Something that I believe is
absolutely key in any classroom is a positive atmosphere and chapter 4 of Teaching
Young Adolescents: Methods and Resources for Middle Grades Teaching explains wonderful reasoning. A
positive atmosphere, or ambiance as the chapter specifies, allows students to
feel at home and respected by all members of the classroom community. It is the
educator's role to encourage respect of others and discourage comments and
behaviors that may be toxic to students and their self-esteem. Students are
more likely to do well in the classroom if they feel accepted so educators
should also strongly discourage discrimination. In whatever way possible,
educators should aim for creating a warm, open, embracing, and accepting
environment.
In my own future career, I plan to make my classroom as welcoming as possible. I would like to fill the walls with bright colors and posters showing a variety of backgrounds of people. I would like to arrange my students in small groups so they may work with one another as they collaborate on and discuss assignments. I would like to send positive notes home to parents and guardians to let them know how their student is doing during the school day. I would like to encourage my students to solve any problems they may have with one another in a kind manner. The classroom community can make or break the learning process and I hope to do all I can to make mine as effective as possible.
Resources
Kellough, R., & Kellough, N. (2008). Teaching young adolescents: Methods and resources for middle grades teaching (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Merrill/Prentice Hall.
Andrea,
ReplyDeleteIt seems like you were slightly motivated by this reading. You have a lot of good ideas for your future classroom. My question to you is what grade are you looking to teach? Do you want to go the middle school route or are you looking more toward K-3?
Hi Mary,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words. Ideally, I would like to teach upper elementary (specifically 4th or 5th) or middle school mathematics using my concentration. I believe that in any classroom, it is key to make students feel welcome so they understand, ask questions, and have an enjoyable learning experience along the way. Thank you for your interest in my future career goals!
Thank you:)
ReplyDelete