Teaching Philosophy
IMPORTANCE OF POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS AND CULTURE
An exemplary educator builds impactful relationships with their learners based on mutual respect and trust, which leads to a classroom culture centered around belief. I am a firm believer that the foundation of student learning is built upon the relationships created with learners each and every day. As educators, we’re pushed to exploit the best aspects of our own character in order to best serve the children we lead. Educators who have impactful teacher-learner relationships improve academic achievement, prevent behavioral problems, improve student appreciation toward the subject, and facilitate growth as people through learning essential life skills such as cooperation, empathy, resilience, and resolution. I strive for my learning environment to feel more like a classroom culture of owned standards that drive relationships rather than a classroom of rules. For learners to take ownership in their education, learners need to believe they are an important member of the classroom culture. Learners don’t own rules, they own standards that promote teamwork, an essential component of a quality comprehensive Physical and Health Education program. When learners feel they are part of a classroom culture, engagement, happiness, satisfaction, and performance is positively impacted. No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship which is why building a positive teacher-learner relationship is the most important thing I strive to do.
CONCEPT OF LEARNING/TEACHING
“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.”
-Confucius
An exemplary educator targets student learning with one goal in mind, teaching for transfer. Learning of and through Physical and Health Education empowers learners to value, apply, and execute lifelong health and physical activity resulting in physical and health literate individuals. I believe the fundamental concept of learning and teaching in Physical and Health Education is to make learning the most authentic as possible so skills are transferred across the lives of learners. Nowadays, with childhood obesity being at an all-time high, e-cigarette use among teens being the new norm, and having easy access to information via Google and other platforms, simply recalling knowledge is no longer enough. Mentoring and guiding learners to make the real world connection, apply the real world connection, and execute the real world connection gives student learning meaning and purpose. In our seventh grade Physical Education fitness unit, students learned how to create, apply, and execute a workout plan centered around the five health-related components of fitness. Learners created a 30 day workout plan based on individual fitness goals, performed their plan, and reflected on the results of their plan. Implementing this activity into our unit allowed learners to see the positive impact that a total fitness plan can have on the lives of learners. Moreover, this activity endorsed our goal to create physically literate individuals to combat the epidemic of childhood obesity. In our eighth grade Health Education skills-based curriculum, students learned and practiced the skill of assertive communication to say no to e-cigarette use, resolve conflicts peacefully, and advocate against bullying. The summative assessments designed evaluated the learners’ ability to apply and execute the skills learned rather than recalling facts. These summative assessments included behavioral rehearsals and advocacy project-based learning activities such as a public service announcement video. Incorporating learning models and theories into my teaching practice such as experiential learning, project-based learning, scenario-based learning, team-based learning, problem-based learning, and the constructivism theory has supported my goal to create meaningful and engaging learning experiences for all learners.
