As an elementary educator, my goal is for students to feel who they are and the ideas they have to offer are valued in the classroom.

 

I have learned from educational opportunities and through experiences in the classroom the importance of positioning students to be the holders of knowledge. I believe that students have the knowledge and abilities to make sense of new content when given opportunities to explore and when provided with appropriate scaffolds. My experience with learning theories, specifically constructivist and situated learning theories, has led me to this philosophy of teaching. In my lesson plans, this comes through as think-pair-share activities and whole class discussions where students are engaging in each other's thinking. Additionally, I develop lesson plans based on Universal Design for Learning that allow for all students to engage in the content in meaningful ways.

 

Based on my philosophy of teaching, I plan and implement lessons that 1) involve high expectations from student learning, 2) allow students to take ownership of their learning, and 3) create a space where all students' ideas are heard and valued.

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