Miss Mack
I believe that students must be provided with a stimulating learning environment in order to reach their highest potential academically, socially, mentally, and emotionally. With proper motivation, learning can be engaging AND constructed in a way to meet the needs of all unique learners.
Learning CAN be fun!
Instruction/Planning
One thing I pride myself in when it comes to instruction is my passion to make my content fun and engaging for my students. I like to use a variety of resources in my classroom, from technological resources such as plickers and prodigy, to art integrated activities such as color by number sheets and game board projects. Getting to know students/their interests and applying this to lesson planning is something that I have found to take learning to a new level in the classroom. I think that instruction should be a balance of explicit instruction and student led work periods such as small group, or partner work. I think collaboration opportunities are a great way to enhance instruction periods as it helps students grow in a variety of ways and in turn also allows me to float around and provide additional support to those who need it without holding up the progression of the entire class.
When it comes to planning, I am someone believes that if you are always ready, you never need to get ready. I think it is important to prepare a variety of resources from the initial jump of planning, as it allows you to be more flexible in the moment of teaching. Having the variety of resources and ideas flowing before you even reach that point is what will allow you to meet the needs of all of your learners best!
Assessment
Assessment is an aspect of learning that I do not think has a direct beginning and end point. This is an ongoing process as we are constantly given opporotunities to assess students in a variety of ways formally or informally. I think it is important to provide a variety of different assessment formats in the classroom in order to fairly gauge the strengths of all of our unique learners. Now, I am not dismissing the importance of scores and analyzing data by any means. I think this is a crucial part of teaching, and understanding student patterns is what will take learning to the next level. Assessment often has a negative/scary meaning to students, and that is something I will strive to change in my classroom. I want to enforce the belief that making mistakes WILL happen and this is okay. This is the best way we can reflect and continue to grow!
Differentiation
It is very important to me that I create a classroom environment in which students feel like they are safe, supported, and understood. Every student that enters my room deserves my commitment in regards to finding their strengths and then providing a learning experience that supports these strengths. I am a firm believer that all learning is individual, because we as humans are all unique in our own ways. It is my goal to create an environment in which students feel motivated to improve, whether they are struggling learners, gifted, or fall somewhere in the middle.
To accommodate all of my students needs, I will first off provide a variety of learning materials and activities. Beyond making learning fun, I think doing activities beyond the traditional worksheet will help showcase more of my students strengths. As someone who is a hands on learner myself, I think it it important to provide this kind of learning experience for my students. Referring back to my planning/instruction philosophy, I believe preparing an abundance of different materials, as well as different levels of these materials, will help aide my students the best.
Overall, one of my main goals as a teacher is to help students feel good about themselves. I want students to be happy to enter my classroom because of how I support and encourage them. Understanding different needs and providing differentiation is not an option to me. Our differences are what make us beautiful- and I will do my best to instill this everyday in my students minds!
Classroom Management
When it comes to dealing with behavior, I think it is important to always let your students know you are willing to work with them, not against them. It is crucial as a teacher to respond and not react. Personally, I like to take a positive approach to handling the classroom (rewards, recognition, reflection) in oppose to negative reinforcements (loss, yelling, punishment). I am very big on building positive student rapport in order to create a positive classroom environment, and believe it to be one of my strongest skills.
Check out a few of my favorite classroom management strategies below!
Secret Reward
Secret Reward is whole class system that requires students to complete the tasks on the sticky notes (classroom expectations) as a class so that they can be removed from the poster board. This will reveal a secret reward for the whole class such as a movie day, extra recess, candy, or anything you want! I have personally seen classes collaborate together to choose and accomplish certain tasks each day which is awesome to see!
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Positive Postcards
Positive Postcards is an individual management strategy that I like to use in order to provide positive feedback to students who are excelling in some type of way. I have a card I made and keep in the class to send home when students are being awesome. This can be for academics, emotional growth, behavior, caught being kind, and many other positive choices! I've found that students really enjoy getting this recognition, especially to take home and show to a parent or guardian they love.
Secret Student
Secret Student is another whole class system that students seem to really enjoy! Each week I choose a secret student that I watch for behavior. By the end of the week, if the student was making good choices I let the class know who it was and provide them all a small reward. If they do not, the class never knows who it was and we restart next week. Each student has no choice but to assume it is them and therefore make good choices!