Perhaps the most significant aspect of my teaching philosophy is that it is constantly evolving to incorporate new understandings, new experiences and new ways of dealing with challenges. I am thoroughly committed to reflective practice, the idea that a teacher never reaches a pinnacle, and that there are significant ways a teacher can improve in every facet of their practice. Through reflective practice, teachers look back at what went well, and what did not go so well, and think of new ways to deal with their problems and short-comings.
With regard to cognitive development, my philosophy has been shaped by a wide reading of the literature on how knowledge is assimilated into the cognitive structure of individual learners. These understandings have led me to stress teaching the proverbial “big ideas” as the basis of student understandings. When introduced to new over-arching themes, students will have to create new understandings within their cognitive structure, but they will likely have other
pre-existing understandings to which the idea can be linked, thus helping in the assimilation of the new concept. Therefore, I always try to introduce the ‘big ideas’ of a unit first, and to do so by relating them to ideas or experiences that are already built into student’s cognitive structure. Since different students have different knowledge bases, experiences, and interests, this must be done in a variety of ways. If these “big ideas” are stressed repeatedly throughout units, students will be more likely to integrate not just the over-arching theme, but the supporting facts and details as well. Ultimately, these ideas and connections can serve as an anchor which helps new information to take root, as well as a bridge between subjects and to new understandings yet to come. On the other hand, if a divergent array of seemingly isolated facts, dates and ideas are ‘deposited’ by teachers as if the mind of a student were a bank, the chance
that anything beyond a short-lived and superficial understanding of the concepts become nearly impossible.
We must also recognize that students today live in a different world than the one their teachers came of age in. Even though I graduated a relatively short time ago, so much has changed in the realm of technology. When I began student teaching in 2008 we had an overhead transparency projector in the classroom, and by my second full year it had been replaced by an interactive whiteboard. Student’s lives have become intertwined with their online identities and technology is the way they choose to express their unique personalities and passions. Fortunately, technology gives us as educators the opportunity to tap into that world and present information in creative and innovative ways, helping us to relate to student knowledge and visions of the world around them. Technology has also transformed the way that we are able to collect, analyze and present data on student learning, which can in turn be used to plan timely interventions and inform instruction.
As surely as we must understand how we can use technology to reach students in a modern, digital world, I consider it of the utmost and paramount importance that classroom instruction should be student-centered, with the focus on learning as opposed to teaching. It is my belief that teachers must act in the role of facilitators of knowledge, creating activities where students are able to construct knowledge with the guidance of the teacher – students not only learning
information but learning how to learn, thus allowing them to discover knowledge and make it their own. I have witnessed students express interest, joy and fascination with ideas they would otherwise be turned off by, based on the manner in which it is presented. Teachers must constantly search for the most effective ways to enhance learning for all students. The role of the teacher is not simply to plan and present a lesson, but also utilize formative assessments and student feedback to discover which parts of the lesson did not translate into student learning. Through collaborative efforts with colleagues, innovation and constant development, teachers must discover where they could have done a better job as facilitator, and improve the lesson. In addition, teachers must design appropriate and timely interventions for students whose attitudes or behaviors may be causing them to fall behind. I believe that if all teachers implement this process as a cycle, they will see constant improvement, not only in their ability to teach but more importantly, their student’s ability to learn.
Finally, I think that all of these pedagogical foundations collapse if teachers ignore the fact that “students will not care what you know, until they know that you care.” As a teacher, I have watched students fail to reach their potential because they did not feel a genuine bond with one of their teacher based on inspiration, trust and mutual respect. Furthermore, if teachers do not understand the concept of “multiple intelligences” – that each student is an individual and all individuals learn in different ways, there will always be some who are left behind. One of the most important traits I bring to the classroom is a desire to get to know every student on a personal level and make sure they know that their development, academically and personally, is just as important to me as it is to them.