I believe that in the right environment, with the right tools, and with some hard work any student can do and learn anything. It is the teacher’s role to act as a guide on that journey. To me, learning is forming connections between oneself and the material so that it can be better understood and utilized within and beyond the classroom. In this role as a guide, the teacher would not only provide direct instructions, such as a tour guide saying, “Don’t drink the water,” but also be a facilitator. They could give the students a map and then allow them to explore with it. I believe exploratory learning can be powerful as it is not only teaching students how to be self-directed learners, since their own curiosity is a driving force behind what is learned, but it also ensures the concept is better understood because how it is done becomes just as important as the answer.
Students’ curiosity would be an important part of my classroom. This could be seen in allowing them to come up with guiding questions for the topic we are covering. It could be a student led discussion about the material so that they can focus in on the concepts that they are intrigued by. Therefore, I want to foster a classroom climate that students feel comfortable in being able to explore, make mistakes, and share their thoughts and opinions with myself and their classmates.
As a future social studies teacher, I want to help students to examine at the world around them and see how it works and how it came to be like this by looking at multiple perspectives. I want to focus on the critical thinking skills that are used to interpret historical events and geographical features, instead of merely memorizing them. Anyone can look up a historical fact on Wikipedia, but one needs critical thinking skills to understand its impact on its historic surroundings, as well as the modern world. I want to help students understand the world around them, whether that means teaching some facts directly, or teaching how to investigate and ask questions to gain a better awareness.
I want to incorporate a variety of different formats and mediums into my lessons. This not only allows for the material to reach a variety of learning styles, but also keep the class from becoming monotonous. Moreover, by using a variety of mediums it would be easier to keep the lesson engaging if it has to be moved to an online format. Instead of only having videos that are easy for a student to half-listen to, they will have worksheets, readings, projects, and do-at-home activities.
Additionally, I believe helping the student figure out the steps to solve a problem is more beneficial than directly telling them how to do it. This allows them to not only figure the answer themselves, but also the mechanics behind it so that there is a deeper understanding. Then, through reflection, the students can take a step back and recognize the process they went through so that they can learn from it as well and apply it to future problems and assignments.
Students’ curiosity would be an important part of my classroom. This could be seen in allowing them to come up with guiding questions for the topic we are covering. It could be a student led discussion about the material so that they can focus in on the concepts that they are intrigued by. Therefore, I want to foster a classroom climate that students feel comfortable in being able to explore, make mistakes, and share their thoughts and opinions with myself and their classmates.
As a future social studies teacher, I want to help students to examine at the world around them and see how it works and how it came to be like this by looking at multiple perspectives. I want to focus on the critical thinking skills that are used to interpret historical events and geographical features, instead of merely memorizing them. Anyone can look up a historical fact on Wikipedia, but one needs critical thinking skills to understand its impact on its historic surroundings, as well as the modern world. I want to help students understand the world around them, whether that means teaching some facts directly, or teaching how to investigate and ask questions to gain a better awareness.
I want to incorporate a variety of different formats and mediums into my lessons. This not only allows for the material to reach a variety of learning styles, but also keep the class from becoming monotonous. Moreover, by using a variety of mediums it would be easier to keep the lesson engaging if it has to be moved to an online format. Instead of only having videos that are easy for a student to half-listen to, they will have worksheets, readings, projects, and do-at-home activities.
Additionally, I believe helping the student figure out the steps to solve a problem is more beneficial than directly telling them how to do it. This allows them to not only figure the answer themselves, but also the mechanics behind it so that there is a deeper understanding. Then, through reflection, the students can take a step back and recognize the process they went through so that they can learn from it as well and apply it to future problems and assignments.