Teaching Philosophy
First, I must start with a reflection on myself and how I got to this point in my life to justify my philosophy on learning. In high school I, like many students, was not living up to my full potential. I had no real interest in learning. It was the technology program, and more so my technology teacher, that really inspired me to be better. It was through his experiential style of teaching that I found something that I loved: plants and design. I decided to try combining these interests with another interest of mine, sustainable living, when I went to Humber college and took the Sustainable Energy and Building Technology program. It was in college that I discovered my love for learning because I found something that truly spoke to my personal interests. In college I learned a great deal more about my interests which in turn inspired me to buy land to fulfill my dream of having a sustainable permaculture hobby farm. I am currently, albeit slowly, in the process of building up my land to one day reach my goal. These experiences in my personal life and education have led me to another goal; the goal of becoming a teacher. I was often told as a young man that I would make a great teacher. I resisted the idea initially, but as I grew and lived through these experiences my thought process began to change. Then, when I saw the program that the University of Windsor offered I was excited at the possibility of becoming a teacher, especially in such a short time frame. Now having been through one course at the University I realize it is truly the right decision to become a teacher. Though teaching is a relatively new goal of mine, I am determined to reach it because I would love to inspire youth to become more connected with the natural world and growing food.
My philosophy on learning is one based on experiential learning and how unique each person’s learning process is. I believe that each student experiences education differently and it will be our responsibility as teachers to provide an open, safe and inclusive learning environment so that students can take risks to progress in their learning. The experiences that students have in the classroom are directly related to how well they learn and how interested they will be in continuing their learning. This is not to say that all experiences in the classroom are good learning experiences. We can't just rely on giving students experiences we have to create quality learning experiences. It is my responsibility to provide students with these quality experiences in and outside of the classroom. Giving them experiences that guide and encourage them to explore and seek out learning. I believe that people learn best when truly experiencing learning not simply being lectured to. I intend to teach students in this experiential way and encourage them to use my guidance to build and form their own ideas and techniques to be successful in the learning process. I believe that when learning is fun and exciting with quality interactive experiences students will have the desire to learn more in school as well as in their personal lives.
The diversity of each person, both students and teachers, in the classroom is a great asset to the learning environment. The different styles of thinking and learning that come with every person, is key in the learning process. When we can peer into other people’s minds through open discussion, we can see things from a different point of view. This allows us to question our own ideas, techniques and opinions as well as share information. As a teacher it is my responsibility to come to class with an open mind and listen to what students have to say so that I can understand each student better. I believe that because of the diversity of people and the many forms of intelligence, a teacher cannot have one strategy that fits for everyone. Instead a teacher should employ many strategies, in both delivery and assessment of content, to reach every student. It is also important that students take an active role in their learning so that they can learn in a way that fits with their personal situation and learning style. Students learn effectively by taking responsibility and initiative for their learning. I will strive to create lessons that use many strategies to engage students and generate that initiative within them. I also believe that it is of the utmost importance to provide truly constructive feedback as well as listen to students and their individual needs so that each student will have the best possible learning experience in the classroom.
When students are learning through quality experiences and can progress in their own unique way they will enjoy learning, much like I found my love for learning when I was in college and in my high school technology classroom. If students are given the opportunity to reflect on truly constructive feedback they will be encouraged to grow. It is the desire to grow and learn that is one of the best gifts a student can receive from the classroom.
