Philosophy of Teaching

Lori Smale

In my classroom, I hope to provide an environment where my students can get the best experience possible. My classroom will be a safe place that is also nurturing and conducive to learning. I will try to arrange the physical environment to best fit the needs of both my students and me. Constant assessment will help me to determine what my students are learning and if any modifications need to be made. I want my students to look forward to coming into my classroom to learn.

If a student does not feel safe in their classroom, it is difficult for them to concentrate on their studies. A set of rules and consequences will be established at the beginning of the school year. Both the students and I will decide upon these rules. I feel that it is important to give my students a sense of ownership in almost everything that happens in the classroom. If a rule is broken, the consequences decided upon will be followed through. Students must learn that for every action there is a consequence, whether positive or negative. This classroom learning will hopefully extend into their out of class experiences.

Classroom management is one of the most important aspects of the school environment. In addition to rules, there needs to be a set of standards and routines established. Children find comfort in routine and often adapt well to one when it is already established. I plan to assign “jobs” to my students to give them a sense of community in the classroom. The students may suggest some of these jobs, while I will suggest others. They can range anywhere from “Pencil Sharpener” to “Line Leader” to “Room Inspector”. All of the jobs assigned will have some importance in keeping the room clean and running smoothly. The students will rotate jobs each week. I hope that my students will take these jobs seriously. Routines will also be established during times such as transitions between subjects, after-lunch-time, the few minutes before and at the end of the school day and any other time where a routine would help in the organization and cooperation of my students. Learning to manage a classroom will take time and patience. Thus far, I have observed some things I want to try in my own classroom, as well as some I will try to avoid. I will be open to change and adjust my management methods whenever needed.

The physical set-up of a classroom is also very important. I hope to make my classroom a place where students feel comfortable moving about while still having their own personal space. I also want to achieve a sense of community by arranging the desks in either small groups or in a fashion where everyone can see each other. There will be a space for the students to gather together, either to listen to me as a class or to work on group work. The room will be decorated with both student work and other inspirational or school related items. Although I have seen many classrooms with animals, I have not yet decided on whether or not I will have them in my classroom. Because I am ever changing in my ideas of how a room should be set up, I will probably rearrange the furniture often, providing new and different learning spaces.

Students will arrive and leave my class at many different learning levels. I hope to be able to provide an environment where every student learns as much as possible without being at a level of frustration. When a student gets frustrated, they often lose interest in learning. I will constantly assess my students both formally and informally to make sure that they are learning the information. If a student has special needs for modifications, I will do my best to seek resources that might help this student or students to better grasp the material. These resources will include other teachers, resource teachers, Internet, books and any number of other resources that I might not know about yet. It is very important to me that all of my students are learning and are looking forward to learning more.

In general, I hope to provide a classroom where my students feel comfortable being. My students will look forward to coming to school everyday and will have fun while also learning valuable information. I want to have a relaxed yet structured teaching style. I hope to be open to suggestions and ideas from both other teachers and my own students. I am looking forward to teaching my own class and hope that it will be a positive experience for my students and me.