Teaching Philosophy
Curiosity and learning should be instinctive to children, but some need to learn that drive for education. In my classroom, students advocate for their own learning and strive daily to grow their brains. We work in a growth mindset, always seeking to improve and learn from mistakes. I take into account various learning styles to differentiate for student success. A place where students of any readiness level are sure to improve and grow throughout the year in everything they do. Project based learning and STEM play a great role in that learning.
Curriculum integration is the foundation for my teaching. Too often, classrooms are divided by subjects, teaching students to store informational material in separate categories in their brain. This creates discontinuity in the learning process and information recall. Brain research shows that we recall information with ease when more connections are made to that topic. This also assumes that teacher is an expert in that subject. By teaching all subjects in conjunction, they truly learn the material and are able to utilize information in all subjects, enabling college and career readiness. Classrooms should teach topics weaving in all subjects. For example, when teaching Rocks and Minerals for science, students completed centers to be able to utilize technology at each center to measure and classify rocks, research North Carolina rock formations and landforms, read and respond to nonfiction texts, and work on creative writing. The integration between the subjects allows student learning to be intertwined. This is the foundation upon which I have built my classroom. In elementary, students need this foundation for growth and to meet their greatest learning potential.
Pursuing my Masters of Arts in Educational Technology has truly impacted my teaching in every way. I have found the balance between traditional classroom settings and those that flawlessly connect technology in every way to learning. Having a classroom that has piloted 1:1 iPads, we use these tools and so much more on a daily basis to enhance the learning experience. Having a class of 21st Century learners, the need for global awareness is so present that teachers need to mold and shape their classroom to fit the demands of this changing world we live in. Students need to be prepared for college and career readiness, which means the use and implementation of technology. Many teachers try to avoid the need for changing their teaching to integrate technology, but we should embrace all that technology has to offer. In my classroom I allow students to take ownership of their learning and become familiar with tools to aid their production of work and demonstration of knowledge. My students excelled in using technology on a daily basis, and students who were not natural leaders in the classroom became experts in technology tools. Students were able to regularly blog, create interactive presentations, actively engage in the curriculum, create their own ebooks, and most importantly begin their digital portfolio to grow with them throughout their academic career. Through my classroom website, I am able to share content, connect with parents, publish student work on our class blog, and so much more. Technology has proven to be the greatest pathway between student learning and content material.
It is the combination of all these factors that have made me an outstanding teacher, but most importantly the evidence lies with my students. They routinely admit that learning is fun in our classroom, and the most important job of a teacher is to instill a love of learning to produce lifelong learners. This is the true reward of teaching: students who are reluctant to leave my room each day and eager to return the next. True teaching is helping students to be self-motivated learners, making connections between topics, and utilizing technology to promote 21st Century learners who are college and career ready.
Curriculum integration is the foundation for my teaching. Too often, classrooms are divided by subjects, teaching students to store informational material in separate categories in their brain. This creates discontinuity in the learning process and information recall. Brain research shows that we recall information with ease when more connections are made to that topic. This also assumes that teacher is an expert in that subject. By teaching all subjects in conjunction, they truly learn the material and are able to utilize information in all subjects, enabling college and career readiness. Classrooms should teach topics weaving in all subjects. For example, when teaching Rocks and Minerals for science, students completed centers to be able to utilize technology at each center to measure and classify rocks, research North Carolina rock formations and landforms, read and respond to nonfiction texts, and work on creative writing. The integration between the subjects allows student learning to be intertwined. This is the foundation upon which I have built my classroom. In elementary, students need this foundation for growth and to meet their greatest learning potential.
Pursuing my Masters of Arts in Educational Technology has truly impacted my teaching in every way. I have found the balance between traditional classroom settings and those that flawlessly connect technology in every way to learning. Having a classroom that has piloted 1:1 iPads, we use these tools and so much more on a daily basis to enhance the learning experience. Having a class of 21st Century learners, the need for global awareness is so present that teachers need to mold and shape their classroom to fit the demands of this changing world we live in. Students need to be prepared for college and career readiness, which means the use and implementation of technology. Many teachers try to avoid the need for changing their teaching to integrate technology, but we should embrace all that technology has to offer. In my classroom I allow students to take ownership of their learning and become familiar with tools to aid their production of work and demonstration of knowledge. My students excelled in using technology on a daily basis, and students who were not natural leaders in the classroom became experts in technology tools. Students were able to regularly blog, create interactive presentations, actively engage in the curriculum, create their own ebooks, and most importantly begin their digital portfolio to grow with them throughout their academic career. Through my classroom website, I am able to share content, connect with parents, publish student work on our class blog, and so much more. Technology has proven to be the greatest pathway between student learning and content material.
It is the combination of all these factors that have made me an outstanding teacher, but most importantly the evidence lies with my students. They routinely admit that learning is fun in our classroom, and the most important job of a teacher is to instill a love of learning to produce lifelong learners. This is the true reward of teaching: students who are reluctant to leave my room each day and eager to return the next. True teaching is helping students to be self-motivated learners, making connections between topics, and utilizing technology to promote 21st Century learners who are college and career ready.