My philosophy of teaching is centered on the concept that school should be fun. Children should enjoy and look forward to coming to school each and every day. Some people hear the words fun and education together and immediately think that leads to a lot of wasted time. Rather, I believe that it lends itself to a more engaged class. From puppet shows to virtual tours of the Amazon, students should have something to look forward to when they come to school.
When a teacher truly knows his or her students, a dull lesson can be enhanced very easily. When I introduce basic math concepts, instead of using basic math manipulatives like counters or base ten blocks, I use cut out pictures of their favorite cartoon characters. The level of their engagement increases drastically.
Physically getting down to the level of my students helps me understand their
world. When I talk to, teach, and mentor my students, I crouch or sit to talk to them eye-to-eye. By listening to their stories, voices, concerns, and achievements, I prove to them that I care about them as people. For some of the students in our classes, we may be the only ear that is willing to listen to them.
A typical day in my classroom . . .
The typical day in my classroom changes from day to day. I am always willing to take a chance on lesson planning for a proven educational theory. Recently I introduced literacy centers in my classroom. My students truly enjoy the sense of independence that the centers allow them. Literacy centers now allow me more time for small group instruction. The ability to focus on the weaknesses of students or advance the strengths of students in a small group setting has dramatically increased student learning. Centers have also allowed students the ability to apply learned skills and concepts in a variety of creative ways.
The concept of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) has become a focus in my classroom as well. I believe the concept of creating a felt need for students is essential for true concept application and retention to take place. PBLs have allowed me to develop or borrow cross curricular projects focusing on recently taught concepts. Recently my students participated in a Kids Can Make a Difference Project. Students were placed into groups and asked to brainstorm ways in which children can make a difference in the community. The project incorporated reading, research, writing, social studies and math concepts. The students developed a relationship with the local Salvation Army to coordinate a school wide canned food drive and the local nursing home to develop both a holiday craft and guest reader program. They are also involved in a reading program to help earn books for low income school districts. When I set up PBLs this way, it is true that Kids Can Make a Difference.
The Puppet Theater
I use a puppet theater in my room to teach story elements. I have come to find that my students have a hard time telling and sequencing a story. The practice that the students get through using the puppet theater has especially helped develop their narrative writing. The students like having the ability to act out their writing using a variety of different puppets. It is through the telling of the story that the students find many of their errors. The theater gives the students the ability to place themselves into the story through the characters vantage point. I also have a policy when it comes to the theater. Students are more than welcome to write stories at home and bring them in to act out for the class at any time, but I read their stories before they are performed. Since introducing the theater a few months ago, I have received a surprising number of student-written stories. The puppet theater has allowed me to find a way to make the task of writing a fun activity that the students look forward to.
Technology in my classroom . . .
Recently my district purchased Numonics™ interactive white boards. This new tool has opened my classroom up to a whole new world that was, until recently, unattainable. This teaching tool allows me to make real life connections with the material I am teaching in class. While working on our Rainforest Rescue PBL, for example, students were able to take a virtual tour of the Amazon and were able to navigate their tour using the board. I can’t think of a better way for the students to kinesthetically experience what life is like in the Amazon than going straight to the source. The Numonics board also allows me to be more creative in my lesson planning. Anything and everything is only a click of a button away. This tool has changed the way we teach at our school. If you think about it, the majority of our students love technology. Now I am able to deliver every lesson through this great new form of technology, and I am constantly finding new ways to use the technology. Students are engaged for longer periods of time. I also have the ability to make the white board into a student-centered literacy center. Students love the idea of being in charge of the board and manipulating things using the interactive pen.
My thoughts on teaching: