Education has always been a great important part of my life. I have seen how education can change my life and people’s lives in a positive way. Taking the course, Foundations of Education, I am grateful to have access to many theories and foundations, adding to my background knowledge and experiences to be able to build my teaching philosophy. To me, a combination of the positive features of Essentialism, Perennialism, Progressivism, and Social Reconstructionism (Hooser & McClain, 2022) creates a sound educational philosophy that will guide my teaching. I believe that teaching is to support students to prepare them for their future life. The relationship between teachers and students is of importance to facilitate students’ learning and communicating at school and in life. In addition, teaching requires teachers to believe and inspire students to achieve their best potential.
First, teaching is to prepare students for their future life. Students need a rich knowledge base. Knowledge accelerates learning, reducing time that students need to obtain and master new knowledge and cognitive processes, for instance, problem solving and reasoning (Willingham, 2006). Given extensive background knowledge, they have the foundation that they need to create original thoughts and make new things later, which is the highest level of learning in Bloom’s Taxonomy (Armstrong, 2010). The knowledge base can be gained through teaching universal concepts that hold true over time as Perennialism suggests. It can come from essential knowledge and skills in the core subjects like Reading, Math, Science, History, Technology, and Languages that are beneficial in the modern world as Essentialism recommends. I feel that the approach of Progressivism would also be appropriate in my classroom. I would like to promote thinking by creating small groups debating and customizing activities so that my students would be placed at the center in my practice.
Regarding knowledge base, I strongly believe that Literacy is a crucial part that students need to master at school. As Karen Weaver highlights “There can be no equity, no social justice, without literacy.” (M. Baerg, personal communication, November 06, 2023), the significance of reading proficiently seems unarguable in teaching. I know that I will employ the Structured Literacy approach with explicit instructions (M. Baerg, personal communication, November 13, 2023), to help my students develop reading proficiently. I learned that the University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI) Foundations program, which is based on linguistics knowledge like the sounds, structures, and meanings of word, has shown a significant success in teaching kids to read (University of Florida Literacy Institute, n.d.). I have been practicing reading with my nine-year-old son using the speech sound system as the UFLI Foundations program introduces. He is not a native English speaker, but he seems to read much better thanks to the UFLI program.
Moreover, it is worth mentioning that students need to learn and practice critical thinking skills to prepare for their future life. I realize that we are living in a world with many problematic issues like wars, global warming, and racism. I will incorporate the focus of Social Reconstructionism in my teaching to allow my students to think about their responsibilities in communities. I do believe that I can raise students’ awareness and encourage good behaviors to improve our society. For instance, I have seen racism and inequitable patterns that Indigenous people have been facing in Canadian society and education system. Being a teacher in the time of Truth and Reconciliation requires me to educate my students about residential schools and the impacts of assimilation and intergenerational policies on Indigenous people in the past. Moreover, I will utilize The First Peoples Principles of Learning (BC Ministry of Education & First Nations Education Steering Committee, 2006/2007) to provide an Indigenous-informed pedagogy that benefits all my students. I believe that can help me to improve equality and equity in our educational system as suggested by Social Reconstructionism.
Secondly, I have determined that teaching and learning can achieve great success when teachers and students can build their connections and maintain a healthy relationship. It means that the relationship between teachers and students is based on trust, kindness, and care. Hammond emphasizes the significance of “building rapport” and “building an alliance” in the teacher-student relationship that can allow teachers to “have permission to push” students (Hammond, 2017). Note that a school’s environment is like a small community where students can learn how to build healthy relationships and how to communicate effectively with each other. My goal is to make my classroom and school environment inclusive where “all students are welcomed and valued for who they are” (Inclusion BC, n.d.). I believe that students deserve a school where they can have a sense of safety and belonging. From that, I can develop a positive relationship with my students. Jo Chrona mentions that learning is most powerful when we can connect the hearts and the minds (personal conversation, November 28, 2023). I strongly think that the connection between teacher and students can further their learning. I have witnessed this in my practicum that promoting inclusive education and healthy teacher-student relationships are the key to teaching and learning.
To me, getting to know students individually can help me build trust with them. As a teacher, I will utilize Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory to acquire a full understanding about each student in my class. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory points out that the development of a child can be influenced by complicated aspects like his/her family, peers, schools, communities, sociocultural belief systems, etc. (Margolis, May-Varas, & Mead, 2022). This will allow me to see my students holistically, understand why my students behave in specific ways and what I might anticipate as I am conducting my lessons. Then when I hit a “bumpy road” I can easily get through that. Throughout my first practicum, I have had time to help some students with special needs like ADHD or students struggling with emotion management. Although I had short amounts of time talking and supporting them, I found out that my authenticity and attention to them paid off. We were connected as they knew that I cared about them. There were moments that I realized that they were about to flip their lids. I was able to be patient to help them calm down and examine what triggered them. I sat down and guided them to finish their assignments. I continually encouraged them and gave them high fives after they completed their assignments. I used trauma-informed practice to put their lids back on (M. Baerg, personal communication, November 13, 2023). I realize that the connections that I built with them allowed me to build trust and help them study. Some students hugged me when I left their class. Those moments made me understand how a positive relationship between an educator and students can create impactful influences on students. This is also how I see myself managing my classroom and connecting with my students.
Lastly, taking the role of a teacher reminds me that I will need to believe in my theoretical mindset, as well as my intuition and experience as a parent. Most importantly, I need to believe in my students’ abilities and inspire them to achieve their best potential. This pedagogical statement is based on Professional Standards for BC Educators stating that “Educators value the success of all students. Educators care for students and act in their best interests.” (BC Teachers’ Council, 2019). I think an important part of a teacher’s job is to instill confidence in students. The inspirational educator Rita Pierson emphasized the importance of confidence and purpose as she asked her students to think about themselves in a positive manner. The key is for students to say, “I will be a better somebody when I leave. I am powerful, and I am strong. I deserve the education that I get here. I have things to do, people to impress, and places to go.” (Pierson, 2013). Psychological research shows that feeling good about themselves acts as the catalyst to move students forward. I strongly believe that teachers should never give up on students. Instead, as a teacher, I will give them confidence and “insist that they become the best that they can possibly be” (Pierson, 2013).
How, then, can I inspire my students to believe in themselves and become better students and better human beings? I found the answer through Dr. Shelly Moore’s statement about inclusive education and teaching to diversity that “we start with our strengths” (Moore, 2016). I believe that I could start with my strengths, which are listening, giving encouragement, and never giving up. I always want my students to do their best and “get comfortable with being uncomfortable” (Chrona, 2022) because that is how we can strive. Thus, I will model behavior by challenging myself in my teaching. I can challenge myself to get out of my comfort zone, be open to changes and ideas, and be willing to adapt my lessons and instructions to support my students with different learning styles. My classroom can be indoor and outdoor with diverse activities that allow students to engage actively and playfully. I need to update my understanding of cognitive science and neuroscience’s findings about the human brain and studying. I will continue to improve my methodology in all phases of my lessons and curriculum to be able to make the learning achievement I know they can do. To that end, I will continue as a lifelong learner, ready to learn from my students in a humble and confident manner.
Teaching is a challenging profession. Teaching is the job that could make teachers exhausted and burn out because teachers continue their job long after they have left their classrooms. Nonetheless, teaching is also rewarding and inspiring. Being a teacher could permit me to have a positive impact on my students. I have seen that my teachers have brought me my characteristics and the opportunity to have the life I would love to have. I remember vividly how my Grade 1 teacher built in me the joy and excitement of learning and being curious about new things in life. That brought me to Canada and encouraged me to pursue my teaching dream. I am determined to become a teacher that can create differences in students’ lives by helping them gain knowledge and skills through a positive teacher-student relationship with my everlasting belief and inspiration for them.
References
Armstrong, P. (2010). Bloom’s Taxonomy. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved
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BC Ministry of Education & First Nations Education Steering Committee (2006/2007). First
Peoples Principles of Learning. https://www.fnesc.ca/first-peoples-principles-of-learning/
BC Teachers’ Council. (2019). Professional Standards for BC Educators.
Chrona, J. (2022). Wayi Wah! Indigenous Pedagogies: An Act for Reconciliation and Anti-Racist
Education. Portage & Main Press.
Hammond, Z. (2017, May 4). Zaretta Hammond: Culturally Responsive Teaching and the
Brain Webinar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2kzbH7ZWGg
Hooser, A., & McClain, J. (2022). Introduction to Education. Middle Tennessee State University
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Inclusion BC. (n.d.). What is Inclusive Education?
Margolis, J., May-Varas, S., & Mead, T. (Eds.). (2022). Educational Learning Theories: 3rd Edition.
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Moore, S. (2016, June 21). One Without the Other. WordPress.
Pierson, R. (2013, May). Every kid needs a champion [Video]. TED Conferences.
University of Florida Literacy Institute. (n.d.). UFLI-Foundations-Overview.
Willingham, D. (2006). How Knowledge Helps. American Educator, Spring 2006. https://www.aft.org/a
