Pre-service teacher education journey

Summary of my key learnings and teaching philosophy on the journey to becoming a provisionally registered teacher
November 2013

Three key things have stood out to me during my journey to becoming a teacher.

Firstly, education is everywhere, everywhere I go I am constantly thinking 
'How could I use this in the classroom?'. 
This means that Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) is a valuable part of 
teaching and learning. 
Secondly, the key to learning is student engagement, without that, I have nothing. 
Getting to know the learner, what makes them tick, and adapting my teaching to 
suit them is of great importance. Making learning fun, hands on and practical.

Thirdly, education is not just about classwork. 
Education means being part of a learning community, 
and contributing to that community, participating and relating to others. 
Skills that will help us succeed as 21st Century citizens. 
This is a summary of my key learning this year, and what guides my teaching philosophy. 

Education is Everywhere.








 Gone are the days where getting an education meant sitting in rows in a classroom staring at a chalkboard rote learning latin. Today education is everywhere around us. 
As teachers we need to take advantage of this, of the teachable moment, and explore all that the outside world has to offer, engaging student interest and teaching relevant contextual material. 

  • Participation of all students 'time to shine' 

  • Exploring new options and skills

  • Learning in Context

  • Beach Education - water safety

  • Museum Trip - inquiry foundation

  • Olden days - learning in practice

  • Production - Rocky Horror Monster Show

  • Sport - Netball - teamwork & responsibility

  • Learning to Surf - water confidence. 

  • Strong links to the NZ Curriculum 

  • Allows development of Key Competencies


Creating rich learning experiences capture students attention, creates engagement, and as a result deeper levels of participation and comprehension. 
Learning should be in context as much as possible and allow students hands on time to practice new skills and figure out ideas for themselves. 





  • Capturing the audiences attention - engagement 

  • Participation - He aha te tae?

  • Practice & Repetition in various contexts

  • Multiple learning modes, song, oral, visual

  • Mathematics - making fractions Yr 1 - Yr 5

  • Matariki - what does this mean to me?

  • Kid's Gala - exploring possibilities and making it happen

  • Persuasive Writing - Insects - To eat or not to eat?

  • Greenlight Classrooms - Rich Allen

  • Being a fantastic classroom teacher is one thing. But being a fantastic teacher means more than that to me. It means stepping outside the confines of the timetabled classes and engaging with students and whanau in a range of settings. As I discussed, learning doesn't stop outside the classroom walls, so why should our time and teaching?
    Being a part of the wider school community enables me to be a more effective role model to the young people in my class, and enables them more modelling opportunities and encouragement to participate in school life, make new friends and develop new skills. 
    • Role modelling participation 

    • "Can't knock it till you've tried it"

    • Coaching Netball - develops in class skills. 

    • Theatre and production 

    • Coaching MathEX 

    • Gala Days 

    • Collaborative Projects

    • Helping at School Events

    • Parent Teacher, Student led conferences. 

    • Culture and values. Te reo and tikanga 

    Potential, motivation and growth are key factors for student. 
    All students have unlimited potential, we, as teachers need to motivate them, 
    to grow and strive to reach their goals.
    I believe that students learn best by, doing, actualization, working things out for themselves, 
    hands-on scaffolded activities; repetition, repeat exposure to ideas in multiple contexts; 
    and discussion, summarizing and synthesizing what they have learned through peer discussion. 
    As Sir Ken Robinson proclaimed,
    “Human resources are like natural resources; they're often buried deep. 
    You have to go looking for them, they're not just lying around on the surface. 
    You have to create the circumstances where they show themselves.” 
    I intend to create such learning experiences, where every student feels valued and their talents 
    are able to shine. To be successful in doing so I intend to create an inclusive classroom 
    environment where students feel safe. Safe to take risks, and where being ‘wrong’ is not 
    discriminated, it is part of learning, and where innovation can happen.
    I believe in ako and as kaiako (teacher), my practices need to be informed by my 
    ākonga (students). Assessment for learning and a reflective practice are what guide 
    my ability to provide relevant learning experiences. I intend to create an inclusive learning 
    community where all members are empowered to contribute. 
    As teachers we are continually considering next steps for our students. 
    However as kaiako, I am also a learner, therefore I have put together 
    some personal goals for my teaching practice in 2014
    • Develop and integrate ICT into the classroom becomming 'Te reo digital'.

    • Reflect weekly on my teaching, student engagement and learning. 

    • Participate in the wider school community 

    • Broaden my knowledge of te reo Māori

    • Strengthen my resources and knowledge in teaching mathematics,  

    • Long term goal of being a curriculum leader in this subject. 

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