Philosophy of Teaching
I believe that teaching and learning is not easily defined and, certainly, it is not a one size fits all model. It is a process that involves ups and downs, mistakes and successes. It’s a personal experience that is enhanced by collaborative moments.
The first part of this journey I believe is curiosity. It is based on people’s innate thirst for knowledge. People are naturally inquisitive and need to be “in the know”. It is very evident in some of the youngest people in our community. The thirst for knowledge in early learners cannot be quenched. When you converse with kindergartners, or even younger children, you will hear a common theme that they almost always love school or they are desperate for the day that they will be able to attend school. As an educator it is one of my main goals to foster the desire to keep learning.
Video created by me for an assignment in CEP 800 (Psychology of Learning in School and Other Settings.)
A More Beautiful Question by Warren Berger is a book about the power of inquiry..
Another interesting phenomenon when speaking with younger children is that almost every answer you give to their question is followed up with another question. Almost inevitably the follow up question to a five year-old question will be the simple question,“Why?. I believe it is super important that students experience this stage of their learning journey because of the personal connection to their own curiosity or desire to learn. As a educator I I hope to create learning experiences in which students are able to develop this personal connection to what they are learning. When this takes place, I believe the transfer of what is being learned is much more genuine and therefore deeper.
The next stage in this learning process is what I would call the messy stage. This is my favorite stage, as I think this is where learning becomes visible. In the area where I project my daily slides, I have written in large letters, “Mistakes are Proof of Trying!”. Experiencing failure when learning may have a negative ring to it but, in fact, I believe it is through our mistakes that we learn the most. I always praise mistakes in my class and hi-light it as an important part of our mathematical journey. Along with failures, there will be moments of success as well and that signature “ah ha moment” when something finally clicks. Different learners will do this at different rates and will do it using different avenues. As a special educator I strive to make my learners feel empowered by the learning process, not defeated. Individual students may experience more failure or less failure, but that doesn’t mean one student’s learning is better than the other. Something that I feel can hinder this stage of learning is the act of comparing one person to another. I like to think about it believing we all have our own life story of learning and each of our stories will be naturally very different, but all our stories are filled with equally important moments.
I believe the last element that takes place in ones educational journey is when learning becomes the lifelong action. Learning never stops, so in a sense I have come to realize that the job of being a teacher also never stops. My job as a teacher is not only to teach my students all they need to know about 7th grade math, but so much more in regards to who my students are as people. Along with many others I am responsible for helping them develop skills for life after school. This includes, but is not limited to working with others, persevering through tough situations, and helping others be their best selves. Contrary to what learning may look like for and outsider, one does not get a correct answer and they are done with learning. It is continued outside the classroom. When my students are able to use what they have learned to do things that inspire them is what I consider true success as a teacher.
Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash