What Does Educational Psychology Look Like In The Classroom?
A sneak peek into my classroom
I must state this first:
I AM NOT A TEACHER.
I do not have a teaching degree, but I would get one if it weren’t so time-consuming to get with lots of fiery hoops to jump through— instead, I’m happily pursuing my MA in Educational Psychology.
What I do in the classroom isn't teaching as much as it is co-learning. I'm a paraprofessional. I work in various classrooms, with multiple kids with different abilities, with one goal: mindfully learning with them. To see how they see the work, assignments, projects — whatever name the teacher has given to a particular learning activity.
For example, my job in an 8th-grade science class is to make sense of the material and offer a new perspective for the kids. I draw a lot of pictures. I write on the whiteboard often. I develop mnemonic devices that are meaningful to them — learning happens when kids authentically connect with the material. I'll go one step further; kids must connect with their environment before learning. This idea has been a natural part of who I am and was validated by my research of the late Paulo Freire, a Brazilian educator/philosopher — which is an amazing combination of skills.
