Scharf Running Head: TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

Dylan Scharf TED 625B National University May 20, 2011

Scharf I believe that a teaching philosophy has to be dynamic; there must be room for it to grow, adapt and change as lessons are learned. Experience is the only way for this to happen, and a philosophy that exists without a classroom to practice it in lives within a

vacuum. To be a good teacher I have to be open to change, new ideas and concepts and I have to be able to adapt my philosophy to the classroom, and know that every classroom is different. There are different personalities and intelligences, and I must be ready to take them on no matter what my core philosophy may be. Being a teacher means being aware of the constant change that students, and a learning environment can go through, and it means knowing that I also need to learn and grow as an educator. The worst thing I could do as a teacher is to say, this is who I am, these are my philosophies, and I am not interested in yours. This being said my core philosophy is pretty steadfast; I must show students respect if I am going to get any in return, and the rapport that I build with my students is vital to their education in my classroom. My teaching approach is also grounded in a belief of the need for metamorphosis. As educators we need to be open to new ideas and techniques to help bring the content to students in the best way possible. This being said I am a firm believer in project based learning in that it will generally hold the interest of the students for a longer period of time and it gets them directly involved in their learning as opposed to just listening to lectures and taking notes; something that happens all to often in high school History classes. Many students do not like history because they feel it has very little affect on their lives or their future. Unfortunately History can be very boring if it is not administered by someone who has a passion for it. Why would anyone care about history if they have to sit in a chair and listen to the monotone ranting of someone who really

Scharf only took the job so they can coach football or wrestling. History is vital to the future of the country and the world because it allows us to see the shortcomings of every civilization that has happened upon the earth before us. Getting the students involved in projects that are creative, connecting the past to the present and future through concepts that affect students everyday lives and getting them to experience the past through activities other than text book work, is very important if they are going feel like History is significant and connected to their life. The last two teaching experiences were actually really great occurrences for me. The first one was great because it solidified some of my ideas with how to begin a class

and keep the students focused on the content. For example I had to really think about the best way to introduce the topic of the Great Depression. I also wanted to think of something the students could do while I take care of attendance. I thought that by showing a picture and having the students write about it would give them a chance to focus on something pertaining to the lesson we were about to begin and at the same time write about how the picture makes them feel. I think this is a good way for them to start constructing their own ideas about what they will soon be engaged in learning. By discussing and sharing that information they will be able to see how their peers feel about the same picture, and they will begin to form a solid concept of the situation behind the photograph. This idea worked very well as it did get their attention and it got them to focus on something other than each other right from the get go. I feel like I created a good connection with the students as soon as they got into class, which I think is very important. Through our relaxed discussion regarding the photograph on the overhead the

Scharf students became comfortable with me quickly and it helped to create a very positive learning environment for the remainder of the class.

The second teaching experience was not quite as smooth as I wrote a plan for one period that should have been made for a two-day lesson period. I overextended what I wanted to teach to them and tried to squeeze too much in. I really wish I had thought about my time constraints a little more realistically, because given enough time this lesson would have been much more exciting. I was so caught up in making sure I was using some kind of technology and infusing the discussion with cultural relevance that I think I lost sight a bit of the true intentions of the lesson. This could be a great lesson to really connect the students with the diverse regions of the United States and show how these regions have developed and changed over time. Moving forward I really have to plan my lessons for a shorter period of time so we have some breathing room. I think it might be better to adapt a lesson if I have more time, instead of cutting a lesson short because I planned too much. I think that having a good connection to the students helped me to accomplish these lessons. I had the advantage because I have taught this group of students before, so I already had a rapport with them. I think that this helped make a huge difference because we already had a bond of trust built, and they already had some respect for me, as I do them. This proves part of my philosophy that the relationship a teacher has with their students is pivotal in creating a positive learning environment. I also feel like my ideas concerning project based learning was also validated in that if I create a hands on environment for my students they will be more apt to do the work. Their experience with the content will be different and they will have the chance to me more immersed in the

Scharf lesson. My time spent in these classes that I had the chance to teach was a really great learning experience. Not only getting the chance to be up in front of a class and practicing my teaching skills, but to see how well I would be able to implement my lesson plans. Writing a lesson plan is really not that difficult once you have figured out which standards you are writing it to and what you want your learning objectives to be. The hard part is taking the lesson from paper and making it work in the time allotted, holding the attention of the students and making the content relevant.