TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

My Teaching Philosophy

I believe a learning community should be a caring, loving, and supportive environment allowing students to be comfortable expressing their ideas and taking risks. In my classroom, students develop a sense of ownership by participating in the creation of our environment with establishing classroom expectations and procedures. I encourage students to be enthusiastic and curious by engaging in authentic activities and challenging situations. By using various teaching styles, students are provided with different opportunities to express their thoughts, have personal growth, and succeed as learners. Since each student learns at a different pace, I tailor the curriculum towards their needs and motivate them to increase their academic abilities.

Through modeling, I encourage my students to create loving and trusting relationships and become meaningful contributors to society. Responsibility is the most important lesson students learn, therefore, I strive to generate responsible citizens by establishing expectations and holding students accountable for their actions. With positive reinforcement, I encourage my students to be confident in themselves and their ideas.

Download Here

I believe direct communication with families and providing as many opportunities for parental involvement is vital for my students to be successful. Children are the next leaders in our communities. My responsibility is to build on their strengths, help them learn from their weaknesses, and encourage them to strive to be great learners and contributors to society.

As a teacher, it is my responsibility to meet my students where they are in their learning. For my students to be successful, I must change the curriculum to meet their needs. When material is not understood, we take more time with a given lesson, or I create new materials to assist the understanding. I use my daily assessment strategies such as observations, written assignments, and oral quick checks to determine if my students are where they need to be. Another way I tailor the curriculum is by supplementing and differentiating. When my students are doing well in a subject, more challenging assignments are given to them or they are placed into a peer teaching position where they work with others to understand material. If I find there are struggling learners, these students are given additional one on one time with the teacher and material is presented at their level. This way all of my students are working at their level which allows them to be successful.

I also enjoy incorporating technology wherever possible into my lessons and assignments to allow my digital native students to thrive in an area they are most comfortable. Technology offers a wide variety of opportunities for growth in the classroom setting. As technology continues to expand, so does the availability for classroom teachers to incorporate it into learning.. Schools are able to create larger computer labs as well as mobile computer labs. Document cameras and projectors are available and installed in the classroom as well. Teachers are continually being introduced to new software and apps that can be used with students. Over my eight years of teaching, my technology use and philosophy has greatly changed from using technology sparingly to implementing technology daily in my teaching schedule. I continually discover new options for my classroom as well as share experiences with other colleagues.

With all the technology options available, there should still be a balance between using technology and completing written work. Students need to continue to have exposure to physical books as well as the process of writing with pencil and paper. Using a pencil builds fine motor skills, especially for younger students.

Technology should be used as an enhancement to learning. As much as students love playing games on the computer, the technology in the classroom should be for building upon concepts taught during lessons. I want the students in my classroom to know that I value technology and want to allow them to use it. However, I want them to understand it is a privilege and should be used with respect. I will strive to continue to find new ways to incorporate technology in my classroom and allow my students to enhance their learning.

My ultimate goal as a teacher is to always place my students first. Their learning and success is my top priority. My job is to tailor the curriculum to their level whether they are using technology to learn, creating an authentic piece of work, or working one on one with a teacher to build their skills. My students should know I am passionate about them and want only the best for their learning experience in my classroom.