Philosophy of Education Statement
The artifact included below is my philosophy of education statement. This statement relays some of my core beliefs about teaching and what I believe makes a an excellent teacher. This statement is meant to give a summary of some key components of my overall philosophy that I hope to someday integrate into all aspects of my practice as a teacher.
I included this artifact in my portfolio because I believe that it is important for every person who is seeking to become a teacher to take a look at what their essence as a teacher is, as dictated by who they let their core beliefs shape them to be. A teacher must learn to reconcile their teaching self with who they are outside of school, otherwise conflict will occur within that teacher and this ultimately have a negative impact on their students. I included my philosophy of education statement under the competency "Knowledge of students" because I believe that in order for a teacher to have the ability to seek an understanding of his or her students and their needs, he or she needs to have a philosophy established that will in turn direct their efforts in this task.
Another reason that I decided to incorporate my philosophy of education under the competency "Knowledge of students" is because just as teacher must have high expectations for his or her students, that teacher must also have high expectations for themself. To gain a true understanding of students and what challenges they face in learning a teacher must to pursuing challenges to simultaneously learn and grow as a teacher. Creating a philosophy of education statement is a way for a teacher to "set the bar" for who they want to become as a teacher.
Philosophy of Education Statement:
Philosophy of Education Statement
I believe that as a teacher I need to understand and recognize that my students come from
a variety of backgrounds and that they do not enter the classroom as blank slates, but rather bring
an abundance of different experiences, interests and knowledge with them. In response to this, I
believe that it is important for a teacher to be flexible with plans due to the variety of needs that
diverse learners inevitably bring to the classroom. Careful planning that is driven by assessment
and identified objectives of what a teacher expects students to know and to be able to do, in
accordance with the Understanding by Design model, is essential to the teacher's creation of a
successful learning environment.
Another belief that I have as a teacher is the importance of having high expectations for
students as far as their academics, social interactions, and overall personal growth and
development as a person. In order for this to happen successfully my students need to have a
clear knowledge and understanding of these expectations. These will stem from not only their
contributions in the creation of classroom rules but also what I convey to them that is expected
they do during transitions, different times of the day, etc. as we establish a classroom routine. It
is my responsibility to my students to explain these thoroughly and give them time to practice
these, ask questions, etc. until they become ingrained into our daily activities.
Lastly, I believe in the importance of a teacher "seeing" all students and an awareness of
who students are and what they bring to the classroom. A teacher's ability to differentiate for
various student needs to a key response to this reality. This means setting goals for students to
succeed individual in addition to setting class goals. A teacher needs to be able to figure out, with
each new class he or she teaches, who those students are as individuals and what steps a teacher
needs to take in response to those individuals to help them succeed in all areas of class life.
I included this artifact in my portfolio because I believe that it is important for every person who is seeking to become a teacher to take a look at what their essence as a teacher is, as dictated by who they let their core beliefs shape them to be. A teacher must learn to reconcile their teaching self with who they are outside of school, otherwise conflict will occur within that teacher and this ultimately have a negative impact on their students. I included my philosophy of education statement under the competency "Knowledge of students" because I believe that in order for a teacher to have the ability to seek an understanding of his or her students and their needs, he or she needs to have a philosophy established that will in turn direct their efforts in this task.
Another reason that I decided to incorporate my philosophy of education under the competency "Knowledge of students" is because just as teacher must have high expectations for his or her students, that teacher must also have high expectations for themself. To gain a true understanding of students and what challenges they face in learning a teacher must to pursuing challenges to simultaneously learn and grow as a teacher. Creating a philosophy of education statement is a way for a teacher to "set the bar" for who they want to become as a teacher.
Philosophy of Education Statement:
Philosophy of Education Statement
I believe that as a teacher I need to understand and recognize that my students come from
a variety of backgrounds and that they do not enter the classroom as blank slates, but rather bring
an abundance of different experiences, interests and knowledge with them. In response to this, I
believe that it is important for a teacher to be flexible with plans due to the variety of needs that
diverse learners inevitably bring to the classroom. Careful planning that is driven by assessment
and identified objectives of what a teacher expects students to know and to be able to do, in
accordance with the Understanding by Design model, is essential to the teacher's creation of a
successful learning environment.
Another belief that I have as a teacher is the importance of having high expectations for
students as far as their academics, social interactions, and overall personal growth and
development as a person. In order for this to happen successfully my students need to have a
clear knowledge and understanding of these expectations. These will stem from not only their
contributions in the creation of classroom rules but also what I convey to them that is expected
they do during transitions, different times of the day, etc. as we establish a classroom routine. It
is my responsibility to my students to explain these thoroughly and give them time to practice
these, ask questions, etc. until they become ingrained into our daily activities.
Lastly, I believe in the importance of a teacher "seeing" all students and an awareness of
who students are and what they bring to the classroom. A teacher's ability to differentiate for
various student needs to a key response to this reality. This means setting goals for students to
succeed individual in addition to setting class goals. A teacher needs to be able to figure out, with
each new class he or she teaches, who those students are as individuals and what steps a teacher
needs to take in response to those individuals to help them succeed in all areas of class life.