Emma Steil

Teaching Philosophy

My personal definition of a successful learning situation in the Elementary Education classroom

is students gaining greater knowledge or skills through each lesson. In my discipline, learning is
defined as continuously developing as a student, whereas mastery is shown or proven in the
classroom. I truly believe that every student has the capability of learning and can achieve
success.

My values as an Elementary Education teacher are placed highly on creating a safe learning
environment that supports students social, emotional, and behavioral development. I believe that
student-teacher relationships and peer interactions are critical components for students’ success.
In my classroom, you will see an atmosphere of trust and respect. I aspire to create an
environment that fosters skills for life-long learners. My hope is that students will look back one
day and remember something they had gained from my classroom.

An observer in my classroom would see clear and consistent expectations, routines, and
procedures I have set for my students. The expectations I have for my students are modeled,
practiced, and reviewed to hold students accountable as I believe this is the number one factor in
students’ achievement. Additionally, an observer would see me differentiating instruction to
meet the needs of all learners. I will use assessment and observations to drive my instruction and
create flexible groupings depending on the student’s specific needs.

The classroom itself will be student-centered placing the responsibility of independent learning
to the hands of the students through collaboration with peers and myself. Students in my
classroom should obtain skills in communication, confidence, critical thinking, listening,
patience, and teamwork as a result of my teaching. My rational behind each skill is to prepare
students for the future outside of the classroom when becoming citizens in the everchanging
society.

Teaching methods, I will consider to reach my goals for the classroom is inquiry-based learning.
This learning method promotes engagement and curiosity through exploration, rather than set
rules or guidelines. It allows students to work as a team to ask questions and find solutions to a
topic. I will assess student growth and learning through the use of formative and summative
assessments such as projects and presentations. I believe that through these types of assessment,
students are able to present their own ideas and show their voice in what they have learned.

I will continue to grow as an educator through professional learning opportunities in order to

gain new skills and to evaluate my own practice and the effects of my choices on the learners,
families, other professionals, and the community. Additionally, I will grow through feedback
provided by students, faculty members, and parents. My goal is to be highly involved in the
community in order to encourage involvement in the classroom.