Creating a safe and comfortable learning environment is one of the most important factors that I want to achieve in my teaching. From tutoring, I have come to a realization that if a child is in a space where they feel comfortable to speak their opinion and truly give it their all, they will make much more progress in their learning. When I began tutoring, introductions were crucial to the building of our relationship and a way to build trust. Finding similarities between the two of us and getting to know one another was important to making her feel more comfortable in the tutoring environment we were in. Once we established a good relationship, she was more engaged and energetic towards the material that we were working on.
Not only is it important to create a comfortable environment where students feel free to speak their opinions and ideas, it is also equally important for the environment to be positive and uplifting. In order to do this, we will establish a rule that mandates everyone to treat each other with kindness, regardless of the situation. This means that everyone listens to what one another has to say because the more insight and knowledge obtained on a topic, the more we are allowed to learn from one another and the more we individually believe that our words and thoughts have value. Not only is listening to someone’s input important, but validating their responses and actions by using process praise. This is a very good tactic in order to allow them to grow in their learning and resiliency. Process praise is not just telling a student that they did a good job and they “are a natural” it is telling them that it you are impressed by the hard work and thinking that they have put into the activity that they are doing. This motivates them to keep putting in the effort and practicing because they then understand that when you work hard you will see good results. I have learned from working with “Growing with Resiliency” that resilience is a very effective and important skill to have in learning. When a child is able to develop resilience, they understand that it is okay to make mistakes because they only help themselves grow in their learning and gain more knowledge. It also teaches them to not give up when things are hard and to see things through to the end, and that is a very important mindset for a child to be in for them to be the most successful they can be in their learning.
Another thing I have learned to be important is collaboration. Interviewing other teachers, I have discovered that collaborating with others allows students to have very good results in terms of learning and social development. When students work together, they are allowed to lead themselves to deeper learning by sharing their perspectives and working together. Although from experience I have learned that working with others can be uncomfortable at times, it is good to work past that tension in order to achieve common goals which improves a students’ social skills in the long run. In the real world, it is very important to be able to work with others and a part of education is not only teaching students material and curriculum, but teaching them skills they will use for the rest of their lives. Collaboration is equally important for teachers. Allowing for constructive criticism is a large part of this process. The more improvement you can make yourself in terms of being a teacher, the easier and better it is for your students growth and development in their own learning. The more ideas and opinions shared, the better the material and lesson structure and facilitation is for the students. The most improvement teachers can make allows students a chance to also have the most growth.
Being a teacher, you need to find a happy medium when it comes to establishing relationships and trust with your students. Teaching religion for a 3rd grade class, I learned that trying to be their friend and trying to be cool and casual in the classroom does not always result in a fun and laid back time where you can mix learning and fun. If you do not establish rules and follow through with them, you will find yourself being walked on in a way and they will not treat you with respect and understand that you have authority. Just like authoritative parents, you need to be an authoritative teacher. To be an authoritative teacher, I would be nurturing, responsive, and supportive, yet set firm limits for my students. This would mean attempting to control children’s behavior by explaining rules, discussing, and reasoning. I will listen to all of their viewpoints, but will not always accept them, just as an authoritative parent would. Now I understand that a parent is far different from a teacher, but applying these certain rules and actions in a classroom setting will allow me to gain respect and build valuable relationships with my students where I can be empathetic and understanding, but still not get taken advantage of. My ideal goal for students leaving my classroom is to leave having gained more knowledge and understanding of material and grow into themselves as people become more confident in their learning, their social skills, and who they are.
Not only do I want students to be engaged in their learning and collaborate with one another, I want them to have fun. I know that may sound strange, but it is very possible for students to learn while they have fun. To do this, I want to think outside the box and use a creative approach to my lessons by creating fun and engaging activities and games that make students want to learn and succeed. Students may not know in the moment that they are learning in some activities, but that is the beauty of it. Students often do not want to learn. Learning is seen as boring and a waste of time for students who do not spend the time to immerse themselves into the information and material given to them. Students like what they are good at and what they understand. To push them teachers must make learning a fun thing for students where they can use background knowledge they have from class to practice what they already know and gain more information on the way. Engaging activities and games are an awesome way to do that.
One thing that I want to make clear about the games and activities I want to create and incorporate into my lessons to make it more engaging, nothing is going to be perfect right away. It is very difficult to create a game or activity with no bumps or problems that need to be worked out. There are always going to be ways that they can be improved, but that is okay. The most important thing to keep in mind is the growth and comprehension of your students. As long as they have fun and learn something, you are doing something right. Sculpting your creations and working out the kinks simply takes time. Do not let that scare you away from being creative about the way you teach. Students love teachers who are creative and different about the way they teach. When teachers put forth effort to try new things in order to benefit their students, the students realize that and mirror that amount of effort while they partake in that activity or game. Never be afraid to try new things and think creatively. It will not always be perfect the first, second, or even third time around.
