TeacherTeaching

StudentLearning

By Megan Dreffs

VISUALIZATION PROJECT

I am a global teacher…

Because…• Implementing different cultures and perspectives in my classroom is

very important to me. Today, with globalization, it is fundamental that we are aware of the happenings going on throughout the world. All living creatures on our planet are connected and we need to educate ourselves on world events. I think it is important to explore the globe’s history as well. Cross-curricular education is very important to me as I think it helps students to not compartmentalize the information and recognize the validity of education. Furthermore, I want to teach my students to work together with others in a collaborative, communicative manner because that is what will offer them the most opportunities for success and personal development. My classes will have a Social Justice theme where wrongs are addressed and active citizenship is promoted. I hope that my classes will instill an interest in travel and exploration as I think that travel is a prime way to educate oneself, increase understanding, help others, develop emotionally, think more critically, and extend a social network.

Teaching is organized chaos…

Because…• Teaching is hard. One reason as to why this is so is because it has

so many moving parts. There are the desires of the teacher, the needs of the students, the ideas of the parents, the guidelines of the school, the limited time, the depleted funding, etc. that are juggled every single day. Despite all of this chaos, teachers need to organize the resources that they do have to create a finalized plan that they can implement in their classrooms. They need to do this every day. Of course, the plan has to be designed to teach the students who all clamor for and deserve specialized attention a variety of concepts and ideas that they will then be tested on which will determine their futures, the funding of the school, and the job security of the teacher. Despite the high stakes setting, there is hardly ever a right answer and everything is so contextual. Still, teachers work with what they have to teach students in the best way they know how.

My students are diverse and collaborative…

Because…• The world is getting smaller every day. This means there is an

increased social network that is open to all individuals. Whether it is for jobs, school, or personal reasons, we are often encouraged to communicate and collaborate with others from all parts of the world. Of course, this means that our minds are opened up to new ideas and different points of view which is fundamental to personal, academic, and intellectual growth. In my classroom, I hope to have a diverse set of students from all sorts of backgrounds and with a variety of experiences. Regardless, I still want to explore multiple perspectives through literature, multimedia, and guest speakers. With my students I hope to foster open communication and a safe environment where they feel able to contribute and share their opinions. Much time will be spent in small groups and everyone will be expected to be respectful to others. A lot of time will be spent at the beginning of the semester to address the classroom culture and getting to know one another.

Learning is a unique journey…

Because…• Learning can take place in a variety of settings. A lot of learning is

done in schools, but even there each student can follow a different path. This is due to the fact that each individual is intrinsically different with different motivations, aspirations, and skill sets. The idea of education is that it prepares individuals for a successful future where they are able to pursue their own paths. This means that students need to be able to obtain a specialized education where their needs are specifically addressed by the teacher, the school, and the system. Still, despite the fact that each student is different, in a school setting multiple types of learners are expected to be able to work together in order to achieve certain goals. This is important as well because individuals need to often join forces with others in everyday situations. This is represented by the school buses. Groups of individuals work together to achieve similar objectives, or to get to the same place. The cars, on the other hand, represent the different paths that everyone takes in their own personal pursuits.