Educational Philosophy

1. I know that students need rigorous expectations for learning to be meaningful and sustainable (Draeger et. al., 2013).  I know that students view rigor as workload quantity and generally do not make the connection with higher-order thinking skills (Draeger et. al., 2015).  Therefore, I will provide my students with clearly defined objectives that are directive and measurable.  I will focus on the quality of my instruction and less on the quantity of assignments and other assessments. 

2. I know that students genuinely learn when they are challenged (Draeger et. al., 2013).  Furthermore, students are not challenged by content from which they feel disconnected (Llewellyn, 2013).  Therefore, I will provide my students with a meaningful, challenging curriculum.  This will include student directed inquiry-based activities and argumentation for which they must defend their personal inferences. 

3. I know that students want to be successful inside and outside of my classroom (Smith, 2010).  Students must have adequate opportunities to learn and develop skill sets that transcend a content based curriculum.  As such, I will integrate logic and problem-solving techniques into the instruction and evaluation of my students.  I will also assimilate engineering practices into my classroom to instill in my students a more concrete application of scientific theory. 

4. I know that all students do not possess the same ability and skill levels.  Therefore, I will establish the proficiency level of my students and provide opportunities for remediation when needed.  

5. I know my students are human and possess personal struggles of which I am often unaware.  Therefore, I will be fair and consistent.  Favoritism nor prejudice will have standing within my classroom.  I will show the love of Christ to my students as teaching is a ministry as well as an occupation. 

Sources 

Draeger, J., Prado Hill, P., Hunter, L., & Mahler, R. (2013). The Anatomy of Academic Rigor: The Story of One Institutional Journey. Innovative Higher Education, 38(4), 267-279. doi:10.1007/s10755-012-9246-8 

Draeger, J., Prado Hill, P., & Mahler, R. (2015). Developing a Student Conception of Academic Rigor. Innovative Higher Education, 40(3), 215-228. doi:10.1007/s10755-014-9308-1 

Llewellyn, Douglas. (2013). Teaching High School Science Through Inquiry and Argumentation. Thousand  Oaks, CA: Corwin. 

Smith, J. (Sept. 2010). A model for success: everyone wants to be successful, but does everyone have a plan for success?” Academic OneFile, Sept. 2010, 16.