Personal Frame of Reference
Dominic Stott
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”
Nelson Mandela
Teaching in Japan and Taiwan over the last 10 years, and now having entered the Post Bac Education programme at VIU, I have become increasingly aware of what kind of teacher I want to be, and what kind of learning environment I need to create in order for my students to thrive in the increasingly globalized, technological, fast-paced world of the 21st century.
Reflecting on my own experiences as a student in French Immersion, I understand that my academic successes and failures were closely linked to my relationships with my teachers. I was much more motivated and engaged in the classes where I felt the teachers cared about me and took a genuine interest in getting to know me. These teachers always remembered they were teaching children first, not just curriculum. They were attuned to the needs of their students and always tried to meet those needs before focusing on the day’s lessons. As Abraham Maslow recognized in his Theory of Motivation, all humans must have basic needs such as food, shelter, safety, love and belonging and self-esteem met, before they are able to learn and progress to self-actualization. Maslow wrote that self-actualization is the most important of human needs, but I believe that traditional, curriculum- centered school systems stifle growth and stress conformity over self-actualization. I am very pleased to see the new curriculum in British Columbia become much more child-centered and less rigid, as I feel that many more children will respond positively to this new approach and become more vested in their own learning.
Gordon Neufeld is another educational theorist whose work will guide my practice. He postulates that the capacity for relationship is developed in 6 phases that are sequential and each one is more complex and adds a new way of attachment. He says we learn from those to whom we are attached, and we are not motivated so much by the letter grades we hope to achieve, but the desire to please those with whom we have built strong relationships. This idea is at the core of my own teaching philosophy. A strong student-teacher bond is essential for optimal learning. I agree with Neufeld’s statement that a teacher attains the status of a master teacher not because of exceptional skill and technique in the classroom, but because of his ability to forge strong and respectful relationships with his students in which attachment will occur.
I believe it is a teacher’s duty to provide students with a respectful, safe, positive and nurturing environment. Strong classroom management skills are vital to creating an environment that enables students to learn. The teacher must establish a code of conduct that ensures that all students feel respected and where they feel free to express their opinions without fear of censure or ridicule. A teacher must recognize that each student is unique and that different approaches to teaching and learning must be acknowledged and embraced. In my classroom, I will strive to incorporate multiple teaching methods and differentiated learning techniques in order to best meet the needs of my students. When presenting lessons, I will take care to include oral, visual, tactile and kinesthetic activities in order to best address each student’s learning style. I will also recognize the important role that parents and guardians play in the social and academic success of their children. It is vital to communicate and include them in their children’s education. Parents and guardians can provide teachers with essential information that can impact a child’s progress at school, so it is vital to not only establish strong relationships with the students, but also with the parents. I think that other teachers and administrators can also contribute insight into how best to support each student. Collaboration and communication are paramount in order to create a school environment where teachers, parents and students all work together to support each other and ensure the best possible outcomes for all.
New teachers in British Columbia are entering the profession at a very exciting time. Old methodologies are being challenged, and innovative ideas are being introduced. The recent changes in the curriculum make it possible for teachers to be more creative and flexible. They can shift focus from the transference of information in order to meet the requirements of standardized testing, to the process of learning and thinking that will help each student develop to his or her potential.
New approaches to assessment, and a better understanding of the ways assessment can be used to enhance student learning, is an area of vital importance. Students must be active participants in the assessment process and should have the opportunity to not only help create assessment rubrics, but to discuss how well their assignments meet specific learning outcomes and what steps are necessary where learning outcomes have not yet been fully achieved. I believe this would help students take responsibility for their own learning and foster intrinsic, rather than extrinsic motivation to always do their best.
The new curriculum emphasizes inclusion and diversity and is much more reflective of the world we live in. It is student-centered, and encourages students’ participation in all aspects of their education. No longer are teachers expected to fill their students’ heads with information, much like filling an empty vase with water. Instead, teachers will guide and facilitate student learning.
Teachers who create a learning environment that emphasizes fairness, respectful discussions, cooperation, and problem-solving skills, will help students become engaged citizens who embrace diversity and speak out against injustice. I am looking forward to the opportunity to help my students envision and shape a world where social and environmental issues are addressed, where racial, religious and gender diversity is celebrated, and where intellectual curiosity is encouraged and life-long learning is the norm.
Dominic Stott
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”
Nelson Mandela
Teaching in Japan and Taiwan over the last 10 years, and now having entered the Post Bac Education programme at VIU, I have become increasingly aware of what kind of teacher I want to be, and what kind of learning environment I need to create in order for my students to thrive in the increasingly globalized, technological, fast-paced world of the 21st century.
Reflecting on my own experiences as a student in French Immersion, I understand that my academic successes and failures were closely linked to my relationships with my teachers. I was much more motivated and engaged in the classes where I felt the teachers cared about me and took a genuine interest in getting to know me. These teachers always remembered they were teaching children first, not just curriculum. They were attuned to the needs of their students and always tried to meet those needs before focusing on the day’s lessons. As Abraham Maslow recognized in his Theory of Motivation, all humans must have basic needs such as food, shelter, safety, love and belonging and self-esteem met, before they are able to learn and progress to self-actualization. Maslow wrote that self-actualization is the most important of human needs, but I believe that traditional, curriculum- centered school systems stifle growth and stress conformity over self-actualization. I am very pleased to see the new curriculum in British Columbia become much more child-centered and less rigid, as I feel that many more children will respond positively to this new approach and become more vested in their own learning.
Gordon Neufeld is another educational theorist whose work will guide my practice. He postulates that the capacity for relationship is developed in 6 phases that are sequential and each one is more complex and adds a new way of attachment. He says we learn from those to whom we are attached, and we are not motivated so much by the letter grades we hope to achieve, but the desire to please those with whom we have built strong relationships. This idea is at the core of my own teaching philosophy. A strong student-teacher bond is essential for optimal learning. I agree with Neufeld’s statement that a teacher attains the status of a master teacher not because of exceptional skill and technique in the classroom, but because of his ability to forge strong and respectful relationships with his students in which attachment will occur.
I believe it is a teacher’s duty to provide students with a respectful, safe, positive and nurturing environment. Strong classroom management skills are vital to creating an environment that enables students to learn. The teacher must establish a code of conduct that ensures that all students feel respected and where they feel free to express their opinions without fear of censure or ridicule. A teacher must recognize that each student is unique and that different approaches to teaching and learning must be acknowledged and embraced. In my classroom, I will strive to incorporate multiple teaching methods and differentiated learning techniques in order to best meet the needs of my students. When presenting lessons, I will take care to include oral, visual, tactile and kinesthetic activities in order to best address each student’s learning style. I will also recognize the important role that parents and guardians play in the social and academic success of their children. It is vital to communicate and include them in their children’s education. Parents and guardians can provide teachers with essential information that can impact a child’s progress at school, so it is vital to not only establish strong relationships with the students, but also with the parents. I think that other teachers and administrators can also contribute insight into how best to support each student. Collaboration and communication are paramount in order to create a school environment where teachers, parents and students all work together to support each other and ensure the best possible outcomes for all.
New teachers in British Columbia are entering the profession at a very exciting time. Old methodologies are being challenged, and innovative ideas are being introduced. The recent changes in the curriculum make it possible for teachers to be more creative and flexible. They can shift focus from the transference of information in order to meet the requirements of standardized testing, to the process of learning and thinking that will help each student develop to his or her potential.
New approaches to assessment, and a better understanding of the ways assessment can be used to enhance student learning, is an area of vital importance. Students must be active participants in the assessment process and should have the opportunity to not only help create assessment rubrics, but to discuss how well their assignments meet specific learning outcomes and what steps are necessary where learning outcomes have not yet been fully achieved. I believe this would help students take responsibility for their own learning and foster intrinsic, rather than extrinsic motivation to always do their best.
The new curriculum emphasizes inclusion and diversity and is much more reflective of the world we live in. It is student-centered, and encourages students’ participation in all aspects of their education. No longer are teachers expected to fill their students’ heads with information, much like filling an empty vase with water. Instead, teachers will guide and facilitate student learning.
Teachers who create a learning environment that emphasizes fairness, respectful discussions, cooperation, and problem-solving skills, will help students become engaged citizens who embrace diversity and speak out against injustice. I am looking forward to the opportunity to help my students envision and shape a world where social and environmental issues are addressed, where racial, religious and gender diversity is celebrated, and where intellectual curiosity is encouraged and life-long learning is the norm.