Reflections


 * Reflections on Current Teaching Practice**

Behaviorism, Cognitivism, and Humanism theories all belong in the classroom. The teacher must be able to make decisions about how to best ensure student learning. Applied Learning, Knowledge and Strategies and the Individual Student are all important and the classroom must be a mix of all three in order to support all types of learning situation. The diagram below shares the impact a teacher has in the Teaching-Learning Model. How a teacher chooses to set up the classroom, outline materials and activities and how he/she encourages or discourages student independence directly impacts student learning and individual growth.

Please check the site listed below, it is a great way to access your beliefs. http://academics.rmu.edu/~tomei/ed711psy/1lngtheo.htm

==> Students are the reason I enjoy teaching ==> Students need to feel they have a voice in what they are expected to learn ==> Students need to be given multiple ways to express themselves ==> Teachers need to be able to listen ==> Motivation and Engagement are critical to success
 * Reflective Statements**

Students need to have an investment in their learning and a voice in the learning process. Teachers need to be able to facilitate in such a way that students are encouraged to critically evaluate information and make decisions based on their findings. Students need to be given multiple ways to express what they have learned and multiple pathways to explore what they have yet to learn. Society needs creative thinkers and problem solvers, our schools need to move out of the Industrial Age Education to the Information Age and on to preparing students to succeed in the Creative Economy.
 * Personal Beliefs and Attitudes on Teaching**

I majored in Child Development with an Education minor. Not sure if this led me to my belief in the importance of the student centered environment or if I was already of that philosophy and the courses helped me learn how to facilitate a Student-Centered environment. Either way I have always strive to build an environment that promoted student independence and time for the building of interpersonal skills. My classroom was always a mix of Thematic, Cooperative and Outcome-Based Learning with a strong dose of Character Building time dependent upon the content that needed to be covered. Students were encouraged to collaborate and support each other while working on tasks. The goal was to build a community of learners from a classroom of students.
 * What I Value in my Face to Face Teaching and How I work to Bring this to the Online Course**

In my online courses this goal of building a community is critical to the success of the course. I prefer to facilitate not instruct. I enjoy reading the discussions as participants react to materials I am hoping to guide them through and materials they have posted to share. My belief in the importance of the online community has certainly developed how I build a course.
 * **Artifacts representative of my teaching and learning strategies.** || **Reflections** ||
 * [[image:Picture_7.png width="318" height="300"]][] || The TPCK model signifies how I feel technology must be integrated with curriculum and the teacher's pedagogy. Technology in isolation is not the best use of technology especially when there is just so much the students need to learn. As an elementary teacher I was always wrapping math, language arts, social studies, science and technology all together into a unit of study. I called it 'killing many birds with one stone' otherwise Theme Units. The students and I looked forward to pushing back the desks and reading inside a teepee we had built in our classroom or creating a slideshow with Kidpix as a cooperative group. ||
 * [[image:Picture_9.png]] || Here is an example of what would be on our Second Grade whiteboard everyday. Students would see what they would be expected to complete and it was their job to be sure they completed the work. They needed to know when and how to ask for help along with knowing what to do when they had completed work that was listed. It was and is my belief that we need to help students develop their independent work skills in order for them to succeed as learners and workers in our society. ||
 * [[image:Picture_10.png]] || Peer Helpers are important in every classroom. When I taught Second Grade I would always have assigned helpers designated for students to go to before asking for my helpers. These peer helpers would have to be able to get their own work done and would have to be able to help in the area they were assigned. Now, at the high school, I will find the helper in each class so that when I am not around the student helper is there for the class. (PS, I give the helper my cell phone number just in case. They love that and I have never had any trouble with it.) ||
 * === http://www.msad54.org/sahs/TechInteg/techintindex.shtml=== || As a way of multiplying my services and enabling teachers and students to help themselves I keep resources posted on this page. You will find guidesheets, websites, and other helpful sites. ||