Teaching Philosophy

At the core of my pedagogy is the focus on the learners' needs and well-being. My ultimate goal is to help learners develop the necessary tools and skills to become considerate, kind and engaged members of society. Within my classroom, I aim to foster learning by understanding that no two learners are the same. My ideal classroom is one that is student centred and an environment that the learner feels is safe and conducive to learning. It is important that my classroom is colourful, approachable and the learners feel that it is an interactive environment.

I believe, successful learning in the classroom takes place when learners are engaged with the material, they find it challenging and there are opportunities for the learners to engage with the learning material in a manner that provides them with the opportunity to make connections independently. In that manner, teaching should not occur in a vacuum, that is constantly or solely focused on the teacher but rather where the learners are able to engage with the material, the educator and their peers. I believe the the classroom should operate as an ecosystem of interdependent parts. That is why I believe and use a careful hybrid of the Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development to ensure that learners tackle content that is achievable yet challenging, and Bloom's Taxonomy to develop questioning in my classroom that challenges and supports the learner. It is important that learners are always provided with the opportunity to make connections independently and the teacher provides support where necessary (through demonstrating or scaffolding during the lesson). I try my best to personalise learning as much as possible to the learner by finding opportunities to relate the material to subject matter they find interesting. 

Creating a good rapport with my learners is one of my strengths and I use that ability to connect with my learners to make them feel heard and seen but also appreciated. I aspire to ensure that my learners feel both challenged and supported in my classroom. Within my subject of teaching, you can truly foster learners critical thinking and their ability to articulate themselves in meaningful ways, that is why I will always aim to make the learners feel that they can share their thoughts, ideas, interpretations and beliefs without fear of failure or judgement.

Within the next few years, I hope to further my learning in the educational field by pursuing a Bachelor of Education Honours Degree and continuing to participate in Professional Development seminars, courses and programmes. I feel it is important to keep informed about the developments occurring in my chosen field.