Philosophical Classroom Impact

My personal philosophy of education is going to impact my classroom in many ways.

1) Classroom Organization

As an idealistic teacher, my classroom would have a very organized agenda for every day. Although my class might not ~appear~ organized to a passer-by, group activities, discussions and free-work periods would all be worked into the class period and timed so that I can ensure that I can fit everything I want to teach into the period.

2) Motivation

I am a firm believer in the Socratic method, and I feel that the main source of motivation in my classroom will be that I will be engaging my students by asking them questions and leading them into class discussions that will encourage them to ask questions and explore the content on their own terms. Although I am a firm believer in structure, I will also allow students choice for their assignments and projects so that they will be able to bring their own experiences and interests into the classroom.

3) Discipline

I believe in structure for a classroom, but also in collaboration. One of the first things that I will do with my students will be to hold a discussion about class rules and have them discuss what rules are important to them and propose ramifications for rule-breaking. This will give students ownership over classroom rules and also reinforce my own classroom authority, as the students will have chosen the ramifications themselves and this could encourage students 'policing' each other for rule-breaking.

4) Assessment

Although I am idealistic and very old-fashioned in many respects, I feel that assessment is one area in which I will stray from the traditional forms of assessment. Most of the assessment in my classroom I hope to be individualized, having students create their own assessment contracts (such as picking two journals out of four to be graded). I feel that this, like discipline, will give students ownership over their own grades and create an open conversation between myself and students about what they need help with and where their strengths are.

5) Classroom Climate

Due to a classroom arrangement that will focus on collaboration and discussion, I will encourage a classroom climate where all questions are acceptable and students can feel free to ask questions, and even take discussions in their own directions (within reason). Rules about classroom discussions will also be created by my students, to give them ownership over their own discussion rules and encourage self-policing and a more understanding environment.

6) Technology Integration

I feel that the classics and lecture have their place in the classroom, but I also feel that I would not be teaching my students to be well-rounded citizens of the 21st century without bringing in technology. I feel that technology can be used to do many of the classic classroom activities, such as book-reports and portfolios, but with the added bonus of teaching students about a technological resource that they can use in the real-world.

7) Learning Focus

As a believer in structured classrooms, I feel that with a solid agenda and time restraints even the best of class discussions and group-work periods can be kept into focus. Especially when a class period agenda is posted on the board at the beginning of class, students will know what to expect from their time spent in my classroom and will remain more focused.

8) Teacher and Leadership Style

I feel that I am very Confucian in my beliefs about the role of the teacher in the classroom. While I believe that Socratic questioning and discussion are a vital part of learning, I personally feel that my role in the classroom is that of a 'transmitter of knowledge', someone to whom my students can go to for clarification.