Personal Teaching Philosophy

Laura Mendieta

California State University, Chico

EDTE 255: Introduction to Democratic Perspectives in K-12 Education

David L. Teja

March 6, 2021
PERSONAL TEACHING PHILOSOPHY 2

Personal Teaching Philosophy

           As a teacher, I aspire to build relationships with students to encourage life-long learning. I

believe in the constructivism learning theory. Children are the root of their knowledge. Learners

comprehend by their understanding of their world through organizing experiences and

information. Learning is an ongoing individual experience. In the classroom, relationships can

create a connection between the individual and the curriculum. My interest and investment in

students can create strong relationships that will foster learning and support. My intention is that

a positive classroom climate will follow with these relationships. Taking time to share out about

each child’s “news” with the students can build their social-emotional competence and our

classroom relationships. My goals include serving children with the opportunity to build positive

self-concepts, self-efficacy, and develop critical thinking skills. Children encapsulate everything

they need to be successful students, and it is my responsibility that they know that. A positive

self-concept empowers children to feel capable of trying new things and achieving goals. By

having classroom jobs and group leaders children will have an opportunity to build their self-

concepts. My priority is to cultivate students with problem-solving skills that will guide their

work ethic as productive, valuable, and involved members of the classroom. It is my goal for

each child to recognize their capabilities and find importance during those experiences. 

           I will use the concept of developmentally appropriate practice to guide my curriculum. By

incorporating knowledge of child development, a student’s interests, strengths and needs, and the

student’s social and cultural background I can have an individualized understanding of each

child. From there I can create curriculum responses that align with the child as an individual. For

example, if a child in the class expresses interest in animals, I will use their interest as a learning

opportunity, by providing books about desert, marine, jungle, farm, grassland, and artic animals.
PERSONAL TEACHING PHILOSOPHY 3

I believe the curriculum should be presented sequentially. I want my expectations and learning

outcomes to be clear to students. Each step of the way I would like for them to understand why

we are learning this and the outcomes to expect. My goal will always be to make the learning

relevant to the students.

           I will include different areas of assessment to measure student’s understanding. I will

include projects, journals, class discussions, small group activities, and individual assignments. I

will ask students guided questions and write out what they learned, what their partners learned,

and what we as a class learned in a journal. I hope that through this exercise students will

document their own learning. I will use this as an assessment for their understanding. My

grading will be gathered by a collective assessment of a student’s effort, intentions, and

perceptions. Before I assess student understanding, it is my responsibility to have understandable

instruction and expectations with tasks that are developmentally appropriate for each student. If

it is apparent that the student has displayed all the effort, they could but did not reflect

understanding I will ask them to tell me what they mean and know. Communicating with my

students will allow for a better understanding of their learning and my own learning. I believe

that routine and following an agenda each day is essential for the predictability. Following a

routine can offer structure to students’ lives. I do not believe in relying on a test to assess how

well the student’s understanding is. I will use the combination of all of those things to 

           I will improve my teaching through reflective practice. I will gather my experiences

through journaling and note-taking to access how I could alter my future approach to be more

effective. I will objectively reflect upon experiences from the perspectives of other teachers and

children. I will use student evaluations to guide my teaching as a valuable resource. I will
PERSONAL TEACHING PHILOSOPHY 4

continue to learn more skills by collaborating with other teachers and faculty to decide how to

best move forward.