Teaching Philosophy

Reflecting upon what is important to me as an educator is a somewhat difficult

endeavour given that there is a vast amount of paths that I could take in determining the
answer to this question. Over the past four years, I have not only experienced a variety
of teaching methods and styles, but also a variety of environmental factors that
contribute to the overall aura that a teacher presents to their students.
In addressing the way in which I hope to present myself to my future students, I must
acknowledge the various inspirations that have led me to this point. Firstly, my own
experiences at Primary School have greatly contributed to the way in which I have
approached teaching thus far; I was privileged enough to be taught by several teachers
who I admired and wished to emulate above all others during my time at Primary
School. These teachers were all very different in their approaches to the teaching
profession but had one common theme which I believe is vitally important regardless of
the year level you are teaching, the gender of the students you are teaching or the
environment in which you are teaching; know your students individually and as a whole.
In order for a classroom to run effectively and smoothly, a teacher must know each of
their students this includes but is not limited to; their interests, their fears, their
strengths, areas of concern, their familial situation, potential crises that may present
themselves, who they work best with, the ways in which they learn the best, who is a
favourable influence on them and who will lead them astray. It seems an
insurmountable task when put in front of you all at once, but during each of my
placements I managed to connect with all of my students on a deep level and it
improved my teaching exponentially.
I find myself aligning more and more with Vygotskys Sociocultural Theory and what I
have mentioned above fits well with this; in order for Sociocultural Theory to spread its
wings within any classroom environment, a teacher must know their students well
enough to facilitate bonding among the members of the class. If we truly do learn best
by engaging with others while simultaneously engaging with varied stimuli, then it is
imperative that classroom teachers foster the development of peer groups. The
classroom teachers I previously mentioned were able to achieve this impeccably.

Environments can also play a strong role in Sociocultural Theory and I have seen this
demonstrated through many of my placements; children who are exposed to an open
plan learning environment tend to incorporate scaffolding into their day-to-day lives
without much assistance from their classroom teachers. At the heart of Vygotskys
theory is this idea of peers assisting one another; it brings another dimension to the
learning experience overall. A teacher can offer any student they come into contact with
the means with which to succeed, but they must not underestimate the worth of other
students and their abilities.
What a child brings to any given situation is specific to each individual; a child who has
recently experienced their parents separating will have a different outlook to a child
who comes from a classic nuclear family environment. Neither is better or worse, they
are simply different and can offer new perspectives to those around them. Children are
able to bond over shared experiences, but also through discovering something new via
another childs eyes; perhaps neither child has experienced a given situation and they
offer each other support while tackling the challenges ahead together.
The classroom environment itself must be inviting and give off a warmth; children need
to possess a desire to come to school; they need to feel secure within their learning
environment. I have witnessed many instances over my years of placement where a
child is at best reluctant to participate within any given learning situation. When posed
the question of why? educators were sometimes at a loss to answer; I therefore made
the executive decision to ask the child directly why it was they were disenchanted with
school. Their reply still manages to haunt me; I just dont feel happy here. I never want
any students I teach in my future career to ever feel that way and if it seems as though
they are heading down that path, it is my duty to know about it.
I wish to end this ever-changing philosophy with a quote I believe summarises the core
reason I wanted to become a teacher: The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher
explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. William A.
Ward