Teaching Philosophy

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY in "EDUSPEAK"

The first essential element of my philosophy of education is rooted in the Social

Cognitive Theory developed by Albert Bandura because students thrive in social

interactions. The second piece of my philosophy of education is Constructivism

developed by John Dewey with an emphasis on Project-Based Learning. This

teaching strategy posits that students are active participants in their learning. This

inquiry-based method enables students to actively acquire a more profound

knowledge of concepts by working out real-world problems. I increase critical

thinking skills through scaffolding, detecting and addressing misconceptions, and

giving students support as they take responsibility for ownership of their learning.

I model scientific behavior and set high expectations. I have and encourage a growth

mindset. I instill a love of learning into my students with the belief that all people can

learn through hard work and dedication. This mindset allows me to create expeirences

for my students that build a series of successes in the classroom which gives them

confidence in their abilities. Successful students feel joy in the learning process and

develop critical thinking skills.

Teaching Philosophy in "Over a Cup of Coffee Speak"

Ben Franklin knew what he was talking about. People learn when they do! When you come into my classroom what you'll see is something new everyday. I get to know the students, learn their strengths, challenges, favorite songs, movies, and things that interest them so that I can create lesson plans that allow them to make connections. They make models, draw, sings songs about the cell cycle, act out the steps of the electron transport chain, and have lively discussions about science topics that directly affect their lives (which is all of them!). At least once a class, they will work in either teams of two or a small group because learning is a social activity.

I'm not a fan of lecturing for 50 minutes straight. There are times when it is necessary to directly share knowledge, however, I feel more is accomplished with phenomena based demonstrations, inquiry, project, and problem based inquiry. Let's build a model, play a game, or have a whole class discussion!

I set high expectations for my students and myself. Lesson planning is a time-consuming process because I want to address challenges that struggling students may face, address misconceptions, and offer extension activities for students ready, willing, and able to reach higher. All students who have me as their teacher learn that I require 100% correct and use a No Opt Out strategy.

100% correct- if I fill in the blanks for a student it only shows that I know the information. The goal is for the student to know.

No Opt Out- Saying, "I don't know" will not get rid of me. :-D I always tell my students that it is ok to not know. All of the greatest scientists said the same thing at many points of their lives. When you say that you don't know just means you don't know yet. I let students figuratively phone a friend for a hint. Then, I always go back to the student and have them answer the question again, but in their own words. This means that they are learning from each other, too.

Another piece of my teaching strategy stems from the fact that my curiosity button must have gotten stuck in the on position when I was three-years-old. My favorite question is, "Why?" I strongly believe it is that question that helps develop critical thinking skills.

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