Educational Philosophy.
My educational background, along with my cultural, educational, and life experiences have helped to form and modify my educational philosophy. This philosophy, although it remains in flux, is what I have attempted to describe in this paper. .
My beliefs in teaching and learning are very much based in my beliefs in the role of the teacher in a classroom. The teacher's primary role is to set up a learning environment that interests the children and encourages them to ask questions and search for answers. Additionally, teachers must provide materials and situations where the children are challenged but not overwhelmed. A teacher's role is to stand back, and know when they are needed and when they should observe. A teacher must be a good listener as well as a good communicator. Student-teacher interaction is vital. Relationships will vary but a teacher must develop a climate of trust and a caring and respectful relationship with her/his students. When this is the case then the student feels comfortable pursuing answers, interests, and knowledge about the world. Additionally it is the teacher's role to encourage a student-centered classroom that accommodates the various learning styles of her/his students. Children differ in how they learn, but they can all learn. Learning can come from personal experience, observation, conclusion, and logic; both internal and external forces come into play, therefore it is important that a teacher's role be flexible. And of course the teacher's role as a learner is one of her/his most important roles, one that she/he should never neglect. .
Our mission for knowledge is something we should never complete; it is a desire that we should never resist. When I teach, I want my students to feel that, how and why are as important as what, when and where. Knowledge should empower them to answer all of these questions, ask more questions, and then start over again.
