My philosophy of education is that every student deserves an engaging learning environment. My primary goal is to foster student development and personal growth. By practicing engaged pedagogy, educators can motivate students to achieve their own successes. I believe that all learning should be interdisciplinary, so I take action in developing and utilizing curricula that prioritizes the well-being of the whole-self. This includes focus on core subjects such as science and language arts, as well as self-confidence and physical health.
Every classroom has its own unique environment. Inside my classroom, you can find students working collaboratively on a 20 questions game that asks students to discover local species of the Pacific Northwest, thus providing them with an opportunity to learn both new science facts and vocabulary. I also value opportunities to take learning outside. Environmental education can have huge positive impacts on students' learning outputs. By creating opportunities for my students to learn about their local natural history through scavenger hunts and journaling, I am providing them with an interactive way of learning about science.
These are examples of the engaged pedagogy that I implement every time I work with students. This method of teaching allows students to recognize their own strengths through team building activities. By assessing student growth through activities and games rather than standardized tests, educators can avoid putting students in stressful situations where their anxiety may overshadow what they have learned. Overall, my teaching philosophy of engaged, interdisciplinary pedagogy allows my students to achieve their goals while building positive relationships with their peers and the environment around them.