My belief is that every student is unique and important.

My goal is to teach students in a

way that helps them to grow and recognizes their individuality. In order to do this, I constantly

learn about my students and what they need to succeed. Therefore I reject the idea that learning

is only the job of the students and that teaching is only the job of the teachers. Students should

participate in the planning process and have lessons that are relevant to the world around them

(Haberman). In order to do this, I believe in establishing a classroom that is respectful of all

students. It is important to recognize each students background and the assets that they have. A

strategy to do this is called Culturally Responsive Classroom Management. The teacher

encourages an inclusive classroom by recognizing diversity and celebrating it(Weinstein, Curran,

& Tomlinson-Clarke, 2003). I specifically do this in my classroom by encouraging student

participation and feedback. I greet students as they come and go. In these brief conversations I

am often able to see some of the needs of my students.

Students incorporate all their learning into the framework they have already constructed

from previous experiences. Constructivism is the theory that knowledge is built by the student

and is not given by the teacher (Ormrod, 2016). A theory based off of Constructivism is the

Conceptual Change model. The Conceptual Change model is based off of the concept that

learning occurs over the course of time. Students must first reach disequilibrium, a

dissatisfaction with what they currently know. Then as alternatives are presented, if the student

finds them to be plausible and understandable, the student may incorporate the new concept into

their framework of thinking (Hewson, 1992). One strategy I used to structure my lessons to

foster this idea is the use of the 5E learning cycle. During the engagement phase, the teacher

introduces the topic in a way that is interesting and relevant to the students. Then during the

exploration phase, the students investigate the topic. They have concrete experiences that can
challenge their current thinking on the topic and cause disequilibrium. For this phase, I typically

have students complete an exploratory lab. These labs are usually simple to set up so students

can think about the concepts and run their own experiments. During the explanation phase, the

students use those experiences to construct a scientifically accepted explanation. During the

elaboration phase, the students apply their new knowledge to a different situation. One

elaboration activity I have used is peer teaching. Students learn about one concept and then share

it with the class. Throughout all of this, the teacher is evaluating the students and adjusting the

lessons to meet their needs. When using the 5E learning cycle, students begin to take control of

their learning (Settlage & Southerland, 2012).

Social constructivism is the theory that people work together to build knowledge

(Ormrod, 2016). One context that this can take place in is a context rich problem. Context rich

problems are situated in the real world and require students to work together to develop

solutions. Context rich problems have been shown to increase students complex problem

solving skills (Bottge, Rueda, & Skivington, 2006). Group work is an essential part of utilizing

context rich problems in the classroom. One study on group talk called the conversations

exploratory talks and found that these conversations led into students turning their everyday

life experiences into scientific reasoning (Enghag, Gustafsson, & Jonsson, 2007). Context rich

problems can be used within the 5E model to present phenomena to students in a way that is

engaging. By situating learning in the students own lives, the lesson becomes relevant and more

meaningful.
 Works Cited

Bottge, B., Rueda, E., & Skivington, M. (2006). Situating Math Instruction in Rich Problem-

Solving Contexts: Effects on Adolescents with Challenging Behaviors. Behavioral

Disorders, 31(4), 394-407.

Enghag, M., Gustafsson, P., & Jonsson, G. (2007). From Everyday Life Experiences to Physics

Understanding Occurring in Small Group Work with Context Rich Problems during

Introductory Physics Work at University. Research in Science Education, 37(4), 449-467.

Haberman, M. The pedagogy of poverty versus good teaching.

Hewson, P.W. (1992) Conceptual change in science teaching and teacher education. National

Center for Educational Research, Documentation, and Assessment. Madrid, Spain

June 1992.

Ormrod, J. E. (2016). Human Learning (Vol. 7): Pearson.

Settlage, J., & Southerland, S. A. (2012). Teaching Science to Every Child: Using Culture as a

Starting Point (Vol. 2): Routledge.

Weinstein, C., Curran, M., & Tomlinson-Clarke, S. (2003). Culturally responsive classroom

management: Awareness into action. Theory into Practice, 42(4).