Robert
Dodd Portfolio
Standard 5
Teachers create
and maintain safe and challenging learning environments
Teachers develop a positive learning environment
where respect for individuals is fostered and where learning is the focus;
Teachers provide a learning environment that engages and challenges their
students and encourages them to take
responsibility for their own learning; Teachers use and manage the materials,
resources and physical space of their classroom to create a stimulating and safe environment for learning;
My reflections:
In the teaching
rounds at
The teaching
mentor at
Creating a positive learning environment
Professional
competencies included:
- Understanding and respect for
students as individuals
- Sensitivity to social and cultural backgrounds
of the students
- Knowledge and engagement of
students’ interests and needs
- Recognition of the importance of
prior knowledge and language for learning
- Use of diverse and appropriate
teaching approaches to provide meaningful learning opportunities
- Creation of an environment that
engages and challenges students
- Understanding of the role of
discussion, group interaction and reflection in the learning process
The mentor
teacher marked my teaching performance as good on this assessment and made the
statement that Robert “improved at reading the mood of the class, and gauging
when the class were tired of listening and needed to be doing something. He
understood that student’s background knowledge varied, so he made use of models
(pulleys, weights, strings) to demonstrate the concept of forces. As the
students got to know Robert better, and vice-versa, the interaction between
Robert and the students increased, as did Robert’s assertiveness with the
students.”
As a teacher and
tutor at
My future professional learning goals:
It is a goal of
mine to continue to improve in this area on a continuous basis. I have studied
this area and believe in putting the following information into practice.
“Creating a Positive
Learning Environment
Student
motivation is a primary concern for many teachers. Classroom teachers
acknowledge that a lack of motivation is at the root of many of the problems
they face in teaching, particularly with at-risk students. When children first
enter school, they are excited about learning and are very motivated. However,
as they encounter difficulties, their motivation to learn can decrease during
the school years in all academic subjects, especially reading. Our role as
educators is to increase student motivation, develop the strategies and skills
that make a student more engaged and create an environment where students are
able to take ownership of their own learning.
Interest is an important motivator for a student. So is the desire to learn. When you link these two things together, you create the right conditions for academic success. Some students seem naturally enthusiastic about learning, while others need more support to engage in their educational experience. This is particularly true for at-risk students who have fallen behind and typically develop an expectation of failure that has a negative impact on their desire to learn. Once children start school, they begin forming beliefs about their school-related successes and failures. The sources to which children attribute their successes and failures have important implications for how they approach and cope with learning situations.
As the new school year begins it is important to cultivate a learning environment that will promote a positive experience and build both the interest and desire to learn in all students. Here are some back-to-school tips for teachers to consider:
- Create a productive classroom – Work together with your students to make the classroom a more inviting and useful environment.
- Cultivate a sense of community – Listen to and acknowledge everyone's point of view (teachers and students) to foster a classroom community. Be interactive and visible to the students.
- Develop individual learning and motivation plans – Acknowledge and address the unique learning profiles of your students by considering both motivational and academic requirements. Begin the school year identifying your students' strengths and weaknesses and plan for those individual needs.
- Use both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators – Ask students to monitor and evaluate their own performance. Reward students for their accomplishments.
- Make learning fun – Motivated students are engaged in activities that are interesting, stimulating and relevant.”
Mildred Papi (Intervention
Specialist for AutoSkill International.<
http://www.autoskill.com/intervention/motivation.php>12-10-2006
Teachers
establish and maintain clear and consistent expectations for students as
learners and for their behaviour in the classroom.
My reflections:
In the RMIT
Graduate Diploma Secondary Education Course in 2006, I have attended workshops
in classroom behaviour management, and submitted assignments in this area.
During the teaching rounds at
My future professional learning goals:
My future
professional learning goal is to continue to improve in this area on
a continuous basis. I have studied this area and believe in putting the
information mentioned above into practice, along with information gained
through further research and professional development. I have also researched
the following information, which I would keep in front of me as a goal to apply
in a teaching role,
“Creating a Climate for Learning:
Effective Classroom Management Techniques
"The most important action an effective teacher takes at the beginning
of the year is creating a climate for learning."
-- Mary Beth Blegan, former
Included: Twelve
teacher-tested tips for behaviour management!
How can you avoid making that technique
your own and create a "climate for learning"? This week, Education
World looks to the experts -- teachers who've "been there, done that"
and found a better way -- for answers.
Howard Miller, Associate Professor of
Education at
- Develop a set of written expectations
you can live with and enforce.
- Be consistent. Be consistent. Be consistent.
- Be patient with yourself and with your students.
- Make parents your allies. Call early and often.
Use the word "concerned." When communicating a concern, be
specific and descriptive.
- Don't talk too much. Use the first 15 minutes of
class for lectures or presentations, then get the kids working.
- Break the class period into two or three
different activities. Be sure each activity segues smoothly into the next.
- Begin at the very beginning of each class period
and end at the very end.
- Don't roll call. Take the roll with your seating
chart while students are working.
- Keep all students actively involved. For example,
while a student does a presentation, involve the other students in
evaluating it.
- Discipline individual students quietly and
privately. Never engage in a disciplinary conversation across the room.
- Keep your sense of perspective and your sense of
humour.
- Know when to ask for help.”
http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr155.shtml
12-10-2006
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ARTIFACTS # 5
Robert Dodd Portfolio