Education is an essential function in life that never ceases. Everyone has a unique way of teaching and learning. As a teacher I have the opportunity to take my knowledge and experiences to help students develop intellectually and find their unique education strengths. I define education as a symbiotic relationship between sharing and receiving knowledge in and out of the classroom during all stages of life. It is seldom that one is an exclusive learner or teacher at any given moment; We always have something new to learn and knowledge to give, allowing us to simultaneously teach and learn for life. 

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I believe the role of a teacher is to provide a healthy collaborative environment in which they facilitate learning. As a teacher, I will learn from my students how they learn best and what support systems I can provide for them to more effectively learn. For example, I will provide multi-modal lessons and give students options on what type of assignment they want to do. I will intellectually challenge students by using scaffolding and slowly removing the support as they master skills and become more autonomous. I will be there to not only teach students what I know but to learn from them about what they have, to share with me. I will provide an area that promotes collaboration in learning, problem-solving and brainstorming. To do this, I will encourage students to ask questions and propose ideas. We will discuss proposed ideas as a class and find the best solution collaboratively. Aside from learning, I believe that students also have the role of teaching. Students can share with teachers how they learn, what they do and don’t enjoy in the classroom and about their personal experiences with learning and teaching. Students can also teach their peers about class content, their own problem-solving methods and what has or hasn’t worked for them. I believe both students and teachers have the responsibility to share their needs and expectations to provide an understanding of what is going on or where confusion may be. Without both sides sharing this information, the roles of teaching and learning will be must harder. Regardless of the prominent role one holds, they must be open to the occurrence of a role reversal as no one is the master in everything and there is always something to learn from another. 

 

My coursework and personal experiences have provided a foundation for my knowledge of education that will allow me to translate my beliefs into action. Without this foundation provided by authors like Slavin and Vygotsky, I would not know why different practices are important and what could influence a child in their cognitive development. I will create an environment where students feel comfortable asking questions and making mistakes. If students are afraid to make mistakes, then they begin to lack the motivation to propose solutions and step out of their comfort zone. This can be shown by Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development which sets the difference in what students can and cannot do with or without help. I will allow students to have a larger role in the classroom where they can help create class expectations of myself and their peers. I will do my best to accommodate for the individual needs that each student has to aide them in their development. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs shows that there are several levels of needs and one can’t reach a new level until the previous level is met. I believe I have the responsibility to help students fulfill their needs in each level, so they can continue learning and work their way up the hierarchy. I will ensure every student has reached an understanding in the course before moving on. As the support system in the classroom, I will assist students in their development and passage through the different levels of understanding.

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As I will have diverse students in my class, I will take their cultural differences in consideration when creating lesson plans by creating examples and choosing work that they can relate to. I will ensure that no matter the background of the student, they will get what they need to succeed. No child will feel out of place because of their unique qualities as I will mend my lesson plans to conform to the needs of my students. 

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Being a teacher means that I can collaborate with students to learn how they learn and share my knowledge with them effectively. I get to create an inclusive learning environment for students to learn and feel comfortable doing so. Most importantly, I have the opportunity and responsibility to provide each student with the tools that they need to succeed in and out of the classroom.