Teaching Philosophy (August 30, 2017)
It was when I listened to the excitement among children discovering scales on a butterfly wing, or discovering life in a droplet of pond water, or hearing the “ahhh” when a class understood the phenomenon of energy transfer as demonstrated with a Newton’s Cradle that I realized I wanted to commit the next phase of my life helping youth achieve their discovery moments – I wanted to inspire them and I wanted to create lifelong learners.
I see my classroom as being a place of critical thought. A place where students use the knowledge they have, and are learning, to think critically about the concepts and the problems that they are presented with. Students need to learn the skills that will enable them to learn how to use knowledge to gain knowledge. I believe one way to accomplish this is through inquiry and experiential learning. Allowing students to formulate their own questions and find their own answers builds their confidence and ultimately their knowledge. In this model I become a facilitator of their learning by providing the guidance and the tools they need to succeed on their own.
I am a firm believer that critical thinking is the key to having a more socially responsible society. In today’s world, students are overwhelmed with information that is accompanied with a plethora of opinions. I think it is important to teach students how to ask questions of the information they see and read, and then how to form educated opinions. If students are encouraged to ask why or how more often, and are provided with the tools and the guidance to help them find the answers, they have the potential to become socially responsible citizens, with positive personal and cultural identities. I believe one way to teach this way of thinking is to follow an inquiry method – question, research, evaluate, and create new inquiries. Be it social studies or life science, I believe this method can be used at any age and in many disciplines to help students build on their prior knowledge and develop a critically thinking mindset.
Socially, I would like to create an environment that is safe – where students feel comfortable to ask questions, make mistakes and take risks. If I can achieve this, I believe students will be motivated to take ownership of their own learning and challenge themselves to succeed. A sense of community in the classroom has been shown to increase students’ academic motivation, social understanding and competence, altruistic tendencies, and trust and respect for one another.
I am also eager to include parents/guardians in students’ learning, thus I would also strive for open and transparent communication with parents. Involvement of parents/guardians in student learning, either directly or indirectly, has been shown to be paramount to improving student achievement.