My goal as a future teacher is to become a role model whilst providing students with opportunities to develop essential life skills as well as maximising students full learning abilities within a safe, cooperative and effective learning environment. As a future primary teacher, I hold the responsibility of shaping and affecting the future of thousands of students that I teach. Each of these students will be unique and distinctive in their own way. Therefore to understand and acknowledge this individuality is an important key in building relationships within class and can influence classroom-learning success. Getting to know and understand my students individually as well as a collective group would allow for social engagement and provide me with a sound understanding of the backgrounds of each student.
I believe that social engagement and cooperative learning will be a main contributor within my future classrooms as it has been one of the most effective strategies I have utilised whilst on my final practicum. Cooperative learning provided an opportunity for students to develop social skills, metacognition, essential life skills (such as communication) and the experience of working in a collective group. Throughout my practical experiences as a student, I have observed that classrooms that utilise the cooperative learning strategy, engage and cooperate more effectively and enthusiastically.
To accommodate towards this, I believe adopting a constructivist approach would create an environment in which best caters for cooperative learning and for effective learning to occur. My beliefs and approach to catering for effective learning, aligns with Vygotsky’s social constructivist approach as he believed that social engagement and cooperation within the classroom was essential for developing children’s metacognition and social skills. As the students I teach will be in their primary years, I believe consistent encouragement on their efforts rather than their work, will assist in creating a positive “feel” amongst the environment in which they learn.
As a future teacher, I believe that education is the most precious life gift and we as teachers hold the responsibility in providing it to the future generations of our world. Through utilising a constructivist approach and implementing cooperative learning, positive feedback, effective questioning, consistent encouragement and active participation, students should feel engaged and motivated to complete tasks in an effective learning environment that allows students to feel safe, respected, supported and challenged at all times.
Joshua Atkinson
REFERENCES
Dahms, M. Geonnotti, K. Passalacqua, D. Schilk, J.N. Wetzel, A. Zulkowsky, M. (n.d). The Educational Theory of Lev Vygotsky: an analysis.
Retrieved From:
http://www.aiz.vic.edu.au/Embed/Media/00000023/Article-The-Educational-Theory-of-Lev-Vygotsky.doc
Duchesne, S., McMaugh, A. 2016. Educational Psychology for Learning and Teaching. 5th ed. Australia: Cengage Learning Australia.
Farr, T. 2014. Vygotsky’s Theory of Cognitive Development.
Retrieved From: https://blog.udemy.com/vygotskys-theory-of-cognitive-development/
Turuk, M. 2008. The Relevance and Implications of Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory in the Second Language Classroom.
Retrieved From: http://research.ncl.ac.uk/ARECLS/volume_5/turuk_vol5.pdf
I believe that social engagement and cooperative learning will be a main contributor within my future classrooms as it has been one of the most effective strategies I have utilised whilst on my final practicum. Cooperative learning provided an opportunity for students to develop social skills, metacognition, essential life skills (such as communication) and the experience of working in a collective group. Throughout my practical experiences as a student, I have observed that classrooms that utilise the cooperative learning strategy, engage and cooperate more effectively and enthusiastically.
To accommodate towards this, I believe adopting a constructivist approach would create an environment in which best caters for cooperative learning and for effective learning to occur. My beliefs and approach to catering for effective learning, aligns with Vygotsky’s social constructivist approach as he believed that social engagement and cooperation within the classroom was essential for developing children’s metacognition and social skills. As the students I teach will be in their primary years, I believe consistent encouragement on their efforts rather than their work, will assist in creating a positive “feel” amongst the environment in which they learn.
As a future teacher, I believe that education is the most precious life gift and we as teachers hold the responsibility in providing it to the future generations of our world. Through utilising a constructivist approach and implementing cooperative learning, positive feedback, effective questioning, consistent encouragement and active participation, students should feel engaged and motivated to complete tasks in an effective learning environment that allows students to feel safe, respected, supported and challenged at all times.
Joshua Atkinson
REFERENCES
Dahms, M. Geonnotti, K. Passalacqua, D. Schilk, J.N. Wetzel, A. Zulkowsky, M. (n.d). The Educational Theory of Lev Vygotsky: an analysis.
Retrieved From:
http://www.aiz.vic.edu.au/Embed/Media/00000023/Article-The-Educational-Theory-of-Lev-Vygotsky.doc
Duchesne, S., McMaugh, A. 2016. Educational Psychology for Learning and Teaching. 5th ed. Australia: Cengage Learning Australia.
Farr, T. 2014. Vygotsky’s Theory of Cognitive Development.
Retrieved From: https://blog.udemy.com/vygotskys-theory-of-cognitive-development/
Turuk, M. 2008. The Relevance and Implications of Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory in the Second Language Classroom.
Retrieved From: http://research.ncl.ac.uk/ARECLS/volume_5/turuk_vol5.pdf