Teaching Philosophy

 

Teaching and Research philosophies are fluid and forever changing as we continue to learn.

Teaching Philosophy

I am not someone that has a teaching job. I am a teacher. I was once checking out at a grocery store and the store clerk asks, are you a teacher? Out of the blue, someone I’ve never met, that doesn’t live in the same town, is not related to any of my own children can tell that I AM a teacher. I think that was the most treasured compliment I have ever received.

I am also an educational technologist. Yes, I personally love technology and have a driving desire to learn about new technology. However, I also know that this is not always the best tool for every person in every educational situation. I also understand how technology can benefit the learner that desires to use digital tools and can hinder the student that does not. I see two groups developing in our schools today that may have a dramatic effect on teaching and student learning. Those that have technology and those that do not. Because of this, I also realize I may need to introduce some technological learning tools and free learning web opportunities to balance the opportunities for all students and to narrow the digital divide.

I am a 21st century educator preparing learners to be successful in a digitally saturated world. The integrated curriculum I enjoy creating incorporates technology innovations, neurological findings, instructional design approaches, and pedagogical strategies appropriate for that lesson to create the best 21st century educational practices for our learners. My classroom and curriculum will not be the same every year because I will continue to research, learn, and communicate with students to determine their needs.

I am a instructional designer. I enjoy created multidisciplinary units to bring learners to develop an understanding of what they are learning. Not to learn it by rote, but to understand how it fits in the world around them. It goes beyond science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). I want to create curriculum that brings in literature, history, and a student’s inquisitive nature. I want students to run back from the restroom as quickly as they ran there. I want to create an environment that goes beyond the much bantered term, diversity, to move to a new idea, inclusion. I want everyone to feel included and excited to be in a safe learning place.

I am a teacher that loves to learn. My teaching philosophy is not passive but a living statement, growing and changing. I strive to always be aware of and learn from research in any field that affects learning. My instructional design, teaching style and learning goals will and should change. Educators should stay current on the results published of the new functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technique that is providing new information on cognitive load, information processing and neural plasticity for our traditional and digital learners. We should be striving to incorporate new information into our philosophy and taking the time to decide, is this important? Does this information enhance our philosophy or is it now something entirely new? There is one constant characteristic of an effective educator. This is the willingness to change and meet the needs of students with everything you can learn.