3)+Platform+of+Beliefs

Platform of Beliefs __The Relationship Between the Teacher and the Student __

 The most important belief I have about the teacher’s relationship to the students in terms of their learning is that the teacher should take the role as facilitator. Teachers should not teach students solely on the premise of dictating to students what they need to know, but instead guide students through the learning process. In chapter 5 of Tomlinson’s book about differentiating, she says teachers need to “make sure children develop the knowledge, understanding, and skill necessary to be fulfilled and productive members of society.” I don’t think teacher’s can do this by simply giving student’s information and hoping they get it. Teacher’s should facilitate learning by guiding student’s through each step of a learning process and then give them opportunities to explore it on their own. I saw this lot in my field placement at Cromwell ECS. My host teacher taught reading strategies during mini lessons and followed up by having students put these strategies to use during read to self. She did not simply tell students what the strategies were and how to use them, but rather got the students involved in the lesson and acted as their guide. In my reading 316 class, I learned about effective and ineffective ways of teaching vocabulary from our Vacca textbook //Reading and Learning to read//. The ineffective strategy is when the teacher acts as mainly an authoritative figure and gives students a list of words they are required to memorize. An effective way is when teachers act as a facilitator and give students the opportunity to experience and play with words. I saw this in my field placement as the teacher used think alouds and modeling to guide students in their learning, rather simply telling them the information.

Part of a quote cited in Tomlinson chapter 3 reads “A good teacher communicates a deep regard for students’ lives, a regard infused with unblinking attention, respect, even awe.” This shows another belief I have about the relationship between the teacher and the student: teacher’s need to develop a good demeanor towards students. It is important for students to feel respected and cared for by their teachers so they feel comfortable in the classroom. If a student feels they are disliked by a teacher, it will hinder their learning experience. This corresponds to II.3 of the Connecticut’s Common Core of Teaching Foundational skills and Competencies: Teachers establish and maintain appropriate standards of behavior and create a positive learning environment that shows a commitment to students and their successes. I think to do this teacher’s need to get to know their students. Student’s have different backgrounds that affect how they learn. We have also talked in many education classes about learning styles of students. Teachers need to discover what makes up each student’s learning profile in order to help them succeed. They should respect the differences among students and work to meet the individual needs of each student. Tomlinson talks about in chapter three how teacher’s need to respond to students in a way that maximizes their opportunity to learn and develop. I saw many examples in my field placement that showcase this concept. If a student answered a question wrong my host teacher would say things like “try again,” “That’s right for but what about .” She did not respond to a student who made a mistake by yelling at them and telling them they were wrong. Everyone has memories of teacher’s who made them feel special and teacher’s they were afraid to seek help from, the difference has a tremendous effect on the learning experience. I believe having a good demeanor and being approachable by students is essential to a teacher’s success.

__The Relationship Between and Among Students __

 I believe that teacher’s need to build a classroom community where students respect and support each other. I saw this first hand in my field placement at Cromwell ECS. The students in my class worked very well together and supported each others learning. They constantly helped each other read and write unfamiliar words. When a student asked for help, classmates were willing to give it. I could see that the relationship among students in the classroom proved beneficial to their learning experience. The step in creating this environment is to help students get to know each other. I did a getting to know you activity in my field placement in order to get to know the students in my classroom. The activity also let students get to know one another as well. Each student wrote about a school memory and drew a picture to go with it. The class then had the opportunity share their memories with one another. In my Reading 316 class, my teacher demonstrated another way to help students get to know their classmates. She assigned us partners to work with during the class time and switched partnerships every so often throughout the semester. This way, students got to know their classmates instead of always working with he same person. Students in a classroom need to accept each other for their differences to create a safe classroom environment. Every student has a different background, family, interest, strengths, and weakness. The classroom needs to be a place where all these differences are respected. To create this teacher’s need to demonstrate to students how to treat each other with respect. Tomlinson list on page 45 some guidelines for students concerning classroom operations. One is “we will show respect for people, their ideas, and their property.” Another is “we will work hard to ensure our own growth and to assist the growth of others.” If teachers can show students what it means to follow these guidelines they will foster a classroom community that promotes positive interaction among students. Teachers also need to teach students how to solve conflict and work with others. If this happens students will be more comfortable and engaged during group work. Students also need to learn how to listen and respond to each other appropriately. Mary Cowhey says on page 63 of her book __Black Ants and Buddhists__ that “you can’t step on someone else’s words.” This is a great way to explain to students that they need to let a classmate finish a thought before responding. This is something that teacher’s should keep in mind as well as when they listen to responses from students. If a student is having a long time giving an answer it is better to be patient and let him finish instead of cutting him off. If teachers and students do this everyone will feel safe to participate in class discussion. Building a positive classroom community and relationship among students will prove a positive influence on academic growth.

__The Relationship between the Teacher and the Curriculum. __

 I believe the curriculum should guide teachers to develop lessons that meet the needs of all learners. Tomlinson quotes Steven Levy on page 60 of her book saying “we cannot teach the breadth of the entire world and at the same time achieve any depth of understanding.” What I take from this is that if teachers run through the curriculum in a way that lets the cover everything in the short time they have with students, they will not walk away with a good understanding. I believe the teacher needs to determine what is important in the curriculum, just as Tomlinson says on page 60. Teacher’s need to determine what is important while keeping in mind student’s prior knowledge and needs. This can be done by using assessment to guide instruction, as on page 14 of our Stiggins book it says “We assess to gather evidence of student learning that will inform instructional decisions in ways that maximize that learning.” Once teachers decide what they need to teach it is up to them to figure what approach will best fit their students. Different models of instruction and teaching strategy can be used to teach the same standard of GLE. The teacher needs to find the most appropriate way to allow students access to the curriculum. I had a great experience in my field placement that helped me understand the relationship between the teacher and the curriculum. My host teacher through it would be good practice to use student data to create two small group lessons, rather than her assigning me a topic. The first thing I did was become familiar with the first grade Common Core State Standards and CT State Standards for reading and writing. I then looked through student DRA’s and a notebook containing every student’s goals and strengths in reading and writing and identified two groups of students with a common need. When I began to prepare my lesson, I started with a standard and objective like I learned to do in my EDTE 320 class. This is explained in Tomlinson on page 61 as she says “Once we know what is generally significant in a topic or study, our next job as teachers is to ensure that each step in the teaching process is designed to guide students towards a high level of competence with the knowledge, understanding, and skill we have deemed critical.” From my objective that I deemed important for students to know, I determined what teaching approaches and strategy would be best appropriate in getting the students to meet the objective. I believe this is a good example of how teachers should interact with the curriculum.

__Relationship between the Student and Curriculum __

 I believe the teacher is responsible for modifying their teaching strategies so that all students have access to and benefit from the curriculum. This includes differentiating instruction and providing modifications and accommodations that enable all students to learn. This belief is explained well in a quote cited in Tomlinson on page 68. The quote introduces chapter six and reads “‘All children can learn’ does not mean ‘all children are the same.’ Furthermore, diversity is not merely about external characteristics. If we’re really going to take this seriously, that means we start looking at diversity on the inside as well as diversity on the outside. Making this principle both a moral and intellectual part of the curriculum will require…a diversity of approaches, diversity of techniques, and diversity of teaching strategies.” This quote does an excellent job at explaining what teachers need to do in order to enable all students to benefit from the curriculum.

 I also believe that teachers need to foster a love of learning. It benefits students to be interested in what they are learning and be motivated to participate in learning activates. Teachers can motivate students to want to learn by teaching according to the student’s interest. In my field placement, the class library was filled with a variety of books at different levels and subjects. The library was organized in a way where students could easily find books in a topic they are interested in. The students got to pick books for their “book buddy bags.” This way each student had his or her own leveled books that they were interested in to use during reading centers. Mary Cowhey’s cites a quotes from Paulo Friere on page 124 of __Black Ants and Buddhist__; a portion of the quote reads “Students must play an active part in the learning process.” I agree with this and believe it is beneficial for students to stay engaged in the learning process. Teachers need to come up with strategies to make this happen. One strategy I learned in my EDTE 320 class is that all lessons need to have a motivation factor or hook. This was demonstrating in class readings on Vista on entry points. Another strategy I practiced in my field placement was hands on learning. I tried to incorporate hands on learning in my lessons so students could be a part of the learning process rather than just passively listening to my teach.

__Self Reflection __

 Finally, I believe that teachers should continue to reflect on teaching practices. This is something I’ve had to practice through the Education program. I believe reflecting on lessons is an important way to determine what worked well and what didn’t, along with how you can modify teaching practices to benefit student achievement. Tomlinson discusses in her book the importance of reflective practices by stating “teacher’s reflection inevitably attends directly to students’ need for affirmation, contribution, power, purpose, and challenge. From continual reflection on these and countless other questions, the teacher’s practice also becomes more intuitive and efficient in addressing student needs.