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Isra Mishqat

My Vision Statement and Teaching Philosophy


A year ago, when asked for my vision statement and teaching philosophy as
a teacher, I would answer by saying there is not one singular statement that could
adequately summarize my teaching philosophy. Now, with two more semesters of
interning and educational experiences, I can say that my vision statement as a
teacher would be, And that is to know, to care, and to act (Banks, 1998). This
statement is said by Banks when he is summarizing his paper, Multiculturalisms
Five Dimensions. The reason I decided to pursue education over medicine in my
higher education was because I realized that the most powerful force once can use
to change a society for the better is education. Our jobs as educators is not just to
teach our respective content areas, but rather empower out students by giving
them a skillset that enables them to maximize on their strengths and refine their
weaknesses, thereby graduating them able to live in the 21st century society as
productive individuals and face the problems it may bring forth.
As my content area in education is teaching science, an excerpt from Banks
paper still resonates with me:
That is to say, in order to bring about reform and to bring about this selftransformation, we need knowledge. We cannot do it in ignorance. But
knowledge is not enough. We also have to care. Look at what happened in
Germanyone of the most knowledgeable societies in the world in the 1940s,
and yet 6 million were killed in the Holocaust .So just knowing is not enough.
We also need to care I think that we need to know, to care, and to act,
because I think in that way we can help transform ourselves and help
transform the world.

Isra Mishqat
My job as an educator is not only to be a facilitator of knowledge, but to be a
beacon of empowerment. I plan on empowering my students by creating an
environment in which my students know that value of the scientific knowledge I
guide them towards if far greater than passing a standardized test. The knowledge
we gain in my classroom is to promote critical thinking in my students. It is to help
them view the world critically and be conscious of the scientific phenomena around
them so they may be caring positively proactive members of society by applying
the knowledge they gained.
and Being born in Pakistan I have
Science is a very interactive field, and easily relatable to ones daily life. By
using this as a means to connect with students on a personal level I plan to create a
learning environment for students which will foster meaningful learning experiences
that are mimic the world around us. The theory this part of my teaching philosophy
is based off of is the Theory of Connectivism. Constructivism suggests that learners
create knowledge as they attempt to understand their experiences (Driscoll, 2000,
p. 376). By using this theory as an underlying philosophy of teaching, teachers can
make their content areas appeal to students who may not enjoy leaning in their
content area. By using the theory of connectivism as an underlying philosophy in
my future classroom, students will be able to voice their individual interests and
what they would like to learn in the class after their foundational knowledge
As a future teacher it is important to understand the diverse learning styles of
your students. Just as a doctor must factor in their patients medical needs before
prescribing a medicine, a teacher must factory in their students learning style and
accommodate for their educational needs before implementing a lesson plan. When

Isra Mishqat
I hear about teachers not accommodating for their students educational needs, it
sounds as ridiculous as a doctor not accommodating for their patients medical
needs. Neither healing nor learning can occur in such circumstances.
Piaget and Vygotsky are two educational theorists I have learned about in
previous educational classes and are two of whom I agree with. Piagets theory ties
in with the theory of connectivism as previously discussed. Piaget emphasizes that
students learn best when they construct their own knowledge through making
meaning to the world and people surrounding them (McLeod, 2015). This theory is
highly applicable in the field of science because science is advanced through the
process of constructing knowledge by making meaning to the world and people
surrounding us. This theory allows for topics such as science, that are often reduced
to just memorizing facts, be taught using hands on activities and experiments that
stimulate real life problems that allow students to actively seek knowledge rather
than the teacher providing it to them. Through Piagets theory students will be able
to view science as a part of their daily lives rather than just facts in a textbook.
Through applying Piagets theory I plan to connect the content I teach in my
classroom so the students lives and societal issues that surround them.
Vygotskys social development theory also discusses the importance of
community interaction to give meaning. Vygotsky discusses the importance of the
Zone of Proximal Development, this is as area in which careful instruction should be
given. In this zone, tasks that are too difficult to complete on their own, students
can complete with a little guidance from another person (McLeod, 2014). I plan to
set up my classroom so that peers can help another through discussing problems.
My class will be a community of learning in which students can openly discuss
problems and through this open discussion, their problem solving strategies will be

Isra Mishqat
refined. As a teacher I want to teach my students how to think critically. I want my
students to be able to be given information on any biological concept and be able to
discuss that concept and through that process learn more. My philosophy is to
practice inclusion while using the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky to teach science
and empower my students with the knowledge we gain together and applying the
knowledge we gain to real world issues in a caring proactive fashion. Because the
knowledge my students gain in my classroom is far greater than passing any exam
or completing any assignment, it is to empower my students to live proactive lives
and leave lasting positive impacts on their communities.

References
Banks, J. A. (1998, September). Multiculturalisms five dimensions. NEA Today
Online.
McLeod, S. (2014). Vygotsky | Simply Psychology. Retrieved from
http://www.simplypsychology.org/vygotsky.html
McLeod, S. (2015). Jean Piaget | Cognitive Theory | Simply Psychology. Retrieved
from http://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html

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