Stacey Backstrom

Teaching Philosophy

In a classroom, there are many different types of diversities including cultural,

socioeconomic status, learning style, ability levels, assessing styles, social, etc. Creating these
diversities is the uniqueness of each student. A teacher must take this in consideration and has to
find a way for each student to have the opportunity to be successful. For a teacher to find a
curricular strategy to fit each students ability they must assess each student as they progress
through the year. This means that a teacher keeps a constant record of what the students
understand. In order to do this a teacher will use both formal and informal assessments.
Formal assessments are a way for teachers to view a childs general understandings, but it
makes it hard for a teacher to recognize what a student doesnt comprehend. Formal assessments
usually cause stress for students, the teacher, and dont offer great ways to assess students who
have trouble test taking. Thus, each day a teacher will informally assess students through
scaffolding, the answers students give to questions, reviewing students work with them,
working with students at centers, listening to the children, observing the children, and getting
work samples from them. Work samples would include worksheets, independent writing,
pictures they create, etc. When teachers are observing the children they are observing the social
relationships children create, their actions, the levels they read at, their interests, how often they
raise their hands for help or to give answers, how a student comes to solutions (are they using
their fingers to add and multiply) Overall I believe that having multiple forms of assessment will
lead teachers and students to create a successful education.

Through the year teachers will continuously be continuously reflecting their assessments.
While reflecting teachers will also be assessing themselves and observe how their teaching is
affecting the children. They will also learn which ways of assessing they should use more often
to see the progress of each child. Teachers should also include their students in the assessment
process this way a student and teacher will work together to improve their learning. Although
these assessments will be similar in format for each child, a teacher will quickly realize that the
results are drastically different. Because of this teachers will then need to differentiate their
instruction, which is a key element to running an effective classroom where each student has the
ability to progress their learning at their own level and pace.
Keeping students motived in a classroom depends on how engaging a lesson is. Even
though teachers are required to follow standards and sometimes modules they can also create
creative lessons, thematic units, and/ or create questions that interest the children in the class.
Figuring out students interests is important to keeping them excited about what they are
learning. Another way to keep the students engaged is to have them do self-discovery more often
where students are trying to figure out and learn something rather than being told or lectured. In
both cases a teacher can still scaffold, include assessments but when children are required to do
more investigating they tend to keep invested in their work. In my classroom I would use Project
Based Learning to motivate my students, which is a great way for students to construct their own
learning.
I believe that it is important to integrate a students past knowledge through Jean Piagets
idea that a students learning is built off of what they already know. In my classroom I will make
sure to collaborate with the teachers in grades below me so that I can relate a students past

educational experience to their present ones. This will help them better understand and build on
their learning ad they make their way through school.
As each student is unique it requires a teacher to differentiate their classroom. There will
be students with many different backgrounds and levels of understandings. A teacher must find a
way to incorporate all of these deferent students into their curriculum, while holding them all too
high standards. I plan to use Gardners multiple intelligences in my classroom to insure that all
students will absorb knowledge through education. Gardners theory supports learning in
different ways. For example some students may need more time on their assignments then others
or may need to have their work read aloud to them. Incorporating an option for differentiation to
happen in a classroom is essential for all students to succeed.
Teachers must also be active participants in a students life both in the classroom and
outside the classroom. This means that a teacher must be able to collaborate with the students
parents to discuss ways to helping a student better themselves. I would do this not only through
personal communication, but I would also like to have a course website or an online form where
I can display a students work and resources a parent may need access to. Overall, a teacher must
be able to find a way to help a student be successful and feel welcomed in a room and one day I
want to be that teacher.