[Yassmin Morsy]

Physical environment/classroom management
Class/subject teachers ensure that:

1- Resources, such as relevant checklists and specific environment audits (e.g. for hearing or vision), are used to inform their classroom practice.
– I totally agree as being well prepared is a part of the teaching process, having a checklist of all the materials and tools needed, checking upon their presence in the classroom is a time-saving strategy, and works

2- There are alternative locations for play as well as the playground, for example quieter areas.
– I pretty disagree with this point. Teaching high school is completely different than teaching young kids. We have to teach them to be able to manage their lives under any conditions and circumstances. So if there is no quiet place to play or even work, they need to adopt to this. For younger kids, I totally agree as this allows different opportunities for kids to be in a place that suits their needs.

3- There are opportunities for flexible groupings and pairings and children/young people have access to positive role models to allow for paired work to support sensory, physical and medical needs.
– I agree. Allowing students to choose their own group or partners in classroom activities is sometimes an advantage for them. It gives them the chance to perform better with those they feel safe dealing with or those who won’t judge them. It also makes them more productive than working with mates who they don’t feel comfortable with.

4- Children are appropriately seated to access the information provided by the teacher and reduce distractions.
– I agree as when students are seated properly, they are more into the mood of work and they are ready to receive and work efficiently. Organizing a seating chart makes it easier for teachers and students to know the appropriate places for each student. It adds more consistency to the classroom environment.

5- Seating is considered so that the pupil’s writing arm is on the outside edge of a shared desk.
– I agree, but I believe that most of the schools nowadays offer comfortable and flexible desks and chairs for students, so that they can move, write and sit easily.

6- Children’s feet are on the floor, or another platform, when seated to maximize stability.
– I agree. Although this doesn’t apply on my students as they are tall enough to reach the floor 🙂
Sure young students need to use chairs that allows their feet to touch the floor, this helps them feel safe, stable and comfortable.

7- Physical needs are considered when sitting on the carpet and ‘w’ sitting is discouraged in younger children.
I totally agree. When sitting on a carpet, we need to recognize our students’ physical needs and avoid any harm caused to students. Some students may face any physical condition, such as backaches, problems with their legs ,… so we need to consider it well, and also we need to prevent them from sittings that may harm them.

8- Potential fatigue factors are taken into account for some physical activities, for example, linked to PE.
– I agree. We as adults may sometimes be exhausted and unable to do some activities whether at work or outside. We must also consider the same thing with our students and make sure we completely understand what their problem is and try to help them as well.

9- Lighting and acoustics are considered so that:
Curtain/blinds are used to control the light entering the room.
Artificial lights are even and ambient.
Furnishings are in strong contrast to the surroundings.
Areas are carpeted where possible.
Shiny, reflective surfaces are avoided to minimize glare.
– Of course I agree. These are essential tools that help in the learning process. without good lighting and comfortable furnishings, students and teachers will feel uneasy to work and produce. They will always be struggling with the surroundings and that will affect their performance at some points.

10- The school and classrooms are free from clutter and the chairs are pushed in when not is use. Cupboard doors and drawers are kept shut.
– I agree. This is not only because of the feeling of cleanliness and that we should be neat and organized, but it is also because we reflect our background environments at school. Whether teachers or students have to make sure they push in their chairs, shut the doors, clean up around them as this shows how they act outside.

11- School trips and extra-curricular activities are carefully planned and risk assessments are completed to ensure that reasonable adjustments are made when necessary for individual needs.
– I agree. School trips and extra-curricular activities help the students to learn new life skills and explore new things in their lives. They are considered a part of the learning process and must be applied well. Planning for them is a very essential step so as to avoid any risk and get ready for any consequences.

12- They are flexible to make temporary reasonable adjustments to the learning environment as required following temporary illness or injury.
– I agree. Sometimes sudden changes may happen and we need to change plans. It is a quality of a good teacher to be flexible and be able to work and adjust to different learning environment.

My additional Point: Each Subject teacher must ensure that he has his own corner/ wall in the classroom to be able to use for the displays of the students. This gives the teacher the chance to show his work and the students will feel much appreciated to have their works hung around the class. This also makes students very enthusiastic about what they do and they will always try to produce better work.

• This reply was modified 7 months, 2 weeks ago by Yassmin Morsy.

[Yassmin Morsy]

In one of my classes, I was teaching the issue of discrimination all over the world. I used the approach of Constructivism by letting students search for the information assigned on their own and then discuss it together.

My method would be inquiry based learning through a group work activity in which students are divided into groups each with a specific task to search for and then present and receive feedback.

My teaching technique would group learning with different tasks, searching for information, discussing it with their groups, present to the whole class, receive detailed feedback from other groups and from me at the end.

My strategy is a flipped classroom through which students present their work and have an interactive discussion with classmates.

[Yassmin Morsy]

Sandra, what I like most about your comments is that you always care for the safety of students whether physically or mentally. Every point you discuss focusing on the how safe the student will be. This shows how a caring teacher you are.

[Yassmin Morsy]

Heba, I totally agree with you in your additional strategy. It is a way that helps young learners know and get introduced to their surrounding environment. They will also be able to memorize easily as they see everything around them. It will actually create an inclusive environment for them.

[Yassmin Morsy]

Norhan, I agree with you in what you mentioned about constructive learning, I also want to add that this a way that allows students to be more independent and form inquirers rather than receivers.This can reflect on their attitude towards the surrounding environment, they would have the authority on how they learn and apply new strategies into their educational process.
However, humanism theory is well explained as you reflect how students’ well being and emotional status is the core in this learning environment. The teachers role here is to provide an atmosphere that fulfills the learners’ needs.
Your conclusion emphasizes a clear contrast between the two theories. Though I believe that both theories can be applied at the same time in one classroom, humanism to focus on students’ well being and emotions, and to create a healthy learning environment; constructivism to force students to have a participating role in their learning process.

[Yassmin Morsy]

Learning Theories:

Learning is a continual process, lasting for a lifetime. Learning theories, behaviorism, humanism, cognitivism, constructivism and connectivism, are focused on the learning process and its effect on learners. Each theory has its own key principles, assumptions and implications for teaching and learning that may differ or alike in some aspects. In this essay, I will compare and contrast two theories that are considered prominent among these theories, behaviorism and constructivism.

Behaviorism is the theory through which a student’s behavior can be interpreted in terms of conditioning. In other words, we can say that teachers are the controller of the students’ behavior in class by reinforcing or punishing them. If we motivate a student and tell him how good he was, this good work is going to be stimulated, and if we punish a student for a negative attitude, the attitude will be discouraged; this is based on the way and type of punishment. “Behavior that brings about a satisfying effect (reinforcement) is apt to be performed again, whereas behavior that brings about negative effect (punishment) is apt to be suppressed”, (Morris & Maisto, 2001). Behaviorism on the other hand enforces the social learning theory that proves the learning process to be an imitation of other people. That’s what some learners go through; they observe and watch, then do the same things without thinking of consequences of their actions, which is always a double edged weapon.

Constructivism is the theory that allows the learner to inquire knowledge based on his own research and background information of the topic. So the learner can construct ideas over previous ones. Through this process, the learner is not imitating or receiving, but inquiring and constructing. This theory has proved that learners who gain knowledge this way are the most capable of facing real-life experiences. They basically depend on changing beliefs and acquired information after exploring and discovering different perspectives.

Finally, both theories agree on the idea that the learner gains knowledge through observation, but differ in the approach of observing and imitating (behaviorism) and observing, exploring and inquiring (constructivism).

My Personal Learning Philosophy:

The role of a teacher:
Guidance: Teachers should offer guidance to students that helps them in their process of learning. They also are the measuring unit of the students’ performances. Their role is to provide a constructive feedback on students’ work and follow up their progress highlighting points of strengths and points of weaknesses.

The role of a learner:
Flexible: Learners should be able to work in different environmental conditions and under any circumstances. They also have to accept others behaviors and work with different mentalities.
Inquirer: Learners must seek to gain knowledge independently by following the guidance of the teacher. They have to inquire the information needed through their own research, observation, exploration, discussion, connection and reflection.

The nature of knowledge and learning:
Limitless: Knowledge and learning should be unlimited targets. Knowledge is what can be acquired through education and lifelong experiences. It cannot stop at a certain point or age.

The role of technology in learning:
Technology is a double edged weapon. It has to be the easy way learners access information and search for knowledge. They can also use it for online education and communication. It should have an influencing role in enhancing the learning process.

Assessment practice:
Assessment is the evaluating step if the learning process. It is done on different levels, through learning and prior learning. Some kinds of assessments (quizzes, homework, classwork, discussions, oral questions, exit tickets,….) are done during the educational process to check the understanding of the acquired knowledge and alert teachers of points in need of focus. Final assessments are done by the end of the process to evaluate and examine the overall process. Assessments can vary from a written assessment to oral or a project one that evaluate different skills.

[Yassmin Morsy]

Shaza, I like how simple your mind map is. It is very direct and organized. The use of design and colors is very effective in its presentation. Your ideas are very close to those of the reading text and they are like summarizing them into key points.

[Yassmin Morsy]

Gannah, your mind map is very well created. Your organization of thoughts and ideas makes it clear and easy to understand. You mentioned the work ethics concepts that are of a great importance. Your visual presentation of the map and its design, the use of colors and shapes make it eye-catchy.
Regarding the content of your map, it is mostly relevant to the text in a way that is simplifying the text and converting into a visual product.

[Yassmin Morsy]

Work Ethics:
With Students:
1. Academic Honesty
2. Intellectual Curiosity
3. Ethical Research Practices
4. Confidentiality
5. Accountability
6. Respectful Collaboration
7. Time Management
8. Constructive Communication
9. Creative Problem Solving
10. Continuous Learning
With Parents:
1. Ethical Role Modeling
2. Supportive Guidance
3. Encouraging Growth
4. Educational Advocacy
5. Open Communication
6. Digital Responsibility
7. Emotional Intelligence
8. Cultural Sensitivity
9. Active Listening
10. Time and Commitment
In Workplace:
1. Punctuality
2. Professional Integrity
3. Teamwork
4. Respectful Communication
5. Continuous Learning
6. Ethical Decision Making
7. Innovation
8. Confidentiality
9. Emotional Intelligence
10. Professional Growth

[Yassmin Morsy]

Norhan, I support your idea in having a classroom routine, this helps students, specially young ones to feel they are in a safe and healthy environment and allows their interest in coming to school. Also clear and simple communication would be very effective as it allows students to feel comfortable and understand their tasks easily with no complexity.

[Yassmin Morsy]

Gannah, I totally agree with. I believe if we are not passionate about what we do we won’t do it as it should be, it will be a kind of duty that we have to do not willing to do. Also being knowledgeable and up to date is one of the qualities, I, myself believe is essential as this what makes us different and unique.

[Yassmin Morsy]

The top qualities:
1- Friendly-strict
2- Analytical/ patient
3- Knowledgeable/ curious
4- Self-management

1- The friendly-strict teacher is one of the most important qualities of being a professional teacher. You will not be able to handle it in class and manage students’ behavior if you are just friendly or just strict. Being only friendly allows students to underestimate you and would not respect your serious or hard times. they will always get used to you as friend and remove limits that must be there all the time. On the other hand, being strict all the time corners you in the stereotyped hated, silly teacher. The balance between being friendly and strict at the same time helps you achieve a coherent, flexible and healthy classroom environment full of progress and effective work.

(That’s what I usually do with my students, they feel how much I do love them and care for them because I am their friend who seeks their benefit all the time, so whenever I become strict, they totally understand I do this for them.)

2- An analytical- patient teacher is the one who goes deep beyond visible things, not only his subject matters, but also the students’ backgrounds, age and barriers, mentalities, hardships, physical, mental and psychological conditions. This helps you in every aspect of the educational process. It helps in tailoring your sessions into the benefit of each and every student you have (that’s what we call differentiation). Consequently, you need to be patient to be able to handle what you find out through your analysis. To be patient to accept the consequences of what students suffer in their backgrounds and minds.

(I once had a student, who I felt through my analysis and getting deeper into knowing her, that she suffers a severe psychological condition which she hides and doesn’t want to share with us – teachers – or her colleagues. I kept following her, supportive to her all the time, and helped her through this rough time, which was something she really appreciated.)

3- Being curious for knowledge is what makes you a different teacher. You always need to update and upgrade your information to be able to grab the students’ attention and curiosity in your classes. Always challenge them with new ideas and broaden their minds with different and opposite perspectives and leave them to inquire, discuss and decide. To reach it, you need to feed your knowledge as much as you can.

(I have met some teacher whose curiosity and knowledge shocked me as a teacher. They stole my attention within seconds into what they know. I thought of their students and how interested they would be in their sessions with those teachers.

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