My approach to teaching.

            In the journey to becoming an elementary teacher, I have had to do some deep thinking on what style of teaching methods I would use. Would I use the executive approach to teaching, the facilitator approach, or the liberationist approach? I believe that I will use the executive approach the most in my classroom as I tend to want control of what is happening around me, what the students are learning, and how the students are learning. I feel that it is very important for younger children to have rules and procedures in place on the first day that they step into a new classroom. It is necessary to have lesson plans that are detailed and specific to what is expected for those children to learn. I am hoping to teach kindergarten and these children need to know what is going to happen next, as well as what exactly is expected of them or they get confused and upset. The goal of education is to prepare students to the current norms and conventions of society. This means that children need to learn to follow rules and procedures to function successfully in the community around them. It will be my job as their teacher to help them learn how to do this.

            As I have studied the three approaches to teaching, I have opened my mind more to the possibilities of incorporating at least one of the other approaches to go with my executive approach. I am starting to think that I could easily include the facilitator approach to me teaching methods.  I feel it is necessary to encourage each student’s potential in regards to learning. Each child is so different and learns in their own way so it would be necessary for me as the teacher to find that student’s learning style and help make it possible for them to learn. It would be easy to find each child’s need and interest when it comes time to develop lesson plans for the month and accommodate them as much as possible. If I don’t include some of the facilitator approach into my classroom, I am afraid the students’ will find the classroom to structured and boring. It is necessary to find things that will catch their attention and give them the desire to keep learning. As a facilitator, I will help the students learn by finding ways to learn myself as well. I love to learn new things and look forward to helping my students learn these things as well. I think that as I try to combine the two approaches of executive and facilitator, I will learn so much more of what it takes to help the students reach their potential. I will be able to have my structure and classroom management; however, I will also be able to have the discovery of new things, as well as creating new life experiences for every person in the classroom. I will be able to  be compassionate, caring, and lead the children toward their own learning and still have the ultimate say in what is being studied and have the classroom management that is so necessary with young children.