Teaching Philosophy

I think good teaching happens when the teacher provides the students with the right tools and prompts them with the right questions so students can explore and learn on their own and bring their own experiences to the table. I believe that is when the richest learning takes places.

            I think the best way to achieve this, especially in a STEM classroom, is through project-based learning. In this way I, the teacher, can assess what the students know and what they think they need to know to solve a long-term project. This will allow me to structure the lessons around the needs of the students while also touching on some of the content standards to help them solve this project. I would then conduct these lessons so that the students would do a lot of exploring and learning without my assistance. Once they have formed their own ideas, I would then be able to bring the class together to unpack what they have discovered and then connect it to some aspect of the project.  These projects are done in groups so that each student can bring their own knowledge and experience to the group so that the students are learning not just from me but from their peers. Throughout this process of working on the project, I can conduct a lot of formative assessments to see how the students are feeling about the project at hand. Based on the information gathered, I can adjust the lessons for the students to feel more confident in themselves as they complete and present the project.

            This teaching philosophy I have formed is on the foundation of the constructivist perspective. I want to be able to be able to tap into the knowledge that the students have in otder to make new connections and understandings. This idea also goes together of believing in a growth mindset for the students. For the students to form these new connections, it will be important to encourage them to see failure as an opportunity to learn and grow their knowledge. I feel that theses aspects when implemented in a classroom, allow the students to learn to the best of their ability as well as grow more confident in their ability to learn.