Teaching Philosophy

1. Teaching Philosophy Caitlin McClellan

2. Approaching teaching • I will approach teaching in a very serious but fun way. • It is important to me that my students are prepared in life to further their education. • The main goal in my classroom will be to make sure their learning experience is phenomenal and they learn things that they can take with them and apply further down the road. • The education my students receive is very important. I will follow a strict lesson plan. When teaching my students, I will always be available for questions and I will always have the answers. • It is important that my students understand the material in a way that they won't forget it. • When teaching subjects like math, I will repeat the process as much as they need until it is understood. I will assign homework so that they can apply the concepts on their own. • Before tests there will always be a review to refresh their minds. I will include conference times for one on one help. • Overall, I will do anything that will encourage my students to love to learn and that will help develop them for further schooling.

3. Inclusive classroom • Creating an inclusive classroom for students is important. • An inclusive classroom to me means that being "included" no matter who you are is important. I want to make sure that all my students get an equal opportunity to learn and believe that they matter. • In my classroom it will be my goal to make sure that all my students feel comfortable with me so that it makes it easier for them to learn. • I will encourage my students to be active learners, or participate in discussions and raise their hands to answer questions. • It is important for them to know that their shared thoughts and opinions are crucial to developing a learning environment. • Not only is it important that they participate in my classroom, but it is important that they make choices. • I will always include choice, because I feel that it is important in developing a child as choice is always an important aspect in life. • One goal to me that would make the learning process easier is to make my classroom environment more friendly and open by doing several group activities, pairing students with partners, and encouraging them to work together.

4. Inclusive classroom continued… • If I was to have a classroom with a more diverse culture, I would change my lesson plan in a way that it would include a more diverse curriculum that way no one would feel left out. • I would do the same thing with disabled kids that may be blind, deaf, etc, by altering the curriculum so that they can have the same learning experience as everyone else. • There is no reason that anyone has to be left out. Learning should be a good experience for children. • Overall, the most important part to my inclusive classroom will be to be sure everyone is comfortable, included, and have a good learning experience

5. Use of technology • I believe that integrating technology into the classroom is an important concept. • I do not think that it should be confused with teaching though. It is important that as a teacher, I do not let technology do the teaching for me, but I incorporate technology into my teaching. • I plan to use technology in several different ways, but also efficiently. • During math class, I will use the overhead to work out math problems and write their notes on it. I will come up with practice problems and have the kids come up and take turns solving them. • During history class, once a week I will show a video that relates to the lesson to give the students a deeper understanding in the material. • Once a week, we are signed up for the library lab. I will take the students to the lab, and they will each have their own computer. From here, I will teach them how to use certain programs and assign them certain interactive educational games to play. • During reading class, we will read six books over the year. Each book, I will allow the children to listen to a recording and follow along in the book that way they get a better understanding of how things are narrated. • By using technology in my classroom, I will provide a "hands on" lesson approach in some form each week. It is important to keep the students on their toes that way they have a good learning experience.