Philosophy of Teaching

My philosophy as a teacher focuses on student success. In order to help my students meet their potential, I need to create a learning environment that allows them to flourish. I believe that there should be equal opportunity for all students. I strongly believe in making Universal Design Lesson plans that are accessible to the entire class. This, in conjunction with differentiation, will decrease the necessity for individual accommodations and thus create a more inclusive environment. By working cooperatively with my students, I will learn more about their needs. Therefore, should a student require an IEP who has not yet been identified, I will be able to have a better understanding of what accommodations they require. In order to accommodate these students, the teacher must work with the student and staff (principal, EAs, etc.) to create an IEP. Furthermore, it is important to talk with your students to find out how they like to learn, what they find easy/difficult, and to check in with them on a regular basis to see if they have understood. By talking to your students you can figure out what methods work best for that class. Some useful tools for checking in with students are red light, green light; thumbs up, thumbs down; exit cards; AFL quiz; and meeting with the student. The goal throughout the year (or semester for high school) is to try different techniques (and fail a bit) until you figure out how to make universal lesson plans that suit the needs of your class. This is why teaching isn’t just a science, but an art too. Another important concept to be aware of is the idea that accommodations to lesson plans made for individuals with exceptionalities can actually benefit the entire class. For example, having subtitles on a video will not only benefit a student with a hearing disability but might also help visual learners and others. For example, some ways to differentiate a lesson for students who are deaf or hard of hearing are speaking clearly, not moving around, and facing your class while talking. Some of the ways to help students with a learning disability is to: keep information separate until the first piece of information is understood; break up large tasks and gradually build; develop strategies for remembering information; teach self-monitoring skills; and create daily routines. As you can see, these accommodations would actually benefit every student.

My personal philosophy of education is to help every student reach his or her full potential. I believe that we are molding the future citizens of the world. This means that lesson must go beyond subject matter and must relate to every student. I believe that each student has a tremendous inherent potential that they simply need help unlocking. Each student has unique interests and talents. By using a growth mindset, every student can succeed.