EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY
Classrooms should be a safe and engaging environment in which a student can actively engage in their own learning. Schools should be a place of community and resources, in order to foster a sense of camaraderie and safety for its students and educators. While I believe in the importance of classroom learning, my statement comes with a disclaimer: learning should not be relegated to the classroom, learning should happen outside of the classroom as well; as the student navigates their lives they should be able to use the knowledge and skills learned in the classroom to continue to learn well after they have left it.
My role as the teacher would be as a guide to help students navigate the immense information at their fingertips (whether from me as the teacher or technology) and to help them achieve understanding through critical thinking and inquiry. I am there to supervise and to guide student inquiry rather than dominate the flow of information. My job is to facilitate students’ learning through inquiry-based projects and hands-on instruction such that students get to actually experience learning in a tangible way instead of the abstracted and symbolic system that the modern education system favors. I also believe that building a personal connection with the students is one of the most important things a teacher can do, because when students feel connected with their environment they feel safe enough to engage with the material and therefore more apt to learn.
While I as the teacher have a role to play, students also have a role to fulfill in the classroom. Inquiry-based projects require a higher level of independence and responsibility which I believe are two important traits for students to foster. A hands-on based curricula also requires a high level of student participation and involvement, and with these two staples of instruction students must have a greater personal investment when it comes to their education. Students must engage with material and be an active part in the classroom in order for the student to attain the knowledge they seek (or we wish them to seek).
My teaching philosophy stems from my belief in active learning as well as inquiry. I believe that the simple act of investigation triggers a deeper understanding versus rote memorization. It builds a connection with the knowledge, and fosters a curiosity to explore and seek knowledge throughout their lives.
My role as the teacher would be as a guide to help students navigate the immense information at their fingertips (whether from me as the teacher or technology) and to help them achieve understanding through critical thinking and inquiry. I am there to supervise and to guide student inquiry rather than dominate the flow of information. My job is to facilitate students’ learning through inquiry-based projects and hands-on instruction such that students get to actually experience learning in a tangible way instead of the abstracted and symbolic system that the modern education system favors. I also believe that building a personal connection with the students is one of the most important things a teacher can do, because when students feel connected with their environment they feel safe enough to engage with the material and therefore more apt to learn.
While I as the teacher have a role to play, students also have a role to fulfill in the classroom. Inquiry-based projects require a higher level of independence and responsibility which I believe are two important traits for students to foster. A hands-on based curricula also requires a high level of student participation and involvement, and with these two staples of instruction students must have a greater personal investment when it comes to their education. Students must engage with material and be an active part in the classroom in order for the student to attain the knowledge they seek (or we wish them to seek).
My teaching philosophy stems from my belief in active learning as well as inquiry. I believe that the simple act of investigation triggers a deeper understanding versus rote memorization. It builds a connection with the knowledge, and fosters a curiosity to explore and seek knowledge throughout their lives.