Our team member Brianna Peterson reflects on some of the things she learned at a recent educator symposium:
On March 10th I attended a symposium for The Florida Fund for Minority Teachers. FFMT is an organization that provides scholarships to African-American, Hispanic-American, Asian-American, and Native American students pursuing degrees in education at any of 35 institutions across Florida. The symposium’s workshops were lead by passionate educators from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and they spoke from the heart about how their unique experiences shaped their teaching philosophies. It was an empowering and enriching day centered around the importance of nurturing intellectual and emotional growth in those little ones we work with every day.
I took away some lessons that I think may be beneficial for any educator to consider.
The first workshop I attended focused on incorporating technology in classrooms, and we discussed different online resources that may benefit English Language Learners. Voki.com was the one I found to be the most interesting. This website allows users to create an avatar that looks just like them, and the users can then record their own voices so that the avatar will play what was recorded. In the workshop, we discussed how English Language Learners or students who may need speech accommodations can build their public speaking skills through the use of this website. The students can begin by preparing their speech or presentation and recording it using their Voki avatar. This way, the students can present their first project using the avatar so that they can focus on conveying information loudly and clearly without the fear or pressure of being watched by other students. Then, if it’s developmentally appropriate for the students, their teacher may ask them to evaluate their own speech as they listen to their voice playing back through the avatar. This kind of self-reflection can encourage the students to make a conscious effort to work on the speaking skills they struggle with, and as they grow more and more comfortable with delivering speeches, they can work their way up to presenting in front of the class.
Motivation was the topic of the second workshop, and the presenter had one clear and direct message: students will be more motivated to learn if they feel supported and loved. This idea is based on making the classroom a safe and productive environment for students. The presenter, a principal at an elementary school, shared strategies he uses to show students that he cares. He emphasized the importance of being able to admit your own mistakes and laugh off personal, minor mess-ups to model for your students that it’s okay to attempt tasks that might seem challenging. Another way that educators can make children feel appreciated and encouraged is by taking the time to get to know them. He suggests playing games and sharing stories with a class to break the ice and find value in the uniqueness of each student. These activities will help build a strong classroom community, and you may even want to create a class cheer or song with your students to solidify the sense of teamwork and support that you want them to feel when they arrive ready to learn each day.
– Brianna Peterson