Teaching Philosophy
Adam Clements
June 2010
Through my educational journey, I realize that two things have happened. I have been re-affirmed that I do indeed want to be a teacher. The concepts I learn, the ideas I discuss, and the realizations I have made about the world and how it operates in relation to education have all shown me that I am indeed on the right path. I know that education may be challenging work, but more importantly it is meaningful work. However, I have also been re-affirmed that I am not ready because I will never be as good today as I can be tomorrow, because while I make mistakes today, tomorrow I have the opportunity to learn from them. I will always have ideas, themes and questions I wish to study and understand. These are only answered through my continual education.
I have taken the stance of being a multicultural educator now and as I begin to teach in the years to come. It has been a new term to me one that I find to be more and more complex the more I learn and try to understand it. At first, it simply meant celebrating the diversities that we all have. While that is part of it, there is so much more to it. While only the next step in understanding, I have learned that to celebrate a culture one must first understand and accept the views and beliefs associated. It’s not about necessarily agreeing with them, but knowing why they feel that way and being able to relate to it in some way.
After being able to do that, multi-cultural education then becomes more so about recognizing the social, cultural, and other forms of capital and the systems of power that work in and out of the system of education and how different dominate or repressed groups are defined within these systems. Now, it begins to examine the question of why some succeed and others don’t. As a teacher, not only do I have the responsibility to teach my students about these systems of power, but I have an opportunity to, together with my students, discover how they can change it and put things into action to create real change.
This becomes ever more crucial to incorporate into my classroom when students who speak English as a second language are present. I feel that it is important to respect each student and realize that many of them have different social identities none being superior over the other. Also, our social identities play a large role in how we view the world, and more importantly, how we are advantaged and disadvantaged in life. That fact is vital to understand in order to give not only equal but equitable education. Probably coming from a different background than the backgrounds of most of my future students, I will have a lot more in difference than in common on a surface level. I will look different, dress different, talk different, and be different. There is nothing wrong with this. What I believe will be important is to focus on and find out what it is that we share in common. Making positive connections to my students and sharing common experiences all while learning from our different ones is vital for my success as a teacher and ultimately for the success of my students.
Giving my students the opportunity to make connections between the new content being presented and something they all ready know or have learned can be a very effective technique for teaching second language learners. As a result of their different cultures, they come to class with new ideas and different ways of looking at things. Being able to help them connect these ideas and use them as the foundation to build upon will be my greatest success as their teacher. Also, making the objectives, both content and language, very explicit will help both my students and myself to succeed in our classroom. Stating objectives clearly to the students helps them to understand what is expected of them and focuses the learning. I plan to use this approach daily to help center my students and myself.
The education of a teacher is never ending. To be successful for my students, the process of continually learning, not just from books, but learning about and from my students will be the determining factor of my own success. I must take the time to really know my students, their backgrounds, culture, academic and social strengths, weaknesses, and resources. I realize there is so much to learn, and that it will never stop even after many years of teaching. Being fluid and open to change will allow me to give the best to my students, and keep me open minded so they can give their best to themselves. I may not be the best, but I will be my best.
Adam Clements
June 2010
Through my educational journey, I realize that two things have happened. I have been re-affirmed that I do indeed want to be a teacher. The concepts I learn, the ideas I discuss, and the realizations I have made about the world and how it operates in relation to education have all shown me that I am indeed on the right path. I know that education may be challenging work, but more importantly it is meaningful work. However, I have also been re-affirmed that I am not ready because I will never be as good today as I can be tomorrow, because while I make mistakes today, tomorrow I have the opportunity to learn from them. I will always have ideas, themes and questions I wish to study and understand. These are only answered through my continual education.
I have taken the stance of being a multicultural educator now and as I begin to teach in the years to come. It has been a new term to me one that I find to be more and more complex the more I learn and try to understand it. At first, it simply meant celebrating the diversities that we all have. While that is part of it, there is so much more to it. While only the next step in understanding, I have learned that to celebrate a culture one must first understand and accept the views and beliefs associated. It’s not about necessarily agreeing with them, but knowing why they feel that way and being able to relate to it in some way.
After being able to do that, multi-cultural education then becomes more so about recognizing the social, cultural, and other forms of capital and the systems of power that work in and out of the system of education and how different dominate or repressed groups are defined within these systems. Now, it begins to examine the question of why some succeed and others don’t. As a teacher, not only do I have the responsibility to teach my students about these systems of power, but I have an opportunity to, together with my students, discover how they can change it and put things into action to create real change.
This becomes ever more crucial to incorporate into my classroom when students who speak English as a second language are present. I feel that it is important to respect each student and realize that many of them have different social identities none being superior over the other. Also, our social identities play a large role in how we view the world, and more importantly, how we are advantaged and disadvantaged in life. That fact is vital to understand in order to give not only equal but equitable education. Probably coming from a different background than the backgrounds of most of my future students, I will have a lot more in difference than in common on a surface level. I will look different, dress different, talk different, and be different. There is nothing wrong with this. What I believe will be important is to focus on and find out what it is that we share in common. Making positive connections to my students and sharing common experiences all while learning from our different ones is vital for my success as a teacher and ultimately for the success of my students.
Giving my students the opportunity to make connections between the new content being presented and something they all ready know or have learned can be a very effective technique for teaching second language learners. As a result of their different cultures, they come to class with new ideas and different ways of looking at things. Being able to help them connect these ideas and use them as the foundation to build upon will be my greatest success as their teacher. Also, making the objectives, both content and language, very explicit will help both my students and myself to succeed in our classroom. Stating objectives clearly to the students helps them to understand what is expected of them and focuses the learning. I plan to use this approach daily to help center my students and myself.
The education of a teacher is never ending. To be successful for my students, the process of continually learning, not just from books, but learning about and from my students will be the determining factor of my own success. I must take the time to really know my students, their backgrounds, culture, academic and social strengths, weaknesses, and resources. I realize there is so much to learn, and that it will never stop even after many years of teaching. Being fluid and open to change will allow me to give the best to my students, and keep me open minded so they can give their best to themselves. I may not be the best, but I will be my best.
About Me
Adam Clements
June 2010
I am a Senior at Michigan State University majoring in Elementary Education with a teaching major in Language Arts and a double teaching minor in Mathematics and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). I also have a specialization in Urban Education and have spent much of my time in the education program additionally looking at how systems of power affect students in the classroom. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at MSU, and while excited to soon graduate, I am also sad that I will be leaving the place that has truly become my home.
I grew up in Midland, Michigan and enjoy spending time outdoors with family and friends. I love to spend the summers in Tawas where our extended family has a cottage that we share and enjoy together. I am an avid volunteer and enjoy spending my time giving back and helping others. I once read a banner in the office of a high school teacher/mentor that said "If you want to be happy for an hour, go watch TV. If you want to be happy for a day, go to an amusement park. If you want to be happy for a lifetime, go out and help others." The saying stuck with me and has influenced the path I took and choices I made in my life thus far.
Adam Clements
June 2010
I am a Senior at Michigan State University majoring in Elementary Education with a teaching major in Language Arts and a double teaching minor in Mathematics and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). I also have a specialization in Urban Education and have spent much of my time in the education program additionally looking at how systems of power affect students in the classroom. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at MSU, and while excited to soon graduate, I am also sad that I will be leaving the place that has truly become my home.
I grew up in Midland, Michigan and enjoy spending time outdoors with family and friends. I love to spend the summers in Tawas where our extended family has a cottage that we share and enjoy together. I am an avid volunteer and enjoy spending my time giving back and helping others. I once read a banner in the office of a high school teacher/mentor that said "If you want to be happy for an hour, go watch TV. If you want to be happy for a day, go to an amusement park. If you want to be happy for a lifetime, go out and help others." The saying stuck with me and has influenced the path I took and choices I made in my life thus far.
"The Writing Process" - Editing: Spelling
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"The Writing Process" - Editing: Spelling
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Materials
| lesson_plan-the_writing_process-editing-spelling.doc |
| personal_narative.jpg |
| writing_process.jpg |
| pre-write.jpg |
| draft.jpg |
| edit.jpg |
| writing_process_-_4_steps_to_editing-spelling.ppt |
| 4_steps_to_editing_spelling_guide_.jpg |
| story_organizer.pdf |
| edit_my_spelling.doc |
| edit_guide.doc |
