Teaching Philosophy
Introduction
Teaching, much like education itself, is a social act at its very core. While much of my philosophy on teaching has evolved throughout my career in education over the past decade, this core belief remains unchanged. When I look back on memories from my own learning experiences, there are several moments and teachers that stand out in my mind. I remember sitting on my father’s lap as he read the nightly paper while I pointed out and practiced reading the words that I knew. I remember writing my own Clifford stories, adding new adventures to the series and having my dad act as the illustrator. I remember my Grade 3 teacher, Mrs. Kelly, setting up a spider sanctuary in the back of the classroom as we studied E.B. White’s literary classic “Charlotte’s Web”. I remember learning about trees and orca whales through research in Grade 4, my first year in French Immersion, resulting in the first of many poster projects. I remember my Grade 7 English teacher. Mr. Reid, teaching us how to “properly” write on loose-leaf paper, being mindful of the margins. I remember completing a class in Grade 12 English with Mr. Hall who gave us the choice to express ourselves through any form of media to best represent our time at school. These moments stand out in my mind not because the content of the lessons themselves were particularly thrilling, but because I remember how I felt in these moments as a learner.
I maintain that all students are learners, though many require different supports in order to learn in a way that is meaningfully relevant to them. When students are actively engaged in their learning, their minds and worlds begin to open to the plethora of opportunities available to them. They develop the ability to recognize their strengths and pursue their passions. With the proper support and empowering learning techniques, they develop a growth mindset, viewing any mistakes and obstacles in learning as challenges yet to be overcome. This allows them to become problem-solvers and see solutions within systems that will serve them well in their classrooms or schools. Their pursuit of knowledge and justice will allow them to not only resolve issues within the system, but to challenge it as well. By engaging students at all junctures of their educational careers, instructors have the ability to foster the growth and development necessary for their students to become architects of their own educational journeys, gaining strengths, competencies, and confidence along the way. The process of bringing learners from the passive role towards one where they are engaged, active and empowered requires a systemic and communal approach involving passionate educators, invested in sharing their love of learning with their students. There are many elements lending to this process:
Environment
All students are capable of learning when provided with the proper conditions and care that enable them to reach their potential. To that end, teachers need to create a learning environment that allows students to flourish not only academically, but also socially, emotionally, and mentally. Whether in an elementary classroom or a university level course in Education, I strive to create this atmosphere in my classroom, allowing students to feel safe and willing to take risks in their learning. I do this primarily through the creation of authentic relationships built on trust, respect and understanding. In the more physical sense, an ideal classroom environment is established through universal accommodations allowing all students access to the content in a way that is meaningful to them. This includes hands on approaches, flexible classroom and instructional structures which allow students to collaborate with their colleagues, and the incorporation of multi-media approaches.
Relationships
We as humans have an innate need to feel a sense of belonging. Within our learning communities, whether these are groups of young learners or groups of colleagues in a professional context, students need to feel connected to others, with a secure sense of belonging. It is important that they feel valued, appreciated, understood and that they are cared for. Although this may look different in an adult learning environment, it is still essential that adult learners know you care about their professional growth and well-being. When students have that sense of connectedness within their learning environment, they are more engaged in the content as well as the collaborative aspects of learning. My goal, above all else, is to ensure that students leave my classroom knowing that they are cared for by their teacher. I achieve this sense of community in my classroom by checking in on students and learning about their lives, interests, and experiences. Education and learning is a social act, as such, it is important for educators to establish a sense of community with their colleagues. Within each of my courses, beyond establishing connections with my learners, I ensure that opportunities are provided for students to connect and interact with each other, developing professional learning communities from the outset of their careers.
Student Strengths
I believe that all learners are unique and require a degree of personalization in their learning program that takes into account their strengths and interests. When students are engaged in learning that is relevant to their daily life and consists of interest-based content, they will be naturally more engaged and intrinsically motivated to learn. In more recent years, I have made every effort to learn about individual student interests and strengths so as to better engage them in the learning process. I have done this through the establishment of genuine relationships, informal classroom discussion and tailoring content by making meaningful and relevant linkages to learners’ lived experiences. Within the adult settings in which I have taught, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels, I have also seen the increased engagement and participation of students when they are provided with choice in the manner in which the demonstrate their learning to reflect their personal interests, strengths or abilities.
Inclusion
A philosophy on teaching would be incomplete without lending thoughtful consideration to the subject of inclusion. I believe that everyone has the right to learn within a classroom setting with their peers. Due to the nature of my research interests, I am often challenged by those outside of the field of education on the success and validity of inclusion. Inclusion has been traditionally seen as the physical placement of students, to serve students with significant physical and cognitive impairments. If I were to be honest, I would say that I began my career as an educator with similar preconceived notions of inclusion as well. My experiences as a classroom teacher and researcher, though, have taught me that inclusion truly is for everyone and that there are benefits to be gained academically, socially, emotionally and culturally for all students within this inclusive education setting. It is our role as educators to prepare students to become active members of society. Within adult learning contexts, it is of equal importance to be linguistically, culturally, and academically aware and inclusive. I begin each course with an awareness to the diversity of lived experiences of individual students (whether this be learning challenges, being a member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, or having a different cultural background). Such experiences contribute to the uniqueness of each learner and present an opportunity for deeper understanding and appreciation of different perspectives.
Our inclusive system currently has support and service models and teams in place to guide the success of all students. These supports are necessary to the continued success and evolution of inclusion. Many of the elements incorporated within my own professional practices which are identified above, however, suggest the existence of a dual-dimensional approach to viewing inclusion that takes environmental and strength-based practices into account, providing a model of inclusive education which has the potential to contribute to student success and flourishing.
Global Competencies
In an education system that places so much focus on curriculum outcomes and methods of assessment, I feel like a bit of an outcast. I see value in making learning meaningful and having newly acquired skills to be transferable to real life contexts in which students may find themselves. My goals for instruction have become less about targeting a particular academic outcome and more about developing confidence and global competencies within our youth so that they can flourish in learning and in life outside of the walls of their classrooms. In adult learning settings, I underscore the importance of the application of learning and connecting theory to practice. Students need to be challenged and provided opportunities to develop skills such as the ability to think critically and creatively, to communicate effectively with other as well as the ability to problem-solve based on knowledge provided, allowing them to make better decisions in various aspects of life. When students are engaged in learning opportunities that are interesting and meet their individual needs and abilities, multiple interdisciplinary outcomes are inevitably met. For this reason, I see a teacher's role as being that of a guide and facilitator, leading students to discover and investigate the world around them. This is true in both elementary and adult learning environments.
Conclusion
My inherent teaching goals while in a French Immersion elementary classroom have been for my students to meet targeted benchmarks of achievement and leave my class with high fluency in their newly acquired second language. My experience has shown me that this is often achieved through the establishment of school and classroom connectedness and a safe and comfortable learning environment. I feel that it is important that students leave my room equipped with the knowledge and tools necessary to succeed in the following school year. More importantly, though, my goal is for them to leave my classroom with confidence in their own abilities and with pride for the evident growth they achieved throughout their time learning under my guidance. In my role of a teacher educator my goals are not so dissimilar. I wish to connect with students so that rich discussions can enhance authentic learning experiences. I wish to prepare future teachers and equip practicing teachers for the demanding and rewarding career that they have chosen. I wish to present them with a more strength-based perspective for inclusive teaching so that they may enhance the experience and learning of their future students. Finally, I wish to model effective teaching practices so as to maximize their learning experiences.