Teaching Philosophy

As a teacher, my priorities would be to create an environment that benefits or interests the

students. This includes looking at examples that relate the topic to the world around them,
reviewing old topics within new topics, and creating activities that tie everything they have
learned into one piece. One thing I want to show students is that everything that is being done in
the classroom has a purpose if not in their future activities then on how things around them work.
This helps keep the students interested and attentive to the context. It’s important to me for
students to want to learn and understand the material being presented to them because if they
don’t have any motivation then they don’t see a point on trying in the class. When students see
that a teacher is trying to connect the material to what’s around them and tries to come up with
different ways for them to understand a topic then the students will take notice into it. This might
encourage the student to ask questions and could get them motivated to keep trying in the course.
It’s also important to keep in mind that the students are still maturing. This means that
students may look mature, but their actions are not so much. They may say or do things that are
controlled more by their emotions and because they are still maturing, they are still learning to
control their emotions and the consequences of their actions. With this in mind as a teacher, I
think it’s important sometimes to not take everything a student may say or do to the heart.
Students may sometimes have a bad day and do things that are out of their character. If it gets too
out of hand I would try and get the student to talk about it and advise them on how to approach
their problem in a more positive way. In other words, I believe as a teacher the problem needs to
be addressed and have the student think thoroughly about the reasons behind their actions. It’s
important to show students you, the teacher, are there to help them grow as individuals and not
someone who immediately goes to punishment as a reinforcement.
I also believe a teacher is a guide through the lesson. A teacher should be responsible for
modeling the topic and giving examples to the students so they understand what was taught.
Most of the topics that are taught are continuations of something already learned or something
completely new. In either case, a teacher is there to guide students through the process of
learning. It is always a good idea to refresh old topics before introducing a new topic. It helps
students remember how to do a problem or get a better sense of what the problem is about. Once
the students seem to understand the class can move on to the next topic. After each example I
like to ask students if they understand and if they have any questions on what was modeled on
the board. The feedback helps me see if we the class needs another similar example or if they are
ready to move on.
Thus, my pedagogical philosophy is to help students understand the material being taught
in class and how it connects to the world around us and to be there when a student needs help or
guidance.