My teaching philosophy has developed out of personal experience, and the wealth of knowledge I have been provided through my own education and teacher training. As a teacher of the early and primary years, I want to encourage a love of learning, one which I am pretty certain I have already acquired, given I have had twenty years of formal-learning! I believe that every child is an individual, with individual strengths, weaknesses, ways of being and of doing, and ways of seeing the world. Within each one of these individuals, I believe there is a potential for learning growth, which I can foster and support to encourage optimal and lifelong development. Given the above, I find my mission for teaching in early childhood (from pre-school and into primary school) to be threefold:
To achieve this, I will constantly work towards the achievement of my objectives, listed below, always drawing upon essential educational guidelines, the theoretical underpinning to the principles of my own beliefs, to realise my mission.
My Objectives
- to promote learning as a positive, ongoing accomplishment;
- to encourage and enthuse learners of diverse learning abilities, styles and backgrounds;
- and to provide the thriving roots for a lifetime of positive learning outcomes.
To achieve this, I will constantly work towards the achievement of my objectives, listed below, always drawing upon essential educational guidelines, the theoretical underpinning to the principles of my own beliefs, to realise my mission.
My Objectives
- I will understand and address the diverse learning needs and styles of my students;
- I will establish learning environments that demonstrate and inspire respect for and understanding of the value systems within multiple and diverse cultures, especially the cultures of Indigenous Australians;
- I will engage my students in positive and worthwhile learning;
- I will be innovative in my teaching, creating stimulating lessons that address the curriculum, but which cater to various learning responses and styles;
- I will collaborate with colleagues, families, the school community, and the wider community more broadly in an open, positive, and friendly manner;
- I will respect the rights, first and foremost, of each child, but also of the family, and of those I work with – this means I will assert authoritative guidance, but also actively listen and be attentive to students’ concerns;
- I will ensure that my lessons and teaching pedagogy meet the classroom dynamics – space, mood, time, environment;
- I will create a trusting and safe place for my students;
- I will relate to my individual students’ experiences, knowledge and worldviews, as much as possible,
- I will adhere to the Graduate Teaching Standards;
- I will be open to difference, including difference in opinion, being prepared to alter my own attitudes, judgements and outlooks as appropriate and necessary;
- I will reflect upon my own teaching practices and modify these as necessary to match the environment and circumstances at my disposure;
- I will continually assess my own methods and approaches, as well as my students’ learning, using both formative and summative methods for constant and ongoing improvement.