Teaching Philosophy 

As a teacher, our goals should be to provide students with the opportunity and support to grow academically and personally. The teacher is a guiding force rather than a dominant figure. The classroom needs to have a culture or environment that creates comfort for students to share ideas and fail. It is through collaboration and mistakes that new ideas and skills are born and honed. I intend to provide my students with multiple chances to engage with their peers. For a successful collaboration, a classroom culture where students are comfortable sharing their ideas and exposing their weaknesses is required. Collaborative activities allow students to utilize previous knowledge and attempt to solve unique problems based on their members. It is important to emphasize that learning is a cycle of improving and failing. It is important to learn how to face challenges and develop the skills to overcome problems. Similarly, I believe students need to gain critical thinking skills to understand the world around them and as contributing citizens. 

I hope to instill a joy for learning and allow them to find ownership in their education. Students need to have agency in how they want to engage in the content and find ways of translating the skills they gain from the class to make it a meaningful lesson. It is part of a teacher’s responsibility to drive the students forward and lead discussions that will enhance the perspectives of every student. 

To assess the student’s understanding, simple formative assessments where the teacher interacts with the students as they work on the material provide the clearest snapshots of where the students are. To quantify this, the teacher can use long-term projects that act as a collective assessment over the course of units or grading periods to grade students without the pressure or the limited scope of testing. These projects can act as generative assignments that synthesize previous lessons, or apply the content to external scenarios to engage the students. If exams are required, tests that are split into 2 parts, individual and group, would allow students to demonstrate their understanding of the content and integrate collaborative problem-solving. 

As a teacher, I strive to provide my students with the education and mentorship to succeed wherever they choose to go. I hope to light a passion for science and create a hunger for knowledge. Moreover, I want to guide students to become a better person and to always be looking for ways to improve themselves and the world around them.