My philosophy on teaching revolves around my “teacher’s sense of efficacy” and how I can “reach even difficult students to help them learn” (Woolfolk et al., 2016, p. 3). Regardless of the difficulties that students may face and the different skills that they possess, I am a firm believer that all students have the potential to become lifelong learners. What I do not believe in, however, is the existence of an ideal student; students have diverse strengths and weaknesses that influence the way in which they learn and process information. As all students do not learn the same way, they should not be taught in the same way. Differentiated instruction is an important component of both teaching and learning because it allows teachers to convey the same curriculum material to students while simultaneously promoting inclusivity and tailoring to the different learning styles of students. In addition, I find that students engage in their own learning by taking the initiative to apply their knowledge to practise. Personally, I find knowledge to be useless if it cannot be applied to real-world scenarios; thus, opportunities for practise are essential in order for students to make connections between theory and reality. Furthermore, evaluating the methods of differentiated instruction and opportunities of practise introduced is required to determine whether or not they promote student success. Overall, I believe that the key to a successful teaching and learning environment is a trifecta of differentiated instruction, opportunities for practise, and reflective practise.

References

Woolfolk, A. E., Winne, P. H., & Perry, N. E. (2016). Educational Psychology (6th ed.). Toronto: Pearson.