What is the purpose of schooling?
The purpose of schooling is to provide students with the means to become the best they can be and to acquire knowledge.
What is your image of the learner?
Rather than viewing my students as blank slates or empty canvasses, I will view them as complex, unique individuals who each deserve the attention and proper teaching to help them succeed.
What should be the nature and substance of students' work?
Students should be completing activities that have purpose and relevance to them and their lives, making useful connections for themselves going forward and helping them decide how they wish to pursue their lives.
What is your image of the curriculum?
Similar to how the students' work should be, the curriculum should also be relevant to the students and units should be tied to real world issues as much as possible. Curriculum should be culturally and historically responsive.
What is the preferred pedagogy?
My preferred pedagogy is that of Social Constructivism and overall culturally sensitive/responsive teaching. I also plan for a largely student-centered classroom.
What is the preferred school climate?
My ideal school climate is one filled with collaboration and openness to change. I personally do not want to teach in a school that is stuck in its ways, and I want to be able to communicate and work effectively with my colleagues and students.
What is the social significance of students' learning?
The content presented to students impacts their sense of self and place in society, so it is vital to make sure we demonstrate material that students can see themselves reflected in, as well as promoting social justice in our words and actions.
Overall, my values haven't really changed throughout the semester, but rather I feel they've been validated and emphasized through the teachings of my professors. With TCH 130 specifically, I've been able to further understand young adolescent development and how this plays such a large role in various aspects of the classroom: the teaching itself, the layout, the communication styles, etc. Young adolescents are an extremely complex group that need a style of teaching that caters to such needs. Given the influx of knowledge from this class surrounding these ideas, I'm now able to better articulate my thoughts and have a basis for my findings.
I felt with mine as well that they haven't changed too much but this class has given me the ability to back up my teaching platform with facts and sources to use. I remember this blog post the first time taking some time to complete because it can be complex but also really made me think about how a viewed my future classroom. Now, because of learning so much in this class I saw the significance of just how important this platform is.
"Rather than viewing my students as blank slates or empty canvasses, I will view them as complex, unique individuals who each deserve the attention and proper teaching to help them succeed." I have to disagree with Sarah on this, because this is my favorite answer; this statement is so simple and assumed to be a common thought, but it is rarely a common action. Students are sometimes treated as if they don't have a mind of their own, as if they are still clueless children. This is the time in their lives where adults such as parents and teachers need to view them as individuals with unique personalities. I didn't read this as you having bias against them, I comprehende…
Hey Lili! I think you are definitely on the right track here! I just have a couple ideas that might be able to push you to go further with your thoughts.
What does it mean for the students to be their best? Best behaved? Best in their class? Maybe just clarify and expand
I think you could really hit home with talking about the quality of the work your learner's are providing. I think you are giving great ideas about how the work should be relevant and should have meaning to them, but I think that kind of collides with the work the teacher is providing. So, I would just clarify
Overall, I think your ideals and philosophies are going…
I love what you have for each question. They are great base ideas for what your philosophies look like. I don't know if I fully understand what your idea of a learner is. Wouldn't you want to see them as blank slates? In my head, this means that you have no biases against the student before they walk in. They have the opportunity to show the teacher what kind of person they are and what the excel in. I would love to hear more on your idea of a learner.