Learning Philosophy
Teaching is never something I imagined doing. You hear stories all the time about people who have dreamed of this for most of their lives. That was definitely not me. It wasn’t until I walking into my mother’s kindergarten class that I remotely gave teaching a thought. In my heart of hearts I believe that teaching is a calling, and I wasn’t sure if it was for me. I later began to sub which turned into a long-term sub assignment and then to a permanent position as a special education aide. I was assigned to provide in-class support to students. It was here that I decided i would pursue teaching as a career. I now look back at this time and wonder what took me so long. There is nothing I would rather do more. Teaching is the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I believe learning is an ongoing process and I often refer to myself as a lifelong learner. The learning process begins the day we come into this world and continues until we leave.
Learning is defined as the acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, study or by being taught. Learning is a changing process. As educators we need to create learning environments where students can independently gather factual knowledge and then transfer that factual knowledge into usable knowledge. To develop competence in a certain subject area students must have opportunities to learn with understanding (Donovan, Bransford & Pellegrino, 1999). In my short time as a teacher I’ve learned that the manner in which we are teaching teaching must change in order to keep up with the world around us. My learning philosophy directly impacts my teaching philosophy. Students learn in different ways and what I have learned is that I must tailor my teaching in order to make my students feel safe in the classroom. My students do not learn the way I learn and may not even feel comfortable what the environment I am creating for them. It is my job as a teacher/facilitator to make them feel safe. My learning philosophy is one is one where I believe all students should have ownership over their learning, but my teaching philosophy is one in which I have to show my students why having ownership is important.
If I had to choose a learning theory that currently aligns with my learning philosophy it would be constructivism. Constructivism assumes that all knowledge is constructed from the learner’s previous knowledge, regardless of how one is taught. Vygotsky, Piaget and Dewey aree key contributors to this theory. Like the contributors of this theory, I believe that learning is a social process the requires communication between learner, teacher and peers. In my first year of teaching I was most influenced by behaviourism, which views learning as a teacher-led activity which assumes the teacher is in control of what needs to be done, how it will be done, and what behavior needs to be produced. I was consumed with producing good data, rather than providing an environment where my students were able to acquire knowledge and skills they could use for the rest of their academic careers. I have since moved away from this theory and would consider myself a constructivist.
It is my overall belief that learning should be student centered and student driven. The teacher should be facilitating students throughout the learning process. When I apply my learning philosophy to my innovation plan it shapes the classroom environment I will create for my students. An environment where learning becomes an ongoing process and is promoted inside and well as outside of the classroom.
Educational Leadership 