Education is the most powerful weapon, which you can use to change the world

(Nelson Mandela). Education impacts the lives of individuals and has the power to
influence and make change. Education systems, school districts and teachers must
provide citizens with the fundamental knowledge and tools needed to reach their full
potential and success in society. The purpose of education is to equip children with these
tools, cultivate a sense of self in individuals, and a respect for learning. In order to
achieve success, children must feel valued for who they are, where they come from and
for what they offer to the world. The classroom must allow students to experience
academic rigor, relationship based discipline, inquiry-based learning, problem solving,
community-building skills and a respect for others. The role of teachers in education is to
be advocates for the field of education, advocates for their students, and advocates of
learning.
As a teacher, I am responsible for creating a safe, productive, academically
challenging and joyful learning environment. I am committed to creating unique, loving
relationships with each and every one of my students, understanding individual interests,
inquiries, and learning styles. I firmly believe that the most joyful and rich learning takes
place when students are free to explore and learn through discovery. According to Jerome
Bruner (1967), students may be more likely to remember concepts and knowledge
discovered on their own. The goal is not to teach students what to think, but rather how
to think, allowing them to develop diverse strategies for learning and taking an active role
in their learning rather than a passive role. I value maintaining consistency in the
classroom where my students understand expectations and norms. The way in which I
will establish this constructivist approach is by connecting three types of knowledge:
content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and technological knowledge.
Teaching begins with a complete and thorough understanding of the discipline
you have chosen. That understanding begins with a profound knowledge of the content
and that content includes knowledge of concepts, theories, ideas, organizational
frameworks, methods of evidence and proof, as well as established practices and
approaches toward developing such knowledge in a particular discipline.(397) Once the
content is mastered you can then focus on your pedagogy that can be defined as a deep
knowledge about the processes and practices of teaching and learning, encompassing
educational purposes, goals, values, strategies, and more. (397) It is more the general
knowledge of how to teach not specifically what you teach. Technological knowledge
can then allow you to utilize new forms a teaching involved with developing forms of
interactive teaching tools. Because technology is consistently updating it is hard to
define technological knowledge but rather understand it as there are ways of thinking
about and working with technology that can apply to all technological tools(398)
called FITnes or fluency in information technology(398). Together these types of
knowledge form TPACK, TPACK is a form of professional knowledge that
technologically and pedagogically adept, curriculum-oriented teachers use when they
teach.(401) In using TPACK I am able to instill all aspects of my philosophy into my
classroom and ensure that all students are being reached and able to discover knowledge
in a constructivist manor.