Philosophy Draft

Education is an evolving business. Things change from one moment to the next. I have beliefs that I want to carry into the classroom with me. Some of these involve empathy for the students, teaching strategies and technology.

I had a teacher once that was not empathetic toward students at all. I had an illness and she did not help me one bit. When I get my own classroom I will be firm in my rules for late work and how my class is conducted but if a student has a documented illness I will do my best to work with that student in order for them to catch up and learn as much as they can. Students at the middle school level need teachers that understand their mixed up feelings and I want to show my students that I remember those confusing times and know how it feels to be a misunderstood teenager. By being empathetic toward my students, I hope I can form a community in my classroom that allows students to learn as much as they can.

Research shows that the best practices for teaching change all of the time. Right now, I believe that in a Math class it is most appropriate to use hands-on activities to teach lessons. This allows students to stay more focused on the task at hand compared to lessons that just involve lecture. I have a constructivist view of education so I think that students should do project and work through problems in order to discover the concepts that they are learning and that at some points in a lesson the teacher should just be a guide for the students.

While working through my student teaching I was able to teach lessons using a smart board. I enjoyed using this device because I found that if you allow the students to use it as well, they are more eager to participate in the lesson. I also would like to incorporate other technologies such as i-pods and i-phones. You can use these devices to upload notes and even flash cards for studying.

I believe that empathy, best practices in teaching and technology are important parts of teaching. All of these aspects of teaching are very important to me and the success of my students. I hope that because of my beliefs and my teaching styles, my students leave my class with more knowledge than that arrived with.