My Educational Philosophy:
In my heart, I am a constructivist; my work as a teacher and leader all include deliberate building of knowledge and capacity in an effort to help students develop deep, transferable knowledge. My work in the Critical Thinking Consortium led by Garfield Gini-Newman from the University of Toronto started me on this journey and led me to deeply study the work of Daniel Willingham and Guy Claxton to better understand how, exactly, learning happens.
My foundational belief is that all students can learn and that they will learn if the conditions are right; this belief is especially important to me, as I didn’t realize the power of my own mind until university. It was then that a caring and knowledgeable teacher recognized me as a twice gifted learner and supported me in becoming the avid learner I am today. Traditional classrooms were not made for people like me, but once I understood my own intellectual power, I was able to take charge of my own learning in whatever space that was offered to me.
The way I think about and design joyful, active learning experiences for all students is informed by that caring and knowledgeable teacher as well as what was lacking in my own elementary, middle, and high school experience. I believe, then, that teaching and learning should be built upon these understandings:
My foundational belief is that all students can learn and that they will learn if the conditions are right; this belief is especially important to me, as I didn’t realize the power of my own mind until university. It was then that a caring and knowledgeable teacher recognized me as a twice gifted learner and supported me in becoming the avid learner I am today. Traditional classrooms were not made for people like me, but once I understood my own intellectual power, I was able to take charge of my own learning in whatever space that was offered to me.
The way I think about and design joyful, active learning experiences for all students is informed by that caring and knowledgeable teacher as well as what was lacking in my own elementary, middle, and high school experience. I believe, then, that teaching and learning should be built upon these understandings:
Teaching cannot exist without some measurement of learning: teachers should consistently engage with formative data from student work and student perception in order to design effective learning experiences that meet students where they are.
Explicit teaching of cognitive and meta-cognitive processes allow students to engage with their own learning and approach difficult tasks with agility and confidence. Learning happens through pattern and connection; teachers can build knowledge like contractors: from the foundation up to the roof. Patterns and connections create bridges that allow students to apply learning from one domain to another. These are the bridges that lay the foundation for transdisciplinary learning. A focus on inner development can foster outer development as well. Teaching an understanding of how to relate to others, how to develop imagination muscles, and how to value “mwe” (Dan Siegel), can foster necessary collaboration and co-creation skills for effective future problem solving and not only include but also capitalize on the work of students whose minds are not optimal in traditional classroom spaces. Collaborative Problem, Case, and Project-Based lesson design provides multiple avenues for differentiation, which allows all students to engage with material in a healthy way. Inclusive classroom discussion allows for building connections and processing new ideas. Students willingly and vulnerably engage with difficult work and innovation when the learning environment is warm, inclusive, and values their voice and identity. |
Our children are inheriting an Earth that is under attack and is rapidly changing. All learning across curriculums should intend to produce a generation of people who are not only good to the world, but who are also good for the world.