Professional Philosophy Statement: My Role As A Teacher

Professional Philosophy Statement

Learning refers to the process of gaining knowledge. Learning can occur through hands-on activities, experiences, and the studying of content. The learning process can be facilitated by giving students the resources needed to become knowledgeable citizens who actively contribute to their communities. By creating a classroom environment that promotes free thought, creativity, and individuality, students will be in an environment where they will learn and develop. By working in small groups, the students will learn skills that relate to social development, teamwork, and the diversity of others within the same community. My experiences have influenced my beliefs about learning in that I am not the type of student that can learn effectively though note-taking. I learn best through hands-on activities and group discussion, rather than lectures and essays. The learning environment is imperative for facilitating a place where students will want to learn and expand their knowledge.

My role as a teacher is to facilitate the learning process.

Every student learns differently, but giving students the opportunities to discover how they learn best is the most effective way to see how to operate a classroom. This can be done by trying out different instructional methods to find what meets the needs of my students. For example, there may be a lesson that students conceptualize through hands-on activities, whereas, another time, they may easily grasp a new concept through a lecture. One of the most important aspects of being a teacher, in my opinion, is to have an extensive knowledge of the content before starting a lesson in class. One way this can be accomplished is to survey the class before starting a new lesson. Seeing what the students already know and want to know can help make the lesson more engaging, interesting, and beneficial to the students. This is a more effective way of planning a lesson and seeing what the students want to

know.
Being a student over the last sixteen years, I have a pretty good understanding of what I need in a teacher and my experiences have impacted how I plan to teach. I plan to be an engaging teacher who relies on feedback from my students to help them learn. Some of my most impactful teachers have asked students for feedback and modified the class to fit their needs. This makes an effective teacher. An ineffective teacher does not take feedback or input from his/her students and refuses to modify lessons. I want my students to gain self-knowledge, accountability, and problem-solving skills through my teaching. This will allow them to be responsible for themselves and ensuring they putting the effort into their learning process.
I plan to set high-expectations and goals for my students. Setting goals will hold my students accountable for their work and their learning process. To set goals, I will use the SMART goal method. This method ensures that all goals are specific, measureable, attainable, relevant, and timely. In reference to critical thinking and problem solving goals, I will challenge my students to think outside of the box and beyond the expected. This will instill a sense of self-confidence in my students by making them feel confident in their solutions and being able to have solid support behind their theories. I will measure goals by having personal meetings with my students to be able to tangibly track their progress. Setting goals will be imperative in making sure that my students are getting the most of my class as possible.