PHILOSOPHY OF TEACHING

Mary Ciotta
My philosophy on teaching has been shaped by the many experiences I have had throughout my educational journey and will continue to transform as I experience and learn more in the educational field. My teaching philosophy stems from my practices in general and special education classrooms and relates to teaching students the way they learn rather than how to learn. THE ROLE OF THE TEACHER: I believe the roles and responsibilities of a teacher are ever changing due to the fact that all students are unique. It is a teachers job to adapt materials and the environment to best meet the needs of all students. A teacher is also a learner who needs to reflect upon teaching successes and failures from students and professionals to guide future instruction that is more effective. THE ROLE OF THE STUDENT: In a classroom a students role is to discover learning and the power of knowledge. I believe teaching that is focused toward the student supports a learning experience that is impacting and purposeful. This can be accomplished when the teacher has personal knowledge of each student, their background knowledge and experiences they bring to the class, and goals they want to achieve so that materials can be created that are customized to build on prior knowledge to be of high interest. Scaffolding learning by building new information onto existing knowledge will foster connections that will create new understanding. CLASSROOM CONTENT: Students have varying learning abilities and the way in which they access learning that needs to be supported. I believe that differentiating instruction creates learning opportunities that are effective for all students. Differentiated instruction is a way to teach how the student learns by using supports, modifications, and adaptations to conform the material to the student. The teacher can differentiate instruction with planned small groups, peer to peer work, hands on materials, journals, audio recordings, outlines/webs, tablets, and computers. CLASSROOM ATMOSPHERE: I believe an essential aspect to a classroom is creating a classroom culture that is inviting, inspiring, and comforting to allow for sharing, learning, and growth to take place. A classroom that possesses these elements is a welcoming place where individuals feel comfortable and relationships can be formed between students, teacher, and parents and families. TEACHING AS A PROFESSION: I believe a teacher makes the commitment to be a lifelong learner and leads by example by showing curiosity and enthusiasm about subject matter to motivate students to learn. The goal of education is to develop live long learners that question their surroundings and seek for answers.