Lesson Plan:
Philosophy of Classroom Management
Philosophy of Assessing and Grading Student Learning
REFLECTION
EDU 1010 was probably one of the most important classes that I have taken to be a teacher. First and foremost it explained with detail what I was getting into. It taught me about education and law, why education is the way it is, who to go to in any situation, what the structure of a school is and what are the most important principals to remember when I begin my teaching career. I would like to talk about the things I believe will impact me and my students the most. These are classroom management, the way I choose to teach the curriculum, discipline/punishment, curriculum and keeping in mind the intrinsic awards that come from teaching.
Classroom management is a huge part of improving the ability students have to learn in your classroom. I believe that classroom management does not only mean that your classroom is organized and orderly, but that the teacher themselves know what they are doing. What’s the use of maintaining an organized and orderly classroom, if the teacher does not know how to teach the curriculum? It is hardly impossible to keep someone’s attention when you’re not exactly sure of what you’re doing, this gives the class an opportunity to completely redirect the lesson. Classroom management requires preparation and commitment. From the beginning of the school year rules and expectations need to be set so that students know their place in the classroom. Lessons should then be prepared on time and in a way that will positively engage the students. The thing that is most important about classroom management is making your students feel safe and secure. If they feel that they are in an intimidating environment, it will be hard for them to learn.
Curriculum is what is being taught in school. I learned that there are a couple different curriculums, the two major ones were the curriculums that are found in books and the curriculum students are taught by the way you teach. I believe that the curriculum a teacher teaches subconsciously by the way they teach is most important because what students learn in this curriculum they will apply to their daily lives. For example, if I teach with a positive attitude and am focused on learning, showing that I love it, I will be teaching my students that learning is fun and that there is purpose to it. However if I come into class complaining and hating life I will transfer all those feelings to my students who will come to think my class is boring and they will complain.
Discipline, not necessarily punishment, is essential to classroom management. I believe the proper way to demonstrate to your students what good and bad consequences they should expect while in your classroom. This allows students to make choices on their own according to the consequences that are set.
Lastly I learned that the intrinsic rewards of teaching can be the most rewarding thing of teaching. This is realizing how much you helped an individual and seeing what a difference it made in their lives. I believe that this is the whole reason I strive to gain a teaching degree.
