Philosophy of Teaching
When students enter my classroom, they feel respected as a fellow human being who is on a mission to do great things in the world. I believe that students learn best when they are curious and invested in the content, feel welcomed and supported by others, and feel respected and safe to take risks. These beliefs form the foundation of my philosophy about teaching and how to empower students to “be the best you you can be.”
I believe that establishing a community of learners based on respect sets up students for success. All of the expectations in my classroom are grounded in respect for both the feelings of others and the learning of others. Our classroom will feel as though it does not belong just to me, but to everyone in the class. My students will greet each other by name in the morning, frequently share thoughts and work with each other, and play an important role in classroom decisions. I acknowledge and celebrate risk-taking, peer collaboration, and thoughtfulness of others.
I believe that learning is most meaningful when it is connected to the students’ lives and to other content areas. My lessons are designed to draw on the students’ interests and backgrounds; all students have experiences that can be used as a resource for learning. I engage students in relevant tasks with authentic audiences to peak motivation. Interdisciplinary projects encourage the transfer of knowledge across the content areas, and involving the students’ families and communities brings the content to life.
I believe that guiding students to become more metacognitive leads them to take responsibility for their own learning. I instruct my students to reflect on their behavior and frequently set goals, monitoring their progress. I also provide students with opportunities to self-assess their effort and learning on specific assignments and units.
I believe that on-going assessment is key in maintaining students at the heart of content. I utilize frequent checks for understanding using a variety of strategies in order to gauge the understanding of my students. I also believe that pre-assessment is crucial in order to design lessons that take my students’ previous knowledge into account as a foundation on which to build.
I believe that the most powerful teaching strategy is to model all that I expect of my students. Therefore, I treat my students with respect and kindness, communicate my excitement for content material, demonstrate how my knowledge of the world works my my benefit, and show compassion for others in the world. I share with my students the things that I am currently learning and reflecting in my daily life in order to foster a passion for lifelong learning. This demonstrations the value that learning has in the real world as well as the benefits of being an educated and compassionate person engaged in our society.
In my classroom, all of these things work together to create a community atmosphere where students meet high standards of learning while striving to reach their full potential.