Classroom Environment

Classroom Philosophy

I am certainly still in the planning phase of my Classroom Philosophy development, and know it will most likely constantly be in the works for the duration of my teaching career. With a larger perspective in mind, one of the most important things I would like to achieve in my curated classroom environment is the constant maintenance that every question is a good question and deserving of being asked. If it promotes understanding, poses an inquiry, or is what is needed in that moment for someone to be heard- it deserves to be asked. I think closing off questioning into such distinct categories of "good" or "bad" can make many students shut down out of fear of sounding dumb, even if they are struggling. I do not think this would erase the issue, of course, but I think working to continually remind every student that their voice is one worth hearing is worth my time as an educator.

Growing up, science was always very far away: a cis white man sitting alone on a workbench stirring chemicals or pipetting dangerous biomaterial, strapped into a hazmat suit. I never viewed science as this great big collaborative learning process until much later in my academic career; a lesson I am still in the process of learning. I never thought I was a "scientist:" I never encountered experiences that made me feel that I fit the bill. I know now, a big part of that was the lack of intersectionality I saw within science and science classrooms. This is one of the leading reasons as to why I plan to take a few minutes per class period to recognize an undervalued member of the scientific community who has/had made strides in their scientific discipline who may not have been recognized due to their race, gender, sex, national origin, religion, or disability in their time. I think it is important to acknowledge the people who have come before us to enable the acknowledgement of how far we have to go. Students deserve to see themselves represented in history, and if there is any small thing I can do in a science class to bring some of that back, I think this would be a step in the right direction.

I believe a student-oriented classroom is important, and that student input should be at the forefront of classroom decisions. This can come through the small things that promote mutual respect, such as determining if a class works better with dimmer lighting, or whether more or less decorations help them focus their brains to a classroom setting. This could also come in the form of allowing a class to determine if they would prefer more project-based or test-based means of assessment. Of course, this process will involve time: being that flexible is highly determined by the ability to have both options prepared. I think a big piece of this could also just be willing to make additional accommodations for students struggling to meet deadlines or having trouble focusing in class who may not have legally-mandated accommodations. Even if I cannot meet the needs of every student, I think it definitely makes a difference in being heard and feeling like your voice matters in a space.

I hope to make use of the inquiry-based learning practices of the constructivist approach, and have been working to determine how this could best be implemented in a chemistry setting. I think the best way to do this is to focus on including some kind of anchoring phenomena and taking the approach of working a problem with the understanding that there may not be a solution. I understand, however, that this may be an approach that is very new to students (as it would've been for me at the time) and would certainly choose to adapt this based on different classes adjustment to this style of learning. Problem-solving and collaborative thought is an important aspect of science, and modeling this is one of the most effective ways to teach it. Walking through a thought process, and admitting when a mistake has been made is also an important factor of learning to cope with being wrong- a skill that can be hard to come by in an education system that promotes being correct above all else.

Giving students the ability to use my classroom as a safe space is important to me. Whether that looks like having lunch in my room, or displaying their art, or sharing a story about their weekend, it makes a difference as a student to have a grounding space. I had an english teacher in high school who did a daily five minute mindfulness moment to serve as a reminder to take a few deep breaths and acknowledge a few things from the day that went well or could've gone better. This would obviously look a bit different depending on the time of day, but I think it does make a difference to have a teacher willing to openly discuss the importance of mental health and developing coping and self-regulation methods to manage the stress and hardships that come with being a student, let alone the developmental processes involved with becoming a functional human. I also really like the idea of alternating this based on what the class needs, whether that looks like determining the energy of the room or a student vote. This could be interchanged with a five minute do-what-you-need-to-do-for-you, or having the class answer a fun question created by a peer.

Student engagement and feedback is highly important, which is why I think it could be interesting to have students submit feedback on how they are feeling on course content and the general atmosphere of the class. Do they have suggestions of changes they would like to see? This could be one of the starting activities in my class, or as a wrap-up reflection of how the week went. It is important to acknowledge that I will also always be learning as an educator, and that student input is important to me as I work to best fit their needs in my classroom. Overall, I hope to be a safe and welcoming place to all, and establish the validity and potential impact of student voice. I hope to also foster this through my actions by attending events that are important to them within the school community!

I think it is appropriate to wrap this up by discussing my interest and passion in science and reading literacy. I think interdisciplinary learning is highly interconnected with lifelong learning habits. This all goes to say, high school is a time that social development is just as important as academic development. Students may not leave my class as full-blown chemists, and that is okay. I would love to spread a lifelong love of science and learning, but realistically, I know that my biggest hope is that students leave my classroom feeling heard and validated in their ability to take up space in a scientifically academic setting.

Artifact #1

Ms. Alexander's Class Norms:

1) Every question is a good question. Contribute constructively to conversations: be open and willing to engage with differing opinions respectfully.

2) Be kind in your assumptions and interactions with others.

Classroom Norms

Having the ability to work directly with students on class norms is one of the most beneficial ways to manage expectations within both student-student relationships, and student-teacher relationships. That being said, I feel that its never bad to have a starting point, and these two norms set a solid baseline to grow off of. These are also general expectations that personally help ground me as a human, too.

I think because I will be teaching highschoolers, who are soon-to-be-adults, it is important to have expectations, but this is also the time that they are testing boundaries, and I would like my classroom to be a safe space to do that (respectfully). I think I would like to think a lot of this goes without saying, but sometimes, it doesn't. I understand that highschool can be a hard time for a lot of folks (especially when you're testing boundaries), and sometimes it can be really beneficial to have a reminder every once in awhile- even for myself.

Having the ability, as the adult in the room, to remind students that adults also need to check themselves and come back to preestablished understandings of who they want to be and what they want their behavior to say about them, is important in my book. Whether that is achieved with these two norms, or twenty a class could come up with, I think class norms are an important foundation to set.

Artifact #2

Group 14, BAT Ch 3-4 Presentation

Becoming a Teacher (BAT) Discussion Presentation

My Professional Learning Community (PLC) and I facilitated a discussion on chapters three and four of the book "Becoming A Teacher" using this slideshow presentation. We chose to keep the chapter overviews brief, only highlighting key components to provide more time for the discussion questions. We went in with the assumption that most students had not read the chapter, and chose to format our questions around this understanding, choosing to focus on the application of the concepts in the books. For example, we wrote a lot of questions relevant to current modes of testing and student participation, as well as behavioral strategies and communication with parents. When the class was more apprehensive about answering, folks in my PLC group began discussing personal theories or experiences to help ease into the conversation. I really enjoyed hearing from my peers, and many of their responses were incredibly thought-provoking. This process reinforced how important it is to work with my cohort to figure out ways to best support future students.

Artifact #3

Professional Social Media

As I move through my educational journey, I think it is important to document the things I am doing and the interactions I have with peers and students along the way! I have already made several posts on both accounts highlighting the opportunities I have had as a preservice teacher, and I am grateful to be able to celebrate my developments as a future educator with the folks rooting for me! I think it will be a wonderful place to eventually transition to post about classroom happenings and reminders about upcoming events, as well as connecting to my future school community!

Artifact #4

1) Spring in Hours - Florist

2) Aqua Regia - Sleep Token

3) Home to You - Cate Le Bon

4) Moonbird - Roger Webb & De Wolfe Music

5) Lujon - Henry Mancini

Student Playlist

Developing a student playlist can be a great way to connect with a space through music. Forming strong relationships with students is not always going to be an easy task, and allowing students to collaborate to a playlist that incorporates both their own and their peers' taste is a great way to begin forming those relationships early on. It also allows students to introduce their interests in a very safe way to both their peers and their teacher. I think that even if students do not provide explanation as to why they enjoy the music they select, it builds a sense of autonomy in their ability to choose what they listen to in your classroom.

Artifact #5

"I have had a hard time with my identity since I was young. Confidence, I always had. In what, I am unsure. I think I was labeled at some point as a Type A student, “golden poster-child,” etc., and adhered to those labels for a very long time, but do not believe I fit the bill. I did then because I thought it made other people happier. However, as stated earlier, I feel like I am walking in a world built for me. Being feminine-presenting has, occasionally, proved to have an impact on others’ view of my deservedness to belong in certain spaces, but I think most of my identity-makers certainly impacted my ability to gain (especially leadership) opportunities in educational settings.

I have always been a questioner, and regarded as the “worry wart” of my family. I think a lot of that translated into being appreciative of science in its observable, calculable nature, although I did not fall in love with it until later in my educational journey. I actually enjoyed my english and reading classes the most growing up, and I think most of that was attributed to one teacher (who wasn’t even my teacher at the time) telling me I was a wonderful writer in elementary school and a competition in the seventh grade to see who could read the most books between January and March, and my ELA teacher told me I was “quite the reader.” I have always loved writing, and enjoy it even now. However, science has always been there. I have never been a scientist, but I think some small part of me has always been a science teacher. I love seeing the student spark of understanding phenomena they’ve seen before, and watching them fall in love with science, too."

"My Why" Assignment Narrative Reflection

Having the ability to reflect on what keeps you looking forward as a student allows for deeper introspection to better shape both long and short term expectations of yourself as a student and human. It also allows for a metacognitive reflection of what drives students towards certain career aspirations and learning habits. I enjoyed this activity because you can delve as deep into your identity as you'd like to to discover passion and joy in a variety of domains. I think if I had done an activity like this as a high school student geared towards my own learning goals and identity, I would have felt much more prepared entering college academia, and would have felt more college/career ready.

Conclusion

I do not think I will ever have a perfectly defined classroom philosophy, and I think that is perfectly alright with me. Something like classroom philosophy should change with time and the students who pass through your classroom. All I hope is that I am what I need to be for my students. I hope, if I cannot teach them chemistry, that I can let them know that someone is always going to be rooting for them.

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