Jennifer Marie Riggs

On this page, you will find my pedagogic creed, philosophy of teaching and action plan for implementing ideas into the classroom.

Pedagogic Creed

Article I - Purpose of Education

 I believe the purpose of education is to develop the cognitive abilities of students. It promotes cognitive growth through content knowledge that builds on thier previous knowlegde. Students need to be taught how to learn and retain information. Teachers are there to guide students through the learning process. Students must develop cognitively to succeed in school and in life. They need opportunities to use their cognitive abilities to solve problems and develop high level thinking.

I belive the purpose of education is to develop the social abilities of students. Through education, students learn how to interact with other in a safe, respectful manner. Group work, "think, pair, share" activities and simple routines require involvement with other students and the teacher. Students must have the social abilities to learn from other students and work together to solve problems. Classrooms are social environments and need full participation from every students to function efficiently. Students need social skills to participate in the classroom setting.

I believe the purpose of education is to develop the emotional abilities of students. Emotional growth is present in education because the students are taught how to problem solve and work alongside others without conflict. Students are social during every aspect of the day and must learn to express their needs and desires in a way that is respectable others in their environment. Without students being able to control their emotions, the classroom cannot function and classroom management would be extremely difficult.

I believe the purpose of education is to establish the basic abilities needed to live in the world, but also high order thinking skills to make competent and successful citizens. Without education, students will not reach thier full potential as a member of our society. Students need to articulate opinions and solve problems to be efficient members of society, whether it is in the classroom, neighborhood, or national society. Students are our future and they will be managers, politicians, factory workers, presidents and much more one day, so they need to have a basic education to receive further education or complete thier job to the best of thier ability.

Article II - Role of Teachers

I believe the role of teachers is to provide guidance for students so they can learn successfully. Teachers need to give students the materials to succeed in every aspect of life in the school environment and outside school. They need to guide students to solutions instead of giving them the way to solve the problem. Teachers are the support system for their students and students look to teachers when they get confused or do not know where to go from where they are.

I believe that teachers have a responsibility to thier students to be organized. Organization will be beneficial to the students who are the main focus of the teacher. Teachers need to organize lessons and reserach concepts before they are taught in order to teach each student. Organized teachers are ready to teach every lvel of students and every type of student. Over planning, being prepared before students arrive and having a plan of classroom management will create a successful classroom environment.

I believe the role of teachers is to be knowledgeable in every content area taught, as well as testing and school standards in order to help thier students succeed. Teachers have a responsibility to the society to do everything possible to aid each student in reaching their potential as a student and a person.  Teachers need to know as much as possible about concepts in order to completely teach the concept to their students. If teachers fully comprehend strategies, they can teach their students to understand the strategy. Teachers also have to be realistic and know about standards and testing, so each student gets a well rounded education in order to succeed.

I believe that the role of teachers is to learn alongside and from their students. Learning should be mutual growth in which students learn from the teacher and the teacher learns from his/her students. Students can bring new veiws and ways of solving problems and teachers need to be open to student's ideas and never crush their creative thinking. Teachers also need to admit when he/she does not know something and have the opportunity to learn with their students. This makes teachers more relatable and builds relationships with the students.

Article III - Role of Students

I believe the role of students in a classroom is to be active members of the classroom community. They are there to learn the content and skills needed to succeed and move up in thier educational career. Students should be open to new experiences and participate in school activities to benefit fully from instruction. Students are responsible for what they learn and how much they want to learn. They need to make the choice to participate and fully engage thier brains with, of course, the guidance of the teacher.

I believe the role of students is to bring their individual life experiences into the classroom and into every discussion and activity. Students' uniqueness makes learning more rounded and valuable. Students are the ones who have the knowledge to connect learning to thier personal lives and experiences to enrich thier learning. Teachers cannot know everything about their students, so it is up to students to relate things to personal experiences to make information learned more personal and memorable.

I believe the role of students is to enjoy their learning experience. Students are at school to be educated and the most effecitve way of educating students is to give them enjoyable experiences. If students are enjoying themselves, then they will absorb information without trying to learn. Also, if students enjoy learning, they will be more likely to continue their education into higher levels of education. If students enjoy learning, a love of learning will gorw and be nutured.

I believe the role of students is to treat every person with respect. In order to learn and run as a society of learners, respect must be present in every aspect of the classroom. Students must respect fellow students for the classroom to operate properly. Students must respect the teacher and other adults in the school system. School needs to run as a community and community members must respect each other to keep a peaceful, safe environment.

Article IV - Methods of Instruction

I believe methods of instruction should be differentiated to the needs of every student. Students need multiple presentations of material to grasp concepts and remember ideas. The multiple intelligences need to be recognized in instruction, as well as the fact that some students have learning disabilities and are English Second Language students. Instruction should be comprised of ways of including gifted and talented students, as well as struggling students. All instruction is imperative for successful learning.

I believe instruction should include hands on activities. Hands on activities are the best way to include almost every type of Gardner's multiple intelligences. Most obviously, they are great for bodily-kinesthetic learners because they get to touch manipulatives and move them around. It can also be musical if students get to tap a beat or create music using instruments. Visual learners can benefit from seeing concepts take shape in manipulatives. Interpersonal learners can work with others in group hands on activities. Logical-mathematical learners will understand concepts better if they can move objects around to observe mathematical concepts and strategies.

I believe instruction should include exploration and self teaching. By allowing students to discover on their own, the students are more likely to absorb the information and develop critical thinking skills. By making learning their own, students are more willing to participate in the classroom environment and the learning process. Students need to be given the opportunity to teach themselves so they can understand how they learn best and how the learning process works.

Philosophy of Teaching

Action Plan

Having a thoughtful environment is important to me because students learn by thinking and if they are not constantly thinking, then they are not constantly learning. In order for students to absorb as much information as possible, they need to be in an environment that promotes critical thinking skills and shows how to apply those skills to problems. This is what they will encounter in everyday life and it is important for them to learn it in a safe environment, so they will be effective members of the community outside of school. If students learn to think critically, they will not accept everything that is thrown their way; they will learn to question and explore.

I will establish this in my classroom by:

1. Creating stations and activities that promote exploration, for example, exploring and observing the way and unusual insect lives. Students learn through exploring and if they are able to explore with each other, they will retain the information. Providing opportunities for discovery builds memories that will never be forgotten. It also gives the students a chance to ask questions about things they do not understand or experienced before their academice career or their life.
2. Reassuring students that learning is done through asking questions and that there is no such thing as a "dumb question". If students are excited to learn, then they need to ask questions because they do not know everything. When the environment is safe for students to ask any question that pops into their mind, they will volunteer their questions eagerly. Students need to know that the teacher does not feel like he/she knows everything and that the questions they as are so rudimentary that the teacher will think they are stupid. Students need to realize that sometimes other people are too afraid to ask the same questions. They also need to realize that they have to learn the basics first and should not be ashamed of trying to grasp the basic knowledge.
3. Provide challenges for the students. These challenges can be on individual assignments, homework or group projects. Students need to be pushed into thinking critically. They do not come to school knowing how to do that. Challenging questions or problems will expand their thinking and they will create new strategies to solve problems. It will teach them that no problem is too difficult to solve once you think about it and experiment.
4. Asking students to find the concepts learned in the classroom outside of school; in their homes, churches, neighborhoods, etc this will help the students develop the skills to see concepts in the real world and not just something out of a book. It helps them think abstractly and realize that things in the world relate to one another. This takes practice and some adults are still not capable of doing this. By giving the students this assignment, the concepts learned will become more personal and they will be more likely to put thought into what they learned.

Respect in the classroom is important because if the students do not respect each other or the teacher, or the teacher does not respect the students, then no one will be able to learn. Violence and misbehavior is caused by a lack of respect for others, and themselves. If students understand that they need to respect each other to be able to learn then the classroom will run smoothly. As a teacher, it will be my responsibility to educate students on how to be respectful members of their communities.

I will establish this in my classroom by:

1. Creating rules that promote respect will teach my students the actions that are appropriate and respectful. My students will be included in the rule making process, so they will understand the meaning of the rules. One rule will be that no one speaks while another person is speaking because it is disrespectful. If students understand that rule, then they will be able to learn and classroom management will be much easier.
2. I will always listen when my students speak. This shows that I respect my students. Students will mimic their teacher's actions, so it is important to show the students how they should act. By letting each student speak their mind without dismissing them, it shows that I will give respect to everyone.
3. I will always return papers in a timely manner. I believe that if the studentsare given a specific time period to complete their work then I should respect their efforts and get it graded and given back in a short period of time. When teachers take a long time to return papers it makes the students feel inadequate and the teacher looks like he/she is not truly dedicated to his/her class. I want to be respected and by giving assignments back quickly, it will prove to my students that I respect the time and effort they have put into their work.
4. My lessons will be organized and prepared ahead of time. I want my students to know that I am serious about their education. By taking the time to plan, my lessons will be coherent and will promote learning. The more work I put into my classroom means my students will need less outside help to learn concepts. My students will see that I respect their time and do not want to waste it on "busy work" because I have not planned correctly.

A classroom community of learners is important because if your students do not understand each other or get along with each other then learning and teaching will be impossible. If every student gets long with their peers on some level, then they will be able to learn from each other and help each other. If there is a successful community, students will stand up for each other and never put each other down. They will support each other and convince each other of their abilities.

I will establish this in my classroom by:

1. There will be zero tolerance for bullying in my classroom. Bullying is unacceptable and I will not tolerate it. My students need to understand that in my classroom, everyone is part of our community. No one gets left out of anything because they are important to our classroom.
2. Group work will be used often in my classroom. This promotes community by allowing students to see things from their peers' point of view. This will show my students that everyone is different and everyone thinks in different ways. By giving my students the chance to socialize, they will become friends and will be less likely to fight and more likely to support each other.
3. Each one of my students will get a chance to tell the class about themselves. They will be able to present their heritage, likes, dislikes, hobbies and anything else they would like to share. This will give my students an idea of how many different cultures and lifestyles are present in our community. Even students who live close to each other will see how different their lives are and will show them that the world is full of different people. This will create an accepting environment and it will be easier to create a classroom community.
4. I will create "get to know each other" games and activities to show the studnets that they all have something in common. Games where they have to write down their favorite food and find someone else with that food.This will prove to the students that they have some common element with everyone in the room. This will promote conversation and more common elements will be discovered. This will hinder ridicule and any student from feeling like an outsider.