About My Teaching Approach

I am a life-long learner, always open to improving my teaching practice and expanding my knowledge. I have learned a lot over the years through experience, professional development, books, fellow colleagues, podcasts featuring experts, professional learning communities, and more. Below are three main tenets of my teaching approach. 

Science of Reading
I'm continually expanding my knowledge on how the brain learns to read and how best to teach literacy. The "science of reading," as this body of knowledge is commonly called, has been around for decades, but for some reason, was not taught in many teacher preparation schools. Reading is not a natural process, and most students require systematic, explicit instruction to learn to do it well. 
If you would like to dive into the science of reading, as I have, you can start on my Science of Reading overview page.

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Responsive Classroom
​Since I started teaching in 2009, I have used the Responsive Classroom approach as a guide to managing my classroom. Responsive Classroom is "an evidence-based approach to teaching and discipline that focuses on engaging academics, positive community, effective management, and developmental awareness." The Principles & Practices page on the Responsive Classroom website outlines this instructional and classroom management approach that I try to follow.

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Meaningful Practice through Games
To make learning fun, engaging, and lasting, I regularly use games that promote meaningful practice and build fluency. Math games are a personal favorite. Math games allow students to develop efficient, accurate, and flexible methods for computing while solidifying their understanding of important concepts. You can read more about why kids should play math games from National Council for Teachers of Mathematics. We also play games to practice phonics and vocabulary.