Philosophy of Education
I believe that the teacher’s role in the classroom is to serve as a facilitator for the students’ learning. The teacher guides the students through a path which helps them master the skills they need to succeed and also allows them to explore the questions they have about the diverse world around them. Today, the world is a global village, but many schools do not offer a platform where students are exposed to different cultures and perspectives. My goal is to infuse ideas and thoughts in my teaching, that would help students grow into global citizens.
I would like to help increase students’ curiosity and allow them to be open-minded to explore, grow and shape their personalities in the way they choose. On the teacher’s part, this requires building strong relationships with students, taking risks in applying new teaching and learning techniques such as technology integration to enhance learning, while being flexible in working with every student. " |
Differentiation
I believe that not every student learns in the same way. One of my strengths is to explore alternative learning options to help each particular student, by differentiating activities to enhance their learning to be effective and enjoyable. A simple example that I learned from my time at City High Middle School during my pH, acids and bases unit, was that some students really enjoyed projects, others preferred reading and taking notes, some liked to draw concepts out, some enjoyed group work etc. I like to offer alternative activities that all work toward the same goal of teaching that understanding of pH, acids and bases for example, but by providing students with various means to gain experience with this concept. We had a few reading assignments, some videos to watch, a group project, writing assignment, a simulation lab, and a quiz. By providing students with various options for critical thinking and hand-on activities, the classroom environment becomes one where students can explore challenging options and open up to new ideas, but also gain understanding of the concept through activities which are comfortable for them. There is always a risk-benefit analysis you have to make when trying something new, but some risks are worth taking to reach the final positive goal of ensuring that the concept is fully understood by every student.
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Diversity |
I feel that in order to apply an individualized learning model, the teacher must be able to connect with children on a personal level. My diverse cultural background, along with my knowledge of cultures and languages, helps me be open-minded to other cultures and relate to the international student. I like to delve into it and build a personal relationship with the student. I can build relationships with students of different backgrounds to help them learn and overcome learning or personal challenges. For example, one of the students I used to tutor had a difficult time understanding math concepts. I was able to tailor the teaching by making simple changes, to something he could connect with in his daily life, making the learning more fun and relatable. For example, just changing algebra examples to be about ravioli and make them about jalebis! By providing the student with culturally relevant examples, the core concept was properly understood. This, along with many other modifications in teaching, helped his grades improve drastically. When he first started with me, he was getting C’s, but later he started to move up to B’s and A’s. In fact, even after I moved to Grand Rapids, his mom requested if I could tutor him online, and this really benefited him too.
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Technology
Along with tutoring a student online, I have been fortunate enough to be a part of the teaching world during the COVID pandemic in 2020. I was exposed to teaching virtually, hybrid, and also in the classroom. The first and most important lesson that I have learned during this time is the importance of being flexible and open to change. This opportunity has allowed me to really delve deep and explore the variety of options available to help enhance learning through technology. It has been a challenge to figure out what method works best, as each student learns slightly differently, but with some trial and error, I have been able to come up with a few strategies to help student engagement in the online learning environment. One of the most crucial skills I have learned is organizing my classroom by using Google Classroom. The system I have created there has made it easy for students to navigate through their class and learn to be efficient and organized. I have also worked hard to increase student engagement in an online setting by effectively utilizing platforms such as Pollev, Jamboard, Kahoot, Zoom breakout rooms, EdPuzzle, online science labs and simulations, etc. I am still working on improving my technology literacy by looking into other softwares such as Peardeck and hope to incorporate more of these in my teaching to enhance learning and increase outcomes of student success.
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Patience and Persistence |
Another trait that makes me feel strongly about teaching practices is that I don’t believe in giving up on any student. Teachers need the patience to explore each student’s personality and learning style to reach the right strategy that hits the mark to enhance each student’s learning. When I first started teaching preschool, I had a student who was on the low autism spectrum and threw many tantrums, did not sit in class, would hit other students and throw toys and other materials around. It was difficult for me at first because this was my first time dealing with such a student, but I didn’t give up. He was an intelligent student who understood concepts quickly. He would be the first one to complete activities. After reading a little bit more about his behaviors and watching him in different situations, I came to the realization over time that he needed to be kept occupied all the time; he always needed an activity to keep him busy. He enjoyed this and it resulted in a reduction of tantrums. He was also doing better in class and was getting along with his peers. I realized that he had the ability to excel way faster than many of the other students, but he needed to be provided with the environment suitable to his needs, and it took lots of patience and some trial and error to realize what was suitable for him.
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