Learning+Philosophy

My job as an educator is to discover where my students are developmentally, meet them there, and to move them forward as inquiring learners, caring people, and future citizens in a democratic society. I came of age during the 1960s and 1970s and I became, sensitive to human differences within our democracy. I learned that socialized beliefs, opinions and feelings run deep, but they can be changed. However, the process can be uncomfortable and is never-ending. Until we accept our differences, the struggle will continue.
 * Philosophy of Teaching and Learning**

I believe that students deserve the least restrictive environment, in which to learn (Friend & Bursuck p. 3) that in most cases, all students should be together and that all students can learn. “Effective teaching of exceptional students does not require a unique set of skills, it is a combination of good teaching practices and sensitivity to all your students” (Woolfolk p. 466). I believe that with a “warm and autonomy supportive pedagogical approach, students will be positively motivated and experience academic competence” (Rosemarin p. 51). Education is my passion. I raised three children. I coached sports for twenty-five years at all levels. I returned to college in my fifties to certify to teach. I still attend graduate school. I am actively involved in school politics and serve on a school board. My life has been dedicated to the growth, education and success of children.

I have experienced a wide variety of children and their needs: how they live, how they develop, how they learn, and how they perform. Learning occurs in many ways and on many levels. The abilities and strengths of each student vary. We need to embrace diversity in our political lives and our classrooms. We need to make all students aware of others’ differences and their own. Knowledge of the universality of difference teaches an important lesson, that when we help one person we help everyone. This will lead to a society and classroom that is self-aware, open, knowledgeable, and safe for living, learning, and growth. I believe that varied experiential opportunities benefit the multiple intelligences, multiple preferences, and multiple needs in my classroom. I therefore, "need to attend to all intllegences, not just the first two that have been [the] tradtional concern" (Smith). I believe in cooperative learning, where the teacher becomes a facilitator. While “the responsibility and ability to learn rest within the student,” (Woolfolk p. 221), as a teacher, I must be explicit in the thinking skills and methods of questioning and I teach. I must consciously model the behaviors I want to impart (Gilles & Boyle p. 256).

Students learn best when they can experience an idea, fact, belief, or process in an holistic way in collaboration with each other. The best way to learn about another culture is to travel there, but classroom options for the study of culture are expanding. Students can: read about it, view images of it, see and hear the language and music, have a physically interactive experience with the culture, such as: dance, plays, rituals, work, food, games, or artifacts. They can have a conversation and share ideas with someone from that culture. Experience a museum exhibit. Go to a local cultural gathering.

Technology can assist all of these endeavors. Today, cultural activities can more easily be researched and students can reenact and respond to what they read, see, and hear. Through academic databases and Internet search engines, access to books, articles and images online has exploded. Any culture can be shown in detail through photographs, art, and videos. Recordings of languages, music and television from all over the world are available. Exchanging ideas and conversation with students across the globe is possible with websites such as __[]__, which offers contacts with foreign classes and individuals. Virtual field trips are available, to museums such as the Library of Congress __[]__ or to important physical sites. [] has an extensive list of useful educational sites. Real time holiday celebrations, religious gatherings, and political events are available to students, as never before, with foreign television stations such as, [] from the Arabic world and [] from the Hispanic world. Technology helps to form a global community.

My ideal classroom is a launching pad for learning. Using the “TPCK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) framework,” (Mishra & Koehler, p.1047), which allows “students to learn in contexts that honor the rich connections between technology, the subject matter (content), and the means of teaching it (the pedagogy)” (Mishra & Koehler, p.1047), When real engagement takes place, no one notices the physical space. My ideal classroom organically reflects the three types of spaces touted by Jankowska and Atlay, the //S-space//, a relaxed individual and small group learning space in back of the room with soft chairs book cases separated for the main classroom by a five foot wall of glass blocks. The //F-space// is the whole class learning area, which takes up the majority of the room, but is adjustable. Finally, in the rear corner of the room near the windows is the //C-space//, with a large conference table for group meetings, brainstorming, and creative activities that include the construction of projects with the storage to hold the necessary materials (p. 272-273).

The room’s assets should help to transport students into learning experiences. The room should be large enough for whole class interaction often focused on an interactive whiteboard, a large screen television, or an “analog” whiteboard and markers. Flexibility of use demands that desks must be easily and quietly moved to create learning centers, and to make room for physical activities. Tennis balls on the feet of all furniture make them easy to move quietly. Student creations must be displayed. (Helm, Turckes & Hinton p.68).

Books should be omnipresent, because today’s digital age students need to become comfortable with and enjoy books. Easy availability is the best course. 20th Century school accoutrements such as paper, and pencils will never disappear. Large pull down maps and globes are still essential for tactile Social Studies students. The need for physical storage of files and paper should be reduced with the advent of computers and their massive data storage capacity. A large bank of south facing windows bathes the room with natural light all year long, which increases academic performance (Helm, Turckes & Hinton p.68). Deciduous trees outside shade the windows in the summer and allow maximum light in during the winter.

Everyone in class has a laptop. Keyboards improve the ability for all students to write effectively. The computing hardware and software need to be totally interactive and compatible for students and teachers. The teacher must be able monitor student’s computer use. With robust interactive communication, comes easy distraction, so standard protocols for producing, monitoring, and reviewing student products is important.

Audio and video recording capabilities cultivate 21st Century skills. They can help students create live broadcasts, record projects, create and preserve films and music and encourage more creativity. The ability to share presentations to the whole class is important. All technology should be accessible and easily utilized by all students. It is their learning, so it should be their classroom.