Statement of Educational Philosophy
Written By: Jane Reynolds
Through my teaching experience and my education, I have come to believe that:
I believe that literacy:
I believe that mathematics:
When teaching social studies and science, I believe that:
- teachers must create a welcoming, safe, and inclusive classroom community
- student diversity should be embraces and celebrated
- learning is a social process
- parents play an important and integral role in student learning, and should be involved in all aspects of their child's education
- teachers play many roles in instruction (including facilitator and scaffolder)
- teachers should know each child's strengths, challenges, and interests
- students should have an active and hands-on role in their own education
- instruction is effective when designed to be cross curricular
- assessment should be ongoing and be used to inform planning and instruction
- children should have a choice when it comes to their own learning
- integrating many forms of technology into instruction can motivate and engage students in content
I believe that literacy:
- instruction includes many valid research based approaches to reading such as reading workshop, guided reading, computer based programs, literature discussion groups, etc.
- instruction includes many valid approaches to writing instruction including writers workshop and the 6+1 traits
- instruction should be balanced among reading, writing, listening, and speaking includes reading to children everyday
- should be fun, engaging, and diverse in content, culture, and genre
- should be taught in a way that reaches all different kinds of learners
- should immerse students in text rich environments
- instruction needs to include opportunity to talk about the text as a comprehension strategy
I believe that mathematics:
- instruction should include students using manipulatives whenever appropriate
- instruction should occur daily
- understanding is prompted by hands on activities
- tasks and questions should encourage higher level thinking
- instruction should focus on real life application
- conceptual knowledge should lead to procedural knowledge
- concepts should be explored and discussed by students in small group settings
- assessment should focus on both process and product
When teaching social studies and science, I believe that:
- current events should be discussed for the students' understanding of their society
- content should be organized into themes structured around important ideas
- instruction should help develop responsible, knowledgeable and productive citizens
- an understanding of the past will help the students understand the present and future
- students should have a deep understanding of their own community
- science topics need to be related to student's lives to encourage and motivate learning
- there needs to be an emphasis on collecting evidence to support explanations of scientific ideas
- there should always been an opportunity for students to apply their scientific knowledge to new and different situations
- students should be able to design and carry out their own science investigations
- students should be encouraged to ask questions and explore their ideas and materials to discover the answers to those questions