Theories and Practices

By: Amanda Voss

Philosophy of Education- Overview

● One of my biggest priorities is to build a ● Positive reinforcement, encouragement,

comfortable classroom community that and anything but a negative environment
accommodates for learning in as many for students
ways as possible.
● Embracing individual thoughts and
perspectives
● Education is more than the classroom!
Letter to Parents

● Referred to as Miss Voss

● Emphasizing token economy with Voss bucks
● Clip chart
● Fun and inviting
● Prioritizing relationships and communication with parents and families
Student Explanation

● Class Constitution
● Rockstar tickets
● Expectations of daily routine
Knowledge Base

How do I know what I know? Passion is key!

● My 5th grade teacher- Mrs. Clavenna!

○ Most memorable class, teacher, and best
childhood experiences
● Special Education experiences
○ Best Buddies- 4+ years
○ Special Olympics
○ Camp Sunshine
○ Current placement in a resource room
○ Respite care position
Theory of Practice
Choice Theory:
● The only behavior we can control is our
own!
● Acting, feeling, thinking, and
physiology...all connected in one way or
another
● Experiences shape our behavior-
awareness of this with students’ personal
lives
● Success and failure begin and end with
relationships
● The effort to maintain healthy
relationships with students is crucial- also
builds up that trust factor
● Students are only motivated one of two
ways- intrinsically or extrinsically
Theory of Practice Cont.
● Positive Classroom Discipline
● Using incentives and good body language
to set the stage for the classroom
● Positive towards students
● Supportive classroom environment
● Making sure the arrangement of the
classroom is as efficient for students as
possible
● Positive language and rules (Class
Constitution)
● Consistency (especially in daily routine)
● Group rewards and accountability
Incorporating Culture
● Expressing that the class is open to all
cultural differences at the beginning of the
year (Class Constitution)
● Having members of the community come
in to talk about different cultures
● Ultimate goal is for students to feel a
sense of belonging
● Allowing students to talk about the
holidays openly with one another and
discussing how we all celebrate differently
● No racial or gender stereotypes will be
present in my classroom! Very strict on
this.
Strategy Ideas

● 2 X 10 strategy
○ I already know this is effective based on
previous experience
● Visual Aids
● Attention: “Are you ready kids?”
○ Response: “Aye aye, Miss Voss!”
● Giving students opportunities for
responsibility (ex: job cards, helper cards,
various types of task cards)
● Fist to 5
● Community building is a huge priority to
me- making this prevalent in the
classroom
○ Again, success and failure begin and end
with relationships!
That’s It!