Teaching Philosophy
The philosopher Karl Popper once remarked that the ultimate importance of scientific inquiry rests with the fact that the results are potentially falsifiable. I agree that it is often easier, although not always correct, to simply say that something can be true and to show support for it. It is much harder and much more convincing to show evidence as to why something cannot be true. This, in essence, is who I am and what I would like my teaching philosophy to be. I do not want to be a teacher who simply stands up at the front of the class and presents information to students, telling them to accept it because I am older and supposedly wiser than they are. I would like the pragmatic side of me to shine through and give students the opportunity to question why I say things are the way they are. I would like to encourage them to ask the tough questions. I have no problem telling a student that I (or science) do not know the answer.
Science is experiencing phenomena, recognizing patterns, and forming explanations. Students bring their own sets of experiences into the classroom. It is my job as a teacher to use experiences that are familiar to my students or give them explanations that they can understand within the context of their lives as well as within the context of scientific concepts. Along those same lines, students need the opportunity to develop additional experiences and be able to analyze the resulting patterns and form explanations. An inquiry based format allows these sorts of activities to take place at a higher level of understanding. This, in turn, allows the students to take control of their own learning by asking follow up questions and performing additional research where necessary.
In order to make this inquiry based approach successful, I, as a science teacher, must be competent in my subject area and, more importantly, be able to communicate this knowledge with my students. I have several years of lab research experience, and during that time I came to appreciate the ways in which my mentors were able to expose me to skilled instructional methods. They had an innate ability to distill down complex scientific knowledge into something that I could understand and use in my daily duties around the lab. They, in essence, embodied this portion of my philosophy: have great subject knowledge and be able to communicate this knowledge to others who do not have it. A science teacher must be able to use multiple real world examples to communicate with students not only the scientific relevance of the material, but the cultural as well.
A student’s world is a busy place. They are bombarded with distractions of cell phones, video games, etc. A static, read from the book classroom cannot compare to the flashing lights and sensory stimulation provided by these other things in their lives. A new science teacher must embrace this culture, and use it to his or her advantage. I plan to use technology whenever it is feasible in my classroom in order to present the material in the most interesting way. It has been shown that visual learning is one of the most powerful, and technology provides the gateway to this. Video clips and multimedia interactive presentations, not to mention microscopes projected so all can see, are a way to get students interested in science while still making them feel connected to their everyday, technology infused lives.
In addition to connecting to students in the classroom, an effective teacher also needs to communicate with the students on an individual level. This may take the form of being their coach, going to their after school activities as a supporter, or simply showing them that you care about them and not just their grade. These connections will result in benefits for both the student as well as the teacher. A great teacher cares not just about the class, but about the individual students; not just about the grades, but about the understanding; not just about the end result, but about the process.
Science is experiencing phenomena, recognizing patterns, and forming explanations. Students bring their own sets of experiences into the classroom. It is my job as a teacher to use experiences that are familiar to my students or give them explanations that they can understand within the context of their lives as well as within the context of scientific concepts. Along those same lines, students need the opportunity to develop additional experiences and be able to analyze the resulting patterns and form explanations. An inquiry based format allows these sorts of activities to take place at a higher level of understanding. This, in turn, allows the students to take control of their own learning by asking follow up questions and performing additional research where necessary.
In order to make this inquiry based approach successful, I, as a science teacher, must be competent in my subject area and, more importantly, be able to communicate this knowledge with my students. I have several years of lab research experience, and during that time I came to appreciate the ways in which my mentors were able to expose me to skilled instructional methods. They had an innate ability to distill down complex scientific knowledge into something that I could understand and use in my daily duties around the lab. They, in essence, embodied this portion of my philosophy: have great subject knowledge and be able to communicate this knowledge to others who do not have it. A science teacher must be able to use multiple real world examples to communicate with students not only the scientific relevance of the material, but the cultural as well.
A student’s world is a busy place. They are bombarded with distractions of cell phones, video games, etc. A static, read from the book classroom cannot compare to the flashing lights and sensory stimulation provided by these other things in their lives. A new science teacher must embrace this culture, and use it to his or her advantage. I plan to use technology whenever it is feasible in my classroom in order to present the material in the most interesting way. It has been shown that visual learning is one of the most powerful, and technology provides the gateway to this. Video clips and multimedia interactive presentations, not to mention microscopes projected so all can see, are a way to get students interested in science while still making them feel connected to their everyday, technology infused lives.
In addition to connecting to students in the classroom, an effective teacher also needs to communicate with the students on an individual level. This may take the form of being their coach, going to their after school activities as a supporter, or simply showing them that you care about them and not just their grade. These connections will result in benefits for both the student as well as the teacher. A great teacher cares not just about the class, but about the individual students; not just about the grades, but about the understanding; not just about the end result, but about the process.