My Teaching Philosophy

Post date: May 30, 2016 6:29:13 AM

RAMIRA R. JULIAN

Bataan National High School, Teacher I

My work as a teacher is much like my work as a director or even as a writer: an attempt to facilitate thoughtful reflection and create the environment for new stories to emerge. Learning is a matter of building connections, both in a literal physiological manner (as the brain builds new and different neural pathways), and in connections between a student’s life, his/her imagination, and the material presented. In other words, a learning experience is one in which a person builds an information pattern that includes themselves, the material and the interactions between the two. My responsibility as a teacher is to create a classroom that facilitates these connections. Dialogue and reflexivity are two excellent ways to create such a setting. My classroom is a space for myself and my students to share information as well as to examine what this information communicates about ourselves and our world. There are a number of classroom attitudes that promote such sharing and examining, but for me the key requirements for a successful classroom include the following: respect, curiosity, determination, perseverance which emanate from one’s self and transcend the subject matter.

As a teacher I believe that it is important to earn the respect of my students. Practically speaking, this means learning their names as soon as possible, learning a little about who they are, and learning why they are in my class. It means taking the time to ask questions when they are late or absent instead of simply taking off points. It means I need to recognize that each and every student is an individual with unique talents, knowledge and perspectives. Ultimately, it is only by showing respect to my student that I deserve to receive it from them. "Our words and actions create our own world". This motto keeps me to provide positive reinforcement for students continually. As a role model, I realize that there is a hidden curriculum that I have to nourish in students' performance, particularly: attitude, communication skills, and social awareness. I do hope that my words and actions can inspire students to value other people's lives, including patients' lives. Encouraging learners to see all subjects holistically is equally important, thereby they will have a capability in making wise decision.

Sometimes, there is an uncertainty in students' own motivation. However, I have a belief, the more we give tall orders to our learners, the more that they do not respect us. Basically, I trust them as an adult learner and let them learn freely without my full supervision or intervention. Students' feedback showed that they favor my teaching methods because they feel valued for being treated as colleagues. Their marks and attitudes are generally excellent. Likewise, faculty members have described my teaching as flexible and professional.

I believe that all children have the ability to learn and the right to a quality education. All youths, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, and capabilities should have the opportunity to learn from professional, well-informed teachers who are sophisticated and knowledgeable, both in their area of expertise and life. Certainly, every child has different learning styles and aptitudes; however, by having a personal relationship with every student, a teacher can give each an equal chance of success. By recognizing every student's potential and having separate, individual goals for each, a teacher can accommodate personal needs and abilities and encourage the pursuit of academic aspirations.