Teaching Philosophy
“Commit yourself to lifelong learning. The most valuable asset you’ll ever have is your mind and what you put into it.”
-Brian Tracey
I teach because I love to learn. I consider myself a life-long learner and make every effort to see the lesson in every aspect of my life. I have a desire to create scientifically literate citizens, who are not afraid of science. I believe that education is the foundation for success, and that every child can succeed. Therefor, every student can learn. Each and every student has their own unique abilities and talents, and I believe it is my job as their teacher to help them figure out what they are, and help them learn science and contribute to each and every lesson using those abilities and talents together so that we can create the ultimate cooperative learning environment.
“The education of a man is never completed until he dies.”
-Robert E. Lee
I believe that once a teacher becomes certified, the learning does not stop. I spend countless hours on personal professional development; outside of what is required. It is important to remain abreast in the newest concepts and changes, as well as issues and problems, in your field, or any field that you teach. Technology changes daily, and I am constantly linking with my personal learning network to stay up-to-date. I am not afraid of learning something new, and I understand that it is a disservice to my students if I make the choice to stop learning. This world is changing and we are discovering new things in science, and in this world, daily. It is my job to remain knowledgeable.
“The number one goal of teachers should be to help students learn how to learn.”
-Randy Pausch
I believe it is necessary for teachers to teach students how to learn before they begin teaching concepts. Each student should be aware of their learning style, which is why I begin every course with a learning styles inventory and a discussion of each type of learning style and best ways for that student to learn. Especially in younger students, these techniques will need to be modeled. I require my students to remain organized, and I show them exactly how I want every assignment completed. When possible, I try and give several examples of what varying levels those assignments would look like. I believe unless we set the expectations high, we will not reach our goals. Students are reminded that when they go off to college they can choose the way in which they remain organized, until then we will all keep the same format so that no one feel overwhelmed or lost. I teach them how to take notes, how to go through the scientific inquiry process, as well as how to go through problem solving.
“Bad times have scientific value. These are occasions a good learner would not miss.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
I believe all students need to see the learning opportunity in failure. A good scientist knows that failure is necessary to success and success is not possible without failure. Sometimes students are fixated on the misconception that science must always be perfect or correct. This is the first misconception I attempt to change, as it is the basis for science. All of my students are required to keep a science journal and track EVERY step of the inquiry process. When failures happen, which they will, fairly often, the students are taught to analyze their data, revisit the problem and go back and do more research. This allows the students to learn from their mistakes and failures. To not have students revisit scientific failures is to not teach science completely. I do not want students to be afraid of failure, but instead learning from these mistakes and applying them to further research and inquiry.
“Your outlook upon life, your estimate of yourself, your estimate of value are largely colored by your environment.”
-Orison Swett Marden
I believe all students deserve to be able to learn in an atmosphere where the students are comfortable. This is to say, comfortable with each other, and with the instructor. Once this mutual respect is achieved, the students learn that any disagreements are about facts and opinions about what is being learned, not about the person. An ideal classroom would be all students working together, solving problems through inquiry. I want my students questioning and using research to guide inquiry, I want to facilitate student learning not mandate how the learning takes place. Each student has their own way of learning, and my job is to foster those ways. I believe that students learn by doing, not listening to me talk about doing it. I want my students to formulate opinions based on scientific facts. This is what makes truly scientifically literate citizens. I believe that once students can defend their opinions using scientific research as evidence, they have actually learned the science concepts.