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With education as we know it being challenged and the need for us to transform our teaching it is crucial that I develop a philosophy of online teaching and learning. I need to have a plan and a belief system moving forward that can help guide me in my pursuit to not only prepare my kindergarten classroom for potential virtual only teaching sometime this school year, but to better transform my classroom management plan and systems to be better suited for 21st century teaching and learning.
My philosophy of education is the foundation for my online teaching philosophy. My belief in how best to educate children and how they learn does not change just because the location of the classroom may move to something virtual. My teaching philosophy centers around three major ideas; teachers need to be more than just teachers, children learn best through play and inquiry, and every child learns differently and at different speeds. In the following paragraphs below I will outline how I can apply those ideas to an online setting.
Teachers Need to be More Than Just Teachers
Research has been clear, the more the child feels safe and cared for in the learning environment, the better they will learn. This is no different in an online setting. There will need to be opportunities for children to see me and connect with me in some way. In an online setting this will be extra difficult since we won’t be able to be face-to-face. I can create this connection by creating asynchronous interactive videos, providing timely feedback through multiple formats (video, audio, and text), doing regular synchronous activities through video conferencing, and creating interactive assignments that involve students' interests.
In my videos, students need to be able to see me as a person and not a robot that is just teaching them school curriculum. I need to make sure I allow my personality to show through. It is ok to be energetic, provide some humor, make mistakes but show them how I learn from my mistakes. Just like in the classroom, when I provide feedback it needs to be specific to the learning goal and positive but with a growth mindset. Since my LMS platform has many ways that I can provide feedback it is important not to just always use the same tool. When we do synchronous conferencing, I need to make sure I am providing students plenty of opportunities to participate and have their voices be heard. When I create assignments for my students, they should be given freedom to incorporate things that interest them. If I give them a book retelling assignment, let them pick their favorite book or let them choose the way they chose to retell the story.
My philosophy of education is the foundation for my online teaching philosophy. My belief in how best to educate children and how they learn does not change just because the location of the classroom may move to something virtual. My teaching philosophy centers around three major ideas; teachers need to be more than just teachers, children learn best through play and inquiry, and every child learns differently and at different speeds. In the following paragraphs below I will outline how I can apply those ideas to an online setting.
Teachers Need to be More Than Just Teachers
Research has been clear, the more the child feels safe and cared for in the learning environment, the better they will learn. This is no different in an online setting. There will need to be opportunities for children to see me and connect with me in some way. In an online setting this will be extra difficult since we won’t be able to be face-to-face. I can create this connection by creating asynchronous interactive videos, providing timely feedback through multiple formats (video, audio, and text), doing regular synchronous activities through video conferencing, and creating interactive assignments that involve students' interests.
In my videos, students need to be able to see me as a person and not a robot that is just teaching them school curriculum. I need to make sure I allow my personality to show through. It is ok to be energetic, provide some humor, make mistakes but show them how I learn from my mistakes. Just like in the classroom, when I provide feedback it needs to be specific to the learning goal and positive but with a growth mindset. Since my LMS platform has many ways that I can provide feedback it is important not to just always use the same tool. When we do synchronous conferencing, I need to make sure I am providing students plenty of opportunities to participate and have their voices be heard. When I create assignments for my students, they should be given freedom to incorporate things that interest them. If I give them a book retelling assignment, let them pick their favorite book or let them choose the way they chose to retell the story.
![Picture](/uploads/1/2/6/6/126698774/philosophy-2_orig.png)
Children Learn Best Through Play and Inquiry
It is important that children have many opportunities to explore their learning in many different ways other than just worksheets and skill & drill activities. While this is true for all grades it is especially true in kindergarten when many students are experiencing school for the first time. Research has been consistent over the years that young children, especially those in kindergarten need time to develop problem solving skills, social skills, and emotional regulation. Fostering these skills are going to be exceptionally difficult when they cannot be face-to-face with peers and their teacher.
I can foster these skills by creating and facilitating assignments that are open ended and allow for students to show their learning in different ways. For a writing assignment I can allow for students to tell their stories by acting it out using their favorite toys and record the video to our LMS platform. Students will then comment using audio or video responses making connections to their fellow peers. In math I can have students do a scavenger hunt of things that they find in their houses that matches the shapes we are learning about.
It is important that children have many opportunities to explore their learning in many different ways other than just worksheets and skill & drill activities. While this is true for all grades it is especially true in kindergarten when many students are experiencing school for the first time. Research has been consistent over the years that young children, especially those in kindergarten need time to develop problem solving skills, social skills, and emotional regulation. Fostering these skills are going to be exceptionally difficult when they cannot be face-to-face with peers and their teacher.
I can foster these skills by creating and facilitating assignments that are open ended and allow for students to show their learning in different ways. For a writing assignment I can allow for students to tell their stories by acting it out using their favorite toys and record the video to our LMS platform. Students will then comment using audio or video responses making connections to their fellow peers. In math I can have students do a scavenger hunt of things that they find in their houses that matches the shapes we are learning about.
![Picture](/uploads/1/2/6/6/126698774/philosophy-3_orig.png)
Every Child Learns Differently and at Different Speeds
In kindergarten many children may be experiencing school for the first time. My students will be coming to me with varying degrees of proficiency and skill. Some students may start my class already able to read while others may be learning their letters. My online class will need to be ready to address all learners including students with exceptionalities.
With my school district I am lucky enough to have access to adaptive learning platforms Dreambox and iReady. I will be able to utilize these platforms to present the curriculum based on my students strengths and weaknesses. Each of these programs provides assessment data to help me better inform my instruction and what activities I should create for my class. Within my LMS platform I can create different groups and assign certain activities that target what they can work on.
When it comes to creating assignments for students I need to make sure that I am providing directions in many different ways for the different types of learners I may have. Making videos with screen sharing will be very useful as a way to provide visuals to my students on how to do activities or even interact with the learning platform. Since most of my students also have not had experiences with using technology for educational purposes they will need lots of guidance and support with how to use the ed tech tools.
In kindergarten many children may be experiencing school for the first time. My students will be coming to me with varying degrees of proficiency and skill. Some students may start my class already able to read while others may be learning their letters. My online class will need to be ready to address all learners including students with exceptionalities.
With my school district I am lucky enough to have access to adaptive learning platforms Dreambox and iReady. I will be able to utilize these platforms to present the curriculum based on my students strengths and weaknesses. Each of these programs provides assessment data to help me better inform my instruction and what activities I should create for my class. Within my LMS platform I can create different groups and assign certain activities that target what they can work on.
When it comes to creating assignments for students I need to make sure that I am providing directions in many different ways for the different types of learners I may have. Making videos with screen sharing will be very useful as a way to provide visuals to my students on how to do activities or even interact with the learning platform. Since most of my students also have not had experiences with using technology for educational purposes they will need lots of guidance and support with how to use the ed tech tools.