My Teaching Philosophy
The
principle goal of education is to create men and women
who are capable
of doing new things, not simply repeating what
other generations have
done.
- Jean Piaget
Learning and Teaching I believe that every student is capable of learning and achievement. Students possess different learning styles in which they construct knowledge, and they need to practice skills in a variety of ways. Therefore, my role in the classroom is to ensure that I expose all students to different teaching styles, a diverse range of visual, audible, and kinesthetic activities and practices, as well as alternative methods of assessment. Discovering what is relevant to students and then applying these ideas to daily lessons authenticates learning. I will also differentiate instruction and integrate subject-matter knowledge, connecting concepts so that all students can appreciate the deeper meaning. Finally, student-driven learning creates the most meaningful type of understanding and allows students to connect to concepts. The subject-matter becomes much more significant when students are permitted to make choices. As a facilitator, I will help create a learning environment that promotes independence, choice, self-discovery, and student collaboration, based on students’ interests, needs, and abilities. |
Educational Responsibility
People never stop learning and growing. Learning is something that happens over a lifetime; it is not merely limited to our schooling years. When students own their education, it creates more meaningful connections; when they feel the subject matter is important to them, they will take a greater interest in it, fostering intrinsic motivation. Likewise, middle-grades students crave this independence and are ready to increase personal influence on many aspects of their education. Much of the responsibility of a student’s education lies on the teacher. Yet, these students are transitioning into young adults and are ready to apply their education to their daily lives. I will accomplish this by helping students discover their own talents and abilities, and then have them create goals for improvement. Allowing students to discuss instruction, activities, assessments, and how we are managing these items together will allow me to appreciate where students both struggle and excel in skills and abilities, and then create a plan of support for individual students as well as the class as a whole. |
Problem-Solving
It is my belief that as a teacher, I am an advocate of student development and learning. In order for students to reach their full potential, fundamental problem solving skills must be acquired. I will create learning opportunities for students that include utilization of both problem solving and collaboration skills. Paired together, students will become active participants in their own learning and also build upon their communication abilities. Teamwork will be employed as each student has a unique set of skills and talents, thus promoting an interdisciplinary take on the problem. Part of the process of problem solving includes applying critical thinking paired with trial and error, thus generating new ideas. This method sometimes ends in a negative result. Failure is part of success. However, many students see these small setbacks, instead, as great deterrents. I will promote a safe environment where students do not need to fear failure by teaching students to reflect on their ideas and gauge why and how their ideas were either successful or unsuccessful. When students discover for themselves why something did not work out as anticipated, it holds a more meaningful value for students. I will show students that the process of problem solving does not always come to an immediate conclusion. Through practicing problem solving skills, students will learn critical reasoning, creativity, perseverance, and build self-confidence in their skills and abilities that can be applied to other problems. Most importantly, students will learn to ask essential questions that will help lead to new, innovative ideas. In essence, failure is a stepping-stone to success. |
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