My Personal Philosophy:
I believe the aim of any teaching is to facilitate learning and understanding through problem solving and meaningful engagement. The learners need to feel confident enough to initiate their own inquiries and be able to justify their findings in a supported-learning environment. It is critical to strive as an educator to be actively engaged in the child’s learning, using a balance of intentional teaching and child-based learning to scaffold learning towards meeting educational outcomes. Children are inspired to discover the world and the environment through exploration, therefore it is critical as en educator to scaffold discovery and learning through providing open choices and resources within the educational setting, therefore children are supported to reach their full potential. Educating children is not a transfer of knowledge, but a task of creating the conditions for purposeful investigation and stimulating problem solving.
Above all I want my students to feel and know that they are valued. I consider building relationships that are based on mutual respect and understanding with my students to be extremely important. I recognise the importance of understanding my student’s values, their beliefs and interests. I believe that this is vital knowledge, which establishes and maintains a connection with my students based on understanding and trust. I want to ensure that my students know their opinions and thoughts matter, and that they have a strong sense of value in our community.
In recognition of diverse learning style, it is critical to provide various models of learning, including open-ended inquiry, imitation, sensory exploration, interaction, observation, scaffolding, direct instruction and opportunities to express ideas and thoughts through many forms. As an educator, collaboration with colleagues, parents, the wider community and our environment is crucial in order to guide a broad range of strengths and learning styles. As all children have different needs, it is imperative to provide equal opportunities for all children to participate fully within their learning environment, as we as educators, have much to learn from our children.
It is important to constantly reflect on our practice as individuals and as a team of educators to facilitate learning in the best way, encouraging positive and successful transitions and teaching children to explore their identity to become confident and successful learners. As an educator, I want to create a community of active learners, providing them with an interactive and engaging learning environment. I will ensure to allow my students to value and learn from their mistakes, learning styles, experiences and peers, to construct a deeper knowledge and understanding. Through explicit collaboration with students, as well as their families, I will ensure to differentiate my teaching styles in order to cater for students with diverse learning styles and needs. Through this teaching and learning approach, I aim to create a lively and rich learning environment, which can improve my students' attitudes and motivation towards what they are being taught.
My philosophy highlights the importance of catering for each individual child and their wellbeing in a safe and secure environment, as well as ensuring appropriate resources are provided to ensure maximum learning.