Teaching and Learning
The following statements reflect the major learning principles that comprise my personal teaching and learning philosophy. These principles identify specific factors and their effects they have on learning. All of these influence the decisions I make in the classroom as well the methods I choose to achieve my goals.
- High expectations for student performance lead to improved student achievement.
- A positive classroom environment leads to increased student achievement.
- Use of wait time leads to more effective long-term memory storage and retrieval.
- Use of real world and hands-on activities lead to better retention of knowledge and storage into long-term memory.
- Use of instructional objectives lead to increased learning.
- Effective questioning and student discourse are an integral part of the classroom and need to be thought out before implementing.
Technology
The following statements are my beliefs about the relationship between education, technology, and my personal convictions about teaching and learning. They serve as the foundation of my instructional techniques and guide my decision-making.
- Technology should be used to enhance learning.
- Problem-solving and critical thinking skills need to be the focus of the hands-on approach to technology usage.
- Technology can be used to make learning content engaging and relevant.
- Technology provides a variety of information not available in the classroom.
- Students of different levels can learn at their own pace.
- Computers provide an important tool for assessment and remediation
- Training of teachers is necessary to make technology effective.
- Technology can make learning fun!
Personal Mottos
- “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” – Confucius
- “Learn by Doing; Teach by Being.” – Unknown
Favorite Quotes
- “Listen and silent are made up of the same letters. Coincidence?”
- “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can.” – John Wesley
- “Discipline and Determination are more important than GPA and class rank.”
- “Do the right thing for the right reason and good things will happen.”
- “Don’t tell me WHY we can’t do something – tell me HOW we can do it!”
- “You can’t be afraid to fall. You just have to make sure you fall forward.”