My Goals as a Teacher
is to help young people find who they are and where they fit in their school, family, society, country and the world (maybe even in the universe). I want to help them see the world more clearly through different lenses, using different philosophies, questioning assumptions and examining believes each philosophy has to ultimately find one which they believe would best fit who they are and want to be while considering their cultural, religious and family values.
Further elaboration on how I plan to achieve this can be found here.
Further elaboration on how I plan to achieve this can be found here.
Classroom Management
BehaviourismDrawing on my education and experience with classical and operant conditioning, I used both in my classroom and homework management. This approached is also based on research in to literature of how to retain risk-of-dropout young people. By using positive reinforcement and negative punishment, classroom can be managed more efficiently allowing for better content delivery. These approaches also allows for young people to take responsibility for their actions and learning which teaches them valuable lessons in becoming a part of their community.
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Peer feedback on classroom behaviourBy setting expected behavior and consequences at the beginning of each term and having it written as a poster in class, it helps young peoples to understand what the expected behaviours are. It also helps when young people themselves ask their classmates to behave appropriately by pointing at the poster. This peer oriented regulation seems to work because it is a reminder rather than a warning from an authority figure, thus making it more acceptable and the young person is less likely to retaliate.
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Forming genuine individual relationshipI believe all learning begins with a relationship between the teacher and the learner. In this relationship, respect should be mutual only then will teaching and learning be able to commence. So as a teacher, I am to find and form those relationships with my young people. I am lucky to have seen this in action through my university lecture, Jo Williams who was able to make connections with each and every person in my class despite cultural, age and gender. She did this by finding similarities with her people, being empathetic, admitting she can make mistakes and apologizing when she does, most importantly respecting her students believes and views even when she did not agree with them.
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Teaching and Learning
Lifelong learningDue to the rapid changes in the world, we have made more advancement in the last 10 years than we have had century, so lifelong learning is an essential skill to have. Young people today will need to learn, unlearn and relearn as technology, philosophies and core assumptions about the world gets updated and redefined.
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Kindling curiosityBy kindling curiousity, young people are now hungry for knowledge and would become resourceful to seek for more updated infomation. With curiosity, lifelong learning is almost certain. The need to know how, why and what will not only ensure a smooth delivery on the curriculum but it will also encourage exploration outside the curriculum.
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Teacher as a guideGuided by the theory of constructivism by Jean Piaget, I am to be a facilitator and a leader to demonstrate skills and content thus allowing for young people to construct their own understanding. This also adds to their perceived value of education and allows for a more variable and creative expression of self and understanding of any topic.
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Young people being responsible and accountable for their learningIt is a refutable fact that young people need to learn accountability and responsibility. However knowing what it is and how it looks like alone is not enough. These values come with a whole lot of other skills, honesty, timeliness, understanding one's limitation, asking for help, and much more. Young people need to practice this skills and since they spend some much time in school, it is another place they can practice this skills. So rather than involving the parents for every mistake they make, it would be more useful for these young people to take responsibility and be accountable for their action. Teaching plan should include ownership and chance of redemption from mistakes rather than penalization and punishment.
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Respecting young people's knowledgeThis approach is far from "blank slate" epistemological idea of tabula rasa. I know and acknowledge that young people come in with knowledge not only from their own experience but those of their ancestors. So when a young person says "but my mama said...", I will respect that knowledge, value or believe. However, I will get them to listen to my version and use their critical thinking skills as well as analysing skill to investigate if there is any truth to the new knowledge and come up with their own construction of knowledge.
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Encouraging global citizenshipWhile there are still isolated pockets of civilization living on this planet today, due to geographical obstacles or poverty, in the near future the availability of internet and development will eventually close this gap. Young people have come to realize that a nationality is more a hinderance than a help in saving and sustaining this planet. Therefore, young people need to be aware of their surrounding, understand issues which affect not only themselves or their community but millions of people around the world. They also need to believe they can make a difference and understand the their legal responsibilities and rights to participate in changing the world.
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