Juliana Flora

            HERE I WILL TELL YOU A BIT ABOUT MYSELF AS WELL AS MY PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION. 

 

        I HAVE MY B.S. IN ELEMENTARY EDUCATION FROM ELMIRA COLLEGE IN ELMIRA NY. I HAVE BEEN TEACHING FOR 15 YEARS IN MANY DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS. I HAVE SUBSTITUTE TAUGHT IN GRADES KINDERGARTEN THROUGH EIGHTH GRADE, AS WELL AS FULL TIME TEACHING IN PRESCHOOL AND 5TH GRADE. I HAVE WORKED ONE ON ONE WITH A CHILD WHO WAS ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM AND I AM CURRENTLY WORKING WITH A STUDENT THAT HAS ASPERGERS.

 

        I BELIEVE IN THREE MAIN IDEALS MAKE UP MY PHILOSOPHYOF EDUCATION; POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT, COMPASSION, AND BEING ABLE TO ASSESS IMPROVEMENT. THESE THREE IDEALS ARE THE FUNDAMENTAL FOUNDATION FOR A SUCCESSFUL TEACHING EXPERIENCE. THIS WILL CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE LEARNING IS NOT ONLY BEING MEASURED, BUT IT IS ALSO BEING USED TO BOOST STUDENTS CONFIDENCE FOR FUTURE LEARNING. 

 

       POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT INCLUDES TWO PARTS; POSITIVE TALK, AND POSITIVE RESPONSE. POSITIVE TALK INCLUDES TALKING ABOUT THE GOOD A STUDENT HAS DONE. FOR EXAMPLE SAYING, "I LIKE HOW YOU FIGURED THAT OUT". WHEN THIS IS DONE ON A CONSISTENT BASIS THE CHILD GAINS SELF-CONFIDENCE AND WILL BECOME BRAVER ABOUT ANSWERING TOUGHER QUESTIONS. THE SECOND PART IS POSITIVE RESPONSE. POSITIVE RESPONSE IS RESPONDING IN A WAY THAT DOES NOT ALIENTATE THE CHILD. FOR EXAMPLE; WHEN THE CHILD GETS AN ANSWER WRONG, I WOULD SAY, " I LIKE THE WAY YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT THIS QUESTION, NOW LET'S SEE IF WE CAN LOOK AT THIS ANOTHER WAY". THIS PROVIDES POSITIVE  FEEDBACK WHILE RE-DIRECTING THE STUDENT CLOSER TO THE RIGHT ANSWER.

 

        COMPASSION IS ANOTHER IDEAL IN TEACHING. EACH CHILD IS UNIQUE AND COMES TO ME WITH INDIVDUAL NEEDS, WHETHER THEY ARE SOCIAL OR ACADEMIC. I TREAT EACH CHILD WITH COMPASSION. BEING THOUGHTFUL WHEN INTRODUCED TO A STUDENT WHO LEARNS IN A DIFFERENT WAY THAN I USUALLY WOULD PRESENT INFORMAITON. PART OF THIS IS REMEMBERING THAT THE STUDENT I AM WORKING WITH FOR EXAMPLE ; MAY HAVE ATTENTION ISSUES WHERE EVERY LITTLE THING GOING ON IN THE ROOM OR NEAR THE ROOM IS CAUSING THE CHILD TO LOOSE CONCENTRATION. FOR EXMAPLE A CAR DRIVING PAST THE WINDOW. OR THE SOUND OF THE AIR CONITIONER OR HEATER TURNING ON AND OFF COULD DISTRACT THE STUDENT. IT IS MY JOB TO  WORK AROUND THESE DISRUPTIONS, TO RE-FOCUS THE STUDENT AND NOT BLAME THE STUDENT FOR NOT HAVING A BETTER ATTENTION SPAN. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT CHILDREN SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO WANDER OFF TOPIC, OR NOT COMPLETE GIVEN WORK, IT JUST MEANS THAT I AM AWARE OF THE CHILD'S ISSUES AND I CAN RE-DIRECT THEIR ATTENTION TO WHAT WE ARE WORKING ON . SOME RE-DIRECTIONS WOULD INCLUDE ASKING THE STUDENT HOW THEY ARE FEELING AT THE MOMENT. ASKING THIS BRINGS THE CHILD BACK TO FOCUS ON HIMSELF RATHER THAN THE DISTRACTIONS, THEN I WOULD ASK HIM ABOUT THE ASSIGNMENT WHILE I HAD AT LEAST A BIT MORE OF HIS ATTENTION..

 

         AND LASTLY, BEING ABLE TO ASSESS IMPROVMENT IS ANOTHER IMPORTANT IDEAL. IT IS IMPORTANT TO BE ABLE TO  ASSESS WHETHER THE STUDENT IS GETTING BETTER IN THE SUBJECT THAT IS BEING TAUGHT. IF WHAT I AM DOING IS NOT ACHIEVING MY GOAL THEN I NEED TO BE ABLE TO RE-THINK MY STRATEGY. THERE IS NOT ONE STRATEGY THAT WILL WORK ON ALL CHILDREN, SO WHEN ONE STRATEGY IS NOT WORKING I BELIEVE IN BEING FLEXIBLE TO CHANGE.  I WORKED WITH A CHILD TO IMPROVE COMPREHENSION SKILLS. WE TALKED ABOUT CHARACTER AND PLOT AND WROTE DOWN INFORMATION, BUT HE WAS NOT RETAINING THE INFORMATION SO WE MADE A VISUAL MAP TO HELP HIM SEPARATE EACH CHARACTER AND FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THE STORY.  I COULD ASSESS WHETHER THE MAP WAS WORKING FOR HIM SINCE JUST WRTING AND TALKING ABOUT THE INFORMATION WAS NOT WORKING.

 

           THE ACADEMICS AND KNOWLEDGE THAT A STUDENT CAN GAIN IS DIRECTLY CORRELATED TO THE CONFIDENCE THEY HAVE IN THEMSELVES. WITH CONFIDENCE STUDENTS CAN ACHIEVE MORE THAN THEY EVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE. MY MOTHER WAS A TEACHER FOR YEARS, AND SHE LOOKED AT EACH CHILD AS HAVING GREAT POTENTIAL. SHE NEVER UNDERESTIMATD A CHILD'S ABILITY.  IT MAKES THE STUDENT RISE TO HER EXPECTATIONS. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I HAVE TAKEN WITH ME INTO MY TEACHING. GIVEN ENOUGH ENCOURAGEMENT ALL CHILDREN CAN BECOME SUCCESSFUL IN THEIR OWN WAY.