Personal Teaching Philosophy Van Gundy 1

Personal Teaching Philosophy

Alexandria Van Gundy

Grand Canyon University: ECH-520 Foundations of Early Childhood

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A teacher is defined as “someone who teaches” (Dictionary.com, 2016.) However, a

teacher is more than the definition of the word; teachers provide students with new tools to apply

to situations that occur inside and outside of school. A teacher cannot just teach a child the

material from each subject required, they must teach them how to apply that material and use it

in other places in order to be successful. Teachers must find the best way for each child to learn,

and so must be an advocate for the child and his or her education. Children are only as successful

as the people who support them. Therefor it is the teacher’s responsibility to provide an open line

of communication and attempt to form a relationship with the family of the child. In this way, the

teacher is being an advocate for the child by encouraging the family to be involved in the child’s

education (Lanier, 1997.) It is also the teacher’s responsibility to provide students with a

learning-rich environment. Children do not have the ability to maintain focus for long periods of

time. Therefore, it is important that the teacher provide materials and activities around the room

to continue their learning. If a child cannot focus on the activity at hand, it is vital that when their

eyes wander it is on materials that are still educational. When teaching a lesson, placing

materials that are relevant to the topic should be accessible to the students and large enough to

see from anywhere in the room. Also, if a student completes activities early, providing books to

read enhances the child’s education as well.

A teacher can lecture and provide material to a student, but that does not ensure that the

student will learn the material or even how to use it in other situations. All children learn in

different ways, so it is the teacher’s job to find the best way to teach each student the lesson.

Every student’s learning style is determined by both nature and nurture. Nature determines a

child’s learning style through the child’s abilities. If a child can quickly learn through building

things or completing experiments or physical activities, the learning style is kinesthetic. A child
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who lacks coordination is not likely to have the kinesthetic learning style. However, a child also

develops learning style based on his or her environment. A child that is raised in an environment

without books is not likely to have a reading style of learning (Turuk, 2008.) Learning style is

one of many factors that a teacher must consider when teaching a classroom of students. Another

factor is whether or not the needs of all the students and the teacher are being met. If a child is

hungry, they will have difficulties focusing on lessons and may even have difficulties controlling

moods, which affects the child’s social and emotional needs. When a person’s basic needs are

not being met, their motivation is not for education but to fulfill the needs that they are lacking.

Once a person’s basic needs are met, that person can continue fulfilling needs, such as education,

in order to be the most successful person possible (Bredekamp, 2014.)

My goal as a teacher is to provide my students with the ability to learn anything and the

confidence to learn everything. Children, like adults, need validation. As an educator, it is my job

to provide them with tools and the ability to use those tools with confidence in the real world. A

child can learn information from any teacher, but it is the early childhood educator that provides

the foundation of learning abilities. Identifying and practicing executive function skills is crucial

in the learning abilities of children. It is important to practice and build those skills to allow them

to receive the best and most useful education possible. When it comes to young children, I do not

believe that formal assessments of knowledge of material and information is as important as

skills and abilities. A child can learn the alphabet and know it by heart, but it means nothing if

that child is not taught that those letters can be used to form the words that are inside books.

When a child is learning new skills, it is essential to have outside support. Children have a better

chance of success with support from family. If the family is involved in the child’s education, the

family can assist in strengthening the skills that the child is learning in the school. So, as an
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educator it is my job to provide an open line of communication and establish a positive

relationship with the families of students. Children also need support from others within their

classroom. A sense of community within the classroom provides support and acceptance that a

child may not find anywhere else. It is important for children to accept each other and support

each other in the classroom. This will advance their social and emotional skills as they grow.

Community is important because it provides relationships for students that would otherwise not

exist. For instance, placing two children together as reading buddies allows them to develop a

personal relationship that supports both of them. They may not be friends outside of the

classroom, but their sense of community will provide them with the support outside. Community

environments reduce bullying and increase productivity in the classroom. Educators have the

ability to teach their children everything by providing the right environment in which to thrive.
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References

Bredekamp, S. (2014). Effective Practices in Early Childhood Education: Building a Foundation,

Second Edition. Pearson Education. New York: New York.

Dictionary.com. (2016). Teacher. Retrieved from http://www.dictionary.com/browse/teacher

Lanier, J.T. (1997). Redefining the Role of the Teacher: It's a Multifaceted Profession. Edutopia.

Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/redefining-role-teacher

Turuk, M. C. (2008). THE RELEVANCE AND IMPLICATIONS OF VYGOTSKY'S

SOCIOCULTURAL THEORY IN THE SECOND LANGUAGE CLASSROOM. Annual

Review Of Education, Communication & Language Sciences, 5244-262.