Joy Fuller

Critical Issues in Education

Curriculum Philosophy
The goal in education is to prepare students to be a member of society by giving
them to tools to succeed academically and socially. Because our students are diverse,
education is not a one size fits all program or robots would probably be teaching. I often
feel as though education is a dance that includes building relationships, setting
expectations, managing behaviors, teaching academics, developing social skills,
assessing, reteaching, problem solving, and the list goes on and on. As mentioned above
in order to accomplish anything a teacher must first build relationships with students. By
forming a relationship a teacher can meet the diverse needs of students. For instance, I
had a Muslim student in my classroom, one morning that forgot to do her morning
prayers, she was distraught by the matter, and so before she could focus on schoolwork
she needed to go say her prayers. After relationships are formed then teachers can
explain their expectations for students academically and behaviorally. A teachers
expectations need to take into account the needs of the students and make sure the
expectations are appropriate. After the expectations are set it is imperative the teacher is
still building student relationships, then the teacher can effectively manage behaviors.
After these steps occur and are maintained then a teacher can teach academics and social
skills through modeling, guided practice, independent practice, assessment, and
reteaching. Like I mentioned before teaching is a dance that encompasses all the aspects
listed above and so much more, but at the heart of the dance needs to be the relationship
with the student in order to prepare students to be a member of society academically and
socially.

Something that I encounter as a Title 1 teacher is what Maslows Hierarchy of

Needs focuses on. If a childs basic needs such as physiological, safety, social, esteem,
and self-actualization are not being met then learning cannot take place. When students
arrive in the morning it is my job to ensure that my students needs are met the best I can
before learning can occur. I do this by checking in with students but mostly by reading
their nonverbal cues. Due to students basic needs not being met, in addition to other
issues I use B. F. Skinners Operant Conditioning Theory, which is when a behavior is
being reinforced, that behavior will continue. The removal of a negative behavior can
also reinforce a behavior. A punishment is the opposite of reinforcement and will
decrease the behavior it follows. At Westgate we do a LOT of positive and preventative
behavior strategies. We adopted Boys Town Social Skills that are taught on a weekly
basis. Schoolwide we use a clip chart, which gets reported to parents daily by the use of
a student notebook. Westgate also has a token economy system using Gator Bucks.
Within my classroom I have had several students on a behavior plan as well as using
different strategies such as stickies. My goal is to prevent behaviors by setting the
expectations for behaviors and by using positive reinforcement for students.
I believe all students can learn given the appropriate amount of time. Within
Westside we are taught the I do, you do, we do model for teaching skills and behaviors.
I do means that the teacher is modeling, you do mean the teacher provides guided
practice and scaffolding, and the we do is giving the students independent practice.
Then the teacher can assess formally, informally, or by observation. Throughout the
process, especially for primary students there should be the use of manipulatives.

Teaching is being able to explain things in different ways while engaging all
students. Teachers should use the different intelligences to meet the needs of students.
Teaching models should vary in order to meet the different needs of students by using
direct instruction, collaborative learning, vocabulary acquisition, inquiry model, inductive
model, concept development, and concept attainment models.
Speaking to meeting the needs of all students, there is a picture of two boys
looking over a fence; one boy is tall and can see over the fence with ease, while the other
boy needs a stool to see over the fence. The caption on the photo is fair is not always
equal. This is a belief that I hold dear; students are not all the same and thus should not
be treated the same or again a robot could be teaching our students. While using all these
strategies and holding these beliefs it is important that a teacher does this with elegance
or professionalism. Because we deal with little humans we need to have an internal code
of conduct that we are unwilling to deviate from for the safety and wellbeing of our
students.
Curriculum is a tool teachers use to teach students. Students need to learn the
academic and social skills necessary to ensure them to be a successful member of society.
Although some districts have strict expectations about how the curriculum is to be used,
Westgate allows teachers the freedom to use the curriculum to meet our students needs;
this allows me to view the curriculum as a tool to teach my students. Often times I use
other materials to supplement the curriculum to attain mastery of a skill or theory. While
the freedom to use other materials as well as the curriculum is preferred, it also makes
consistency difficult school or district wide.

Even though teachers are employees of the state, above all else teachers are
professionals. In being a professional, teachers need to continue their education whether
that is through professional development or additional degrees. Teachers should also
portray the image of a professional by dressing appropriately, conducting themselves in a
manner that values their position as a role model, being involved in the community, in
addition to a variety of other skills such as timeliness, prompt communication,
organizational skills, and reliability. In order to be an effective teacher within the
classroom all the skills listed above are necessary as well as approachability, flexibility,
relationship building skills, content knowledge, and awareness of the diverse needs of
students.
In order to be an effective school the vision for a school needs to be
communicated top down. The administration needs to have high expectations for staff
and students while being personable and approachable. Teachers need to have the
necessary tools in order to be meet the needs of our diverse students by being willing to
collaborate, differentiate, problem solve, teach, reteach, assess, model, and manage
behaviors. The diversity of our students should be recognized and celebrated by using
personalized learning and the enrichment model. The climate within the school should be
warm and welcoming to all staff, students, parents, and stakeholders within the
community. A school can welcome the community by inviting them into the schools and
even into the classrooms. They can do this by hosting events or by communicating the
needs that they have.
Once again, as educators it is our responsibly to ensure our students are ready
academically and socially to be a productive and successful member of the society.

References
McLeod, S. (2014). Maslows hierarchy of needs. Simply Psychology. Retrieved from:
http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

McLeod, S. (2015). Skinners operant conditioning. Simply Psychology. Retrieved from:

McLeod, S. (2014). Maslows hierarchy of needs. Simply Psychology. Retrieved from:
http://www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html