Jessica Bowling

EDUC 250
Karla Henderson
05 December 2014
Teaching Philosophy

Many ideas and experiences have influenced my teaching philosophy. As I have gained
knowledge and experience, my philosophy has changed. While I once felt students should listen
and rote memorization was the key, I no longer feel that way. Teaching is a cooperative learning
tool for both the teacher and the student.
Teaching is important, because I feel that in order for a student to become successful in
life, they must have teachers that encourage them and make them feel worthy and capable of
success. Students spend more active time with their teachers and peers during their school years,
so the methods of teaching and enlightening students is a major factor in whom they become and
what they feel they are capable of.
My goals for my future in teaching include being competent, teaching meaningful skills,
and engaging students. I hope to be able to fuel their desire for lifelong learning and encourage
them to see learning and school as a pleasure. I want every student that I encounter to know that
I truly want them to succeed and I want them to feel that they are capable of succeeding. I
understand that success for one student may be different than success for another student also.
For one student, completing high school or a technical program may be success, while getting
into college may be success for another. A grade of a C on a test may be deemed success, if
prior grades were much lower, while attaining honor roll all four quarters may be considered
success for a different student.

My goals for my students is that they feel capable, worthy, are able to master the
important skills they will need in life and understand that meaningful learning is not just rote
memorization but the ability to transfer what they have learned to other areas. I would hope that
students would see my love of learning and teaching and accept it. I want my love for learning
and teaching to be contagious. I hope that they will acquire and maintain the critical thinking
skills they will need in life, long after they have left school.
I tend to lean towards an eclectic teaching style. I feel that in order to reach all students a
teacher must be able to be flexible and vary their teaching methods from student to student and
class to class. Successful teaching isnt using a method or theory across the board, if all students
dont prosper from it.
In order to achieve these goals I will have to use many different theories in my teaching
as well as many methods. Role playing, reading circles, peer groups, and simulations are all
wonderful ideas and can allow students to excel in areas that regular term papers and bubble tests
cannot. I will also have to make an effort to use the less diverse items for students who are more
comfortable with term papers and bubble tests, in order to allow them to showcase themselves
the best.
I believe formative assessment is the best way to determine what students already know,
prior to starting a lesson, and what needs to be worked on while still learning the content.

I will

use all types of assessments to ascertain students levels of understanding. Using multiple types
will allow individual students the ability to show what they know and will allow all students a
chance to do well. I also believe a rubric must be provided in order to let students know what the
expectations will be. I cannot expect them to do well if I do not give them the expectations to be
met and the tools to do so. I will use traditional assessments if needed but I tend to like

alternative type assessments, such as projects, presentations, and performances. I also like
authentic assessments, such as having students draw a map of the school to assess their ability to
understand directionality and symbols.
I intend to allow students to have some input in what they will be doing. Some
assessments/projects will give the students multiple activities to choose from, thus allowing them
to pick one that will showcase their skills and the knowledge they have acquired in a format they
are comfortable with. I feel that having a teacher mentor is also something that will benefit
me. It will allow me to learn new strategies and techniques that I may not have known about or
didnt have a clear understanding about. I will know that I have taught effectively when I can
accurately assess that the students learning under me have grasped the concepts being taught and
are able to carry them over to other areas of learning. Continuing education is another aspect that
I feel is important for all educators. As a teacher, I must also continue to learn. I must learn new
concepts, teaching methods and skills, and effective classroom management skills.
I will have to collaborate with other teachers in order to effectively teach skills that can
be transferred across curriculum. I can co-teach, create dual lesson plans, and actively discuss
student progress with other educators (who are also responsible for my students learning)
outside of my classroom. Team meetings and open communication are of key importance.
I develop and maintain rapport with students by seeing them as individuals and
understanding that each student is a person with likes and dislikes. I do this by talking to them
about items besides school work. A simple, How was your weekend? or Did you get your
new pet you were talking about last week? , lets them know that I am interested not only in
their learning but in themselves as a person. My students know they can come to me for

questions or if they are upset and we can problem solve together and I always have a snack on
hand for students that need a pick me up.
I establish effective relationships with colleagues by asking for their opinion or input on a
situation and trying to utilize techniques they have felt are effective. I thank them for their help
and offer my assistance when needed, whether it is for help with a particular student, or making
copies for them if they are unable to. They will, in return, help me when needed. I work in a
wonderful community of educators and the majority of them want the same thing, for the student
to succeed. We brainstorm, problem solve, collaborate, and help each other out when needed
because we all understand to effectively help our students we must also help each other.
Im sure throughout my career and my life my philosophy will vary and change. I know
that from one year to the next my students will be different and what worked for one class may
not work for another class. I feel that flexibility is the ultimate tool in teaching. As teachers we
must be able to do what is best for our current students, even if its completely different from
what we had been doing.