Teaching Philosophy

Standards meet students. Students unique perspectives and experiences should be

the center of authentic teaching and learning in the classroom that steers towards
creativity, critical thinking, and more authenticity. Class lessons and activities will
revolve around communicating (mini lessons and probing, ideally through Socratic
questioning methods), connecting (collaborative sharing and dialogue), and challenging
(projects and workshops). My instructional strategies will aim to develop students that
take responsibility for their learning, are individually valued, are encouraged to take
risks, share, construct their own personal meanings from texts, and continually progress. I
adopted a constructivist teaching philosophy that befriends humanistic theories. Learning
will be built on trust in the classroom community, authenticity, and growth.
A secure space helps encourage students to take risks, ask questions and grow.
Consistent routines and clear expectations will support space security. I plan on using
language that unites the classroom as a supported and safe community, referring to our
learning goals. Community will also be built by having students peer edit anothers work
and through collaboration and sharing of both writing and thinking in organized large and
small group discussions and activities. Collaborative learning helps students learn to
respect different perspectives, organize and present their own thoughts persuasively and
communicate with purpose while being engaged, equipping them with cross-contextual
professional and self-expression skills. These conversations can be assessed with rubrics
and be used to check comprehension. Courage and kindness will be at the forefront of all
things in my classroom.
Schools dont prepare students for the real world, school and students should
work enthusiastically and with passion to enter and change the real world for the better.
Authenticity will be developed in my classroom by affording students frequent and
expanded time to work on writing and reading, that adheres to real-world problems and
occurrences, in reflections, journals, group activities, and projects. Work should be as
original as the student. Differentiation will be utilized and take place in various ways
through tiered tasks, project options, open writing topics, etc. Varied or modified tasks
may be afforded to struggling learners or advanced learners (flexible use of time or
criteria, etc.). My teaching will be eclectic and assignments should strengthen 21st century
skills. Learning and literacy are social constructs.
Continual progress will be developed through the usage of portfolios, rubrics, and
reflections that allow students to take ownership of their learning and track their progress.
Assessment should not merely grade learning, but should move it forward and provide
feedback, improving both instruction and work quality. Pre-assessments, hinge-points,
and informal observations will also guide instruction. Student will be encouraged to fall
forward, and put in the effort to grow continually. Global praise will not be used, but
detailed feedback and probing will guide students forward to become critical analyzers of
their own work. Creative assessments will help students enjoy their progress: conducting
interviews, acting out skits, or making collages. Rough drafts will have deadlines so that
students can learn how to persevere and correct mistakes. A growth versus fixed mindset
will be modeled in my class.