My Teaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy
comes from various pieces of four main entities found in educational
psychology books that I have read. These ideas come from
individualism, existentialism. social reconstructionism and the
enormous dimensions of imagination. When these entities are compiled
together they produce the my ideal teacher for the 21st century. I
feel every student should be a creative individual using their vast
reading vocabulary and excellent writing skills, provided by English
classes including mine, to learn more about the world and be able to
communicate effectively also. I want them to come closer to self-
actualization, know they can better society by being knowledgeable
and open-minded citizens.
I find it easier to
understand each student as them apart and separate from the whole so
that is why individualism is a big part of my philosophy. I want my
lessons to accentuate this by providing various paths to doing a
project. This will enable my students to shine at whatever they do
the best. Some students are more visual, hands-on, or maybe like to
work alone and this will push them to their best rather than struggle
with some learning style that they have always found to not work for
them. Each path will not correspond to every style in the world but
will add variety to the daily routine the students have and also add
exquisite ideas for my schedules to come. Individualism says that
everyone is unique and I strongly agree and do not want to produce
cookie-cutter people memorizing facts for curriculum's sake.
Existentialism is
individual thinking about my life, what has meaning for me, what is
true for me. It emphasizes creative choice, the subjectivity of human
experiences and concrete acts of human existence over any rational
scheme for human nature or reality. Existentialism begs for students
to find out who they are. This concept also wants them to question
authority and commit meaning to their lives. I feel, then, that
teachers must allow students freedom of choice and provide them with
experiences that will help them find them meaning of their lives. As
an English teacher my students and I can take morals and values from
our stories and think of how we can use them or how they don't work
for us, maybe. Within the writing assignments I can ask them their
outlooks on our society, what they feel they could change- which
slides my philosophy into social reconstructionism too.
I have added social
reconstructionism to my philosophy because I feel that not only do I
want my students to become knowledgeable and well- rounded with the
activities and classes within schools but to also prepare them for
what lies ahead in our society. To be able to communicate with others
is always important. If I cover different cultures and concepts they
have not heard of yet, when they get out into life they will be more
open to those races and ideas. Students that are shown new insights
into life at young ages are usually more accepting and find it easier
to assimilate with new changes brought about in their
lifetimes.
My imagination is quite
deep and large and I find it to be one of my greatest non- physical
assets. An imagination is extremely useful in any job setting and
when dealing with most any situation. Teaching is an art. It is
mostly acting and trying to take what you know and put it into a way
of communication that is able to be understood by various students.
Flexibility is a part of this art. If my students want to change my
"uncool" agenda for the week, I am open to it within reason. When
students have the "want to" to do a project, you usually do it better
and with more enjoyment. People grow through these experiences and
can also learn about others. English is this outlet to learning about
others from the stories from different times and places and the
communication from which it evolves. English is also an exciting way
to gain wisdom on the value of certain aspects of life without
actually doing them. Where else then through reading can you travel
and dream and imagine all at once. Reading is an escape from reality
and a devourement in the concepts of the morals that evolve.
Given these four
characteristics and close to the most extensive knowledge of English
and Literature I can possibly endow to them, I hope to incorporate
excellent social skills and build the student affectively (their
heart), cognitively (their head), and creatively (their hands)
through my teaching of my subject and the experiences they will
attain by just being in my classroom.