My Teaching Philosophy

Table of Contents

Planning and Preparation with reflection ................................ 4-5

Collaboration and Discourse ..................................................6-7

Rubrics and Feedback ............................................................8-9

Clear Directions .....................................................................10-11

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy ........................................12-13

Bibliography ........................................................................ 14

Planning and Preparation with Reflection

I believe that planning and preparation with reflection are important in any classroom. It is a way to know what you are teaching every day but also allows me to reflect on how the lesson went and what may need to be retaught or reviewed the next day.

In my field placement, I have had the opportunity to help reflect on how a class period when that day. It is a time where the teacher can both discuss what went well and what did not. This time also gives them the time to see what they may need to circle back to the next day to make sure the students are understanding the material.

Standard 3 is important when planning any lesson. You have to take into consideration how it will be taken in by the students. When planning you can plan different ways for your students to be able to learn either individually or collaboratively.

The article Strategies for Teaching: The Power of Preparation and Planning gives great information on why being prepared and reflecting is important. It showed that being prepared gives you the teacher the boost in confidence you need, which then engages the students more. It also shows that you can grow your thinking as the teacher by reflecting on the lesson and making note of it so the next time you teach it you can change things or improve upon them.

Standard 9 is important when planning and reflecting on the lessons you need to bring in new things you are learning to help your students. If you see that the lesson you prepared did not go over as well as you hoped, you have to reflect and change it. You have to make the lesson work for the students, by evaluating what went well and what needs to be changed.

Collaboration and Discourse

Collaboration and discourse are vital things in a classroom. It is a way for the students to gain a deeper understanding of what they are learning. Collaboration and discourse can help students talk through the information they are learning to make sure they are understanding, but they may be able to put it in words that help make other students understanding clearer. Collaboration and discourse can also help to create and build social skills they will you the rest of their life.

Standard 3 works within Collaboration and Discours by showing how we as the teacher have to teach and create that environment that fosters collaboration and discourse. We have to make the learning interesting but informative, as well as encourage the students to interact and engage in their learning.

Standard 9 incorporates collaboration and discourse when that teacher gives the students time to discuss with their peers to get a deeper understanding of their learning. This may also make it easier for the students to feel comfortable asking clarifying questions. With the feedback from the students, it can help me the teacher adapt the lesson to create a better understanding for all students.

Talk moves are a great way to get students to expand on their thinking as well as helping to invite others to enter the discussion. It’s a given platform that everyone has to be able to engage in academic discussion. “We’re trying to build a conversation here that is a community of caring and respect” this quote shows that talk moves are a way to make students feel comfortable to express their thinking. Talk moves also relate to standard 3 by creating a learning environment that supports collaborative learning and encourage positive social interaction.

In my field placement, I have seen both collaboration and discourse as a way to deepen the students' understanding of what they are learning. It is always nice to see other students help others grow their learning. I know that some of the collaboration pairs didn’t work out as well as others; but that knowledge can then be used to reflect on, not only the teachers but the students as well. Not everyone works well in collaborations, but it is a good skill to learn.

Rubrics and Feedback

Rubrics and feedback are an important part of learning. It not only holds each student to the same expectation but also is a way to show me as the teacher where I need to change my ways of teaching, so it works for my students. It also shows the students where they are and what they may need to improve upon as well as giving them feedback on where I, their teacher can help them succeed.

Standard 3 is important when I am using rubrics and feedback. It gives me the teacher the tools to help support each student in the areas they need more support in. I can also use them as a way motivate students to show them where they make be and where they are going to get to with help from me and their peers.

Standard 9 comes into play when it is time for me to that in the feedback and am giving my students and reflect and grow my learning to help grow my students understanding. I can use it as a tool to help evaluate what I am doing well and what I may need to change to help my students in a better way.

The video Introduction to Rubrics shows how rubrics can help teachers and students. It gives the teacher the ability to grade consistency with all the criteria spelled out. This also helps the student check their work before turning it in and is a way for the student to get meaningful feedback on what they need to work on and what they are excelling at. This also relates to standard 9 as a way for me the teacher to look at how I am doing teaching them and where I may need to reevaluate.

In my field placement, I saw how feedback and rubrics helped the students understand what they needed to work on and what they understood. It showed me that it is important to give important and positive feedback to help boost the student’s confidence.

Clear Directions

Clear directions are important in any classroom setting. It gives the students the guidance needed to complete the task at hand. For me having clear directions helps me be successful and complete the work that is either required or wanted from me. Having clear directions in my classroom will help the students know what is expected of them. It will also help to keep them on task and moving forward.

Standard 9 can help when evaluating how clear my directions are when looking over the students' work. I can use that to see where I may need to gain some learning if I see that some students are not completely understanding what the directions were and where I need to change them to better fit, my students.

Standard 3 is important when giving clear directions. When having the students work collaboratively on their work it will help keep them on task and not just talking about non-school-related things. Giving clear directions can also help to build positive interactions with anyone. They would also get the student to actively engage in their learning because they have been told what they need to work on and how they should be doing it.

When it comes to clear directions for students it is good to define your expectation, clearly communicate with your students what you expect of them. A tip I found important from the video Directions for EL Students, was concept check questions. It is a tool I can use when teaching to make sure my expectations and directions were clear, and the students understood what is expected of them.

In my placement classroom, I have seen that when the directions of what they need to be doing are not well received the students are simply not being followed. On the other hand when the directions are clearly received students get right to work. They may ask clarifying questions for an even better understanding which shows that the students are trying to grow their learning and be successful.

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

Culturally responsive pedagogy is a way for a teacher like me to make my classroom and way of teaching embrace all students in my class. I want all students who walk in my room to feel important, included, wanted, and empowered.

Standard 3, I can use culturally responsive pedagogy when creating my classroom environment that will help to create positive social interactions and support individual and collaborative learning.

Standard 9 is shown when teachers are always learning new things and being culturally responsive is never going to be and see practice. But I can always be learning from my students and the community on how I can be the best me. I want my students to feel comfortable in my classroom and feel included in all ways possible.