MISS HENNINGS TEACHES

To be an effective educator, it seems only logical that one must first have a firm grasp on what it means to learn something and how that practice relates to teaching. Simply defined, learning is a primarily social act; it is a transformative process in which ideas and information first encountered in the social plane are internalized and combined with pre-existing knowledge to result in a permanent and persistent change in what a person knows. It exists as a perpetual cycle: the introduction of new ideas or information, followed by the appropriation of this information and its incorporation into prior knowledge, and concluding with the meaningful reflection of the internalized information, which ultimately results in long-lasting cognitive change. Students most easily achieve this when they construct their own learning--when they perform the majority of the intellectual work by engaging in authentic activity that challenges or complicates their prior knowledge and preconceived ideas about both the subject matter and the world. As teachers, we act simply as facilitators of this learning transformation, providing our students with the educational tools, resources, and information necessary to elicit this change; we are not merely repositories of information to be learned, but rather mediators of the students’ learning process, offering guidance and scaffolding where needed while giving them the freedom to discover and explore on their own. We are also responsible for ensuring that every student experiences intellectual respect--that students’ ideas and responses are seen as valued and meaningful contributions to the class.

​

My greatest goal as a teacher is to cultivate a flexible and exploratory classroom environment that allows students to: 1) construct their own learning in meaningful ways through their engagement in authentic activity and discovery learning; and 2) to synthesize and reflect on their educational experiences in purposeful and relevant ways that promote the extension and application of their learning to future, real-world problems. I also hope to create a classroom environment that promotes democracy, equity, and my students’ personal growth. I want students to develop and learn to value their own voices so that they evolve as adults into engaged and thoughtful democratic citizens. I am dedicated to ensuring that all students receive equitable educations and to providing each child with the unique resources they need to succeed in my classroom. Lastly, I hope to guide students in the cultivation of their personal identities so that they acquire not only moral and civic values, but also the ability to think critically and to formulate relevant, thoughtful questions about the world to which they may seek answers.

​

To accomplish these goals, I intend to structure my classroom in a way that encourages open communication and student participation in decision-making while providing differentiated instruction that fits each unique child, rather than forcing students to conform to one uniform lesson plan. It is very important to me that students participate in the construction and development of their own learning; for this reason, my students will work together to collectively and democratically create a classroom constitution and help decide the nature of their assignments. This will provide my students with experience in voicing their own opinions in a civil and democratic manner, which is a skill they will be able to grow and utilize for the remainder of their adult lives.

​

To promote meaningful collaboration and authentic activity, students will frequently engage in socratic seminars (in which the teacher moderates student-led discussion), as well as both small- and large-group reflection of the material. Students’ educational experiences will also be largely focalized around inquiry-based learning.  By definition, inquiry-based learning (IBL) is founded on students' examinations of and responses to complicated, real-world problems as a means of further exploring particular topics in a certain field and better understanding how those topics are relevant to their lives and future careers. IBL is designed to be largely collaborative and student-driven, with only minimal guidance from instructors when necessary. The overarching questions and problems posed to students can be vague or abstract, allowing ample room for individual interpretation and exploration, or relatively narrow, though each problem must be complex and unable to be addressed with one single response or one correct answer. Simply put, students gain knowledge on the subject through the direct, innovative application of that subject--they learn by doing and using. In this way, my students’ educational experiences will be grounded in authentic, meaningful activity.

​

Additionally, I intend to develop an educational environment that prioritizes equitable educations for all students. To achieve this, I will: engage students in IBL; ensure the representation of all identities in the curriculum, so students always see themselves reflected in the material; commit to providing the tools and resources necessary for each student to succeed academically; and promote intellectual respect for all learners. Through IBL, the material can easily be adapted and assigned to each student in the way that best meets his/her interests, needs, and ability levels. Within English/Language Arts specifically, I will select literature that reflects a variety of races, ethnicities, socioeconomic statuses, ability levels, sexual orientations, and gender identities. This will not only help students more easily identify with the material but also encourage their acceptance of diverse people groups. Lastly, I will work with students individually to determine their unique academic needs and ensure that their opinions and contributions to class are respected and valued. In this way, I hope to cultivate a classroom environment that promotes authentic activity, democracy, equity, and students’ personal growth.