What is "good" teaching...?
“Good” teaching is inevitably interconnected with “good” learning. The student should shape the ideas delivered by the teacher. My philosophy of teaching, therefore; isn’t the simple presentation of activities structured around curriculum content. Teaching is the presentation of ideas, concepts and understandings in ways that are determined by the needs of the individual student.
Australia encompasses a multi-culturally, religiously, racially, linguistically and socially diverse population which is represented inside classrooms across the country. This means that teachers must take into account individual student background when planning for learning. The use of effective differentiation sees student readiness, learner profile and interest addressed through the presentation of relevant scaffolding, as determined through ongoing assessment, to enable learning goals to be achieved. This approach enables students to access learning which is relevant to their individual needs. In this classroom the student is invited to approach learning in a way that they are ready for and which allows them to use their strengths in order to grow in other areas where they seek to improve.
In presenting a differentiated classroom an environment of inclusion is fostered. Students learn best when they have positive self-esteem and self-efficacy. When learning environments, where individuality is celebrated, are presented to students, they are more likely to feel welcomed within that space. Through approaching learning with differentiation, along with adopting classroom management strategies such as creating democratically negotiated social contracts, students are encouraged to take ownership of their learning space. This sees resilient and independent learners created inside our classrooms. “Good” teaching enables “good” learning and learning which is driven by a student’s intrinsic motivation is the definition of this “good” learning. These learners have been enabled, through the teaching practices employed within their classrooms, to know and understand how to be life-long independent learners.
Australia encompasses a multi-culturally, religiously, racially, linguistically and socially diverse population which is represented inside classrooms across the country. This means that teachers must take into account individual student background when planning for learning. The use of effective differentiation sees student readiness, learner profile and interest addressed through the presentation of relevant scaffolding, as determined through ongoing assessment, to enable learning goals to be achieved. This approach enables students to access learning which is relevant to their individual needs. In this classroom the student is invited to approach learning in a way that they are ready for and which allows them to use their strengths in order to grow in other areas where they seek to improve.
In presenting a differentiated classroom an environment of inclusion is fostered. Students learn best when they have positive self-esteem and self-efficacy. When learning environments, where individuality is celebrated, are presented to students, they are more likely to feel welcomed within that space. Through approaching learning with differentiation, along with adopting classroom management strategies such as creating democratically negotiated social contracts, students are encouraged to take ownership of their learning space. This sees resilient and independent learners created inside our classrooms. “Good” teaching enables “good” learning and learning which is driven by a student’s intrinsic motivation is the definition of this “good” learning. These learners have been enabled, through the teaching practices employed within their classrooms, to know and understand how to be life-long independent learners.