Every teacher holds a set of beliefs and values that influence the way in which they educate. Here’s some of mine...
"Teaching is just reflecting and perfecting."
With the wise words of my one of my school mentor now echoing in my head, I find that two of the most significant qualities to have in teaching are reflection and collaboration, within the classroom and in wider responsibilities, both of which have motivated me to create this blog. The reasoning… to record my journey as a student teacher, with lots of reflections on my practice, alongside my thoughts on current educational issues and debates.
Joining EduTwitter has been a defining moment for my personal and professional development. Not only have I been able to follow these debates more closely, exploring the many different views out there, I have found so many fantastic resources and ideas to use in school, so fantastic that I don’t think my teaching would be the same without it.
As educators, it is important to remember that we are constantly learning and shaping the way in which we teach. As in the classroom for our pupils, an effective way to do this is through sharing knowledge and engaging with others, enhancing our own experiences and magnifying the exhilaration that comes with teaching.
Considering this, what better way to first contribute than to consider my teaching philosophy and what has informed it, in the hope that you will better grasp the values and beliefs that I hold. What does teaching mean to me? How would I define my teacher identify? The learning environment I want to create? I think the answers are very open-ended, forever shifting depending on the opportunities that we have. However, there are some elements that I think are central to my teaching ideology, that shape the lessons I conduct and my overall attitude towards education.
High expectations
"Every child deserves a champion – an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connections and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be."
All children deserve an inspiring curriculum that challenges them to maximise the innate potential that they hold within. It takes just one teacher to inspire a pupil, to listen to them and to cheer for every step they take. As the amazing Rita Pierson once said, “every child deserves a champion.” I want to be that champion for the pupils in my classroom.
Quite simply the Pygmalion effect explains why I believe that teachers should hold high expectations of all their pupils – Pygmalion, a mythical Greek character whom the theory was named after, fell in love with a sculpture he had carved and Aphrodite, the Goddess of love, granted the statue life.
By setting high standards for all children in the class, they will be encouraged to acknowledge their capabilities and reach their potential. Teachers should act as facilitators in the children’s learning, providing the right amount of support to challenge pupils where necessary, truly believing in what they are capable of.
Relationships
Building a classroom environment where children can express themselves and explore their own interests, an inclusive community that is built on mutual trust and respect, is crucial for their personal growth and success. I believe that as teachers, we must be our authentic selves in the classroom, modelling the trusting nature that we expect from our pupils, showing children that it’s safe to be themselves, to own their personalities, to be vulnerable. When I have taken the role of classroom teacher in my placements, I often share my news with children, for example what I did on my journey to school that day (would you have guessed that I, too, take the bus to school every morning instead of sleeping in the PE cupboard) or what I had done at the weekend. In learning more about me, the children are able to connect, giving me the opportunity to build relationships with them.
The interactions that we have with our pupils are transactional, as is everything in life – the care and consideration that we give will always reflect in the quality of learning taking place. This is why I make it my mission during the first week of every placement to talk with each pupil and find least one interest that they have. Truly listening to them has been so rewarding in connecting on a level beyond my teaching role, showing them that I really care for them and I really want them to do well.
Collaboration
During one of my placements, I worked with a group of children who were struggling with their reading comprehension. After having a discussion beforehand, it was decided to share the reading of the text. Every time one of us struggled with a word or sentence, we would press the gameshow-style buzzer that was placed in the middle of the table to ‘phone a friend’ for help. After we had finished the book, I realised the importance of sharing the learning experience with my pupils. By asking these children what would make them feel more comfortable in their reading, it allowed them to lead the activity and feel more confident in the environment.
Encouraging children to take lead in their learning is both inspiring and motivating for them. Allowing their voices to be heard empowers them to take ownership of their successes and learn from their mistakes. Therefore, just as feedback is collected from us by my university tutors about the lectures and workshops they deliver, I think that it is important to offer pupils these same opportunities. These discussions will encourage children to be reflective learners, taking control of the curriculum, and will allow the teacher to plan activities that suit their interests, providing purpose and meaning to the lessons (possibly through cross-curricular means, a pedagogy that I absolutely love). In turn, offering time for children to explore their own interests and curiosities will make the content in lessons more interesting and relevant to their own lives.
While it is important for teachers and pupils to collaborate, I think there should also be a strong emphasis on collaborative learning amongst pupils as well. Dialogic teaching, as developed by Robin Alexander, uses talk strategies to engage children and is something that I always aim to include in my teaching as the benefits are phenomenal. Not only are children encouraged to reflect deeply on the subject content, the discussions that take place offer much value to the lesson, again allowing pupils to lead the learning and consolidate their knowledge through methods that suit them.
Each classroom hosts a variety of personalities, experiences and skills, all of which should be recognised and celebrated regularly. Every pupil within that classroom has the right to a stimulating curriculum that inspires and challenges them. The environment should be a safe and constructive area, where children are free to explore and thrive in their learning, encouraging them to utilise the relationships they have with their peers through engaging discussions and activities. These are some of the values that I carry with me as a teacher.
What inspires your teaching philosophy and how does it defines you as a teacher?
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