Educational Teaching Philosophy

By Megan Clark
Every child that enters the classroom every year differs in a variety of ways. Between
their cultural background, external experiences, and cognitive development, all students enter the
classroom as a unique individual with their own style of learning. Within my classroom, all
means of diversity will be welcomed and supported. Students learn best when they are in an
environment they feel comfortable enough to take risks and be themselves amongst their peers. A
comfortable environment such as this motivates students to learn for the sake of learning, which
tends to be every teachers main purpose. However, the ways I believe will effectively make this
happen may differ from other teachers. Much like a constructivism, my classroom will encourage
self discovery and lessons will integrate a great deal of social interaction to promote student
growth at its fullest potential.
In order to create a comfortable learning environment, which supports all diversity and
styles of learning, a teacher must remove the competitive aspects created by rewards in the
classroom. Although many teachers continue to attempt motivating their students through the use
of rewards, I feel this teaching method creates a less unified learning environment. When
students are focused on competing with one another for an award, they stop taking risks and limit
their learning efforts to achieve the reward. However, I agree with Alfie Kohns theory that
rewards should not exist within the learning development as a motivator. Instead, learning should
be done as a whole instead of an individual process. Students need to work collaboratively for
their fullest potential of growth. Kohn notes that as a collective, with no competitive
environment, students will learn to take risk, think outside of the box, and thrive academically.
Students no longer see each other as a competitor, but as a support system for one another in
their education. This is the kind of learning environment I plan on implementing within my
classroom because the classroom is meant to be a place for learning more, not rewarding more.
In order to effectively help every individual learner reach their full potential, I believe it
is essential to teach from a constructivist view point. Constructivism within the classroom allows
students to self discover on their own, using their own learning methods. This allows each and
every student to thrive in their own way while be guided, encouraged, and supported by both the
teacher and their peers. Constructivism changes form the traditional focus on lecture based
learning towards a focus on putting student understanding/ student efforts at the centre of the
classroom focus. Teaching from a constructivist viewpoint encourages students to take previous
experiences/previous knowledge and connect it to the lessons/content currently being learned. It
allows students to make their own connections, explore their own ideas, and draw their own
conclusions without being lectured how learn it one specific way. Constructivism allows for
diverse learning by allowing all students to make their own personal connections and take
control of their learning. When students feel they have some control over their learning, they will
learn in the way that best suits their individual learning style; thus, allowing every individual
student to thrive in their own way.
A great portion of this individual discovery occurs through social interaction and
dialogue. Therefore, it is crucial to incorporate interactive lessons that allow students to work
together as they learn. Applefield considers this kind of teaching as dialectical constructivism,

which emphasizes social interactions and exchanges for cognitive growth. To make this happen,
group and classroom discussions play a huge role in allowing students to hear and voice different
perspectives on similar topics. As Applefield once said, dialogue is the catalyst for knowledge
acquisition meaning that these social interactions and group discussions can speed up the
learning process while allowing students to get a more in-depth understanding of the content.
This does not mean that students teach themselves all the content at all; the teacher is still in the
classroom to guide and instruct when needed. However, students get the opportunity to challenge
themselves, ask questions, and form their ideas which allows them to be more creative with their
education. Helping students to discover their own intrinsic desire of curiosity to discover new
things encourages students to challenges themselves and become the best version of themselves.
In addition, Vygotsky also promoted academic development with the use of social
interaction through his theory of proximal development. This theory derived from Piagets stages
of development where he concluded that all learning occurs based on individual cognitive levels,
not based on an individuals age. Therefore, within the classroom, teachers need to be aware of
the different cognitive abilities and restrictions their students may when entering the classroom.
Vigotskys proximal development simply explains that every child is on a different cognitive
level, but when you combine a lower cognitive learner with a higher cognitive learner, students
can work together to accomplish a certain task which may have seemed impossible for an
individual to complete alone. Through proximal development, students are able to work
collectively and strengthen one anothers cognitive growth. Instead of teaching at a static
cognitive level to meed in the middle of all learning development, proximal development allows
students to work with a partner and learn at their own cognitive levels, with their own learning
styles. Proximal development within the classrooms creates more diversity in a students
cognitive development and promotes an environment of collaboration/ collective learning.
Lastly, in order to create an environment that promotes collaboration and encourages
students to become the best versions of themselves, a teacher must construct an engaging and
motivating classroom environment. For students to thrive in their education, they must feel
welcomed, supported and motivated within the classroom. By promoting an engaging classroom,
it will spark student learning and fuel the fire of interest, which will motivate them to learn.
Bandura explains the importance motivation plays on developing a high level of self efficacy.
Students need the encouragement, support and motivation within the classroom to help students
develop a stronger sense of their own self efficacy. Their self efficacy is what will help them
thrive post-education, in the real world. Therefore, just as Bandura emphasized, it is crucially
important to create a motivating environment for students to reach their fullest of potential. By
demonstrating genuine interest in the students, and supporting their human need for exploration,
teachers can create the conditions that allow students to motivate themselves, which is a crucial
skill to have post-education.
To create an effective and supportive classroom environment that promotes educational
growth, teachers need to be conscious of the unique students entering their classroom. Students
come from all different backgrounds with different skill sets and all have different cognitive
levels of prior thought. Therefore teachers need to creatively construct their teaching to meet all
levels of learning. This is most effectively done through interactive and socially constructive

lessons. Allowing students the chance to discuss, discover, and grow alongside their peers,
instead of against their peers, creates a thriving environment. Furthermore, teachers need to be
constantly encouraging student growth and motivating cognitive development to help students
reach their full potential.

Bibliography
Bruner, J. (1996). The culture of education (pp. 44-65). Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University
Press.
Cole, M. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes (pp.
79-90). Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Kohn, A. (1993). Punished by rewards: The trouble with gold stars, incentive plans, A's, praise,
and other bribes (pp. 49-96). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Woolfolk, A., & Et al. (2012). Cognitive Development and Language. In (pp. 31-41).
Woolfolk, A., & Et al. (2006). Educational psychology (3rd Canadian ed.). Toronto: Pearson
Allyn and Bacon.