Teaching Philosophy

EDMT 3350 - CLARKE

DOMINIQUE SNEED
Dominique Sneed

As an educator, my philosophy starts and ends with an emphasis on creating a positive

learning community. Educators are constantly interacting with students from different

backgrounds, cultures, race, ethnicity, etc... that will affect the classroom in some form. It is my

responsibility to teach my students how to master their schoolwork while also teaching them how

to accept one another. We often focus on homework and deadlines, but do not understand that

external factors will not only affect our students, but also their academic performance and

learning.

Creating an inclusive learning environment starts with the setup of the classroom.

Allowing students to work in groups throughout the year is a strategy I plan to implement.

Students with different strengths and weaknesses will be able to work together and interact.

Allowing an easy transfer of knowledge not only between me and my students but also between

one another will improve grades and test scores. Students will also get to create identity maps

that will be put on the wall throughout the school year. Filling up the wall with their work and

their cultures illustrates to students that they matter beyond a standardize testing score. I look

forward to learning from my students as they learn from me.

My goal is for my students to succeed beyond the assignments and tests they will be

completing. Students must learn and truly understand the material in order to transfer it into the

real world. As a mathematical educator, I am aware that the subject can be intimidating, making

it hard for students to accept their mistakes on the road to learning. Group work will enable

students to help each other understand concepts. I will also hold whiteboard lectures and games

so that students can share their work while receiving help from others. Whiteboard games

introduce Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMP) 3 which “emphasizes the importance of
Dominique Sneed

students using mathematical reasoning as the basis for justifying their ideas and solutions,

including being able to recognize and use counterexamples.” [ CITATION Van18 \l 1033 ] When

students can articulate and justify why they solved a problem a certain way, they have

demonstrated to me that they understand the material. Technology and the use of relevant

materials will also be a way for my students to learn beyond the test. Including games such as

Kahoot and Math 24 with short essays, songs, skits, and representative assignments can enable

students to participate in class and their learning. Students should not see mathematics as a

chore but as a thing they can use to improve themselves and others.

I will be assessing my students formally and informally to measure their understanding of

the material. Dump tests, or exams, do not always showcase what the student knows. A student

may preform bad on a test due to outside factors or a student may perform good simply from

guessing. To help alleviate that problem, students will be given open test questions that allows

me to pinpoint where they are struggling. It also allows the student to depend on what they know

instead of guessing and checking. As an educator, we have to be aware of the effect outside

factors may have on our students during testing days. This can be problems at home or simply

testing anxiety. While there will be accommodations made for students with testing anxiety or

disabilities, there will also be informal assessments. Informal assessments will include anything

that will not show up in the grade book, such as the games, songs, and skits students participate

in. It is my responsibility to always pay attention to my students and their learning, regardless of

the assignment being graded or not.

For my students to succeed, I must set them up for success. I will be using the statement

“If the desired result is for students to ______ then you need evidence of the leaners’ ability to

______ and then the learning events need to _______” to ensure lesson plans are tailored around
Dominique Sneed

the specific learning goal.(Ralabate, 2016, p. 122) The statement is part of a process known as

Understanding by design, UbD. Assignments, lectures, projects, games, and homework

assignments will all serve a purpose. Creating lesson plans “backwards” not only keeps me and

the students on track, but also allows me to map out any accommodations I may need to make.

Setting my students up for success consist of all of my students, including those who have 504s

and IEPs in place. Making sure my lessons are up to par so that I can provide students, who have

disabilities, the same opportunities as everyone is something I will focus on.

As I said in the beginning of my philosophy, my focus is on making sure my students feel

comfortable enough to take in any knowledge they come across while allowing others to do so

too. Through group work, relevant and interesting assignments, unbiased-testing, and inclusive

lesson plans, my students will be set up for success in and outside of my classroom. I look

forward to learning about and from my students as I help them navigate the complex subject of

mathematics.
Dominique Sneed

References

Ralabate, P. (2016). Your Udl Lesson Planner: The Step-By-Step Guide for Teaching All

Learners. Maryland: Brookes Publishing.

Van de Walle, J. A., Bay-Williams, J. M., Lovin, L. H., & Karp, K. S. (2018). Teaching Student-

Centered Mathematics: Developmentally Appropriate Instruction Grades 6-8, Volume

III, 3rd edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education .