Philosophy of Education

My philosophy of education is that a teacher should teach the way a student learns. Every student is unique and it follows that they learn differently. I believe that learning is dynamic rather than passive. I believe that a classroom should be set up to include cooperative learning and peer teaching situation so that students can talk together freely as well as question and argue with each other about ideas. They should provide opportunities for students to actively explore, inquire, discover, and experiment. They should offer a variety of learning situation and instructional formats – projects, trips, readings, reports, discussions, field work, and internships. They should challenge students to reason, question, draw connections, communicate, evaluate viewpoints, frame problems, acquire and use evidence, and create new knowledge, understandings, relationships and products. I believe that the more diverse student groupings are, and the more opportunities that are provided for exchange of ideas among this diversity, the better students are to understand the viewpoints of others. My philosophy values meaning over speed and efficiency. My goal is to produce that moment, the light turns on, when connections are made.