I pride myself in the energy and effort I put into my work. I have great respect for my
students, I realize the challenges they face today are tough. I will guide each student to reach their highest potential.
EVERYONE can succeed, in their own way. I want every child to get an absolutely exemplary experience in science. My goals
include but are not limited to:
Providing the best possible experiences for
my students;
helping them use what they already have to find the answers,
leading them to a better future,
providing them with the tools to be independent "thinkers",
showing them the world in the eyes of a scientist, that they may make new discoveries.
Philosophy of Education
My personal philosophy of education continues to progress through a combination of my personal
experiences as a teacher/student, from strategies that I have developed, and from my research of innovative learning theories.
I come to my classroom each day excited to present the lesson to the students. I am humbled in my instructional role; I welcome
collaboration with fellow educators. I have a great respect for the art of teaching and the world of academia, I take my profession
seriously. I believe science as an academic subject is important; however the children’s feeling of success is my first
priority. I strongly believe that educators must have a passion for learning. Teachers should put forth 100 percent of their
efforts in teaching the children. My first encounter with students is to foster a trusting environment.
Exploration, Inquiry and discovery: Students should be life long learners. Constructivist
Teachers present their discipline in a way that inspires and offers tools for students to engage in exploration as they make
connections as with the constructivist approach and expanding upon their previous knowledge as taught by Vygotsky with scaffolding.
The classroom should be interesting and inspiring to the learner. I will be discussing a few valuable theories and the need
for an intuitive well balanced teacher.
Along my path through the Educational Technology Masters program I have read many excellent
texts and articles which will ensure a collaborative potpourri to explain theories and the role of a teacher. My teaching pedagogy has been greatly influenced by these readings. Edu 511 was an excellent review in
theory and pedagogy that helped me integrate the constructivist views. One of my favorite texts was by Holmes and Gardner
(2006) from Edu 545 which was a great assistance in guiding me in theory and practice. Providing the best experiences for
my students begins with an intuitive mind and continuous research on the part of the teacher. While many theorists and colleagues
have influenced my teaching, I believe that using informed common sense is the best practice for our students. By this I mean
that a teacher needs to know when to customize the lesson for the students and always take into consideration the individual’s
culture, cognitive ability, exposure, socio-economic background, and life experiences. Even the most progressive theory needs
to be adapted from time to time. The use of the constructivist model is appropriate for every student at all levels, however
“bridging” may be an integral element of this methodology. (Bailey and Pransky 2005) In some cases “Bridging
the gap” between dominate cultures is an important intuitive adjustment. A teacher’s responsibility is to get
to know their students in order to reach them personally and intellectually. A constructivist teacher will find a way to connect
the content to the learner, make it meaningful. Constructivism, where the student is constructing meaning and creating their
own learning processes and gives way to Multiple Intelligences , a model where
the learner can benefit from their specific abilities or intelligences. Students
can show strengths in a variety of areas know as multiple intelligences. Gardner describes these intelligences as: logical-mathematical, linguistic, musical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic,
interpersonal (understanding of others), intrapersonal (understanding of self), and naturalist (Golubtchik 2009).
My classroom is student centered. With constructivism at the forefront of my lesson planning, blended with a few other
influences, I create lessons in which students use their inquiry skills and critical thinking to create original products
which incorporate technology. I spend much of my preparation time creating lessons
that are overflowing with hands-on, use of visuals, manipulatives, interactive discussions, acting out, real-life, reading
passages and so many more components that stem from the ideas of Multiple Intelligences. I firmly believe that all levels
of children can benefit from curriculum that is enriched with the Multiple Intelligences in mind. I display the constructivist
approach by getting to know my students; each year as I become familiar with their family life, extracurricular talents, and
academic strengths. When I design lessons I begin units with an interactive class
discussion and activity. As I observe the students I can gauge their understanding of the material, and adapt my lesson if
necessary. By showing respect for my students and praising them for their progress they feel safe and want to learn. See an
example in Appendix V, student survey given at the beginning of the school year as a head start to getting to know my students.
From the beginning of my teaching career 12 years ago I have looked to the standards for what to teach and Howard Gardner
for how to teach it and to my students for how they would like to present their findings to their classmates. I have seen 11-13 year old children year get so excited about having the opportunity to share their culminating
project in the way they choose, it is beautiful and inspiring. I have such a passion for science and teaching I look for everything
possible to get the students excited too! You have to speak their language. I keep a close eye on pop culture, fun advertisements,
and the latest electronics for inspiration on presentations ideas.
The developmental theories of Vygotsky, Erickson, and Piaget can provide a strong psychological
outlook into the classroom. The knowledge of each proposed state of development, as mentioned in text Curriculum and Aims (Walker and Soltis pg 13-26) is obviously useful in effective teaching. Vygotsky scaffolding
instruction is a teaching strategy which originates from his concept of the zone of proximal development (ZPD). “The zone of proximal development is the distance between what children can
do by themselves and the next learning that they can be helped to achieve with competent assistance” (Raymond, 2000,
p.176). This is a student centered which theory provides a customized teaching approach based on each learners’ ZPD.
Erickson’s psychosocial development which designates specific development stages to each age group is helpful in understanding
the needs of students (Snowman pg 27) For example 7th grade students are in the Identity versus role confusion
stage where it is helpful to state clear expectations, model behavior expected from the students, and praise students when
they do reach target behaviors. For an example of my clear expectations see Appendix d. Piaget’s stages of cognitive
development which explains how students synthesis and organize at the middle school level is helpful to me as a science teacher.
I provide many hands on inquiry based activities to provide the students with experiences to learn (Snowman pg 36-39). For
examples of hands on activities see Appendix
F.
These theories all aid in the understanding of our students. Creating lessons based on the knowledge of cognitive stages is
advantageous to our learners. If a teacher keeps in mind how his/her students think and learn the material can be presented
in a learner specific manner. A good teacher will be able to use the applicable material from his/her research to create a
better environment for her/his students. For example, Erickson’s information on identity and personality development
is an important consideration in my 7th grade science classes when I am choosing cooperative groups. This psychological background creates a basis
for teachers to form realistic expectations. Lessons and rubrics will display appropriate grade level methods. For example
7th grade chemistry will take part in, the carefully monitored kitchen chemistry with simple lab tools, where high
school students may use more complicated chemicals and tools in the laboratory. The vocabulary your class level will also
accommodate for the ability of your students.
Vygotsky’s scaffolding and teacher facilitation focus is all applicable in my science
laboratory, I use this everyday. Students in my classroom are at different levels of proximal development (ZPD) and required
different amounts of assistance to reach the intended goal. Based on their work, I will see in class that some of the students
will need additional tutoring. As the teacher I am careful to interact with the students as a facilitator rather than just
give answers.
This approach helps me prepare the students to be critical thinkers, and be able to organize
their perceptions of the world using scientific evidence for their explanations. Science concepts can be challenging for young
minds. As the students share their thoughts I find a way to connect them to our topic or lead them to the correct answers
to avoid any uncomfortable feelings.
Students learn through experience in my class room when I pose an essential question and
give them the tools to discover the answer. I practice a version of Rousseau’s free learning; however contrary to Rousseau
I do give some guidance when needed. As a teacher in the 21st century, I agree with Walker and Soltis (2004) that
Dewey’s “Learning by doing” and making experiences meaningful to the students” is a vital approach
in a successful classroom. In my science laboratory the students participate
in many hands on activities and real life situations. The projects I assign are examples of students contributing their knowledge
in a meaningful and active approach. For examples of 7th grade Earth
science student work created via original research and peer collaboration see
Appendix N and O for evidence of
my understanding of the constructivist curriculum.
Personally, I have taught my students conceptual physical and chemistry in earth science
for the past eleven years and after approaching a lesson in many different ways I know the students have a high level of understanding
when they teach the lesson back to the class in their culminating project; this observation supports the constructivist theory
as students connect the current science concepts to real life situations. My role is to assure that my students are successful
and acquire a love of learning. As I mentioned in the introduction; I have collaborated many ideals and aims from a variety
of accomplished educators and philosophers that help me to teach effectively. I am a life long learner; I am excited about
science and new personal discoveries. I agree with Walker and Soltis (2004) that a teacher’s goal should be, teaching
children to think effectively, to communicate thought , to make relevant judgments, and to discriminate among values (pg 30)
. I learned to ask some essential questions of myself as I reflected in Edu 570. The most simple, but powerful question posed
by Dr Bouley in Edu 570 has been a valuable tool of reflection for me;” What really matters?”. When we make important decisions as educators whether it is in regards to students or parents I have learned
to always take a moment to step back, listen and think.
Multiple Intelligences an important element of constructivist teaching, is the opposite of Teacher Centered as stated
by Ellis (1998) where the teacher is doing all of the talking and the children passively listen. I agree with Ellis that the
emphasis on knowing that (facts) instead of knowing how to do things and how to
apply knowledge gained is an important part of the student-centered classroom (pg 105). I always tell my students I do not
want them to memorize the lesson, but to show me what they know! My aim is to create student-centered experiences. I want
my students to use their resources and discover.
I provide my students with a variety of technology to utilize as a research tool as well as for collaboration opportunities.
Edu 577 was an inspirational class which helped me in furthering my use of technology in my lessons. The Holmes and Gardner’s
text, although small in size, opened many doors throughout the world with its interactive Web boxes. The e-learning I experienced
help to enrich my curriculum and make it more relevant to today’s students. Technology integration offers students innovative
methods to learn and express their learning. Students discover how to research, create presentations and share their information
in a meaningful way. All students should feel equal in the classroom. When students understand that there is more than one
way to solve problems as with performing labs in my class, they further refine their individual conceptions (Bailey &
Pransky 2005)
In closing I feel that the constructivist approach is the most beneficial for our life long learners. This student
centered approach can be utilized for cultural awareness as the students learn to accept ideas from their classmates, facilitate
a desire to learn, and display how to be a productive member of a community. Students learn to think critically, be inquisitive,
and solve problems in a constructivist classroom.
In totality my goal as an educator is, as Walker and Soltis (2004)
put it, to make my practice intelligent, sensitive, responsible and moral.
Teach from the heart!
For Mrs. Haddock's Technology Integration click here
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