Teaching Philosophy

Professor K asked us to write up our teaching philosophy today more formally.. I decided to have a bit of fun with it :)

Day 1 - I'm a teacher!

So day 1 in the classroom.. officially done! I'm Ms. VanderDeen now and my students are just wonderful.  It felt amazing to finally put a face to my lessons and get an idea of what they're really capable of and who they are!

I just can't get over how much of a difference it made! It's real life now!

Being in front of them also has a sobering affect - I sat at the back of the room and watched my TM and thought to myself... in 2 short months, That will be ME! Am I ready for this? Will I know what to say? How to answer questions?

I think I've come to the conclusion that at this point the only way for me to really learn, is to do! So when that day comes I will be ready for it! I mean... there is only so much practicing on your classmate one can do!

Either way... the excitement has started. I can't wait to get started.

This little thing called a Book

Sometimes there's just too much technology to keep track of. 

As a wise old TV show host once said very sarcastically: 

Ahhhh Books! My old friends :) 

Creativity in the Classroom

Do you think creativity is stifled in the classroom? 

This is the question our class was asked today in the form of a very interesting TED talk (I'll post the link below).  Sir Ken, the speaker, made a few comments that really stood out to me - things that I think are very important to consider when becoming an educator.  

1) Is modern education really doing all of our kids a favour? Are we holding back those who have real potential in the arts just because those jobs and studies are looked down on as not being useful, not a good way of making money or not prevalent?  

He goes on to tell the story of Gillian Lynn, the creator of "Cats" the musical, and how switching from regular school to a house of dance really changed her life (obviously).  But my classmates and I had a real issue with that... what about the hundred of kids whose lives didn't change. There's only one Gillian Lynn and not everyone can be famous. 

However the arts are so engrained into our culture, how can we deter a child from seeking employment that we so readily partake in ourselves, probably on a daily basis? 

Because it's all about the money, money, money.... 

At least that's one of the conclusions that was brought forward - parents want their children to be successful, and part of that is being able to support yourself and your family.  The Arts has been neglected now to the point where the idea of getting an Arts degree is seen as a joke.  (Not a very funny one if you ask me - as I have an Arts degree!)  

Regardless of why, the Arts for some reason or another is perceived as 'dying'.  Now a classmate brought up a really interesting preposition, bringing forward question #2:

2) Is creativity exclusive to the Arts? Can you not be creative in other subject areas? 

I have a Bach. of Arts in Psychology and I think it took me a lot of creativity to come to this point; creatively coming up with strategies, posters, collaborative proposals and workshops.  There is a lot of creativity in a variety of subject areas. 

I think as future Teachers we need to keep this in mind! Make learning fun and make it explorative.  

That's all for me :) 

Here's the link if you're interested - I highly recommend it.. and so does TED! (it's the #1 viewed clip on the sight so enjoy!)

http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html