Robin
Crim
EDUC
5123
April
30, 2014
My Personal Education Philosophy
As I began college I knew that I
wanted to teach and I have always had a love for history. I was blessed to discover the Museum Studies
program at Baylor University. Working in
museums has shown me that teaching may be done in many ways and has opened a
whole new world of thinking about learning for me and is a large part of how I
approach teaching today. It is a
pleasure to inspire and motivate children to be better, to be all they can be
by opening new worlds and ideas to them.
My experience in museum education gives me a hands-on, multi-sensory
approach to learning that I think bodes well for today’s classrooms. I believe that by using multi-sensory
curriculum that is taught in a wide range of learning styles, I will excel as a
teacher who is able to reach a multitude of students at their level.
I believe that today’s teachers have
a responsibility to guide and interpret learning activities so that students
find meaning in what they are learning.
Today’s teachers should make it a goal to provide authentic learning
experiences that not only interest the student but also guide them to becoming
intelligent, problem solvers who are prepared for today’s society. It is a teacher’s responsibility to provide
students with the skill sets and knowledge required to maintain state and
national guidelines, but today’s teachers should also encourage students to go
beyond what is essential and to use their knowledge to impact their lives and
the lives of those around them. Because my own learning
styles are so varied, it is my intention to teach with varied teaching styles
when in the classroom. I believe that it
is imperative that a teacher must teach to every student in order to allow all
students to be reached on their own levels.
A student who is mostly one learning style can have their understanding
enhanced by allowing them to see the information, hear the information and to
experience the information. When in my
own classroom, I would like to introduce new subjects in varied ways. I believe that by using several types of
teaching resources, such technology, special guests, hands on experiences and
more traditional approaches such as guided practice and reading a teacher is
more likely to reach all her students learning styles. To assess the student’s understanding of the
presented information, I would use cooperative learning techniques such as
pairing up or “round robin” discussions, independent and group projects,
concept maps and traditional testing methods.
In my experience within the classroom I
have learned that a well-managed classroom leads to a highly engaged
classroom. In order to keep students
engaged and learning a teacher must have guidelines and expectations in
place. I believe that today’s students
are intelligent, motivated and highly technical. Today’s students want to be involved in their
own learning and they want to be engaged.
Today’s students need to be allowed to participate in planning and need
frequent, meaningful feedback on their accomplishments as well as their
failures. In order to reach today’s
students; classrooms should be diverse and open. I believe that classrooms, above all else,
should be seen as a “safe” place.
Students and teachers should feel that their ideas, thoughts and
experiences have value and the classroom should be open to everyone’s ideas as
well as meaningful critiques of those ideas.
I believe that successes should be rewarded and that failures are
learning experiences that students can be taught from. Most importantly, as a teacher it is my
responsibility to model that behavior that I desire in my students and to treat
each student as an important and special individual.
Today’s
society and work places are ever changing.
As an educator, professional development and continuing education
classes are imperative to success in the classroom. School districts are continually searching
for new ways not just to educate the students but to also enhance their
teacher’s knowledge. It is my goal as an
educator to continue with my Master’s degree in education as well as glean all
that I can through district workshops and conferences. It is important that I learn the best way to
engage today’s students. It is important
that I stay up with and competent in today’s technology. In order to be the teacher that I want to be
I must find ways to engage in my own learning to keep fresh and motivated. I am extremely pleased to have taken the initial
steps towards my Masters and I eagerly await the opportunity to use the
knowledge and concepts that I have learned with in my own classroom.
