My Teaching Philosophy
"Knowledge without love will not stick. But when love comes first, knowledge is soon to follow" (Burroughs, 1919).
This quote from John Burroughs has been at the forefront of my mind ever since I started as a teacher. Learning is something that requires love in many different senses of the word- a learner thrives when they are able to love themselves, when they are able to love what and how they are learning, and when they are loved by a person or community who is supporting them. I try to build all three of these forms of love in my classroom.
I build self-love within my classroom by giving students frequent opportunities to succeed at whatever they are best at. This is accomplished by using a variety of different activities, by utilizing Universal Design for Learning when creating learning experiences, and by working on metacognitive and social-emotional skills to encourage students to check in with and celebrate themselves. Students in my classroom in a given week have opportunities to discuss, draw, model, create, explain, and experiment- this gives all students opportunities to shine. Students are encouraged to tackle problems and tasks in a variety of ways to showcase their strengths. We also do regular check-ins where students reflect upon their mental state and practice "bragging about themselves". My goal is for all students to move on from my class feeling more confident about themselves and their abilities, while having a tool kit for how to maintain that self-confidence.
I build love of what and how students are learning by grounding my activities in the real world. While this is particularly straightforward when teaching courses related to the environment, I also work to use current examples that are meaningful to my particular student population. We spend a lot of time talking about what we in particular can do about problems to help build hope and resilience. Students leave my class feeling like responsible stewards of their environment, with the critical thinking and problem-solving skills to start to engage in some of those stewardship actions. I also use a lot of engineering and design-based activities, which allow students opportunities to work with their hands and activate their creativity, increasing engagement and making learning relevant and authentic.
I provide my students with love by making my support outright and by fostering a classroom community in which students are supportive of one another. We start each new chunk of content by taking a few minutes to reflect, vent, share, and support. I teach my students self-advocacy skills from day one, and in turn their self-advocacy is rewarded with grace and support. My students are quick to hype one another up, to check on and include a classmate who is in need, and to get adults involved when they are worried about someone. It is my hope that students leave my classroom knowing that they have people who support them and their success.
While the actual activities and learning within my classroom do extend beyond this philosophy of love (because let's face it, science isn't the most touchy-feely subject), love is still at the forefront of my mind during every day with my students.
This quote from John Burroughs has been at the forefront of my mind ever since I started as a teacher. Learning is something that requires love in many different senses of the word- a learner thrives when they are able to love themselves, when they are able to love what and how they are learning, and when they are loved by a person or community who is supporting them. I try to build all three of these forms of love in my classroom.
I build self-love within my classroom by giving students frequent opportunities to succeed at whatever they are best at. This is accomplished by using a variety of different activities, by utilizing Universal Design for Learning when creating learning experiences, and by working on metacognitive and social-emotional skills to encourage students to check in with and celebrate themselves. Students in my classroom in a given week have opportunities to discuss, draw, model, create, explain, and experiment- this gives all students opportunities to shine. Students are encouraged to tackle problems and tasks in a variety of ways to showcase their strengths. We also do regular check-ins where students reflect upon their mental state and practice "bragging about themselves". My goal is for all students to move on from my class feeling more confident about themselves and their abilities, while having a tool kit for how to maintain that self-confidence.
I build love of what and how students are learning by grounding my activities in the real world. While this is particularly straightforward when teaching courses related to the environment, I also work to use current examples that are meaningful to my particular student population. We spend a lot of time talking about what we in particular can do about problems to help build hope and resilience. Students leave my class feeling like responsible stewards of their environment, with the critical thinking and problem-solving skills to start to engage in some of those stewardship actions. I also use a lot of engineering and design-based activities, which allow students opportunities to work with their hands and activate their creativity, increasing engagement and making learning relevant and authentic.
I provide my students with love by making my support outright and by fostering a classroom community in which students are supportive of one another. We start each new chunk of content by taking a few minutes to reflect, vent, share, and support. I teach my students self-advocacy skills from day one, and in turn their self-advocacy is rewarded with grace and support. My students are quick to hype one another up, to check on and include a classmate who is in need, and to get adults involved when they are worried about someone. It is my hope that students leave my classroom knowing that they have people who support them and their success.
While the actual activities and learning within my classroom do extend beyond this philosophy of love (because let's face it, science isn't the most touchy-feely subject), love is still at the forefront of my mind during every day with my students.
My Context
New Foundations Charter High School is a relatively diverse school in Northeast Philadelphia. About half of our students are members of a minority group, and 64% of our students qualify as economically disadvantaged according to US News and World Report. I try to respect and celebrate that diversity by using case studies, examples, and media that reflect my student population, as well as providing students opportunities to integrate their identities.
A large number of my students have IEPs or 504 plans, so I provide a lot of differentiation and lean very hard into utilizing Universal Design for Learning to make my classroom accessible to all. Because we are physically located within a city, we utilize our shared understanding of our area to discuss different problems and solutions for environmental issues. |
Classroom Tools
When using technology, it is advantageous to try and be consistent with what you use. Using a different software every single day can end up increasing the extraneous load of doing an activity and make it so that less actual learning can happen, even if the original intent was to increase learning. As a result, I have a few go-to's that my students all understand how to use and feel confident using, which allows for students to use the tech to enhance learning rather than spending their time and mental effort learning about the tech. Below are my most used tools in the classroom.
Pear Deck
I use Pear Deck on a near daily basis in my classroom. It takes any slides with information that I use and makes it so they can be read aloud, the sizes can be immediately altered, and it can instantly be translated into any language. In addition to these functionalities, PearDeck is my favorite formative assessment tool. I can ask students questions in the form of written answers or drawings and instantly see the work from each and every student. I use these formative assessments to check whole-class understanding as well as the understanding of individuals. We as a class use exemplar student work to build a database of models of different science concepts. |
Canva
I use Canva about once every two weeks as an option for art-based activities. Students have used Canva for making social media posts, designing posters, making infographics, creating presentations, and making websites. I use Canva both because it is an easy and effective design tool and because it can be used in the "real world" beyond school- I have had multiple kids tell me that they have used Canva for needs outside of school after learning how to use it. When we use Canva, we also talk about what makes a good design and students start to learn some basic design skills. |
GSuite
GSuite is used pretty obvious ways in classrooms around the world, such as using word documents to capture student learning and using slides to both create presentations and have students create presentations. I like to use GSuite beyond these basic applications. I will often use slides to split up worksheets and lab reports into chunks that reduce the cognitive load. I embed Google Drawings within student assignments on Google Docs to have them annotate existing diagrams and pictures in addition to creating their own. I teach students how to use Google Sites, and they use it to create multimedia artifacts of their learning and thought within research projects. |
Example Class Activities
Engineering Activities
One of my favorite categories of activity to do is engineering activities- students always come up with the craziest, coolest solutions, and I usually get to see some students who are typically less engaged or interested in school as a whole come to life. I am a huge believer in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) in education, and engineering activities are able to activate every letter at the same time (especially the engineering and art components). To enable my students to act as makers, I have what I call the "Engineering Cart" in the back of my classroom, which contains tons of craft supplies ranging from pipe cleaners to popsicle sticks to hot glue to rope. Students have free reign of the engineering cart, and this free access allows them to come up with diverse solutions while also challenging them to solve problems in novel ways. Enabling students to be makers helps to build self confidence through the do-it-yourself mindset and helps to foster a love of learning. I have had multiple students start on engineering and art pathways after engaging with engineering activities, and some students even continue with a particular engineering project after we move on from it. |
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Modeling Activities
Modeling, in my opinion, is one of the most important skills to be learned in science. It is so valuable to be able to observe, analyze, and communicate how a system works. I do modeling in my classroom through digital drawing, physical drawing and mapping, and the creation of 3D models using our maker supplies. Students have to model how systems work (ex: the water cycle), draw images that model how something works (ex: drawing something to represent density), and have to create physical models of things they have only seen in two dimensions (ex: anatomy sculpting activities). Using models in this way scratches the same STEAM itch as the engineering activities while helping to specifically build student ability to understand the connectedness of different concepts and how to communicate their ideas. |
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Inquiry Activities
Because I teach science, it is vital that I structure activities in my class with an inquiry mindset. In an inquiry mindset, students explore systems by asking questions and piecing together how they work. It typically involves leaving things more open and avoiding "cookbook labs" where students are just told exactly what to do and exactly what results they should get. In addition to having students develop their own pathways to explore concepts, I also work very hard to make sure that my students have a chance to experience realistic scenarios and ask questions to whet their curiosity. This ranges from using real systems when possible (like in a dissection) to using media from real situations to putting my students in contacts with experts in various fields. Pushing for inquiry mindsets helps students to become better critical thinkers and problem solvers, makes them more resilient, and helps to foster a love of learning. |
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Student Testimonials
Some notes from students I have saved from over the years. They are why I am here, after all.
Works Cited
Burroughs, John (1919). Field and Study, Cambridge, MA: Riverside Press.
US News and World Report. (2022). New Foundations Charter School Rankings. https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/pennsylvania/districts/new-foundations-charter-school/new-foundations-charter-school-147598