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 Many aspects impressed me in this class. We were looking at different approaches to teach children according to how they need to be taught. One topic that specially spoke to me, was ‘transparency’. It showed me many important tools for students to feel that they are part of the learning process and to allow the student to feel that they have a role in their own learning. This helps the teacher identity different and personalized ways to reach the student. Most importantly it showed the teacher how to teach the child, according to how that student needs the to be taught; to reach address the learning needs of all the students.

The philosophy was based on a metaphor where by the teacher has many different keys. Every key represents different approaches and ways of teaching.

The teacher needs to understand that every key will open the doors and ways to teach the child and their specific teaching needs.

If the teacher understands this idea, the teacher shows more patience and respect for the students’ different learning approach and the appropriate time each student needs to process how and what they are learning will be given.

It’s important to give each student the feeling of success, to teach them at their own level, and challenge them.

Last week we were watching a lesson from Mrs. Cook-Sather and I was very impressed by it.  We wrote a story that helped us identify independent thinking. We then read our own story and identified through the details of our story how we learn with self critique.  We came to learn our own expectations as teacher. By taking the angle of the student, we were able to identify what areas we needed help in, and there for the we the teachers knew what to focus on, in order to teach the students in areas they specially need assistance with.

As a teacher this helps me understand the student’s needs and try to focus on teaching in a style that will be successful for that child. I will use these techniques on Back-to-School Night when I see the parents to show them the continual education and constant effort we the teachers are making to see that we reach every student in our class. The parents have valuable information about how their children learn. We need to be a team and I will also ask the parents to give me specific details of their child’s learning habits, needs, and styles so that I will have more tools to reach their child.

Another topic which I felt was very important was ‘exploring without content’ – creating independent thinking. The class really emphasized how important it is for a child to learn and to explore independently, and the teacher needs to create an environment where the child sees how important it is to explore and solve, so that they can use these independent skills to confidently solve problems and be comfortable with their own opinions. It’s very important to start the lessons with a substantive question with no correct answer. They can be divided into groups to brainstorm answers and together to summarize and come to conclusions, by listening to all the members of the group’s opinions. This should encourage all the students to feel confident to give their opinions and to increase the class participation by showing how each student’s opinion is important by sharing their thoughts with others. All these exercises are meant to give the children tools to deal with ideal life matters, and life skills for the future.

Assessment very important and I feel it is a tool for the teacher to monitor the progress of the students.  On the other hand, the assessment needs to be varied to address the needs of each student, so that the students do not feel like they are not succeeding / successful.  If on the initial assessment a student has not done well, give the student the opportunity to have a second chance; by way of reviewing with the teacher the work, completing a project, etc.