My Learning Theory
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There are many factors (cognitive, emotional, environmental influences, prior experience, etc.) that play a part in how well students will absorb, process, and retain information they are learning. I value that my students actually understand the content being presented to them.This main value about teachingguides my approach in my classroom by getting students outdoors, learning through inquiry, and providing integration. These approaches are ideal in a learning environment.
It is important to get students outside, especially when teaching science. From my personal experience, I have learned so much more outside in the field than I would have from reading about it in a book or getting lectured to in class. It is a way to make connections with the real world by having that firsthand experience. I was able to make observations and form questions about what I was actually seeing, hearing, smelling, and touching in the natural world. This is helpful because it gets students interested in their learning. Having this more meaningful connection is one way for students to understand the content being presented. It is good to have children outside during other subject areas while writing, painting a picture, reading a book, etc. With the mass amount of technology that is readily available to most children nowadays (television, video games, etc.), it is unlikely that children have spent a lot of time, if any, outdoors. Having this opportunity for all children at school is a great way keep them actively learning.
I value students learning through inquiry. The Tentative Nature of Science states that children learn science by doing science. Science is all about asking and answering verifiable questions. I present students with a problem and the tools to answer it with little guidance so that they can figure it out themselves. Having students in small groups working these problems out together is a good way to form communication and for them to collaborate their ideas and gain other perspectives. Ultimately, I think this helps students actually understand the material being presented and allows them to appreciate their own learning and hard work.
While creating lessons and planning out each day, one big thing that I find important to incorporate is integration. I think that it is essential to integrate as many of the sciences as possible (biology, geology, chemistry, physics, etc.) when teaching a science lesson because the natural world around us is a big system of all of these different science areas working together. This would make it hard to teach one by itself. I think it is important to not only integrate all of the sciences but also other subject areas as well. For example, when having some type of writing lesson, you incorporate science by having them choose a biome to write about. This can be used to incorporate history and geography as well. I have students draw a picture or make a project that represents their biome to include art. This is a good way for students to understanding content by making connections.
In conclusion, there are many different approaches and ideas of teaching that I value and that guide my approach in the classroom. Of the tools and strategies that I have used and acquired through observing classrooms, research, tutoring, and my personal experience in school, these are the ones that I find most beneficial for student understanding to transpire.
It is important to get students outside, especially when teaching science. From my personal experience, I have learned so much more outside in the field than I would have from reading about it in a book or getting lectured to in class. It is a way to make connections with the real world by having that firsthand experience. I was able to make observations and form questions about what I was actually seeing, hearing, smelling, and touching in the natural world. This is helpful because it gets students interested in their learning. Having this more meaningful connection is one way for students to understand the content being presented. It is good to have children outside during other subject areas while writing, painting a picture, reading a book, etc. With the mass amount of technology that is readily available to most children nowadays (television, video games, etc.), it is unlikely that children have spent a lot of time, if any, outdoors. Having this opportunity for all children at school is a great way keep them actively learning.
I value students learning through inquiry. The Tentative Nature of Science states that children learn science by doing science. Science is all about asking and answering verifiable questions. I present students with a problem and the tools to answer it with little guidance so that they can figure it out themselves. Having students in small groups working these problems out together is a good way to form communication and for them to collaborate their ideas and gain other perspectives. Ultimately, I think this helps students actually understand the material being presented and allows them to appreciate their own learning and hard work.
While creating lessons and planning out each day, one big thing that I find important to incorporate is integration. I think that it is essential to integrate as many of the sciences as possible (biology, geology, chemistry, physics, etc.) when teaching a science lesson because the natural world around us is a big system of all of these different science areas working together. This would make it hard to teach one by itself. I think it is important to not only integrate all of the sciences but also other subject areas as well. For example, when having some type of writing lesson, you incorporate science by having them choose a biome to write about. This can be used to incorporate history and geography as well. I have students draw a picture or make a project that represents their biome to include art. This is a good way for students to understanding content by making connections.
In conclusion, there are many different approaches and ideas of teaching that I value and that guide my approach in the classroom. Of the tools and strategies that I have used and acquired through observing classrooms, research, tutoring, and my personal experience in school, these are the ones that I find most beneficial for student understanding to transpire.