Foundational Beliefs About Education

1. Foundational Beliefs About Education Ryan Bezanson, JenelleHutnik, Jodi Pitts SPU EDU 6120

2. Why Teach? • Money? … NO • An easy, laid back job? …NO • “Summer’s off” …Definitely NOT! Teachers teach… • To give hope • To inspire change, • To ease the challenges faced by children with differences • To continue a legacy lived before us • To honor the life path He chose for us • To support those that cannot do for themselves

3. Qualities of a Good Teacher Good teachers: • Build trust by respecting culture & life experiences • Inspire a love of learning • Instill a desire to be a morally bound citizen • Listen to the needs of students & families • Nurture theneed for purpose • Create a safe, caring environment in & out of the classroom • Seek to create a delicate balance of teaching & learning

4. What do Students Really Need? An environment that… • encourages intellectual challenges • develops a culture of exploration, inquiry & thought • offers a climate of passion & excitement for learning • creates fair, firm, consistent, predictable, logical expectations • supports freedom • builds trust between teacher & peers As Ellis outlined, “…the primary issue in classroom life is trust. When teachers trust their students, a different kind of environment emerges, one in which there is far more freedom accorded the individual to initiate, choose, pursue, and reflect upon his/her learning.” (Ellis, 2001, p. 55)

5. Honoring Students Voices • Demands of education make it difficult for students to have a voice • Students with special needs have a more difficult time letting their voice be heard • We have to individualize learning, and teaching to meet the needs of all of our students • We have to help each of our students find “consciousness” • “Consciousness” allows students the opportunity to experience new dimensions of creativity, initiative, cooperation, caring, and academic excellence

6. A Positive Learning Experience and a Good Teacher • Encourages intellectual challenges • Develop a culture of exploration, inquiry &thought • Offer classroom management that is predictable and logical to the students • Result in teachers who trust their students • Have the element of reflection built into the daily routine • Establish predictable routine and behavioral expectation

7. A Good Classroom Looks & Feels Like… • “A good classroom is clean with fun stuff that helps you learn a lot.” –Chloe • “Our class has a great teacher that let’s us do really fun junk while we learn about the bats.” - Evan • “A great classroom doesn’t have gunk or junk. It has teachers to help you learn and not yell when you are as right as Dr. Seuss (who gets mixed up sometimes).” - Kyler • “Good classrooms have fun teachers like you know “Mrs. D.” that helps you when you get stuck.” – Miranda • “A good classroom is like something that is as happy as a puppy.” - Maggy

8. Reflective Practice How to develop a reflective practice • Establish reflection techniques as part of the lesson “I learned”, “Search for meaning”, “Clear & Unclear” prompts “Turn to a friend and share…” • Develop rubrics enabling students to rate themselves • Provide time for discussion Must be a conscious, planned effort • Reflection done by both teacher &student “You can have experience without reflection, but you can’t have reflection without experience.” - Maria Jacobson (Ellis, 2001, p.11).

9. Classrooms Become Reflective When Good Teachers: • Link past learning to current teaching • Connect learning to student interests and motivations • Expectations are clear • Deepen the understanding of subject matter • Use daily reflection to make changes, determine pace, and provide meaningful feedback to students • Use self-reflection to determine if student needs have been met

10. What is Meaningful in Student Learning? • A safe environment where students can be individuals • Teaching to individual needs of students • A teacher who is reflective in practice and willing to make a change for success • Slowly teaching independence to be able to become functioning citizens • Connection with families, and giving them the resources they need

11. Developing Tomorrow’s Citizens • We can change our student’s lives • We can give them skills that they will use for the rest of their lives • We can make learning meaningful with a purpose for the “real world” “The self is not something ready-made, but something in continuous formation through choice of action.” ~John Dewey

12. Reference List • Canestrari, A.S., & Marlowe, B.A. (2004). Educational Foundations: An Anthology of Critical Readings. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. • Ellis, A.K. (2001). Teaching, Learning, & Assessment Together. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education, Inc.