In order to form my own personal teaching philosophy, I have reflected back on my experiences not only as a student but also the experiences I am gaining as a future educator. Since I was a child I have always been interested and passionate about learning science. Now that I am pursuing a career as a future science teacher, I have often looked back and thought of some of the past teachers and experiences I had and how they have shaped me into the person I am today.
I chose to major in Environmental Science because I believe that with our growing population environmental problems are going to continue to worsen and I plan to be a part of the solution. I believe that educating future generations of students to be interested and engaged in science is one of the best solutions to these problems. The study of how physical and biological processes maintain life and how humans are interacting with nature takes a very broad interdisciplinary perspective. My goal is to be able to engage students in understanding and caring for their environment. In order to face these challenges, we must equip our future scientists with the knowledge and tools they need in order to be successful. I view that when a teacher is passionate about the subject they are teaching, the students will become interested in that subject as well. According to Jacob Kounin, “teachers’ behaviors have a positive and negative impact on learners’ behaviors”. You as the teacher, have the power to set the mood for the classroom each day, so it’s important to always set a good one! My decision to become a teacher is mainly due to my desire to make a positive impact on the life of a child. Teaching is a highly rewarding profession in which one is able to make a difference in a child’s future and I could not think of a better way to contribute to society.
I firmly believe in the idea of civic education, the concept of educating society so that they are capable to rule and make decisions for themselves. There are many benefits that come with civic education such as creating citizens who are competent, responsible, informed, thoughtful, participate in their communities, act politically and possess moral and civic virtue. Creating a safe and friendly learning environment for students is essential for student success. This is easily achieved by creating a democratic community in your classroom. Each student comes from a diversity of backgrounds and cultures. In my classroom everyone is to be treated with respect. This ensures that all students feel safe, secure and supported by the environment, each other and me. My classroom is a place where students feel cared about and are encouraged to care about each other.
I believe the most crucial aspect of being a teacher is establishing a personal relationship with each and every one of your students. In order to foster a community in my classroom, first, I would give the class a brief background about myself, in order to let them know I’m human too! I would use techniques that involve the entire class and that often involve sharing aspect about each other. Giving students the power to create their own set of classroom rules also is a great way to establish a sense of community in the classroom. It is important that my students know that they have a say in the decisions of the classroom. Alfie Kohn believes that classrooms should be learner-centered versus teacher-centered where the teachers work collaboratively with students, encourage students to make decisions, and use the student interests and questions to drive much of the learning curriculum (Kohn, 1996). I plan to encourage my students to become lifelong learners. Living in a world that is changing rapidly with information and technology, it is important for students to be able to seek information out for themselves and develop their own knowledge and understandings of the world around them.
In order to assist diverse populations of children in my classroom, I would get to know each students needs and what foundational knowledge they already have. I would use different style teaching techniques to meet all of the students learning preferences. Whether they prefer visual, auditory, aural or physical learning techniques, I plan to cover them all. I believe that equity among students is more important than equality. Equality is treating everyone exactly the same. This idea is good, but it is only relevant if every person starts from the same place and needs the same help. Equity is giving every person what they need in order to be successful. It is my job as the teacher, to give each student the tools and resources they need in order to be successful. I firmly believe in Barbara Coloroso’s self-regulating approach of Inner Discipline that it is worth the time and effort to teach students to take responsibility for their own behaviors. Instead of giving students some sort of reward, I believe in the power of acknowledgment rather than praise. Rewards can often send the wrong message and motivation may be lost when rewards are no longer offered. But teaching students self discipline and to take ownership of their actions is a much more rewarding achievement in the long run. When comparing myself to Coloroso’s three categories of teachers, I would have to say I am most like a backbone teacher. Backbone teachers provide the support and structure necessary for students to realize their uniqueness and help students to retain faith in themselves and in their own potential (Coloroso, 1994).
References
Coloroso, B. (1994). Kids are worth it: Giving your child the gift of Inner Discipline. New York: Morrow.
Kohn, A. (1996). What to look for in the classroom. Educational Leadership, 54-55.