Tim Rollwagen

Background

About Tim Rollwagen

Be dynamic. Be flexible. Be a life-long learner. To be honest, my idea of teaching has evolved throughout the years. Something that has never changed, is how I would describe my classroom; respectful, collaborative, and an engaging environment. I don’t believe that a teacher should ever be in their seat while students work. Even the best student-centered activity, classroom, or lab requires constant feedback; feedback offered through observation, questioning, and encouragement to push discovery within themselves. Therein lies my philosophy; one of passion, involvement, and discovery within the realm of teaching. Filed in with this, is the idea of the 21st-century learner. As we swim through the era of technology, it becomes even more important to integrate it in our classrooms. As a teacher, it is important to recognize that the generations of students of the past are distinctly different than the ones that currently walk into our classrooms. Though the ability to learn, child development, and brain research is relatively the same, the way in which students interact with material is in constant flux. Our aim shifts less from what they need to know, to what they can do with what they know. Their ability to collaborate and work as a team to meet the challenge of tomorrow is also more and more important. We live in an era of global collaboration and digital citizenship that brings with it a paradigm shift in the workplace, and therefore in education. This is the key to success in the classroom. Be the life-long learner, and your students will always benefit.