understand something so I can go back and help them more. This requires me to have an open communication classroom. Open communication classrooms to me are where students and teachers talk together about what is going on in the class. If students are having trouble I want them to come to me to seek help.
Works Cited
Soven, Margot I. "Teaching Writing in Middle and Secondary Schools." (1999): 239-64. Print.
I am currently studying early childhood education, and when I think of teaching, there are two main things that come to my mind. First, I believe students should write across the curriculum because it enhances student comprehension of material. I also believe that teachers are researchers who are constantly learning how to make their classroom work with their students.
Writing is a key concept I want to focus on in my classroom. This is so important to me because I believe that writing increases student comprehension. Many people believe that reading and writing are related even though there is not a lot of evidence to prove it. To prove this works in younger classrooms, I did found some research in a first grade that wrote about subjects they were learning. Having the students write in a journal really helped them comprehend how to write and also helped them learn more about the subject they were learning. For example, the students were learning about Martin Luther King Jr., they had already been discussing him in class, and to take it a step further, the teacher asked them to write in their journal different things they knew about him. This helped the students comprehend who Martin Luther King Jr. was and the things he did in the world. In the end, the students had no problem writing a few sentences about him for a grade.
Along with teaching students to write across the curriculum, I believe no class is the same as the last. Because of this, teachers must always be researching and learning new things to make each class fit the students. Margot Iris Soven, a professor at La Salle University, states in her article “Teaching Writing in Middle and Secondary Schools” that “[a] teacher’s main area of expertise is, in fact, teaching, and every lesson can be considered as research” (243). This shows teachers are also researchers every day. Teachers who do the research to adapt to every class are also called “reflective practitioners”. In my class, I will be a reflective practitioner and a researcher. After the day is finished, I believe it is important to look back and make sure the students were able to comprehend the material they learned that day. If they did not grasp it as I hoped they would, I would think of other ways to teach them the material so they can better understand.
By doing these things for the students, I hope that in return they work with me. I want them to tell me if they do not understand something so I can go back and help them more. This requires me to have an open communication classroom. Open communication classrooms to me are where students and teachers talk together about what is going on in the class. If students are having trouble I want them to come to me to seek help.
Works Cited
Soven, Margot I. "Teaching Writing in Middle and Secondary Schools." (1999): 239-64. Print.