Philosophy of Education
Math has never been a good friend to many students. But to me math has been one of my best friends. So, when I was deciding what I wanted to go to school for, I figured I should be helping the future generations of America. I decided I wanted to help kids succeed in their life goals through teaching and then went on to choose a subject that I had a passion for. A subject that I believe I can make everyone come to like, if not, at least bearable. I also chose mathematics because I believe it is an important subject for the future as well for developing skills that will last a lifetime.
I believe in a student-centered classroom where the students are building off of previous knowledge and discovering the concepts and ideas for themselves within groups. I think that learning mathematics should be very collaborative activity. I have found in my experiences that the students can sometimes explain these ideas and concepts to their peers better than I can. I want to be able to lay the ground work and create hands on activities and rich tasks that support this kind of learning for my students because I have found it to be most beneficial and allows material to better stick with the students.
I am very open to new ways of teaching and student learning. One idea that I was toying with when I first began my journey to becoming an educator was a flipped classroom. I am still very interested in this idea of creating a classroom where we can use our time to explore applications of mathematical material. But I have also become very fond of creating tasks for my students to discover the material in the classroom. Maybe one day I can find a way to blend these ideas into my classroom setting.
I also believe in a management style that is consistent and creates a warm classroom community. I visualize an equal and respectful classroom where the students can be responsible for their own learning and not disrupt the learning of others. I am a strong believer in welcoming the students back the next day with a clean slate once a conversation has occurred between teacher and student about the expectations and what can be done to ensure that the needs of the student are being met. To guarantee that all of these ideas can be accomplished I plan to set a consistent routine for my students as well as posting a set of rules for the classroom. Even though some rules can go unspoken, I think it is more beneficial to lay them out for everyone to see and refer to.
In conclusion, I think that I am a very open, yet routine based educator that is invested in the bigger picture for my students. And although students may not think they will ever use math again in their lives, math will teach them critical thinking skills that they will be using in the future and I consider this one of the most important aspects a student can learn in their middle/high school career. And I am glad to be the one who teaches them these skills and hopefully makes math one of their best friends.
I believe in a student-centered classroom where the students are building off of previous knowledge and discovering the concepts and ideas for themselves within groups. I think that learning mathematics should be very collaborative activity. I have found in my experiences that the students can sometimes explain these ideas and concepts to their peers better than I can. I want to be able to lay the ground work and create hands on activities and rich tasks that support this kind of learning for my students because I have found it to be most beneficial and allows material to better stick with the students.
I am very open to new ways of teaching and student learning. One idea that I was toying with when I first began my journey to becoming an educator was a flipped classroom. I am still very interested in this idea of creating a classroom where we can use our time to explore applications of mathematical material. But I have also become very fond of creating tasks for my students to discover the material in the classroom. Maybe one day I can find a way to blend these ideas into my classroom setting.
I also believe in a management style that is consistent and creates a warm classroom community. I visualize an equal and respectful classroom where the students can be responsible for their own learning and not disrupt the learning of others. I am a strong believer in welcoming the students back the next day with a clean slate once a conversation has occurred between teacher and student about the expectations and what can be done to ensure that the needs of the student are being met. To guarantee that all of these ideas can be accomplished I plan to set a consistent routine for my students as well as posting a set of rules for the classroom. Even though some rules can go unspoken, I think it is more beneficial to lay them out for everyone to see and refer to.
In conclusion, I think that I am a very open, yet routine based educator that is invested in the bigger picture for my students. And although students may not think they will ever use math again in their lives, math will teach them critical thinking skills that they will be using in the future and I consider this one of the most important aspects a student can learn in their middle/high school career. And I am glad to be the one who teaches them these skills and hopefully makes math one of their best friends.