There are three words that uniquely define my philosophy of education. Best, balanced, and depth.
If we do what is best for the students, they will succeed. Especially if we give them opportunities to think, make good decisions, help them to realize that they are responsible for their words and actions, and help them to become aware how important it is to learn from mistakes. Doing what is best for the students isn’t always the easiest and can often add to the daily teacher workload. It isn’t grabbing pre-made worksheets, but planning thoughtful activities to extract the deepest and most creative thinking.
Trends come and then they leave and in the past 30 years, there have been countless turnovers in every part of the curriculum. Nothing is perfect, but holding on to the most fitting practices is pivotal. As children have different styles, using a balanced approach to introducing skills will help to meet the needs of the students in a more equitable manner.
As a first grade teacher, I want my students to in-grain content through differentiated learning activities to help them build a solid foundation to support their knowledge. However, it should be flexible enough to allow for an increase in learning for the following years in school. By providing purposeful experiences, using good literature, and best practices, I want them to learn how to think critically and creatively. Pushing them above grade level before they are ready is not the point. Moving them laterally to enhance that broad base of learning and exposing them to a wider variety of topics at their cognitive level, is. Just like a house, a firm, strong base will hold it up for years to come, even with additions and changes.
If we do what is best for the students, they will succeed. Especially if we give them opportunities to think, make good decisions, help them to realize that they are responsible for their words and actions, and help them to become aware how important it is to learn from mistakes. Doing what is best for the students isn’t always the easiest and can often add to the daily teacher workload. It isn’t grabbing pre-made worksheets, but planning thoughtful activities to extract the deepest and most creative thinking.
Trends come and then they leave and in the past 30 years, there have been countless turnovers in every part of the curriculum. Nothing is perfect, but holding on to the most fitting practices is pivotal. As children have different styles, using a balanced approach to introducing skills will help to meet the needs of the students in a more equitable manner.
As a first grade teacher, I want my students to in-grain content through differentiated learning activities to help them build a solid foundation to support their knowledge. However, it should be flexible enough to allow for an increase in learning for the following years in school. By providing purposeful experiences, using good literature, and best practices, I want them to learn how to think critically and creatively. Pushing them above grade level before they are ready is not the point. Moving them laterally to enhance that broad base of learning and exposing them to a wider variety of topics at their cognitive level, is. Just like a house, a firm, strong base will hold it up for years to come, even with additions and changes.