Philosophy of Teaching and Learning

As I look at my past academic experiences, from my early preschool days to my current

collegiate courses, I have experienced many ups and downs through the years, which have

helped mold my perspective on my future teaching style. I was very fortunate to have

extraordinary teachers, especially in Elementary school. Till this day, I have the fondest

memories of my Kindergarten to Fourth grade teachers. They individually impacted me in

various ways by creating unforgettable experiences, sparking my interest for learning, and going

above and beyond for their students. Each teacher was engaging, loving, and passionate about

teaching the next generation of students. The teachers enabled us to think outside the box by the

use of innovative projects and assignments, such as having to create my own dinosaur and

making my own drawing from a single line, then creating a story out of it. This is the kind of

teacher I aspire to be, one that cares for their students equally, engages the young mind to think

critically and creatively, and creates a classroom environment where students can feel

comfortable to make mistakes and be able to learn from them. As I continued to grow older and

rise up in grade levels, my perspective on school slightly altered as I had my first negative

experiences with teachers. I noticed that not all teachers make the same effort to connect and

bond with their students, which caused me to feel disconnected from the class and made it

difficult for me to voluntarily participate. Also, especially in high school, I began to have a

difficult time wanting to learn as it felt like a majority of my classes were aimed towards

teaching for the test rather than long-term retainment and interest. When I become a teacher,

even under the constraints of the curriculum, putting the students' needs first will always be my

main focus. I want my goal for helping children grow to their fullest potential and to feel valued,

loved, and supported shine even through the most difficult days. Through my past experiences, it
is evident that being a teacher is not an easy profession, however, the positive impact that can be

made to a child’s life far exceeds any hardship.

In the future, I would like to incorporate Constructivism into my classroom. According to

the University of Buffalo, the philosophical learning theory of Constructivism is stated to be,

“The theory that says learners construct knowledge rather than just passively take in information.

As people experience the world and reflect upon those experiences, they build their own

representations and incorporate new information into their pre-existing knowledge,” (University

of Buffalo, 2023). I believe this style of teaching is beneficial because it promotes learning

through hands-on experiences and reflections. It also encourages collaborative group work and

having students work concurrently to solve problems, think critically, and practice important

social emotional skills that are a necessity for a successful future.

In order to establish the philosophy of Constructivism, there are specific structures and

strategies that I will implement into my future classroom. Firstly, my classroom will be

assembled in a way that promotes collaboration and group work. The desks will be grouped into

fours in order for students to easily communicate and face their group when working. Also, a

new seating chart will be created each semester to allow students to interact with new peers

frequently. Additionally, the classroom will have many open spaces for students to use when

doing group work, such as the carpet, round tables, and desks. As young students have lost

precious time in communal settings due to the pandemic, they have not fully mastered the proper

behaviors, skills, and expectations when working in a collective environment or have developed

anxieties surrounding group work because of the low exposure to public places. My mission will

be to have a cohesive blend of individual and group work in order for students to learn important

social emotional skills through experience, such as being a supportive teammate, voicing
opinions respectfully, being patient, building confidence in communicating with others, and

creating bonds with peers. Secondly, in order for students to learn, retain, and recall new

concepts and information, my lessons will engage students in kinesthetic learning as much as

possible. For example, the classroom will have enough space for students to move around freely

when completing tasks, brain breaks will be administered throughout the day, and each lesson

will contain a hands-on approach. Through my experience as a dancer as well as observing and

being in classroom settings, I have witnessed the importance and benefits of incorporating

movement and hands-on learning into the classroom. Not only does kinesthetic learning help

engage and get students excited to learn, it also advances brain development as it stimulates

multiple parts of the brain at a time. Primarily, students are inside and stay stationary for a

majority of the day, which makes it even more important to promote kinesthetic learning in my

future classroom. Thirdly, the environment of my classroom will be calm and comfortable as I

will put in the time to create connections with my students and become knowledgeable about

each of their personal needs, such as accommodations and modifications, in order for them to

thrive. These close-knit relationships will support students in verbalizing their needs and feelings

as well as feeling seen and appreciated in the classroom, which both make for a memorable

school experience.
 References

Constructivism. Office of Curriculum, Assessment and Teaching Transformation - University at

Buffalo. (2023, April 4).

https://www.buffalo.edu/catt/develop/theory/constructivism.html#:~:text=Constructivism

%20is%20the%20theory%20that,%2Dexisting%20knowledge%20.