My philosophy of teaching consists of a great amount of progressive ideas, but it also includes some existentialism. The progressive ideas that I agree with are having the focus be on the child rather than just the subject matter. When we include learning based on students’ interest, we make learning a positive experience for them.

I love Sugata Mitra’s “Hole in the wall” experiment. (a) He places internet -connected PCs with hidden cameras in a hole in the wall bordering an urban slum in New Delhi. He recognizes that the children can learn in the absence of a teacher or formal teaching. It gives evidence of 2 important ideas that I believe in whole-heartedly and that embody my teaching philosophy.

First, I believe that students don’t need lecture style teaching to learn. Not that a teacher can be replace by a computer, but that students can learn from a variety of sources- a book, an interactive self-paced lesson like Nearpod, A playlist of resources on One Note, or even from an enhanced discovery learning experience. In my classroom I try to use Blended Learning to help each student learn in their place of choice, at their own pace, and through a path that works best for them. (b) I especially love giving my students a flipped learning experience so they come to our lessons with background, ready to add to our knowledge of a topic.

Next, Sugata Mitra’s experiment shows that students learn if they are motivated by curiosity. He states that children will learn if they want to. In my classroom, I try to engage students in learning by sparking their curiosity and finding real world connections to the curriculum. I use technology to bring the world to my classroom. I like to use SKYPE, Virtual Field trips, and Virtual Reality to bring learning to life. This motivates students to learn as they explore the world around them. I also believe it is important to give students choices in learning. There are multiple ways for students to demonstrate learning of a certain topic. When possible, I give them a choice of how they show me what they know. Often students choose digital sources to show their learning, Fipgrid, Sway, PPT, or even a Forms assessment. I also have flexible seating to give students a choice on where to sit to learn best, and I often choose a seat for myself among students during independent practice time.

a. Sugata Mitra. "Kids Can Teach Themselves." Ted Talks, Uploaded by Lift, February 2007, https://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_shows_how_kids_teach_themselves?language=en. Accessed 1 Apr. 2019

b. Kieschnick, Weston, and Jaime Casap. Bold School: Old School Wisdom + New School Technologies = Blended Learning That Works. International Center for Leadership in Education, 2017.