‘Molly is a high energy, dynamic teacher who facilitates the learning processes very well. She has sufficient confidence in herself… she manages unplanned incidences very well and offers educative opportunities to manage the situations. Her relationship with her students is warm and supportive.’
-UWA Supervisor on Final Practicum Report
In order for students to experience meaningful learning, they need to be engaged, challenged, and supported by their classroom teacher. To me, this means creating interesting and varied lessons that allow students to participate in hands on and discovery learning. Discovery learning allows for students to take ownership of their own education and follow their natural curiosities (Bruner, 1961). This can help to bring concepts to life for otherwise disengaged students; I found this to be particularly true in a Year 3 classroom where students were given a ‘line of symmetry’ and encouraged to explore the environment in search of symmetry and asymmetry. A Year 5 class explored camouflage with a structured experiment that they were later able to adapt, improve, and reflect upon. After these lessons I found students had improved understandings as they had achieved the specific lesson goals, comprised of direct links to the Western Australian Curriculum (SCSA, 2014).
I ensure to challenge students to perform their best by pitching content that is at an appropriate difficultly level for the student to grow- utilising Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (Vygotsky, 1987). This is often done through differentiation; the individualising of a learning experience by altering content, process, product, or environment (Tomlinson, 2000). While I believe students need to be able to adapt and work within a structure, I selectively alter the four aspects of my teaching in order to best suit students. I’ve altered content by giving extension students Maths Olympiad problems to work on together, I’ve altered process by giving support students manipulatives to support their understanding of fractions. I’ve allowed students to have freedom of choice in the creation of a product by allowing them to choose from a ‘Bloom’s Taxonomy’ matrix (Bloom, 1956), and I’ve varied working environments by taking lessons outside, and playing music for students while they complete quiet work.
This Tagul creation illustrates some of the key words central to my teaching philosophy.
References
Bloom, B. S. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives. Vol. 1: Cognitive domain. New York: McKay, 20-24.
Bruner, J. S. (1961). The act of discovery. Harvard educational review.
Tomlinson, C. A. (2000). Differentiation of Instruction in the Elementary Grades. ERIC Digest.
Vygotsky, L. (1987). Zone of proximal development. Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes, 5291.
Western Australian Curriculum. (2014). K10outline.scsa.wa.edu.au. Retrieved 14 October 2016, from http://k10outline.scsa.wa.edu.au/home/p-10-curriculum/curriculum-browser/english-v8
Teaching Philosophy
This widget shows some of the texts and theorists that have influenced my developing teaching philosophy.