I love STEM and project-based learning. Please watch my videos below to find out why I am passionate about STEM and how I can implement it in my teaching practice.
My Teaching Philosophy – Anticipating change
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance” – Alan Watts –
There’s a lot of pressure on pre-service teachers to really nail our teaching philosophy. I agree it is important to clarify in our minds what pedagogy we intend to use and why, but I think it is also important for us to remember that we too are on a learning journey. Our teaching philosophy will and should change as we evolve and become more proficient in our craft. After all, if we keep doing the same old thing, we’ll keep getting the same old results.
I’m trying to therefore think of my teaching philosophy as a muscle that will grow stronger in time the more it is used. For posterity, I have included my initial teaching philosophy below as I think it will be a great exercise to observe the muscle growth over time.
My teaching philosophy begins with the student. Who are they? What do they already understand? How can I support them in the next steps of their learning?
I am strongly aligned with Wiggin and McTighe’s Understanding By Design framework. It is my belief that by aiming for those “I get it” moments when understanding is uncovered by the student, we can shift the learning paradigm from superficial participation to active engagement. This requires a balance of careful and considered planning incorporating student voice and choice, as well as measured willingness for learning to go in unexpected but rigorous directions.
To support students to engage in this way, I draw on a range of teaching strategies. I incorporate problem solving on vertical white boards, individual gamified tasks with immediate formative feedback and tangible, authentic real-world tasks and scenarios. I also respect the importance of incorporating tried and tested methods including explicit teaching and gradual release of responsibility.
I resonate with the CAST Universal Design for Learning guidelines in which varied methods are used to deliver learning to students, to enable them to interact with and express understanding. I appreciate that by demonstrating a respect for different ways of processing information and arriving at understanding, teachers create a culture of cooperation and respect, which students will undoubtedly need as they enter the 21st Century workforce.
Specific adjustments designed to ensure each student’s opportunities to learn are maximised, such and dyslexic friendly text, also create new opportunities for improved understanding for all students.
Underpinning the success of this philosophy is the notion that students work best when they feel safe, when they feel genuinely liked and when they are being encouraged by a teacher who believes in them and has high expectations of them to rise to any challenge. Consistent, positive communication and belief in students capacity to learn is therefore at the core of my practice and my teaching philosophy.