In order for instruction to be successful, it must be founded upon one’s knowledge of how students learn. It is my belief that students are most successful when they are immersed in learning experiences differentiated to accommodate ability levels and interests and applicable in real world situations.
I believe that teachers must determine learning objectives and activities by studying the needs of each student. Every child comes to the classroom with individual strengths, challenges, and preferences. The role of a teacher is to take this invaluable information and carefully construct a program of instruction that will encourage and nurture development and success. To adapt to the needs of a diverse student body, instruction must be differentiated to suit the needs of each individual student to the greatest extent possible. By adapting curricula to student needs, I ensure that my students will be engaged in appropriate and meaningful ways. Their chances for success will also be greater, which will encourage a deep love of learning and foster future successes as well. Differentiation should not stop at student needs. Instruction should also be differentiated to recognize and celebrate students’ interests. What are students naturally drawn to? What inspires them? The answers to these questions should also be used to inform the course of study in the classroom. Students must feel that their ideas are important enough to be the center of classroom life or else they will never truly feel invested in the classroom community.
I also believe that the role of an educator is to promote the cultivation of skills that are applicable to the real world. First, teachers must determine what skills will be useful to each unique student in the real world. For some students, this will mean life skills such as counting change or preparing dinner. For other students, it will mean reading, writing, and math. Whichever of these is true, the lessons and materials provided must challenge students to think outside of the classroom. Students must be brought to different workplaces and shown various jobs in action. Teachers should bring in real world texts like newspapers or pictures of grafitti to facilitate learning about real world literacy. Writing should be introduced as a tool of social action and students should be taught to use the written word to speak out on topics they believe in. Indeed, everything that is taught in the classroom should have a greater meaning outside of the classroom and students need to be informed of each skill’s significance. In order for education to be successful, it must reach beyond the desk, chalkboard, and playground.
In accordance with my student-centered teaching philosophy, the role of a teacher is that of a scaffolder who is constantly responding to student learning by continually extending the student’s ideas through inquiry, facilitation, and modeling. Teachers must serve as inquirers in order to create an atmosphere of questioning and discovery. I must ask my students questions like, “Why do you think that?” or “Tell me about what you’re working on” to challenge their current thinking and engage their higher-order thinking skills. Teachers must also facilitate learning by providing easy access to resources, stable classroom routine, and flexible table groupings. As faciliators of learning, teachers should focus on providing a learning environment where students can learn to be independent. While independence is important, students must be able to look to their teacher as a role model. I model the behaviors that I believe it is important for my students to cultivate, such as independence, empathy, and respect.