Hm, what is it all about?
I guess beauty, harmony, purpose and music.
I have been teaching for more than 10 years (would like not to think about how many more than 10 🙂 For that time I have had a lot of different ideas about teaching, kids, the way they learn and what is important in the classroom. I came to realise that with time and experience these beliefs tend to shrink and broaden at the same time. Shrink in quantity for I find less and less things for certain now. Broaden in the sense that in the end it all comes down to the basic ways you see the world and organize your reality so it suits you.
So in my view of the world as it comes to teaching and learning what I need is:
Beauty
The world you interact with needs to be as beautiful as possible – both the physical one and the one in your mind. Sometimes this means with as little alteration as possible, sometimes it means create the world you’ll enjoy to be in. I try to make all as visually appealing as I can. From decor and teaching activities to the daily life.
Harmony
Respect individuals – students and yourself and keep in mind those individual differences when you plan and assess.
You need to be in harmony with yourself to communicate, especially with young and unburdened minds. How you accomplish this, may be different but I feel you need to try to always get there.
Purpose
We need to have the sense that we are moving forwards. Every activity needs context and a reason to be done. Kids need to be aware why we do what we do and have a say about what they feel is important for them.
Music
And music, well, music is all that (beauty, harmony and purpose) at the same time. And it helps learning a lot.
So this is my place for sharing little pieces of world of learning as I feel it.
Katya
