Suzonne’s Teaching Philosophy: A  process of modification, adaptation, and change

As a young child, I attended both a private Catholic school and a public Elementary school. In the Catholic school, I was greeted every morning at the front door by my teacher with a hug. We sat on the floor in a circle around her feet. I could clearly hear and see the instruction provided. She taught us explicitly. I believe she used an analogy version of phonics creating a nurturing environment where students did not fear taking risks in responding to the instruction. In contrast, in my public school experience, my teacher taught as if she were on top of Mt. Sinai giving us the commands of God. The teacher failed to reach her isolated students, interacting in an authoritative, almost business-like manner.

These early learning experiences clearly shaped my philosophy of teaching. I strongly believe students are better able to learn when  the teacher and students confer together within the content.

During my teacher preparation program, I was taught that Direct Instruction was the best method for teachers to use to facilitate student learning, so you can imagine the skepticism I had towards the teaching approach used at Garden Oaks Montessori prior to beginning my internship there. How could a self-directed and discovery based approach to teaching and learning possibly be effective? I observed both positive and negative features of the curriculum and teaching approaches used there. I saw students sitting on the floor around the teacher with clipboards in hand, actively participating in lessons. They had some choice, regarding whether to complete a Math assignment or an English Language assignment first. Garden Oaks is a Houston I.S.D school; therefore, the school is required to adhere to the essentialist orientation towards education, while still focusing on student-centered learning. In sum, the school used a blend of both behavioral and constructivist pedagogies. The students were regularly given opportunities to discover their strengths through self-directed activities. As a result, these students, in my opinion, had a better understanding of their talents, interests and abilities. On the other hand, some features missing from teaching at the school were the use of technology  in the delivery of regular instruction and as a tool for accommodating and enhancing the experiences for students with disabilities.

Moreover, several students struggled with the acquisition of fundamental skills because the teachers did not teach using direct instruction with any degree of fidelity. For example, some teachers modeled examples, but did not provide guided practice or corrective feedback.

Overall, it appeared to me that the pendulum in education has swung from a progressive orientation to a knowledge centered approach. I believe that the pendulum needs to swing back towards the middle, halfway between student-directed learning and common-core orientations.

At the  Elementary and Middle school levels, while students need a systematic explicit approach to learn the basics, classroom strategies must allow students to apply and extend their knowledge through project-based and discovery learning.

The means to achieve a balanced approach to learning can come in many forms, for example, using Direct instruction for  40% of the school day followed by real-world application, project based learning, and student choice for the remainder of the day.

Since students require some funds of knowledge and skills before they can succeed in project based learning, my ideal classroom would include concrete, symbolic and abstract learning. Teaching approaches such as project based learning lend themselves well to extending the student’s basic knowledge and skills, which aids in solving more abstract problems.

Adult Learners

I believe my role transitions to that of facilitator. Goals and objectives are defined by the client. The  helper provides the support and differentiation to help the individual meet the client's outcomes. Data collection can be done by both the client and the  helper. Behavioral strategies also work with adults. So, praise works for everyone!  Adults like children have different strengths, abilities, learning styles, and interests. As a helper, I would still describe myself as  nurturing  because that is my spirit.