TEACHING PHILOSOPHY:
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In retrospect, the lack of resource and quality both at home and in school never stopped me from attaining a higher education. Even so, I realize that there are millions of children who combat with disadvantages similar to mine or worse. This has led me to believe that this attributes to the widening of the achievement gap. I became apprehensive and realized early on that I want to dedicate my life to teaching children in an engaging and qualitative way so that all children have equal opportunities.
I am an advocate of the constructivist approach of learning by way of the transactional method. Transactional teaching strategies aim at more student-centered approaches by allowing students to engage collaboratively, inclusively, and by allowing student inquiry to lead the class. With this type of method, teachers scaffold and guide students, and students are expected to actively synthesize and create their new understandings. Research has shown this type of instructional strategy not only facilitates engagement, it also encourages self-directed learning that corresponds to long-term learning outcomes (Weaver & Sturtevant, 2015).
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards for Teachers (2008) and Students (2016) advocate for a more connected learning environment in the digital world. With the growth of the online community, I would like to explore ways to engage student learning through technological incorporations. I believe that teaching students how to navigate the virtual realm will give them the necessary skills to succeed in a technologically dominant 21st century. Incorporating instructional strategies via technology can broaden students understanding contextually. More so, students will be exposed and be able to participate in a globalized learning community where knowledge truly extends beyond the classroom.
Providing effective learning styles in an engaging, cooperative, differentiated, and culturally inclusive manner can help students better succeed. In order to do so, character education is of the utmost importance because it can help build and foster a stronger classroom and school community where students feel safe, confidant, and comfortable in their learning. Pedagogies aside, fostering an all-inclusive, non-judgemental environment where we embrace differences as opposed to diverting them and maintaining a growth-mindset, I believe, can actually pull the educational achievement gap closer amongst learners of different learning levels, social, and economic backgrounds.
I am an advocate of the constructivist approach of learning by way of the transactional method. Transactional teaching strategies aim at more student-centered approaches by allowing students to engage collaboratively, inclusively, and by allowing student inquiry to lead the class. With this type of method, teachers scaffold and guide students, and students are expected to actively synthesize and create their new understandings. Research has shown this type of instructional strategy not only facilitates engagement, it also encourages self-directed learning that corresponds to long-term learning outcomes (Weaver & Sturtevant, 2015).
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards for Teachers (2008) and Students (2016) advocate for a more connected learning environment in the digital world. With the growth of the online community, I would like to explore ways to engage student learning through technological incorporations. I believe that teaching students how to navigate the virtual realm will give them the necessary skills to succeed in a technologically dominant 21st century. Incorporating instructional strategies via technology can broaden students understanding contextually. More so, students will be exposed and be able to participate in a globalized learning community where knowledge truly extends beyond the classroom.
Providing effective learning styles in an engaging, cooperative, differentiated, and culturally inclusive manner can help students better succeed. In order to do so, character education is of the utmost importance because it can help build and foster a stronger classroom and school community where students feel safe, confidant, and comfortable in their learning. Pedagogies aside, fostering an all-inclusive, non-judgemental environment where we embrace differences as opposed to diverting them and maintaining a growth-mindset, I believe, can actually pull the educational achievement gap closer amongst learners of different learning levels, social, and economic backgrounds.
References
International Society for Technology in Education. (2016). National educational technology standards for
students. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards/for-students-2016
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National educational technology standards for
teachers. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards/standards-for-teachers
Weaver, G. C. & Sturtevant, H. G. (2015). Design, implementation, and evaluation of a flipped format general
chemistry course. Journal of Chemical Education, 92(9), 1437-1448. doi:10.1021/acs.jchemed.5b00316
students. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards/for-students-2016
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National educational technology standards for
teachers. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards/standards-for-teachers
Weaver, G. C. & Sturtevant, H. G. (2015). Design, implementation, and evaluation of a flipped format general
chemistry course. Journal of Chemical Education, 92(9), 1437-1448. doi:10.1021/acs.jchemed.5b00316