Teaching Style

1) Classroom Organization
I want to have my classroom arranged in the most discussion-friendly design I can muster with what I have available. It is important to me that students can see one another - looking at the back of someone's head is no way to get to know them.


2) Motivation
I can see myself having some trouble with motivation because of my wish that students will be intrinsically motivated by my own excitement about lessons. I recognize that motivation is probably going to have to have a trial-and-error focus until I find a system that motivates my students without relying on excessively authoritative measures.


3) Discipline
Discipline is one topic that I feel that I differ from my classmates upon. I am a very laissez-faire leader - the chief disciplinary topics that I feel compelled to intervene on are those dealing with respect. This is why respect will be the main lens of my disciplinary action. I truly believe that each student deserves respect, both from themselves, myself, and their peers. 


4) Assessment
The assessment format that I would like to use in my classroom is one that tracks progress rather than assessing aptitude at one particular time. Not only can a "final" come on a bad day for a student, dooming them, a snapshot assessment doesn't take into account growth. One of the worst tests that I ever took was a grammar-based test, containing the entire grammar curriculum for the year. We took it at the beginning of the year, and the rule was that if you aced it, you wouldn't have to take it again at the end of the year. I aced it, but it gave me the feeling that I didn't even have to bother anymore with any of the grammar content. 


5) Classroom Climate
My preferred classroom climate is influenced a lot by my own personality and past experience. I want to have the classroom that people come to eat their lunch in if they're uncomfortable in the cafeteria. I want to have a friendly, personable, and approachable classroom where students can express themselves freely without fear of social consequences. Obviously, this won't be easy and is going to require fine tuning. I just need to be ready at the get-go to start up that climate from day one.


6) Technology Integration
Technology integration is really something that I'm going to need to figure out based on the school that I'm in. The dream, of course is to have an abundance of learning technology that enhances and facilitates learning, while at the same time not being a distraction or impeding learning through the format.  


7) Learning Focus
My learning focus is that while the content and curriculum elements of school are very important, the largest focus should be on the students themselves. I have had several friends who studied very hard in school, got great grades, did all the right extracurriculars, and ended up going to very good colleges. None of them had any idea what they wanted to do, or had an idea of something that they'd be happy doing. All they learned was how to play the "school game." I think that self-knowledge is just as worthy a "hidden curriculum" item as regular student socialization.


8) Teacher and Leadership Style.
My teaching and leadership style has already been covered slightly in a few other sections, but in general I want to be accepting, friendly, respected, and respecting of all of my students. I think that the fastest way to lose students focus and respect is to come across too strong - a lot of them are  already getting that from all sides anyway, either from parents, other teachers, or other authority figures. By no means do I mean that I want to be soft for soft's sake, but being a tough guy just isn't my style. I also want students to take a leadership role in the classroom. This is something that I've explored a bit as a camp counselor, and I'd love to see how it works in a school classroom.