Children's Principles of Learning

Safety: Creating a caring, inviting environment must be established if students are going to put forth all of their effort, and trust that you will take them to the place that they need to go. Included in this principle, is the idea of mutual respect. I believe students must also be able to feel safety in the classroom to make mistakes and understand their will not be devastating negative responses or consequences. 

Caring: Throughout the learning process, the students individual needs must be assessed, both academically and emotionally. As I think of my classroom, I think of every different aspect that goes into each relationship that is being built. I was listening to a pastor last year who used the analogy of a living organsim in comparison to the health of his church. I found this image useful for thinking of my classroom. For instance, if you take a tree, the leaves can represent the students. Each leaf is a part of another network of leaves and are connected. If one part of the plant is effected by something positive or negative, chances are a moajority of the plant will be suseptible. For my classroom, the main part of the plant is built upon a set of core values and beliefs which represents the stem and foundation. The stem stands for "safety". The "life blood" of the organism is care. Everything is done through care. 

Engagement: The deeper the subjects are engaged in their learning, the more delight and accountability they will get from learning. The topics and the implementation of concepts should be age appropriate and student centered. Now that the safety net has been established, use the trust that students have given you, to engage them. Using a concrete idea and moving to an abstract idea.

Valuable: The material and topics covered need to be valuable and applicable. I must ask myself, is this something my students can use right now? I also need to think of the immediacy that can follow any particular lessons. My students might not always be able to use the skills at this particular moment, but in the future will they be able to? I also ask myself, what are the objectives, and have we met the objectives? Can you apply it to what the students already know?

Collaboration: Teamwork is ideal, because it models the a “real world setting.” Students are capable of teaching each other. They can revisit topics you’ve already discussed with them, and apply them in their own words.  This idea can be done in a group setting, or as simplistic as "Think, Pair, Share."

Praxis: Because growth is imperative for learning (Jackson), key points need to be revisited and discussed regularly. When students are invited into assessing their growth, they take accountability for their learning. This can lead to managing behavior and learner growth. 

Successful: Students need to see evidence of success and progress, goals and objectives. They need to be focused on mastering learning. Through various sharing opportunities in the classroom, students can see each others work and also have a chance to share their own. Students in the classroom can adjust their work quality based on the efforts of other students. 

Sequence and Reinforcement: I am a firm believer in the fact that students need to be able to connect new concepts to prior knowledge. Students need to be able to go from concrete ideas to abstract and vise versa. I believe students also need to be able to see ideas many ways and in intertwined in various content areas.

Priority: Education needs to be viewed as a priority. I believe that too many people (including teachers) get caught up in the blame game between students and parents. At times one side will point the finger at others because of specific beliefs on the importance of education or lack thereof. Lawmakers, teachers, students and parents need to all view education as a priority to help support students as they develop GRIT towards their goals. Everyone involved in the education process needs to view education with utmost importance.