Through my years of education courses and clinical experiences, I believe that teaching is a task that cannot be taken lightly. It requires a great deal of planning, flexibility, and responsibility to sculpt young minds. With that being said, I think it is just as important to recognize all of the excitement, wonder, and joy that come with it. Teaching is all about providing students with knowledge and the necessary life skills that will lead them down a path to success. I believe that learning is all about exploration, applying new ideas and concepts to prior knowledge, making meaningful connections to content through hands-on experiences, working cooperatively with peers, and making constructive errors along the way.
Learning occurs at different speeds and through a number of presentations, so I believe that best way to provide a quality education to all students is to understand them as individuals first, then cater to their needs as necessary. I will need to provide physical activities to get my kinesthetic learners engaged, visual aids to keep my visual learners attentive, and clear teacher-led instruction for my auditory learners. My auditory learners will also benefit from small group and whole group discussions. Allowing students to bounce ideas off of each other is a great exercise that fosters communication skills and other life skills, such as learning to respect opinions and ideas that differ from your own. There is no single correct way to teach, and I feel that professional noticing plays a big role in the success of a lesson.
Before learning can occur, however, students need to feel safe, respected, and supported. I will build my own rapport with the students on a daily basis, while also encouraging positive peer relationships. Successes will be celebrated, and mistakes will be reflected upon and corrected in order to create a strong, synergized community of learners.
From personal experience, I believe that students seek inner gratification more so than extrinsic motivational tools, such as prizes and rewards. Students are humans too, which makes it reasonable to assume that praise from peers and teachers will prove to be a boost in their self-efficacy. I believe the best approach to education and increased student motivation stems from intrinsically focused methods.
In conclusion, my ultimate goal as an educator is to instill a passion for learning within my students and provide them with the necessary skills and tools for success.
Courtney Smith's Teaching Portfolio 