As a teacher I believe that children are unique individuals. They come from different backgrounds with different cultures and learning styles. They need a safe, caring and conducive environment to learn and play. It is my desire to help pupils meet their fullest potential physically, emotionally, spiritually and intellectually. There are three elements that I believe are conducive to establishing such an environment, (1) the teacher acting as a guide/facilitator, (2) allowing the pupil’s natural curiosity to direct his/her learning, and (3) promoting respect for all things and all people.
When the teacher’s role is to guide/facilitate, providing access to information rather than acting as the primary source of information, the pupils’ search for knowledge is met as they learn to find answers to their questions. To help them gain and construct knowledge, they need the opportunity to discover for themselves and practice skills in authentic situations. I also believe by providing pupils access to hands-on activities and allowing sufficient time and space to use materials that reinforce the lesson being studied can generate an opportunity for individual discovery and construction of knowledge to take place.
When planning a lesson or interacting with pupils I am always conscious of their different learning styles and abilities, what they have already learned and what they will need to learn in the future. Personal contact with students is very important to my approach. Many pupils need encouragement to talk to their teachers, so I give emphasis to my availability for informal conversation and my willingness to help them sort out any problems they have with what they are learning.
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