Teaching Philosophy Cleighton Boehme

Teaching for Excellence

Of all of the approaches to learning, I think that the learner-centred approach is most important.
Students come to school to learn, to prepare for their future careers, and hopefully to learn to make a
positive difference in society; however, if the focus becomes anything but the students and their needs,
education loses its efficacy. Some few students may succeed in rigid, teacher-centred, systems, but the
majority of students will fail to reach their potential. Every student comes to the classroom with unique
experiences, abilities, and interests. The only way to successfully approach the education of all students
is to attempt to help each student to excel in his or her own ways. There are many aspects to this
approach. In the following, I will discuss those which I see as most beneficial.

Teaching for success involves teaching for engagement. If students do not enjoy some aspect of
school, they will stop coming. Negative experiences will leave an impression that may affect generations
of students. On the other hand, positive experiences at school can change the course of a students life.
Teacher should make learning fun and engaging for their students by getting to know their students and
their interests and then teaching to their needs. When I think back on my school experience, the classes
that I have enjoyed the most are those in which the teacher has made the effort to make them
engaging, challenging, and fun.

Activities in the classroom should be focused on learning. Students do not come to school just to
be entertained. They come to learn. Teaching, as well as assessment, should be focused on learning,
centred on the curriculum. It may seem almost paradoxical to have the goal of teaching to students
needs while also teaching the curriculum, but with understanding of the curriculum comes the
realization that the curriculum is not meant to be restrictive but rather prescriptive in nature. The
curriculum lays out what students are expected to learn and gives the teacher a framework on which to
build classroom learning. It is up to the teacher to approach instruction creatively, in ways that will
maximize student learning. This involves reaching students who may struggle more by creating
differentiating classroom activities. I like the idea of teaching to the best. Teachers should create
lessons aimed at the best students: those students who are engaged and give their all, not necessarily
the smartest students. As teachers create engaging lessons aimed towards the best, they can plan to
provide support and make adjustments according to the needs of their students. In doing so, they pave
the way for student learning.

Considering all of the duties of teaching, I believe that teaching for empowerment remains the
most important. Teachers should not teach students just to be consumers but to think critically and be
creators. Students should be empowered to think for themselves and make their own decisions. I
believe that a consistent approach through primary and secondary education is essential. Teachers
should begin by having rules and expectations laid out, teaching their students morals and manners. As
students progress, they should have increasingly more say in what rules and expectations govern their
learning. They should be presented with opportunities to make their own decisions based on the morals
and manners that they have learned. An important application of this lies in the use of technology. I
believe that starting from kindergarten, students should be taught about the proper use of technology.
This will involve lots of structure in the early years, but as they grow older, I believe students should
have more and more control over their own use of technology in their learning. They need to be taught
to take control of technology rather than letting it control them. Teachers need to help their students
learn how to think critically and make their own decisions regarding their use of technology, as well as in
other aspects of their learning.

Finally, neither teachers nor students can succeed on their own. Success involves the support of
many others, including parents and families, school administration, and members of the community.
Building a healthy learning community involves getting as many people involved in students success as
possible. A teacher should draw on all of the resources available: collaborating with other teachers,
connecting with parents, learning about opportunities in the community for their students, etc. This may
require some extra work on the teachers part, but in the end, the benefit for their students will be well
worth the effort. A teacher can do so much more with the help of others than he or she can do alone.

All of these aspects of teaching contribute to the success of students. Teachers help students to
excel when they put their students needs first.