Philosophy

Teaching & Learning

My teaching and learning philosophy is based on socialist learning techniques as I am an advocate for class interaction. I believe the benefits of groupwork outweigh the issues that can be problematic in socialist teaching and learning environments. While I understand that group work is not always appropriate, I believe through socialisation in the classroom, students build ideas off one another and extend their knowledge. Through careful planning and strong classroom management practices, group work can build strong, confident students. I also utilise teacher instruction in a limited capacity to explain tasks and content.

Constructivist teaching methods and cognitive behavioural theory focus on facilitative learning or student-centered learning rather than teacher-led style lectures and lessons (Pass, 2007). However, I do ensure my students are self-reliant, responsible for their actions and to have self-control. Cognitive behavioural theory aligns with self-management techniques that require students to understand they are responsible for their actions and no one else (Lyons, Ford & Slee, 2014). Further, this theory requires student independence and problem-solving which is excellent for my year six classroom as my students are in the concrete and formal operational stage of development. Additionally, student independence is a great way for my students to prepare to transition to high school.

Each Monday morning and Friday afternoon, my class partakes in a yarning circle to discuss events of the week/weekend, what was learned, what was enjoyed, and any grievances can be resolved as a class where necessary. By utilising a yarning circle, students have the knowledge and power to raise concerns at an appropriate time, allowing for maximum teaching and learning time during the week. The yarning circle is a great opportunity for me as an educator to also reflect on the week from a student perspective.

At the start of every session, my students partake in silent reading as they settle after arriving at school or returning from lunch. This allows the students to regain focus and start the session fresh (Lyons, Ford & Slee, 2014). Throughout the day, I also implement a healthy snack break known as crunch time where the students eat a healthy snack and stretch their legs. When the students are visibly unsettled in the middle of a session before I begin a new lesson, I will often ask them to stand up and discuss what they had for dinner the night before with a fellow classmate, or alternatively, the class will have an impromptu meditation session to recompose themselves before beginning new content.

Positive communication will enhance the learning in my classroom as students will have my respect, evident by my tone of voice, body language, and praise for correct behaviour, effort, and enthusiasm (McDonald, 2013). The classroom layout should also be considered from a teaching and learning perspective. My class tables are in groups of four which Hattie (2013) defines as the optimal grouping to minimise unnecessary chatter in the classroom. I have a reading nook in the back corner with a mat and cushions for students to read on. Craft supplies are kept in cupboards around the room to reduce distraction at learning tables and homework is stored in a homework tray for ease of location.

Responding to Contextual Factors

My placement school has implemented a positive behaviour and learning program to encourage students to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner. Students are well informed of acceptable behaviours as educators utilise a reward system to reward and promote good behaviour. There are major events at the end of each school term for students who display excellent behaviour throughout, and students who do not conduct themselves in an appropriate manner are referred to the positive behaviour and learning program which outlines the consequences of their actions. The school places a greater emphasis on reinforcing positive behaviours than highlighting misbehaviour, which has seen a decline in behavioural incidents in the current term. These figures are highlighted in the positive behaviour and learning committee meeting.

My mentor teacher has made me aware of several students with behavioural issues and/or intellectual impairments that need to be considered when planning lessons and activities in the classroom and provided me with a weekly timetable outlining times of assistance from teacher aides and other support staff. Misconduct in the classroom will be assessed individually to understand why the behaviour occurred and how such behaviour can be avoided or overcome without major disruption to the class (McDonald, 2013).

Needs, Wellbeing, Agency of Diverse Students

The needs, wellbeing, and diversity of students should be at the forefront of any classroom management plan (Egeberg, McConney & Price, 2016). My classroom has students with varying needs, abilities, and cultural backgrounds and I incorporate the diversity of students into all classroom activities. I have several students with Indigenous heritage therefore we begin the day with an Acknowledge of Country to show respect to the First Australians (Harrison & Sellwood, 2016). We also utilise the yarning circle which links our classroom to the home life and culture of our Indigenous students. Several students are natives of New Zealand and we incorporate several phrases from the Maori language in our classroom. The classroom is adorned with flags and posters that recognise the heritage of students in our classroom.

When the class is given helpful handouts, students with additional needs are given modified sheets that have been tailored specifically to their needs. However, the sheet will look like all the others in the classroom to ensure the students do not have feelings of exclusion or are subjected to humiliation. Abraham Maslow devised a hierarchy of needs that explains the progression of an individual’s needs once the physiological needs of food, water, and shelter have been met (McLeod, 2020). Teachers are not responsible for the lowest level of need, being basic necessities as outlined, however, should identify with the next few levels which include safety love, and belonging (McLeod, 2020). As an educator, it is my responsibility to ensure my students feel safe, respected and a sense of belonging in my classroom. I ensure these needs are met by building positive relationships through positive communication both verbal and non-verbal.

Prevention Strategies

In consideration of my practical placement school, the positive behaviour and learning program is designed to promote positive behaviour through recognition of expectations. This program also acts as a deterrent for bad behaviour by requiring students to conduct themselves appropriately. The reward system that aligns with this program uses points to highlight excellent student behaviour in each class. The students who remain on the top tier in their classroom are rewarded with a special day of fun activities. This system reinforces school expectations of behaviour.

Each day students are reminded of the class rules as they hang prominently in the front of the classroom for all students to see. Throughout the day students are given instructions and asked to relay those instructions back to me to ensure they understand my expectations. This reinforcement ensures there is no confusion or reason for misconduct.

Intervention Strategies

Using the restorative justice approach, I will endeavour to mediate a productive discussion between the offending student and the person affected by the actions of the student. This discussion will allow the victim to highlight how the actions of the offender affected them before both parties come to an appropriate remedy to rectify the issue (Lyons, Ford & Slee, 2014). Where a student continues to portray inappropriate behaviour at school, I will remedy the situation by having a one-to-one discussion with the student to identify the misconduct and provide an appropriate solution to correct the behaviour. In the restorative justice approach, it is important that offending students understand what behaviour is not acceptable and why (Lyons, Ford & Slee, 2014). This will enable the student to positively transition to acceptable behaviour.

Where explicit rules and routines are in place in the classroom, a simple and effective way to regain the focus of students is through a tune-in song. My students were made aware on the first day of school that when I play my music, I require them to stop, look, and listen for further instructions. This tune-in music is utilised to intervene when students are off task, too noisy, or when I need to make an announcement. The choice of wording, tone, and body language are pertinent when setting expectations with students to ensure they feel supported in the school environment, creating positive teacher-student relationships (Partin, 2009).

Engaging Parents, the community & support services

Support services are allocated by the administrative staff at my school, however, to engage the support staff I notify them by email, through discussion or by paper of upcoming lesson content, my expectations or needs as the teacher, and the needs of the students they are supporting. I allocate my support staff to students that have intellectual impairments, or who have fallen behind with schoolwork due to absenteeism. The communication and engagement of support staff and services are prearranged to ensure class runs smoothly and without disruption. Everyone knows their roles and responsibilities in advance to ensure the support staff has everything they need to support the student/s they are working with.

I support the school community by ensuring I am knowledgeable and participate in upcoming events and meetings. I have attended an inter-school sports carnival whilst on practical placement and embraced the school spirit by arriving at the school carnival in my schools’ colours. Additionally, the school has also had a book parade dress up day where students came as their favourite book character. As my class is currently studying Roald Dahl’s book The Twits, I came to school dressed as Mr. Twit, embracing the school spirit. I have also attended every school meeting held whilst on practical placement which has enabled me to stay up to date with school news and events.

To engage with parents, a class newsletter is drafted by the students and edited by class teachers which are emailed to parents. This letter details what has been happening in the classroom each week. Further, the school conducts a virtual parade and school news show and they are uploaded to our schools’ social media pages and website for parents to watch at their convenience. Where a student has been involved in a major incident at school, his parents are called and notified of the area of concern. While on practical placement, unfortunately, I have been involved in this process on three occasions. Lastly, parent-teacher interviews are conducted twice yearly to update parents on the progress of their child’s development. These interviews highlight areas the student is doing well in as well as areas that may require attention.

Conclusion

Positive learning plans are complex. Educators must consider student growth and development, behaviour management, engagement and motivation, and teaching and learning elements. The needs, wellbeing, and diversity of students must also be considered along with strong prevention and intervention strategies to correct misconduct in the school grounds. Further, educators must consider how they will engage with parents, the school community, and support services to ensure students receive the best possible education.

References

Egeberg, H., McConney, A., & Price, A. (2016). Classroom management and national professional standards for teachers: A review of the literature on theory and practice. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 41:7, pp1-18 https://ro.ecu.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3239&context=ajte

Harrison, N., and Sellwood, J., (2016). Learning and teaching in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education. Third edition. Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University.

Hattie, J., (2013). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. London: United Kingdom, Routledge.

Lyons, G., Ford, M., & Slee, J. (2014). Classroom management: creating positive learning environments (4th ed.) Melbourne, Australia: Cengage.

McDonald, T. (2013). Classroom management: Engaging students in learning, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/curtin/detail.action?docID=4191356.

McLeod, S. (2020). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

Partin, R. L. (2009). The classroom teacher's survival guide: Practical strategies, management techniques and reproducibles for new and experienced teachers. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Pass, S. (2007). When Constructivists Jean Piaget And Lev Vygotsky were pedagogical collaborators: A viewpoint from a study of their communications, Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 20:3, 277-282, 10.1080/10720530701347944

Teaching Philosophy

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