Every educator has an educational guru that slips into their mind. An educational guru is someone every teacher looks up to and aspires to be. Ever since coming to Millersville and creating lesson plans and projects, I always thought about how my past teachers would set up their lessons to be creative and fun. I have a few teachers that come to mind when thinking about my educational guru`s, but my first grade teacher is the one who tops them all.
During my senior year in high school, I was lucky enough to observe and assist in my first grade teachers classroom. When I first stepped into her classroom again, I realized nothing has changed, which is a good thing. My first grade teacher has always been very energetic, fun, caring, and her classroom always felt like ‘home.’ Her energy never dropped when she was with her students, she always had a big smile on her face and was very loud. The energy she gave off reflected off her students, which made them very energetic and excited to learn as well. Her lessons consisted of teaching for a little bit, playing a collaborative review game, then teaching again, and creating some sort of art to check for overall understanding. It was important for her students to pay attention during class instruction to understand the games and the activity at the end.
She was also very caring, she showed that she cared about every single one of her students by taking the time to get to know them and their interests. She also got to know each student’s families, to know more about them personally. She gave morning hugs and high fives, sat down one-on-one with a student if they were not understanding content, and she spoke with a soft tone in her voice when disciplining students inappropriate behavior, instead of yelling.
Lastly, her room felt like ‘home.’ She rarely turned on the bright classroom lights, and she had natural lighting and her own lights in the classroom. There was flexible seating, which included comfy couches, bean bags, and the big bouncy balls. Her room felt like a safe place where students can learn and be themselves, which is definitely how I plan to model my own classroom one day. I plan to get to know each and every one of my students to create an open and safe classroom community.
Now that I understand my own pedagogy for education, it was time to research which educational philosophers matched with my thinking. While researching through class notes and the internet, I found two philosophers that connect most with my own pedagogy. The first philosopher I chose is Lev Vygotsky. Vygotsky introduced the ‘sociocultural learning theory’, which is based on the idea that a learner`s environment plays an important role in their learning development. Children learn from social interaction with others, like peers and family members to acquire more information of how the world works. Children learn best from observing and watching others, which is why I plan to have an open and safe classroom community where students are not afraid to collaborate and share ideas with each other.
Vygotsky also believed in the zone of proximal development, which is the difference between what a child can do without help and what they can do with guidance. I like the idea of ZPD because it would allow me, a future educator, to identify what a student is capable of doing by themselves and what I can provide more instruction on. Scaffolding is another topic Vygotsky has covered, which is where the teacher provides guidance for students until they can master the content themselves.
The next philosopher is Rita Pierson. Rita Pierson was a professional educator and served in numerous roles for over 40 years. Her philosophy was about being a positive force in students lives by building strong relationships with students. Building positive relationships with students, no matter how challenging they may be can change that students outlook on education and life. It is so important to create these strong connections with your students by listening to your students , encouraging and inspiring them to do their best, and just being there for them. I plan to be supportive and open with my students, so they will not be afraid to come to me with any questions or ideas they may have.
For more information about Vygotsky`s ‘Socialcutlural Learning Theory’ refer below:
6 Education Theorists All Teachers Should Know Infographic – e-Learning Infographics
The 6 Education Theorists All Teachers Should Know present 6 people that did some of the major research in education. Lev Vygotsky How do you decide the level at which to instruct your students? Vygotsky says to determine their Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD).
https://elearningindustry.com/sociocultural-learning-theory
Please take the time to watch Rita Pierson`s TED TALK:
Transcript of “Every kid needs a champion”
TED Talk Subtitles and Transcript: Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, once heard a colleague say, “They don’t pay me to like the kids.” Her response: “Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.'” A rousing call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level.