"On résiste quelquefois à celui qui impose, rarement à celui qui inspire." - Lamartine
My Classroom Management Philosophy
Too often in the media I hear complaints that today’s youth are not actively engaged in contributing to their communities. Personally, I think there is little mystery behind the fact that young people do not recognize the importance of being actively engaged citizens. In many cases, children spend the majority of their childhood being told what to do, how to do it and not to question what they are being told. To remedy the issues of apathy and disengagement, it is my belief that citizen engagement must begin in the classroom. Rather than being passive observers in the education system, students must actively participate in the establishment of a learning community. By allowing students to be involved in he decision-making process, students can begin to feel empowered to make suggestions and voice their opinions. Furthermore, this additional involvement increases students’ accountability for their own actions and behaviours.
The establishment of a positive learning environment is also crucial in helping students achieve their full learning potential. By fostering a safe and positive environment in which students need not fear criticism or judgement, we increase the likelihood that that students will feel comfortable participating in the classroom. This ability to participate freely is fundamental to allowing students to explore new ideas, voice their opinions and expand their minds. As educators, this should be our primary focus. I strongly believe that classroom should not be a place where students simply recycle old ideas, but instead should be a place where students are encouraged to ask questions, critically evaluate the dominant schools of thought and propose their own solutions to the issues facing society today. In doing so, we go beyond simply teaching curriculum standards and move towards developing engaged and empowered citizens capable of critically evaluating the world around them.
To read my extended Classroom Management philosophy, complete with academic references, please click here.
The establishment of a positive learning environment is also crucial in helping students achieve their full learning potential. By fostering a safe and positive environment in which students need not fear criticism or judgement, we increase the likelihood that that students will feel comfortable participating in the classroom. This ability to participate freely is fundamental to allowing students to explore new ideas, voice their opinions and expand their minds. As educators, this should be our primary focus. I strongly believe that classroom should not be a place where students simply recycle old ideas, but instead should be a place where students are encouraged to ask questions, critically evaluate the dominant schools of thought and propose their own solutions to the issues facing society today. In doing so, we go beyond simply teaching curriculum standards and move towards developing engaged and empowered citizens capable of critically evaluating the world around them.
To read my extended Classroom Management philosophy, complete with academic references, please click here.