Teaching Philosophy Statement
“Today’s children will be tomorrow’s leaders.” There is nothing more valuable to our society than its children – the lessons they learn will help shape them into the adults they will someday become. I want to be a teacher because I have a great passion for wanting to help children acquire the knowledge and skills they need, as well as the chance to explore their own interests and find their strengths. I believe my philosophy is an eclectic blend of essentialism and progressivism, with a dash of a few others thrown in. To me, the ‘basics’ are a very important part of education, but giving students a chance to actually experience a concept – to understand the how and why – makes the knowledge become
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I believe that art is a very important area in which many schools are lacking and not placing enough focus. I plan on making art a key part of my class because I believe it helps boost self-esteem and foster creativity while enhancing self-expression. I will use it in many areas to supplement a lesson. For example: in reading – students draw a storyline/mini-comic book for the book or story we just read; in history – make a timeline of events to learn chronological order; in math – make a chart to help visualize differences, etc. Art will be a large focus for me because I believe if you don’t bolster it in elementary age children, it makes it harder to develop the creativity and self-expression for junior and senior high age students. I also want many hands on projects in my classroom because if you make something interesting or do something in a manner different from the norm, the students are more likely to remember it and retain the information for a longer period of time.
In my classroom I plan on being the ‘head’ of the classroom. I will expect the children to listen to me. I plan on using a blend of assertive discipline, as set forth my Lee and Marlene Canter, and democratic classroom, as set forth by Alfie Kohn. There will be certain rules each child will be expected to follow and consequences and rewards based on the following of the rules. I don’t want to simply punish though; I want to try and understand why a student acts up or
In an article he recently wrote to “clarify [his] views for Kappan readers, Lee Canter asserted that classroom behavior management was significantly more than just “names on the board and marbles in a jar” (Canter). The idea was appalling to him that educators could have been so misinterpreting his management strategy that this was all they were taking away from it, and yet increasingly, this was the feeling he was acquiring after untold conversations with numerous educators—thus the article. “The key to Assertive Discipline,” he stated, “is catching students being
During school, students should be engaged and willing to learn more about what they are learning. With art, there is no need for someone to be good at it. Art is dependent only on the artist herself. If students view art as just another subject, then they are missing the academic value art gives. Art goes beyond having artistic value and surpasses the idea of one's own limits. According to Allyono17, one of the authors of an article in Teen Ink magazine,
Instead of cutting the art budget to where art programs and teachers will slowly not be a part of the school courses offered, school systems need to be proactive and innovative and use the arts to help students learn and enjoy learning in other classes. Using different aspects of art such as drawing and acting can be outstanding ways for memorizing and studying for the core classes that the school systems desperately try to have their students focus on. School systems and parents are oblivious to the fact that art programs are more than just a time for a student to relax and not focus on math, science, or English. Art programs are enriching and lead to a development in retention, individualized thinking, and can be used as a stress relieving hobby. Not only will it help students while attending school, but it will give them habits to retain information better while also having a fun and relaxing hobby. With the increase in technology and everything becoming technologically based America is becoming oblivious to the dramatic impact the arts have made in shaping society today. By not opening students up to the different aspects of the arts you are leaving those to be closed minded and teaching the philosophy to focus on standardized testing, good grades, and inside the box thinking. This nation was founded on out of the box thinkers and innovators. Do not let the arts dwindle in the American school system. It is receiving extremely effective results in the areas where it is being offered and is being cared for. Think about everything in this country that would not be possible without artist drawing, acting, or playing it for all of us to hear or see. Without the introduction into the arts none of this would ever be. Something as simple as the beautiful red, white, and blue flag pledged to every day would not be here without an artist. The arts is too
In the classroom, to incorporate the ideas and key elements of different behavioral theories would require a practical application of the strategies and beliefs that underpin a successful behavior management class. My behavior management plan takes into account the unpredictability of a classroom setting, and can be adjusted accordingly. Assertive discipline falls under the so-called desist approach to classroom management, which gives the teacher full responsibility for regulating the classroom (Moore, 2009). Dreikurs democratic classroom management approach is more aligned with the instructional approaches to classroom management. These approaches are defined by their well-planned and well-implemented instruction that aid in preventing
According to Belden and Fessard (2001), “instruction in the arts is one of the best ways in which to involve the different modes of learning; through art, children learn complex thinking skills and master developments tasks.” Art educators strongly believe that integrating art into the classroom can be constructive and beneficial to students. Integrating art into the classroom keeps students motivated and focused. According to Lindemann, “making art that is tied to a lesson in another subject area provides an opportunity to commit those lessons to memory and encourage a deeper understanding of other concepts”. ( art for social and emotional child development at a preschool age) Learning by integrating artistic content into the core of the schools curriculum such a math and literacy is a stronger motivation than teaching the subject alone.
Some people believe art education is crucial in a child's development, attitude, and that it actually improves academics. Therefore, it also gives kids something they can look forward to during the school day. Children actually have the chance to be themselves and have the availability to use their imagination while in art class.
Classroom management is necessary to maintain the positive behaviours and attitudes. A well managed classroom can provide an amazing learning experience for all the involved students as their behaviour can always affect this process. Classroom discipline plays a large part in today 's educational system. Many teachers feel powerless when dealing with discipline problems in their classrooms. Canter (1997) discussed, in the past, only a look from a teacher to the students was enough to manage and control the classroom. Then, because of the social and political eruptions of the late '60s and early '70s, the respect to any authority was dramatically declined. Therefore, it is important to find a behaviour management approach that is suitable to the students of this generation.
With such great minds and an awesome influence that seems boundless, how can there not be references to the works of Thomas Hobbes and Immanuel Kant. The Fundamental Principles in the Metaphysics of Morality is used by the minority dissenting opinion to reiterate the concepts of the intrinsic dignity of man. While the majority uses the literary work the Leviathan to support their own opinions. Transforming and uplifting the case of Gregg v. Georgia into an arena for a debate of Hobbian and Kant philosophies.
In today’s society, there is a need for increased discipline in the classroom. Having discipline in the classroom and using it appropriately is like having a tool box in your shed. You have all sorts of tools in your tool box, but you must know when, where, and how to use each tool in order for it to be effective. A teacher must use appropriate strategies when responding to student behavior.
Art is defined as the expression or application of humans creative skills and imagination. Art is found in almost everywhere in our day to day lives. Without peoples imagination and creative skills we wouldn 't have buildings, technology and entertainment. Creativity is a important subject in society, yet the subject being taught in schools is on a decline. How can we live in such an advancing society when our future generations are not learning how to use their imagination or how to apply their creative skills? Although people argue that more class time needs to be put towards math and science classes, art classes need to increase in our schools. Art has many benefits on the brain and “Students who have access to arts in or out of school tend to have better academic results, better workforce opportunities, and more civic engagement” (National Endowment for the Arts). Art education needs to improve because it is a helpful stress reliever, important for childhood development and helps students succeed in school and life.
James O’Brien once stated, “It is art that makes us more away of the human condition… its destiny and progress.” While reading through chapter 3 in Integrating the Arts Across the Elementary School Curriculum by R. Phyllis Gelineau I found out multiple forms of art and got a better understanding of what the purpose of the forms are. As well as getting that understanding, they gave multiple projects that fit in all the different categories. As a teacher bringing the arts into the curriculum is one of the most important things to achieve. Art allows students to get a better understanding of the topic you are teaching, as well as allows the students to express their creative side and maybe find their true talents.
Theoretical models can be used to develop appropriate behaviour in the classroom, as well as maintain behavioural expectations throughout the whole school community. Democratic discipline is an approach created by Rudolph Dreikurs, and further developed by Alfred Adler, that identifies that students’ misbehaviour is motivated by mistaken goals and unconscious needs (Martella et al, 2011). These motives fall under four categories - to gain attention, exercise power, exact revenge and/or display inadequacy. To correct these mistaken beliefs, teachers are required to identify
Lee Canter’s assertive discipline model is likely most often used in classrooms where the teacher operates under a legitimate authority base. While studies show that students learn best in classrooms where teachers display efferent or expert authority bases, I believe that there is some definite value in using a legitimate authority base when it comes to class discipline and management. The assertive discipline model encourages teachers to be proactive and anticipate that students will break the rules (Canter, ) Another main focus of Canter’s model is using assertive command, which means the teacher does not retreat to a nonassertive passive stance or to a hostile response when students misbehave, but rather repeats the rule to the student over and over before making a corrective action. I believe that using assertive command in the classroom allows students the chance to correct their actions and think
Art Education in school equips and helps learners discover their full potential and talents. This is not only important during choices that need to be made during school, but also during critical choices in the “real world”. During the intermediate and senior phase, it is important for teachers to develop essential thinking skills in learners, attitude developments, as well as helping them understand their role
The classroom is a platform where a child learns not only the academics but also how to behave