My Teaching Belief
Introduction
The circle is a very important symbol for First Nation cultures. To the First Nation worldview, circles represent: wholeness, interconnectedness, equality, continuity, and inclusiveness, lack of hierarchy, completeness, and connectedness to the land. It is these values my teaching philosophy is rooted in.
I believe that we are teaching children to be lifelong learners. My goal is to facilitate a space where our children can become active, positive citizens of the world. As a teacher, I would like my students to acquire the skills and knowledge needed to be independent, compassionate, empowered, driven and unique individuals. I feel we need to teach beyond prescribed learning objectives; we must individualize our teaching so that each person’s potential can be reached. I strongly believe teachers are here to act as mentors, guides and facilitators, to allow learners to follow their natural curiosity for life, rather than dictating how, when, and in what format they should learn. I believe knowledge can be more meaningfully gained from our sensory experiences in our natural environment. Children should be given the opportunity and freedom to explore their natural, unstructured environment, and allow their own experiences to inform their ideas.
Arts
I believe that children’s education should incorporate a strong arts program that is used as a medium of learning across all subject areas. Children are not passive learners and want to be active in their learning. Drama allows students to be part of their learning. Through drama, students gain a deeper understanding of learning by doing. I also feel that drama allows students to be more imaginative, eliminates the fear of being wrong and empowers children to learn because drama is not teacher-run, the process isn’t prescribed, and students can collaboratively lead the education processes together using their own experiences, resulting in a personal connection to what they are being taught.
As a teacher, I think it is essential for students to go beyond just thinking what they are learning and feel what they are learning. The arts allow students to become more attuned to feelings and emotions; for example, drama allows students to be in a safe environment and express feelings they may often suppress in their daily lives. Additionally, creating art also allows emotions to be expressed through a different medium. Arts illuminates my philosophy to create compassionate, empathic citizens of the world.
As a teacher, it is important to teach your learning outcomes, but the teaching shouldn’t stop there. There are also underlying learning outcomes or “bigger picture curriculum,” such as being an active responsible citizen, which I feel are just as, if not more important learning’s than the government Prescribed Learning Outcomes. Drama takes classroom learning and expands it by allowing students to relate what they are doing to the real world using their past experiences, which provides more authentic and deeper meaning.
Literacy
"In the early grades, school success is synonymous with reading success. A child’s reading level at the end of Grade 3 more accurately predicts school success than any other variable, including family income, educational attainment of parent or guardian, ethnic or cultural identity, and home language.” (Carter, 1985)
As an educator with a focus on primary, I take the above quote to heart and cannot agree more with the huge importance of reading and writing. I also believe it is essential to create an environment that caters to the diversity of skill levels seen in the classroom and allow children to work at their own level to become great readers and writers. Additionally, in staying true to my philosophy to create lifelong learners I think it is critical to create lifelong readers and writers.
My goal is to teach that writing and reading can be enjoyed. If I can teach children to enjoy writing and reading, they won’t see them as a chore and will write and read more in their everyday lives. As a teacher you cannot sit in front of the class and teach how to enjoy writing and reading; you have to teach in a way that lets the children first hand experience the joys of both. The best way to do this is to create a supportive environment for literacy, one that uses and teaches many different strategies, and has a wealth of novels, picture books, and poetry. Another aspect of being supportive, which leads to better enjoyment and children being intrinsically motivated, is providing children with some autonomy in their learning. This is as simple as letting the children choose the book they write about or any general topic they are interested in.
Physical Education
Children are not getting enough physical activity in their everyday lives and this is a growing concern. I feel it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure that children are getting daily physical activity during the school day. It is also the teacher’s responsibility to teach physical activity so that children may enjoy being active and incorporate it into their lives outside of school. My philosophy about lifelong learners includes creating children who are physically able throughout their whole lives. To do this each student’s skills and abilities should be valued and addressed in each physical education class.
Math and Science
As a teacher, I want to celebrate children’s natural curiosity of life. I believe it is important to nurture this great wonderment children have. I believe these things are important throughout all subjects but especially in math and science. As a teacher I believe it is very important to build on children’s natural curiosity of the world through experiential and inquiry-based learning by providing tools, resources, and real-life connections to learning outcomes for children to investigate, reflect upon and discuss. My classroom will be a collaborative environment where children can be active, critical problem solvers.
Technology in the Classroom
I am a strong believer in incorporating technology into my teaching. I think technology, if used correctly in the classroom, can enrich children’s learning and connect children to learning that wouldn’t be available without technology.
Assessment
I am a strong supporter of assessment for learning. I think assessment for learning allows me to differentiate my teaching so I can reach each of my students and provide descriptive feedback to allow the children to reach their potential. I also believe it is important to allow my students equal and fair opportunities to share their learning.
Inclusive
I feel the classroom should be a safe and inclusive environment where children, parents and teachers can teach and learn together and can develop a culture that is tolerant of, and supportive of, individual learning abilities.
Conclusion
The education system is evolving from the rote learning model I experienced into a system that is inclusive of everyone no matter his or her abilities. It is more individualistic, collaborative, student-centered, and supportive and represents an institution that is once again here for the benefit of the child. I am proud to be part of this change in the education system.
The circle is a very important symbol for First Nation cultures. To the First Nation worldview, circles represent: wholeness, interconnectedness, equality, continuity, and inclusiveness, lack of hierarchy, completeness, and connectedness to the land. It is these values my teaching philosophy is rooted in.
I believe that we are teaching children to be lifelong learners. My goal is to facilitate a space where our children can become active, positive citizens of the world. As a teacher, I would like my students to acquire the skills and knowledge needed to be independent, compassionate, empowered, driven and unique individuals. I feel we need to teach beyond prescribed learning objectives; we must individualize our teaching so that each person’s potential can be reached. I strongly believe teachers are here to act as mentors, guides and facilitators, to allow learners to follow their natural curiosity for life, rather than dictating how, when, and in what format they should learn. I believe knowledge can be more meaningfully gained from our sensory experiences in our natural environment. Children should be given the opportunity and freedom to explore their natural, unstructured environment, and allow their own experiences to inform their ideas.
Arts
I believe that children’s education should incorporate a strong arts program that is used as a medium of learning across all subject areas. Children are not passive learners and want to be active in their learning. Drama allows students to be part of their learning. Through drama, students gain a deeper understanding of learning by doing. I also feel that drama allows students to be more imaginative, eliminates the fear of being wrong and empowers children to learn because drama is not teacher-run, the process isn’t prescribed, and students can collaboratively lead the education processes together using their own experiences, resulting in a personal connection to what they are being taught.
As a teacher, I think it is essential for students to go beyond just thinking what they are learning and feel what they are learning. The arts allow students to become more attuned to feelings and emotions; for example, drama allows students to be in a safe environment and express feelings they may often suppress in their daily lives. Additionally, creating art also allows emotions to be expressed through a different medium. Arts illuminates my philosophy to create compassionate, empathic citizens of the world.
As a teacher, it is important to teach your learning outcomes, but the teaching shouldn’t stop there. There are also underlying learning outcomes or “bigger picture curriculum,” such as being an active responsible citizen, which I feel are just as, if not more important learning’s than the government Prescribed Learning Outcomes. Drama takes classroom learning and expands it by allowing students to relate what they are doing to the real world using their past experiences, which provides more authentic and deeper meaning.
Literacy
"In the early grades, school success is synonymous with reading success. A child’s reading level at the end of Grade 3 more accurately predicts school success than any other variable, including family income, educational attainment of parent or guardian, ethnic or cultural identity, and home language.” (Carter, 1985)
As an educator with a focus on primary, I take the above quote to heart and cannot agree more with the huge importance of reading and writing. I also believe it is essential to create an environment that caters to the diversity of skill levels seen in the classroom and allow children to work at their own level to become great readers and writers. Additionally, in staying true to my philosophy to create lifelong learners I think it is critical to create lifelong readers and writers.
My goal is to teach that writing and reading can be enjoyed. If I can teach children to enjoy writing and reading, they won’t see them as a chore and will write and read more in their everyday lives. As a teacher you cannot sit in front of the class and teach how to enjoy writing and reading; you have to teach in a way that lets the children first hand experience the joys of both. The best way to do this is to create a supportive environment for literacy, one that uses and teaches many different strategies, and has a wealth of novels, picture books, and poetry. Another aspect of being supportive, which leads to better enjoyment and children being intrinsically motivated, is providing children with some autonomy in their learning. This is as simple as letting the children choose the book they write about or any general topic they are interested in.
Physical Education
Children are not getting enough physical activity in their everyday lives and this is a growing concern. I feel it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure that children are getting daily physical activity during the school day. It is also the teacher’s responsibility to teach physical activity so that children may enjoy being active and incorporate it into their lives outside of school. My philosophy about lifelong learners includes creating children who are physically able throughout their whole lives. To do this each student’s skills and abilities should be valued and addressed in each physical education class.
Math and Science
As a teacher, I want to celebrate children’s natural curiosity of life. I believe it is important to nurture this great wonderment children have. I believe these things are important throughout all subjects but especially in math and science. As a teacher I believe it is very important to build on children’s natural curiosity of the world through experiential and inquiry-based learning by providing tools, resources, and real-life connections to learning outcomes for children to investigate, reflect upon and discuss. My classroom will be a collaborative environment where children can be active, critical problem solvers.
Technology in the Classroom
I am a strong believer in incorporating technology into my teaching. I think technology, if used correctly in the classroom, can enrich children’s learning and connect children to learning that wouldn’t be available without technology.
Assessment
I am a strong supporter of assessment for learning. I think assessment for learning allows me to differentiate my teaching so I can reach each of my students and provide descriptive feedback to allow the children to reach their potential. I also believe it is important to allow my students equal and fair opportunities to share their learning.
Inclusive
I feel the classroom should be a safe and inclusive environment where children, parents and teachers can teach and learn together and can develop a culture that is tolerant of, and supportive of, individual learning abilities.
Conclusion
The education system is evolving from the rote learning model I experienced into a system that is inclusive of everyone no matter his or her abilities. It is more individualistic, collaborative, student-centered, and supportive and represents an institution that is once again here for the benefit of the child. I am proud to be part of this change in the education system.