My Teaching philosophy

Welcome to my teaching philosophy! I would like to discuss some guided thoughts that explore ideas such as how I can be an effective teacher, how I plan to use assessments in my classroom, and my role as a teacher, among others. 

Education serves several functions in our society, chiefly giving students the skills to navigate through their life, regardless of their chosen profession or personal beliefs. Some of these skills include comprehension of materials, reading, and my personal favorite, the application of learned material to life. I feel that I have succeeded in the classroom if the student learns the over-arching theme of an historical event, rather than simply memorizing dates and names. As an example, I will use voting as an issue we will explore. When I teach about any of the voting amendments, we would discuss barriers to voting throughout history. These may include poll taxes, literacy tests, or owning property. I would use this time to discuss each of the barriers and then create a forum discussion where the students lead the discussion. This is an example of the pragmatism sub-model of teaching philosophies that I truly believe is beneficial to teaching and even work within the Essentialism model. 

While pragmatism is different than essentialism, I believe that my introduction of the topic paired with the student exploration would enhance their understanding and ability to meet the objective of understanding the issue and then applying this to life. I would presume that the likelihood of them voting after they turn eighteen is increased because students will understand and be able to apply this importance to real life. This also helps me to better articulate my role in the classroom. I believe that I should introduce the material and explain the historical significance and any related subjects such as women’s suffrage, and then allow the students to explore with me facilitating, creating this student-centered model.

The teacher can be someone who provides lessons throughout the year, assesses knowledge gained through tests, and wishes the students well as they go to the next grade. In addition, I want to be the kind of teacher that helps transform the student from merely a passive listener, to an active and engaged learner. I wish to teach themes in history, with the student actively discovering, engaging in conversation and forums, asking questions of me and one another, and finally, applying that which they have learned. I believe that the student learns the best when they understand the relevance of the material. The forums and discussions will promote inclusivity, debate, and teach life skills such as creating an idea, searching for evidence to support the idea, and being able to pass this message through presentation, discussion, or debate.

I also want the students to be able to apply their learning to current events. Some examples of this that will drive learning, but also encourage engagement in current events may include a vacancy on the United States Supreme Court, an upcoming election, or activism. These can each be tied back to our founding principles, our form of government, and rights that we may exercise. While I do not believe in using the classroom as a petri dish for social activism, I do believe in the idea of instilling understanding of the issues, allowing the student to explore the issues and develop their own beliefs, and making sure they fully understand and appreciate using their rights in a way they deem appropriate. Some ways they may do this include writing letters to the editor, organizing for a cause, campaigning for a candidate, certainly voting, or even running for office themselves one day. 

I believe that a teacher that approaches student learning in the manner described here will help light a spark for learning and perhaps even make a true difference in their life. The student may learn that there is a larger world out there and that they can take what is taught and use that as a tool to improve our world. A classroom that is welcoming and engaging will take a student who may be facing a problem of their own and use that newly lit spark and historical application of fighting for change and put it into action. I am committed to making my classroom that type of learning environment. I cannot condone a teacher using their own beliefs to generate a small “army” of activists who fight for the teacher’s beliefs. Rather, teaching the students about their own history and the rights they possess and helping them to research and become well-versed in an issue would be a better use of my knowledge, and enhance student learning, therefore not teaching what to think, but rather how to think.