Personal Statement Of Teaching Philosophy - 1254 Words

Statement of Teaching Philosophy Stephanie Speicher, M.Ed. â€Å"I regard it as the foremost task of education to insure the survival of these qualities: an enterprising spirit, tenacity in pursuit, readiness for sensible self-denial, and above all compassion† Hahn, K. (1957, p.10). Outward bound. New York City: World Books. Foundation – The Sunrise I stood watching the sunrise on the final day of a weeklong backpack/rock climbing training with my college orientation program. The tears streamed down my face, without my knowledge, as I processed all that I had experienced that week. I spent much time immersed learning HOW to teach in an outdoor environment. My tears came from knowing I was heading into student teaching, my final college†¦show more content†¦The environment the teacher creates is instrumental to encouraging or inhibiting learning. It is my job to create a dynamic, exciting, and interconnected environment that encourages students to be part of thought-provoking conversation and potential learning opportunities. Specifically, when teaching social studies, it is crucial I treat subject matter as interconnected, emphasizing that everything students are learning fits together into a complete understanding of the world, from which they develop their personal global perspective. Finally, I believe the concept of respect must be present and felt by my students and colleagues. Not only to respect and be open to the content presented in class, but also to motivate them to respect themselves, each other and members of our global community. Experience is the Key I consider three overarching goals to each teaching â€Å"moment† I am presented with, each of them embedded in my conception of teaching as a temptation to Experience. First, I ask students to experience the specific course content. As a teacher of social studies, I see my task as creating spaces for students to encounter and discuss—at both a personal and professional level—fundamental questions of power, justice, identity, equity, and freedom. Asking my students to experience the course content also means encouraging active and participatory learning. Second, I ask students to experience â€Å"moments† with me and with each other. I model and clearly lay out