Professionalism:
There are many things that are considered when one hears the word professionalism. As an educator, professionalism means how you interact with students, parents, and administration. As educators, it is important to uphold professionalism and behave ethically at all times. Personally, as an educator, my main goal in concerns to professionalism is effective communication. Communication between myself, my students, familes, and my peers is essential in both professionalism and effective teaching. In order to have a successful classroom environment, teachers must form positive relationships with their students. I believe this is done through showing my students that I care about them as individuals (Zieger, 2018). I will also be able to form positive professional relationships with my students by respecting their diverse cultural, linguistic, social and learning needs at all times (Grand Canyon University, n.d.).
Student Engagement Strategies:
In order for students to be successful, they must be engaged within the classroom. Studies have shown that students who are engaged within the lesson are less likely to display negative behaviors and are more likely to perform better academically (Stephens, n.d.). One of the ways that I plan to strengthen student engagement within my classroom is to incorporate group learning activities. Group learning activities promote social development as well as provide an opportunity for diverse learners to obtain access and understand the material from their peer’s perspectives. There are two specific group learning activities that I believe will promote engagement, self-motivation, and positive social interactions within my classroom. These would be the “Find Your Match” and the “Think-Pair- Share” strategies. Both strategies encourage students to collaborate with their peers in order to gain a better understanding. To expand, not only does the “Find Your Match” strategy encourage peer interaction, it also gets students up and moving. I feel this would be the perfect strategy for low energy students or students who perform better during physical activities.
My Philosophy of Classroom Management
In concerns to classroom management, there are many different methods preferred by educators around the world. I prefer to approach my students with a teaching/learning approach when it comes to handling negative behaviors. There may be instances within the classroom where students have not learned the appropriate behaviors required at school and will need extra guidance. This is why I plan to utilize the PBIS model when managing my classroom. Student’s behavioral needs do not have a “one size fits all” solution. Therefore, the three tiers of intervention of PBIS to aid in correcting behavior are the perfect way to manage classrooms in my opinion. By utilizing the three tiers of PBIS, educators are able to provide the appropriate level of behavioral supports to the students who need more in-depth behavioral intervention while providing positive reinforcement to all students (Lee, n.d.). I plan to reinforce my students through multiple means such as verbal, tactile, and auditory rewards.