While taking courses in college, I have found that my philosophy resonates with the

theorist Schn who believes that we learn by doing (Provenzo, 2011, p.2). As a teacher, I plan
to create an inviting, positive, caring, and encouraging, inquiry-based environment. In this
environment, I want my students to learn how to govern their own learning through
metacognition, express their opinions without feeling threatened, and to explore the world of
learning with open minds. I plan to help cultivate a productive, collaborative learning
environment that works toward the success of all students.
A classrooms environment is one of the most vital components in cultivating a desire to
learn. The atmosphere of the classroom sets the learning mood for every student. In my
classroom, it is important that every student feels welcome and safe. It will be a learning
community based on promoting the development of every child. After reading the book,
Educating Children Without Housing, by Barbara J. Duffield and Lisa M. Coleman, I realize that
children have a more difficult time focusing in school due to their home life situation. This book
made me envision my future students as children who are helpless to their circumstances. With
this vision in mind, I will strive to create a classroom environment that allows students to feel
safe, where they can forget about their home life situation for a few hours to better concentrate
on thriving in their abilities. I want my students to know I truly care about them and believe that
they will be successful regardless of their life circumstances.
After setting an atmosphere that is inviting, positive, caring and encouraging for my
students, I will be able to develop a classroom that thrives in inquiry-based learning. The goal of
my inquiry-based classroom is to establish a foundation for students to become self-regulated
learners. Self-regulated learning is defined as an approach to learning involving goal setting,
strategy use, self-monitoring, and self-adjustment to acquire a skill, such as improved

vocabulary (Zimmerman, B., Bonner, S., & Kovach, R., 1996, p. 141). To expand on the idea of
a self-regulated learner, a learner should be a student that is aware of their metcognitive abilities.
Metacognition is the idea of thinking about thinking. To elaborate on this definition, Carol W.
Benton (2014) states, When learners use metacognition, they become aware of their own
thought processes, plan and monitor their own learning, assess their own progress, and evaluate
the products of their efforts (p. 1). Therefore, I would like to help students understand how to
become autonomist, self-regulated learners, so that they can use these strategies in their future
endeavors.
Creating this classroom environment will allow me to practice a nontraditional
constructivist approach to learning. My nontraditional classroom will support Howard Gardners
theory of multiple intelligences. By creating a classroom where students are encouraged to
explore and expand their knowledge, they will become part of their own learning experience. As
students learn to work together to solve problems, they will realize that learning is a
collaborative process. This collaboration will challenge them socially and emotionally. It is
through this discourse that learning flourishes and students develop personal skills that will help
them become life-long learners.
In my nontraditional classroom, I hope to create an environment that promotes every
student's learning style. I will provide multiple opportunities for authentic learning based on my
students needs, interest, and talents. They will be able to demonstrate and share their strength.
Finally, in the words of Aristotle, For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we
learn by doing them (Aristotle, 2009). Therefore, in my classroom I will ensure that my students
will be actively involved in their own learning process, so that they may gain meaning from their
interactions, experiences, and ideas.

References
Aristotle. (2009, January 1). Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle. Retrieved April 21, 2015, from
http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.2.ii.html
Benton, C. (2014). Thinking about thinking: Metacognition for music learning. Lanham,
Maryland: Rowman and Littlefield Education.
Gardner, H. (2006). Multiple intelligences: New horizons (Completely rev. and updated. ed.).
New York, New York: BasicBooks.
Provenzo (2011). The teacher in American society: A critical anthology. Thousand Oaks,
California: Sage Publications.
Zimmerman, B., Bonner, S., & Kovach, R. (1996). Developing self-regulated learners: Beyond
achievement to self-efficacy (First ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological
Association.