AGAPE: IDEA

Instruction
This year, I have been working on becoming more of a constructivist teacher.  I have especially focused on the language I am using such as “we will learn.”  I am also focusing on letting students discover things on their own rather than me telling them.  This is something I want to incorporate more into my classroom next year.  I want my students to be able to think critically and be discovery learners.

Discipline/Content Area
This year in math, my students became problem solvers.  Within our new math curriculum, students experienced multiple ways to solve problems.  They were given the choice of which method they preferred.  Students were engaged in “math talk” and encouraged one another to prove and justify their answers.  Students were often challenged to create their own problems for others to solve.  I look forward to teaching this math curriculum again next year so that I can help my students think critically as they solve problems.

Environment
Building classroom community is so important to me.  I want my students to feel welcomed and safe when they come into my classroom.  I want my students to feel that it is a positive learning environment where it is okay to be different and make mistakes.  I work very hard to create this environment.  Each year the dynamics of the classroom are different so I know I have to be flexible in how I help build community.  I know the importance of creating a positive safe learning environment and want all my students to feel this when they are in our classroom.

Assessment
Adaption is present in my classroom when it comes to assessment.  I use assessment to guide my teaching.  In my grade level, we use test data to decide how we can best meet the needs of our students.  This is different each year because the students are different from year to year.  We make adaptations to our plans so we can meet all students’ needs.  This is something that we will continue to do in the future.