Teaching Philosophy
My philosophy of teaching has evolved over the last few years to include several areas that guide my thinking when I am making instructional decisions. Those areas include: teaching to mastery, facilitation of the learning environment, careful attention to formative assessment, varying instructional approaches, and continual improvement.
Teaching to Mastery: Children are in school to learn. What do we do when they have achieved mastery of a standard? What do we do when they have not? How do we, and they, even know? One of the ways I show students what they have learned and what they need to learn by providing narrative feedback on their work. Students should feel that their work is never really complete but a part of an iterative cycle of learning and demonstration of that learning.
Facilitation of the Learning Environment: As part of teaching to mastery, I want children to have as much control as they can over their work in terms of task, time, and team. In order to do that, my job is to facilitate their ability to make choices and have the right tools ready for them. Facilitation may mean a mini-lesson to the whole group, a small group, or one student. It may mean having specific materials available and a classroom space conducive to our current studies. It may also mean being flexible about what counts as demonstration of mastery for students with certain needs. Facilitation sometimes means sharing the control of the physical space and the daily routine with everyone who uses it, especially students.
Careful Attention to Formative Assessment: I am a firm believer in frequent, formative assessment. For me that typically means kid watching—in addition to things like exit slips and pre-assessment before a unit—to get a sense of what gaps we need to fill and what successes we need to celebrate.
Varying Instructional Approaches: Children learn best in many different ways. I have my own learning preferences, but it is my responsibility to make sure that I do not rely only on what I prefer but on what my students need. I carefully consider how each day is going and what students’ behavior and performances are telling me about what they need in order to learn best each day.
Continual Improvement: Teachers are professional learners. Sometimes a teacher’s learning comes through reflection of one’s own teaching and observation of the children in the classroom. Often, learning comes in the form of collaboration with other teachers, students, and families. I love to collaborate with other teachers. Teachers working as a team can improve good ideas and solve problems more effectively than teachers working in isolation. I am also an avid reader of instructional literature and I have been to several professional conferences in order to find inspiration. I believe my students benefit from seeing me learn, try new things, and then evaluate those things. Parents know that even if things are going well in my classroom, I will work to make things even better.
Teachers have much to juggle on a daily basis. By focusing on the needs of the students in my care, I believe they will walk away from my class at the end of the year with more confidence in their ability to learn whatever comes their way.
Teaching to Mastery: Children are in school to learn. What do we do when they have achieved mastery of a standard? What do we do when they have not? How do we, and they, even know? One of the ways I show students what they have learned and what they need to learn by providing narrative feedback on their work. Students should feel that their work is never really complete but a part of an iterative cycle of learning and demonstration of that learning.
Facilitation of the Learning Environment: As part of teaching to mastery, I want children to have as much control as they can over their work in terms of task, time, and team. In order to do that, my job is to facilitate their ability to make choices and have the right tools ready for them. Facilitation may mean a mini-lesson to the whole group, a small group, or one student. It may mean having specific materials available and a classroom space conducive to our current studies. It may also mean being flexible about what counts as demonstration of mastery for students with certain needs. Facilitation sometimes means sharing the control of the physical space and the daily routine with everyone who uses it, especially students.
Careful Attention to Formative Assessment: I am a firm believer in frequent, formative assessment. For me that typically means kid watching—in addition to things like exit slips and pre-assessment before a unit—to get a sense of what gaps we need to fill and what successes we need to celebrate.
Varying Instructional Approaches: Children learn best in many different ways. I have my own learning preferences, but it is my responsibility to make sure that I do not rely only on what I prefer but on what my students need. I carefully consider how each day is going and what students’ behavior and performances are telling me about what they need in order to learn best each day.
Continual Improvement: Teachers are professional learners. Sometimes a teacher’s learning comes through reflection of one’s own teaching and observation of the children in the classroom. Often, learning comes in the form of collaboration with other teachers, students, and families. I love to collaborate with other teachers. Teachers working as a team can improve good ideas and solve problems more effectively than teachers working in isolation. I am also an avid reader of instructional literature and I have been to several professional conferences in order to find inspiration. I believe my students benefit from seeing me learn, try new things, and then evaluate those things. Parents know that even if things are going well in my classroom, I will work to make things even better.
Teachers have much to juggle on a daily basis. By focusing on the needs of the students in my care, I believe they will walk away from my class at the end of the year with more confidence in their ability to learn whatever comes their way.