Reective Discourse Diverse factors affect student performance in the classroom. Some factors are beyond our control.

Other factors such as academic motivation, teaching methods and classroom management can be altered in order to facilitate student learning. Most teachers will agree that a well managed classroom is a priority. For learning to occur students need to feel they are in a safe environment. A safe environment includes mutual respect between students and the teacher. I believe one of the keys to a well managed classroom is having a set of ground rules and expectations to be followed. In addition, students should be involved in the creation of these rules. I would want my classroom to be one where students cooperate with each other, have fun learning and behave kindly towards each other. A well managed classroom also plays an important part in student motivation. If students feel secure enough they will take greater risks and challenge themselves more. They will not be afraid to ask questions or participate in class discussions. There will be more instances of active rather than passive learning. Getting to know my students is another one of my priorities. I believe this is very important in order to effectively differentiate learning. I like to know who are the visual learners, the music lovers, the artists, the writers, the actors, the athletes, the nature lovers... Students need to have multiple options for taking in information, making sense of ideas, and expressing what they learn (Tomlinson, 2001). I began my current position as a Resource Room teacher at the same time that I enrolled in the MsEd (literacy) program. I feel that my knowledge as an educator has grown exponentially with this program. The decision to enroll at UNE has proven to be an excellent one. I now feel

much more confident about the decisions I make as a teacher in terms of assessments and teaching strategies. Through the discussions with other classmates I have been able to learn what other teachers (more experienced than myself-I am a recent graduate!) are doing and what has worked, or not, for them. I have learned many new teaching strategies and have incorporated some of these into my own classroom. I am now using technology (my Ipad) much more than I used to. I have a great list of teaching sites and resources I continuously refer to and use. I have learned how to make a poster using glogster, how to create a webquest and now have a class website I use with my students. My UNE experience has been a very positive one and I believe I am a better teacher for it.

Tomlinson, C. A. , (2001). How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.