Brynn Greenway

Professor Sjoerdsma
Educ 302/303
May 9, 2016
Leading and Management
My ideas of teaching and learning are largely shaped by my Christian worldview. I want
Christ to be at the center of what I am teaching whether it is at a public school or a Christian
school. I believe that everything we know and learn can be traced back to God. I believe that
learning is one way that we can glorify God because it allows us to learn more about the world
He created and pushes us to use our gifts and talents. Through this we can better fulfill our
purpose that God has for us in this world. Everyone has their own unique role to fill in the world,
and because of this everyone thinks differently. I would like to have a classroom that is open to
discussion and different opinions. I want to have a lot of group work and times of sharing.
According to Woolfolk identify gaps in students knowledge base, and prove curiosity and longterm interest (2013). By doing this I think that it pushes students to think deeper. It also helps
students become more independent in their learning.
In order to apply my perspective for learning and instruction, there are several different
things that I will need to do in my classroom. I need to have a classroom set up that encourages
group discussion and cooperative learning. I can do this by setting up the desks in groups or
having the students sit in table groups. I also like the idea from Visualizing 21st-century
Classroom Design about having different areas for different activities so that students are not
sitting in the same seat all day long (2016). I also need to make sure that at the end of each lesson
we are discussing why what we are learning is important because that is when students start to

make connections to the bigger picture and connect it to a higher power. I would like to
definitely have the students gather in one area at the end of every day so that we can reflect on
the day and tie our lessons together. I think that this would help create a very community
oriented learning environment.
My view on who we are as humans is relevant because it affects how I view myself and
my students in my future classroom. I believe that every person was created with great care by
God and that everyone is unique and special in their own way. We each have a purpose and it is
our job during our time on earth to serve God through this purpose. By learning and educating
ourselves we can be better prepared to fulfill Gods purpose for us. Everyone has their own
strengths and weaknesses, but we are all here to do Gods will and serve Him in whatever way
He desires. No one has a more important role than another even though sometimes it may seem
that way to us. No person is in any position to judge another because God created us all equally.
Some of us have been placed in different situations than others, but that does not mean that God
cannot use him or her. We are all here to do Gods work in the world, not simply exist in it.
Knowledge is not just limited to facts that come from textbooks; it can include moral,
spiritual, emotional, and other types of ideas as well. Gods creation is so complex and there is so
much depth that we as humans will never be able to fully understand it. When we learn about
Gods creation it is one way that we can learn more about God because God reveals Himself to
us through His creation. Through this we learn that we will never fully understand God or
creation, but that teaches us that God is far more complex and powerful than we can really
comprehend. I think that everything about this world is worth knowing. Some if it may be more
relevant to some people over others depending on each persons role. We are constantly growing
and changing every day, and as we do this we are gaining different kinds of knowledge. We

should be always trying to improve ourselves and using the knowledge that we are constantly
gaining in order to become better servants to God.
We gain this knowledge through experiences and interactions. Every day we encounter
something new so we can some sort of knowledge. Most of the time we do not even realize that
we are gaining knowledge, but we are constantly gaining some sort of knowledge whether it is
physical, intellectual, social, emotional, moral, or spiritual (Maple, 2014). God reveals a lot of
knowledge about Him through experiences and interactions with His creation. We can also gain
knowledge through interactions with others (Palmer, 1993). This could be learning a lesson from
a teacher in a classroom, or it could be a conversation with someone on the bus. As we gain this
knowledge we become better people and can be better equipped to serve God in His creation.
The best environment to support learning is an environment that is safe and supportive of
curiosity and different ways of thinking. I want to have a classroom where students can learn
from each other and do not feel like they all need to think the exact same way. Having a diverse
group of ideas and ways of thinking can be so valuable to students, and I think that instead of
forcing one way of thinking or believing onto students teachers should encourage students to
explore their own ideas. In order to do this, students need an environment that they feel is safe
and makes them feel comfortable. Teachers should do their best to answer any questions that
students have honestly but without pressuring any ideas onto them. This will allow students to
feel like they have control over their own education and will make them more excited to learn.
Covenant Management

The teacher will

o try to include all students in all activities
o organize group work and projects
o organize desks in clusters in order to stimulate conversation and interactions with
classmates

o emphasize respect among peers, especially when other students are talking
o help the students to make a class covenant at the beginning of the year with rules

that the students want to have in their class

o maintain relationships with parents through emails, meetings, and phone calls
students are expected to
o work together and interact in order to enhance their learning experiences
o show each other respect
o follow their class covenant and help others follow it as well by keeping each other
accountable

Content

the teacher will:

o establish when it is time for the students to talk and when it is time for them to be
quiet and listen
o keep a schedule of the daily activities to make transitions smoother
o have students gather in an area to conclude or wrap up each lesson
o provide students with the necessary materials for lessons
o give feedback on student performance
students are expected to
o respect whoever is speaking by listening quietly
o follow the order of the day and move on to the next activity as the day progresses
o work in groups when needed and input equal amounts of work, whether that
means splitting the work up or assigning different roles

Conduct

the teacher will

o help students create a class covenant at the beginning of the year where the
students as a class will decide what sort of expectations they have for how they
will behave in the classroom, this will be posted in the classroom and students
will sign it
o use affirming words when students are following their behavior contract

o when students are not following the behavior contract they will have to stay inside
for a few minutes at recess, if they are behaving well then they may get to go out

early or have a free choice

the students will
o help create the behavior contract and follow it over the course of the year
o self-evaluate at the end of each day how well they followed the classroom rules
o Face the consequences of not following the behavior contract

Maple, G. (2014). Teaching well: insights for educators in Christian schools. Barton, Australia:
Barton Books.
Palmer, p. (1993). To know as we are known: Education as a spiritual journey. New York:
HarperOne.
Wade, M. (2016, March 29). Visualizing 21st-century classroom design. In Edutopia.
Retrieved May 6, 2016.
Woolfolk, A. (2013). Educational psychology (12th ed.). Upper saddle river, NJ: Pearson.
Retrieved May 6, 2016.