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//﻿My name is Magdalena Bialek and I am a graduate student at ESU working toward certification in elementary education. I have an undergraduate degree in computer science from Pace University in New York City. After being a stay home mom for nine years, I decided to go into the field of education simply beacuse I love kids. Seeing my daughters growing up and learn something new every day, made me realize how important education is in everyday life. // //I believe the purpose of education is to teach, guide and give an equal opportunity to each child in order to prepare them for lifelong success. Every child can learn and has capability of bringing something exclusive and individual to the class, school and world. They just need somebody who can point them in the right direction, so they can develop personal and social values, be responsible citizens and make good decisions for themselves. I believe that students learn best when they participate in the learning process. Successful life-long learners reflect on their learning styles and can articulate and construct positive learning environments for themselves. Since any classroom of students will have a wide diversity of learning styles, effective teachers will use a wide variety of teaching methods and learning opportunities. Much learning occurs in retrospect so importance of reflection is a vital step in understanding the subject. As an educator, it is important to take into consideration an individual's prior learning experience and the subject matter being presented. The teaching styles can not be prescriptive, because there is no one best way to teach. Understanding the learners, what motivates them, what they want to achieve, and what they may bring to the course of study is what makes a successful teacher. It is the role of the educator to make the learning experience challenging, rewarding, and to some degree entertaining all at the same time. I believe that a good learning environment is one in which students feel safe and secure. In my opinion, in order to succeed in creating such environment, consistency is the key. Students should know what to expect from you each day and they would not benefit from an environment where the rules are changing continually. Positive reinforcement is also very important. Children learn better when they are praised for showing their knowledge and good behavior. I believe that all students have the following basic needs: security – children need to find comfort and acceptance in the learning environment, motivation – kids need to be motivated all the time in order to succeed in life and be the best they can be, effectiveness – building confidence and self esteem by feeling useful. In order to further the growth and learning of my students, the above basic needs will be met in my classroom through creating positive learning environment where students would be enthusiastic and eager to learn, where they can feel safe and talk about their problems if one arises. Learning is a process and each child has individual needs. I will try my best to guide and teach them, so they can feel successful and capable of doing new things. Teaching provides a chance for constant learning and development. As a teacher, I will learn a lot from my students as well. I will try to be the best mentor for my students and help them reach their goals and potentials throughout their education. //





Every student can learn, just not on the same day, or the same way.
-George Evans-

__**Great websites for kids to learn:**__ [|Space Kids] [|PBS Kids] [|LinkOpedia] [|KidsClick] [|Kids Yahoo Search]

__**Useful websites on instructional technology:**__ [|The Futures Channel] - Bringing hands-on, real world math and science lessons to your classroom. View videos and access lesson plans online or purchase the digital video resource library to use in the classroom. [|World Links for Development (WorLD)] - Links students and teachers in secondary schools in developing countries with students and teachers in industralized countries for collaborative learning programs via the Internet. [|PBS Teachers]- Great site for teacher from pre-k to 12th grade. Lots of instructional videos and information. [|Implications for UDL] - Explains principles of UDL and how it can be used in a particula classroom setting.

__**Informational websites:**__ [|LearnNet]- The FCC's informal education page regarding policy and education initiatives. [|Education Video] - Instructional and educational videos on how to..

Here is a short video from Microsoft called __Vision for technology in Higher Education__. I found it very interesting!

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