Final Vision Statement
As we further our teaching careers and gain more experience, our teaching philosophies evolve to incorporate the best practices of teaching and the current educational climate.
WHY do we need education?
The varying purposes of education are not mutually exclusive, nor is there (or needs to be) a single definition of the purpose of education. Many people consider academic achievement as the purpose of education, others placing an emphasis on career aptitude or guiding students toward being productive members of society. I believe the purpose of education is determined by a combination of these academic and career-minded goals, including an integration social-emotional development. Part of the role of teachers is to guide students to solve problems, have the ability to thrive in any career of their choice, and be emotionally-well and well-rounded people. While there must be a correlation between curriculum and career preparation, having that be the single goal to education closes a door on other aspects of learning. When students are able to think creatively, demonstrate an ability for innovation, and demonstrate skills that allow them to work cooperatively with others, I believe their educational experience has been successful. While test scores help us track students and identify areas for intervention, they should not be the sole determination of a student’s success. We want our students to be able to thrive, in any area or situation of their choosing, including being happy and able to establish strong relationships with others.
HOW are these purposes incorporated in my classroom?
I believe in setting up a classroom community that prepares students to thrive, both through their independent and collaborative work. While I want students to have high academic achievement and provide them with opportunities to extend and enhance their learning, I also want my students to feel valued and cared for as individuals. That includes promoting them to engage in those same practices with each other, through modeling and guided practice. Children must feel respected and supported in order to thrive both academically and socially, which is why I integrate social-emotional teaching into my classroom alongside academic work. Students who do not feel safe or valued as both learners and people often struggle to push the boundaries of their learning abilities, even if they are achieving at a high academic level. By getting to know my students both as individuals and as learners, I can ensure that I am providing them with the tools to succeed. These are practices that I am still learning to integrate alongside academic expectations, and I believe that with more experience and confidence with my pedagogical purpose, I will be able to create a safe and productive learning environment for my students.
WHY do we need technology in the classroom?
The purpose of technology in the classroom is to enhance students' learning experiences and provide them with the ability to expand their knowledge and learning experiences beyond the confines of the classroom. Technology can also be a tool to modify learning opportunities for students, making sure that they have means to thrive in their academic experiences. While technology is not a “one size fits all” approach to promoting academic success, and can actually be detrimental if it is incorporated based on that philosophy, it does provide the ability to personalize learning to individual students’ needs. Technology integration is empowering, and has provided revolutionary ways for people to engage with the learning around them. 21st century skills are an unavoidable aspect of the future of education, making it increasingly important that educators find meaningful and productive ways to include digital integration in the classroom. Technology cannot replace all traditional approaches to learning, but it can enhance the student learning process.
HOW is technology incorporated into my classroom?
I, to the best of my ability, integrate technology in a meaningful and intentional way. Particularly over the past few months, with both experiences in remote and hybrid teaching and learning, I have had to frequently think about the purpose of technology in my current classroom (including when more traditional pedagogical strategies are more beneficial to student learning). The current circumstances of our world have been influencing my decisions more than in typical years, as myself, along with many other teachers, rather unexpectedly transitioned to becoming virtual teachers. Now that we are back in remote learning, I have been trying to prioritize students’ social-emotional needs, as well as simplifying technology processes so that students are focused on the learning goals rather than the technology itself. I am continuing to work toward making all aspects of technology integration more purposeful, especially now that we are back in virtual learning, through playful and low-stakes digital learning experiences. By maintaining traditional pedagogical strategies for the moment with content area learning, and integrating more technology pedagogical strategies into low-states learning, I can begin preparing my students for more complex and stimulating digital learning in the upcoming weeks.
HOW have my visions changed?
Over the course of this semester, my view of the purpose of education being a multi-faceted process of guiding students toward learning has remained consistent, including prioritizing the social-emotional needs of students. With gained knowledge, I have changed my philosophy on technology integration in the classroom to be a realistic and sustainable approach. During the beginning of technology integration in my teaching career, I was attempting to forcefully integrate technology into my classroom, rather than integrating it authentically and meaningful. The accessibility of technology does not necessarily mean it is the best approach to teaching, and teachers must decide what uses are best for both their students’ needs and their own needs. Technology is empowering and can open many doors to students, but it is detrimental if the high expectations for technology integration cause more stress than the benefits that can occur. What is best for students right now is including pedagogical strategies that are relevant to the current educational climate, which may or may not be digitally based. When technology integration is authentic and well-thought out for the educational context of the classroom, then both students and teachers will be able to engage in impactful 21st century learning.
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