Philosophy of Teaching- Teaching How to Learn and How to Live
My ambition of wanting to become a teacher originates from my own educational experience. Being brought up in both Japan and Sweden: private school in Japan, public and ballet school in Sweden, followed by an International school in Japan, I experienced new places, cultures and languages wherever my family moved. I am grateful for this unique upbringing, but it also brought a fair amount of struggle. Amidst the overwhelming feeling of trying to absorb the new environments and trying to make friends however, my teachers at each of the schools were the constants in my life. They made me feel safe in their classroom, they were supporting and encouraging of my efforts to learn a new language/culture, and they accepted me as who I was. The teachers, to me, were one of the first people I could trust and count on to be caring and helping, when I entered a new country. As I started to ponder my own future career, I thought to myself that this is something I want to be for someone else that needs it: be the consistent figure of comfort and kindness that a one can count on and learn from.
I wish to create a classroom where the students feel that learning is fun and meaningful. To achieve this, I need to be creative to engage students’ interest and show the attitude of being a learner as well. I want my students to get accustomed of the habit of learning how they learn. With this self-reflection, students gain a deeper understanding of who they are as a learner: an element essential for them to become life-long learners.
This leads to my evaluation/methods. I use of evaluation with the goal students to improve. I share to the students what is expected, so that when I evaluate, they will know specifically what they need to improve on. This way, everyone is given a chance to succeed. Discipline follows a similar pattern, as fairness and consistency to all students is essential. I want to establish rules and consequences together with the students, because they are individuals worthy of responsibilities. I will however, stress the fact that the rights of making rules come with the responsibilities of following those rules.
A central theme in my philosophy of teaching is empathy. I believe that respect and care are crucial in any human action in our world. In any profession, and in anywhere one decides to live, surviving in society revolves around being able to get along with other people. For me, empathy has certainly been a powerful tool in understanding and connecting with people around me, so I want to encourage this to my students as well. By showing and explaining caring, respecting and emphasizing attitudes, I hope to see the same attitude emerging from the students. With this mindset, I believe a safe environment for learning will be created as well. Empathy is also a valuable tool for me as a teacher, to be able to provide engaging learning opportunities and meeting diverse needs.
Another important aspect of my philosophy of teaching is being able to meet all students’ needs. I believe that every student have something to offer, whether it is in intelligence, talent in art, or just having a very positive personality. My placement at MacKay Center School for my second field experience truly taught me how to put this ideology into practice. I learned to adjust my teaching to fit each student’s needs, while still having high expectations for all my students. I have come to strongly realize from my second field experience that for this differentiation to be possible, I need to establish a relationship with the students and gain their trust and respect.
In conclusion, these are the key ideas I value as important in teaching. I expect more aspects to be developed, while being aware that some of these ideas may grow into something more. In mentioning that I want my students to be life-long learners, I value to do the same in order to become the best teacher and person that I can be. I cannot even start to imagine how the society will look like in the time that my students are done with their education. However, I believe in these components such as being caring and respectful, and knowing how to learn, as being useful in any time and place. There is a Chinese Proverb that states, “Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish, feed him for life”. I want to achieve this, but more specifically: teach my students how to learn, and how to live, because that will be valuable throughout their lives.
I wish to create a classroom where the students feel that learning is fun and meaningful. To achieve this, I need to be creative to engage students’ interest and show the attitude of being a learner as well. I want my students to get accustomed of the habit of learning how they learn. With this self-reflection, students gain a deeper understanding of who they are as a learner: an element essential for them to become life-long learners.
This leads to my evaluation/methods. I use of evaluation with the goal students to improve. I share to the students what is expected, so that when I evaluate, they will know specifically what they need to improve on. This way, everyone is given a chance to succeed. Discipline follows a similar pattern, as fairness and consistency to all students is essential. I want to establish rules and consequences together with the students, because they are individuals worthy of responsibilities. I will however, stress the fact that the rights of making rules come with the responsibilities of following those rules.
A central theme in my philosophy of teaching is empathy. I believe that respect and care are crucial in any human action in our world. In any profession, and in anywhere one decides to live, surviving in society revolves around being able to get along with other people. For me, empathy has certainly been a powerful tool in understanding and connecting with people around me, so I want to encourage this to my students as well. By showing and explaining caring, respecting and emphasizing attitudes, I hope to see the same attitude emerging from the students. With this mindset, I believe a safe environment for learning will be created as well. Empathy is also a valuable tool for me as a teacher, to be able to provide engaging learning opportunities and meeting diverse needs.
Another important aspect of my philosophy of teaching is being able to meet all students’ needs. I believe that every student have something to offer, whether it is in intelligence, talent in art, or just having a very positive personality. My placement at MacKay Center School for my second field experience truly taught me how to put this ideology into practice. I learned to adjust my teaching to fit each student’s needs, while still having high expectations for all my students. I have come to strongly realize from my second field experience that for this differentiation to be possible, I need to establish a relationship with the students and gain their trust and respect.
In conclusion, these are the key ideas I value as important in teaching. I expect more aspects to be developed, while being aware that some of these ideas may grow into something more. In mentioning that I want my students to be life-long learners, I value to do the same in order to become the best teacher and person that I can be. I cannot even start to imagine how the society will look like in the time that my students are done with their education. However, I believe in these components such as being caring and respectful, and knowing how to learn, as being useful in any time and place. There is a Chinese Proverb that states, “Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish, feed him for life”. I want to achieve this, but more specifically: teach my students how to learn, and how to live, because that will be valuable throughout their lives.