Philosophy of Teaching Statement

Auburn Carpenter
Masters of Arts in Teaching
The University of North Carolina at Wilmington

First and foremost I believe that teaching begins with the love of the subject one wants to teach. The appeal of educating young minds, and a love for students is not enough to becoming a good teacher. We must express an enthusiasm for our subject as well as a fondness for instructing others. It is that love of our subject that draws us to educate others on that same topic.

I have been interested in the topic of biology since I was a little girl. I knew that some day when I grew up that I wanted to work with animals, and currently I am seeking a job involving zoo education and outreach. I desire to share my adoration and interest of animals to others. As a student teacher some have jokingly told me that student teaching at a high school is like being at a zoo. One of the reasons that I wanted to teach at a zoo is due to my strong belief in informal science settings as a real benefit and an excellent resource to formal education. I believe that a students learning is greatly furthered by being completely surround and immersed by the things they are learning about. For instance, if students are learning about the different taxa of animals, what better way to teach them by showing them live animals? Can students really and truly become concerned about environmental issues such as the need for clean water in side of a classroom? Perhaps, but wouldn’t they learn and value their studies a great deal more if they were taken to their local rivers and lakes to investigate the sanitation of their own drinking water?

I believe that informal science education is important because it appeals to all of the learning styles that our students possess. It is extremely important to use varying activities to appeal to all types of learning. I believe that any student can learn and become involved in the subject that you are teaching, however, the teacher must provide activities that will aid that student in the learning process. We must evaluate each student and realize what their abilities and learning styles are to better accommodate them in the learning process. Each student is beautifully unique and each class you teach can be as equally different. First period might learn well with direct instruction, while second period responds better to labs and hands on activities. The joy of teaching comes from the freedom of choosing fun and engaging activities that need to remain fresh and new each year. I believe that teachers can burnout quickly be continuing to present the same material in the same way year after year. That wouldn’t be enjoyable or beneficial for anyone in any field, because it creates a mechanical assembly line mentality, and to avoid this teachers should constantly search for new resources and new ideas.

For science teachers coming up with new material to discuss is easy! There are inventions and new discovers each day! Students can be connected to science very easily if the teacher would show them that science happens around them each day. John Wenzel, Depart of Entomology at Ohio State University, says in his philosophy of teaching that:

“Teaching biology can be a very easy thing to do. All of us experience the science of life every day. An appealing way to attract students to complex topics is by reference to current events and popular news articles. Headlines regarding a new vaccine, the search for life on Mars, or a new dinosaur fossil can all make various biological issues become part of the vibrant events of a student’s own daily life rather than the dry material of assigned reading.”

Students will appreciate that their teacher is “thinking outside of the education box” by using current events as part of instruction.

The best part of teaching that I have encountered so far is the fact that I have learned from my students. Some of my students have been involved in several interesting projects or groups, and some have ever traveled to several countries, and they enjoy sharing facts about what they have done. Students have learned a considerable amount by simply watching the Discovery Channel and by researching on-line, and sometimes it seems that in certain cases I feel they are the experts on the topic instead of me! I rejoice and encourage my students to share their knowledge to the class, because it adds another level of learning as well as a connecting among classmates.

I feel that as the weeks have past our classroom has begun to take on a friendly atmosphere, with students helping each other, while I sit back and smile at the creative process. Education isn’t perfect, and there are lost of improvements to be made, but if we stay connected to the passion for our subject and the thrill of watching and being involved in our students learning then I believe that huge improvements are in store for the future of education. We must embrace new ideas and teaching styles, and use all the resources available to us, and not be afraid to be a little creative!