My Theory

What?
My theory is based on a combination of the theories that we have covered in class. I feel that this course has been very beneficial to me and that the infomation is very applicable in my teaching and in my classroom. Of course, every teacher is going to have their own idea about what the "perfect" or "ideal" classroom is, how students learn, and how to teach each student. I will try to summarize my teaching philosophy and my theory about how my students learn here.
Students come to our classrooms with over a decade of learning and experience. They have ideas and beliefs about the world that may or may not be correct and/or acceptable. They come from many different ethnic backgrounds and cultures. They are a product of their environment and the opportunities or the lack thereof. They may have or may not have come from homes where learning is fostered and encouraged, homes where love and affection is shown or not shown. There are so many factors that affect the way our students behave in our classroom. Regardless of what our students have walked through my classroom door with, it is my job and responsibility to make sure that I give that student the opportunity to learn. Each student should have to the chance to succeed and become the best that they can. As a teacher, I need to make the necessary adjustments in my teaching to reach each student. As a teacher, I feel it is my responsibility to teach them not only math concepts and skills but also life skills and self-worth. All of this is important because students learn best in an environment that is comfortable and accepting of them.
I feel that students best learn math when given clear instruction with good examples. Students need to feel comfortable when asking questions in order to be active learners. Students seem to resist to working hands on with math, but with the right activities I think that students can really see how math is used and applied in the real world. Overall, students best learn math through well thought out instruction that is very organized and logical and with practice.
So What?
My classroom and teaching style will definitely be influenced by the above reasons and thoughts. I want to be able to achieve the goal of having the above ideal classroom. I had teachers, specifically, math teachers that helped to foster my love for math. Math wasn't even always the easiest thing for me but because of the way they taught and treated me as a person, I learned to really like it. I hope to be this type of teacher for all of my students whether they end up loving math or not.
Now What?
Time is drawing near that I will finally be able to put all that I have learned into practice. I look forward to further observing the learned theories in the classroom and in practice. I feel that I know and undertand the concepts of the theories but still need practice in observing and implementation of these theories.