Lindsey Lash

Dr. Hall
Student Teaching Seminar
3 February 2015
Philosophy of Education
Nelson Mandela tells us that, Education is the most powerful weapon
which you can use to change the world. It is the duty of the teacher to
provide her students with the tools necessary to foster their education. A
classroom should have many different modes of learning to reach
kinesthetic, auditory, and visual learners. Every student should be given the
best chance to succeed and excel in his or her own education.
Students should have their needs met individually and analyzed on a
case-by-case basis. In the inclusive world that has now become education, a
teacher needs to adapt her ways to universally design all lessons. If a
student has a physical disability, I plan to create a lesson that will not only
work for this student, but for all students. Every student should feel as a part
of a whole. Each student has a purpose and element to the classroom, and
students need to feel this sense of importance. I will provide my students
with jobs within our classroom to make each student feel important. Along
with helpers, students will be able to take on different roles, be it the person
who passes out papers, the garbage man, or pencil sharpener. My classroom
will set my students up to take on their larger role in the world, and every
student will see how it will effects our community when one job is not
complete.
My classroom will be a place where students can come and relax, feel
safe, be happy, and participate actively everyday to promote their individual
learning. Students will learn that it is okay to fail, as long as we learn from
those failures. Progress in my classroom is the crucial element to success. It
is my job as the teacher to learn from the students successes and failures to
tailor my instruction to ensure that every student grasps their learning. My
students will be able to teach one another what they are learning, and will
take the steps within the learning period to stay actively engaged.
Vygotsky states that children learn by doing. With hands-on
experiences, I plan for students to be able to take control of their own
education. It is my goal to develop a curriculum that reaches visual learners
with pictures, signs, and demonstrations, auditory learners through
classroom discussion, videos, and demonstrations, and kinesthetic learners
by creating activities for students to complete, experiments to try, and
learning games and activities throughout the day. Each day I want my
students to be able to go home and tell their parents exactly what they did in
my classroom, and be excited to return to school the next day or week.
Teachers need to create a positive learning environment that fosters
positive relationships between students, parents, and the teacher. Knowing
that no two students are alike, and by creating a strong classroom
community teachers can bring in the diverse backgrounds and cultures of
each student. By doing this, teachers create a respectful and understanding

environment for students to discuss similarities and differences. Students

can learn to accept and understand that everyone is not the same as them,
and that it makes the world a richer place. I plan to create many events
where students can represent and be proud of where they come from, while
including their parents and guardians into the classroom.
Some events that I feel should take place are ethic tours of individual
families, where a student can be featured each week to discuss their family
and their traditions, and one day during the week they will have the option to
bring in their favorite family dish for students to try. Breaking the barriers at
a young age that everyone is the same can lead to a lifetime of acceptance
of others. Allowing families to become involved in the classroom only
strengthens the learning of students. Giving opportunities such as donuts
with dad and dad figures, breakfast with mom and mother figures, lunch with
grandparents, and classroom parties allows students to engage their very
first teachers in their learning. Seeing as parents and guardians are every
childs first teachers, it is crucial to engage them throughout the learning
process. Because it is impossible to have parents or other guests in the
classroom everyday, it is important to maintain communication between the
school and home. Parent teacher conferences one or twice a year are not
enough, and teachers should be sending home at least a bi-weekly
communication letter. I feel that daily behavior charts should be sent home
in students individual folders, and that emails and phone calls should be
taking place regularly. Emails and phone calls are important because it
allows parents a choice as to what technology they would prefer to be
utilized.
I believe that while parents are actively engaging in their childs
learning, that the child should also be responsible for their learning as well.
Data-notebooking binders will be created and utilized by my students to
show the individual progress of each student throughout the year. Along with
these sheets, students will have multiple methods of tracking their progress
on their own. Word wall folders can be utilized in the classroom by having
students write the new words as they are introduced, and then continuing to
build on from the original starting point. As a communication method as well
as a method to track individual progress, I plan to create individual sight
word folders for students. Each student will be able to take the list of words
home to practice, and then bring the folder back. Once they have mastered
the list that was given, it will be marked on the tracking page and a new list
will be issued. This is a way that allows students to work at their own pace at
home, while the words are being reinforced in the classroom. This scaffolds
students learning because students work at their own pace.
Being a teacher in the 21st century, it is my duty to facilitate and
inspire student learning and creativity. If possible in the classroom, I plan to
utilize iPads, interactive smart boards, and educational videos as methods to
foster creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness. It is my goal to
expand students horizons beyond a PowerPoint, while introducing my
students to the world of Prezi, iMovie, web design, and more.

In todays world, utilizing STEM, or Science, Technology, Engineering,

and Math education is crucial. The way that these subjects must be taught
needs to reach all learners, to hopefully create a world with less unemployed
and more informed citizens of the world. According to the STEM education
coalition, their central mission is, to inform federal and state policymakers
on the critical role that science, technology, engineering, mathematics
education plays in U.S. competitiveness and future economic prosperity.
Through aligning educational lessons with this in mind, we are able to begin
to take major steps to an even brighter future.
With social media and the Internet creating a huge window for
individual responsibility, it is crucial that the educator teaches students
proper etiquette as well as promotes how to be responsible while modeling
digital citizenship. I plan to utilize Internet and app resources such as Google
communities, Edmodo, and more to educate students on how to interact with
other students across the globe. Educating students how to properly use
technology for communication and for research are crucial with todays
learning. It is also important to teach students how to search for credible
information, and how they must always appropriately document their
sources.
I also believe that assessments should be developed prior to instruction
so that students have the best chance of success. Assessments need to be
developed based on standards, and the instruction needs to meet the
standards as well as the assessments. Rubrics are a great tool for students to
understand exactly what will be expected of them for projects, participation,
and more. Not only do rubrics allow students to see what is expected of
them, but also allows their parents and guardians to see what areas students
are being graded. By utilizing rubrics, I plan to minimize gray areas for
confusing students and parents, as well as minimizing arguments about
grading practices.
A teacher should not stand in one place, rather, she must move
throughout the room to continue students engagement with participation
and activities. By simply monitoring students, behaviors can be kept to a
minimum. A teacher should have their own set of rules to follow in the
classroom that incorporate the schools rules. Students should be reminded
of these rules as often as necessary, especially when rules are broken. I will
have a classroom management system that allows students to have
opportunities to correct their mistakes within a day. Students will first receive
a warning before a loss of privileges, and after a loss of privileges a phone
call will be made home before resorting to the principals office. A teacher
should be able to correct and redirect students appropriately within her own
classroom, and only refer to the principals office as a last resort.
Finally, I believe that no one is ever done learning, and everyday presents
a person with new opportunities. It is important that every teacher, including
myself, continuously learns more about their profession and what they are
teaching. I plan to continue to participate in global learning communities to
not only continue my connections with educators and students in other

countries, but across our nation. I want to continuously be introduced to new

technology that can be utilized in my classroom so my students have the
greatest benefits and highest levels of knowledge. As a teacher, I am a
leader, and it is crucial to my role that I continuously growth professionally
and as a leader. Without furthering my education and my professional
practice, I not only will fail myself, but my future students. I refuse to fail
either. The student always comes first.