My Teaching Philosophy
I believe in creating a classroom environment that is centered around "Habits of Mind". A Habit of Mind is knowing how to behave intelligently when you don't know the answer. There are 16 Habits, all of which help students gain success in the classroom as well as the real world. Although I believe in following all of these Habits, I find myself focusing much of my time on five of them. I believe in these Habits because they help prepare children for the real world, which is one of a teacher's greatest responsibilities. Creating a classroom around these Habits of Mind will help develop responsibile, high achieving, life-long learners.
"Persisting" is the first Habit of Mind. Teaching children to persist against all odds will teach them that they can do anything they set their minds to. Children need to learn the importance of completing a task and doing your best, no matter how challenging it may be. Just like "the little engine that could" children should learn to live positively, believing in themselves every step of the way.
"Thinking and communicating with clarity and precision" is not only important in school, but a Habit that adults use in their everyday lives as well. Children will learn to think before they act, ask appropriate questions to gain understanding, and give precise directions the first time, through guidance and modeling by knowledgeable teachers and adults. By following this Habit myself, I have seen the positive affects of giving multiple forms of directions to accommodate all my students' different learning styles. Before beginning a task, I give directions orally and visually and I have students repeat them back to me to ensure clarity. This Habit also emphasizes the importance of creating sound home-school communication. Providing weekly newsletters and keeping an up to date website allows parents to be actively engaged in their child's learning at home. By modeling how to think and communicate with clarity and precision children will understand its importance, which ultimately sets them up for learning success.
"Managing Impulsivity" is a Habit that all children can relate to. Learning this Habit of Mind will teach children to think before they act, in terms of their learning as well as their behavior. Children learn that being successful means thinking carefully through their work. They also learn that inappropriate behavior is often the result of acting on impulse. I believe in positive reinforcement, which encourages students to make good choices whether in the classroom or on the playground.
"Gathering data through all senses" is a Habit that sets students up for success in many subject areas. As a teacher I put emphasis on the scientific processes while teaching science as well as other subjects. If students are able to gather data through careful observation, they will be able to draw conclusions and see patterns easier. This Habit is important because it can be easily applied to the outside world. I teach my students to observe their surroundings before making important decisions, helping them to make safer choices in their daily lives.
"Creating, imagining and innovating" is another important Habit, which will teach children to think outside the box and solve problems by looking at all angles. "Creative people take risks and frequently push the boundaries of their perceived limits" (Perkins, 1985). I believe that every child has the capacity to act and think creatively. This Habit is something that is learned when students have the opportunity to express themselves in their classroom and their world.
The last Habit of Mind that I strive for in my everyday life is "remaining open to continuous learning". Collaboration between colleagues provides teachers with an endless amount of knowledge and success in the classroom. As a teacher I am open to new ideas and I am constantly reflecting upon and refining my classroom practices. This is the same way that I envision my students' learning. Complex instruction is one method of teaching that promotes collaboration among students. Students learn to work through a problem as a team, working together while feeling personally accountable for completing the task. This type of learning fosters students success in the classroom and helps prepare children for similar tasks in the real world.
I base my classroom community around these Habits of Mind to ensure personal growth and development in all my students. Following these classroom beliefs helps my students develop individually as well as together as a community. As a teacher I seek to build the type of classroom community that gives students the tools to always seek out the answers to their questions about the world around them. By doing this I will help develop confident and successful life-long learners who are more prepared for the real world.
REFERENCES:
Perkins, D. (1985). What Creative Thinking Is. In A. L. Costa (Ed.), developing minds: A resource book for teaching thinking. pp. 85-88 Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Costa, A.; Kallick B. Describing 16 Habits of Mind. http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/74114/educational%20documents/16%20من%20عادات%20العقل.pdf
This article is adapted from Costa, A and Kallick, B (2000) Habits of Mind: A Developmental Series. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development:
Book I: Discovering and Exploring Habits of Mind
Book II: Activating and Engaging Habits of Mind
Book III: Assessing and Reporting Growth in Habits of Mind Book IV: Integrating and Sustaining Habits ofMind
"Persisting" is the first Habit of Mind. Teaching children to persist against all odds will teach them that they can do anything they set their minds to. Children need to learn the importance of completing a task and doing your best, no matter how challenging it may be. Just like "the little engine that could" children should learn to live positively, believing in themselves every step of the way.
"Thinking and communicating with clarity and precision" is not only important in school, but a Habit that adults use in their everyday lives as well. Children will learn to think before they act, ask appropriate questions to gain understanding, and give precise directions the first time, through guidance and modeling by knowledgeable teachers and adults. By following this Habit myself, I have seen the positive affects of giving multiple forms of directions to accommodate all my students' different learning styles. Before beginning a task, I give directions orally and visually and I have students repeat them back to me to ensure clarity. This Habit also emphasizes the importance of creating sound home-school communication. Providing weekly newsletters and keeping an up to date website allows parents to be actively engaged in their child's learning at home. By modeling how to think and communicate with clarity and precision children will understand its importance, which ultimately sets them up for learning success.
"Managing Impulsivity" is a Habit that all children can relate to. Learning this Habit of Mind will teach children to think before they act, in terms of their learning as well as their behavior. Children learn that being successful means thinking carefully through their work. They also learn that inappropriate behavior is often the result of acting on impulse. I believe in positive reinforcement, which encourages students to make good choices whether in the classroom or on the playground.
"Gathering data through all senses" is a Habit that sets students up for success in many subject areas. As a teacher I put emphasis on the scientific processes while teaching science as well as other subjects. If students are able to gather data through careful observation, they will be able to draw conclusions and see patterns easier. This Habit is important because it can be easily applied to the outside world. I teach my students to observe their surroundings before making important decisions, helping them to make safer choices in their daily lives.
"Creating, imagining and innovating" is another important Habit, which will teach children to think outside the box and solve problems by looking at all angles. "Creative people take risks and frequently push the boundaries of their perceived limits" (Perkins, 1985). I believe that every child has the capacity to act and think creatively. This Habit is something that is learned when students have the opportunity to express themselves in their classroom and their world.
The last Habit of Mind that I strive for in my everyday life is "remaining open to continuous learning". Collaboration between colleagues provides teachers with an endless amount of knowledge and success in the classroom. As a teacher I am open to new ideas and I am constantly reflecting upon and refining my classroom practices. This is the same way that I envision my students' learning. Complex instruction is one method of teaching that promotes collaboration among students. Students learn to work through a problem as a team, working together while feeling personally accountable for completing the task. This type of learning fosters students success in the classroom and helps prepare children for similar tasks in the real world.
I base my classroom community around these Habits of Mind to ensure personal growth and development in all my students. Following these classroom beliefs helps my students develop individually as well as together as a community. As a teacher I seek to build the type of classroom community that gives students the tools to always seek out the answers to their questions about the world around them. By doing this I will help develop confident and successful life-long learners who are more prepared for the real world.
REFERENCES:
Perkins, D. (1985). What Creative Thinking Is. In A. L. Costa (Ed.), developing minds: A resource book for teaching thinking. pp. 85-88 Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Costa, A.; Kallick B. Describing 16 Habits of Mind. http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/74114/educational%20documents/16%20من%20عادات%20العقل.pdf
This article is adapted from Costa, A and Kallick, B (2000) Habits of Mind: A Developmental Series. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development:
Book I: Discovering and Exploring Habits of Mind
Book II: Activating and Engaging Habits of Mind
Book III: Assessing and Reporting Growth in Habits of Mind Book IV: Integrating and Sustaining Habits ofMind