Learning is being afraid to walk in the dark full of obstacles and unknowns, but putting one foot in front of the other anyway because every room we step into has a light switch!

THINGLINK – My Metaphor for Learning

I’ve let the humanistic approach to learning guide my teaching. Being a creative thinker and independent learner, I was always most successful when I could show off my different skills in a creative way. that said, the humanistic approach places students at the center of learning. I want my classroom to be a flexible space that invites students to choose, set goals, and self-reflect and track their own progress. I love when my students are motivated to work hard because they see value and meaning in the work they’re doing. I’m also a big advocate for revision and consistent conferences with students. Providing students an opportunity to revise and grow emphasizes the importance of learning, and I find that conferencing with each student also reiterates my role in helping them succeed. I do not give quizzes or tests; I have several colleagues that assign a reading quiz to keep students accountable for reading. I strongly disagree with this approach because it seems to be more of a punishment tool than anything. I invite students to lead discussions and focus on big ideas and their thinking more than right or wrong answers.

The heart of learning and teaching should always be the students. They are capable of so much creativity and different ways to showcase their learning. I challenge myself to find ways to survey their opinions and thoughts so that I’m always aware of their engagement and interests. I have so much more to learn and implement to make my classroom an even better place for learning, especially when it comes to incorporating technology!!