Crystal's Teaching Philosophy
My philosophy as an educator is that all students can learn, and it is my goal and responsibility to provide them a supportive learning environment in which their needs are being met to ensure learning and success; and my hope is that my students never find themselves in a position of questioning their own intellect and skills.
A part of providing a supportive learning environment is to embrace a classroom’s diversity. It is important to note that all students come from diverse sets of backgrounds and with this, they all bring their unique experiences and knowledge to the classroom. First and foremost, I commit myself to being culturally aware and culturally inclusive as to create a safe and welcoming learning environment for my students. Often is the case that educators associate cultural diversity with inherent biases, leaving them with lower expectations for students, and ultimately, giving up before even beginning. I commit myself to address and eradicate my inherent biases, and to hold all my students to high expectations, not to pressure, but rather encourage them to strengthen their abilities and increase their knowledge. I feel that setting realistic and attainable goals for my students, and propelling them towards reaching said goals, will ultimately drive them towards success and encourage them to find joy in learning.
A large aspect of my philosophy is to create in my students a growth mindset. I want my students to be able to believe in themselves just as much as I know I will believe in their abilities. The educational model I grew up on, which is still prevalent in today’s classrooms, was that of the traditional Banking Model in which students are treated as empty vessels expected to be “filled” with knowledge instructed by educators (Freire, 1993). Education is then seen as a passive experience in which students are expected to memorize and regurgitate relevant information to be successful in school. This instructional theory disengages students and regulates a fixed mindset; students focus on performing rather than learning. Not all learners learn the same, and the theory of the Banking Model ignores the very fact that the needs of every student are different. Since this is the case, it is important that I am adaptable in my lesson planning and instruction as to provide multiple means of engagement, rather than strictly the traditional lecture style which the Banking Model centers around. Engagement can range from collaborative work, accepting multiple formats for assignments, allowing assessments to move beyond traditional testing, and offering hands-on learning opportunities. My goal is to shift more into an engaging, problem-posing educational pedagogy; one in which my students are encouraged to think critically and are given ownership over their learning experiences.