Karissa Kalisz

As learners, I believe that students have immense potential that only

needs to be facilitated and guided by the right kind of teacher. When
students act and look like learners, they have full understanding of their
motivational skills, show resilience, and put forth a growth-based mindset.
Students who are learners do not solely need extrinsic motivators; they
understand the intrinsic value of motivation and strive to learn for that
reason.
In an ideal classroom, teacher-student interactions are quiet,
meaningful, and build closer relationships either academically or emotionally.
I strongly believe that a teacher can learn to know and understand each of
their students on a personal level, all while building trust and mutual respect
along the way. By showing your students genuine care, each student will
know that they are heard and have potential. A teacher should be, again, the
facilitator, not the dictator. This is why student-student interactions are so
important to securing a welcoming classroom environment. If students are
given more opportunity to have these opportunities of student-student
interactions, then they will strengthen in socio-emotional and academic skills
as each student progresses alongside one another.
In regards to subject matter, I understand that there is a stress on the
importance of mathematics and literacy within the curriculum, but I believe
that there are methods in which these can be taught in a way that integrates
multiple domains. Teaching through domains such as aesthetics and kinetics
can give students the opportunity to have variation within their day and
keeps lessons interesting and engaging. I also strongly believe in teaching
through integration of outdoor learning. By providing students with time to
get outside and learn through meaningful, real-world application, students
are presented with opportunities to problem solve and apply background
knowledge. Additionally, I believe that there is not enough emphasis in
learning through scientific inquiry. This type of learning can be powerful to a
student within all learning areas because it scaffolds for investigative
strategies within other domains.
Finally, I have a firm belief of what an effective learning environment
looks like in a classroom. I do not believe that all students should be
consistently still and quiet. In a classroom where learning is happening,
students are thoughtfully engaged in the subject matter and are given
opportunities to participate through a variety of engagement strategies.
Strong small group lessons are important to the learning environment
because there is more opportunity for meaningful discussions and it allows
me to see the learning process for all of my students, make conscious
adjustments, and assess the effectiveness of the whole-group instruction. As
stated previously, the most successful way to promote student learning is to
create meaningful connections with each student, find what academic and

social needs they have, and differentiate according to those needs.

Differentiation is critical in order to ensure that each students needs are
being met, which then continues a development of a motivated, growthbased mindset.