My Teaching Philosophy – Amber Chatham
I am constantly working to be an effective teacher. I understand the best way to be effective is to remain professional through adversity, maintain a positive disposition and be a life-long learner. In order to give my students the best possible educational experience and address the cultural diversity of my students I must utilize research-based strategies, techniques and theories. Additionally, I view flexibility and collaboration as a vital part of my students’ success in the classroom. I must communicate with administration, peers, and parents as part of an educational team about our goals and objectives for student success. I feel the purpose of education corresponds, directly, to the needs of the individual student and the society in which we live. As our societal needs and composition shift, so should our methods and goals of educating our children. Education should be utilized as a way to prepare children for the choices they will face as they progress through life. My goal is to equip my students with the skills needed to obtain, and surpass, their highest expectations for themselves. Education is an ever changing and exciting journey that I am thrilled to take with each of my students.
My teaching philosophy is inspired by the efforts of many educational philosophers. For example, Mortimer Adler; Adler, using the theories provided by John Dewey and George Counts, suggests three objectives for our educational system; guidance for personal growth and improvement, the development of citizenship, and occupation preparation. My philosophy combines Adler’s objectives with aspects of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development in order to attend to my students’ need for attention to emotional growth and varying stages of cognitive development. Additionally, John Dewey’s research supports the importance of meaningful educational experiences. In my classroom, I work to ensure all activities are hands on, engaging, developmentally appropriate and can be related to real life.
I recognize my classroom as a community of unique and diverse learners; each of whom has their own learning styles and needs. I utilize the teachings of Vygotsky to scaffold my instruction and provide guidance that will challenge my students and offer support where it is needed. My goal is for students to be successful in their educational and life-long endeavors. In order to support this sentiment, I make sure to apply the techniques outlined in Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development. I strive to always meet my students where they are and gradually provide them opportunities to succeed beyond my assistance.
To accomplish the goals I have for my students, I recognize the importance of incorporating technology and utilizing all resources available to me, and I work to do so daily. I know my students’ parents are a vital part of the resources available to educate my students. It is my desire to encourage parents to be involved in the education of their children in order to push my students to success that lasts beyond my classroom. I am a strong believer in positive behavior management techniques that incorporate whole brain teaching, structured procedures, explicit instruction, and classroom routines. I recognize that inappropriate behavior happens and it should be addressed; however, rather than dwell on the negative behavior I choose to redirect student behaviors towards more positive behavior choices. Students need to know mistakes can be forgiven and do not have to define you. I aim to ensure my students know how exciting and important their education is to me, as well as, what it can be for them as they prepare for the road that lies ahead of them outside of my doors.
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