Teaching Philosophy I have been very fortunate to have taught at the Miami Valley school for the past six years. It is a school that fosters cutting edge teaching practices through its commitment to the Immersion Method. The Immersion Method is an innovative education philosophy that encourages students to explore, connect, share and reflect on their learning. This is accomplished by leveraging 21st-century learning, student voice, technology and immersive experiences. Through this commitment I have honed my teaching skills while adding my own personal touch to the immersion method. Teaching history has posed its own special challenges in implementing the Immersion Method. I have developed my own unique philosophy to translate the four key components of immersive learning, explore, connect, share, and reflect, to my classroom.
Explore: In my classroom this means students experience divergent views and narratives that expand the footprint of their collective experiences and comfort zones. Many of the electives that I have taught have been in support of the Sinai Scholarship which is given to Jewish students who attend MVS. One of my main goals in teaching these classes was to make sure that all students felt comfortable taking the class and sharing their opinion. This can be challenging in classes that focus on the Israeli-Arab conflict but is achieved by cultivating a growth mindset and encouraging discovery and curiosity rather than winning. When this breaks down I like to use a pedagogical tool I picked up during a professional development opportunity. Becoming a Better Angels Debate chair has allowed me to introduce formal parliamentary debate procedure to take the sting out of often contentious issues.
Connect: This means always relating content and lessons to the modern world and using technology to connect students to the past. I am constantly trying to link what we are learning to the lives of the students. When studying Paleolithic societies our essential question that we are answering for the unit is how Paleolithic life is relevant to our ninth grade lives. When we discuss the Enlightenment we think about who and what we take for granted and how we can break out of our self imposed immaturity. Lessons on Rome center around how income inequality eroded Roman democratic institutions and then juxtapose that to modern economic trends in America. These lessons help students understand how our lives are shaped by history and creates excitement and engagement in class.
Share: I focus on allowing students to teach other students and creating projects that give students the opportunity to share with the class and community through writing and public speaking. One such project is a speech at the end of the year that is based on research in the student’s topic of choice. This scaffolds off of shorter speeches during the semester with the last being the longest and most intensive. After giving these speeches students are encouraged and supported in applying to speak at TED x Youth Dayton. It is so gratifying for the teacher and empowering for the student to see work done in school transcend the walls of the institution and find a willing audience. I have also worked on developing a teaching assistant program that allows seniors to TA in my freshman World Civilizations class.
Reflect: I have been able to use this transition as an opportunity to go through my own process of immersive learning. The last six years have been a whirlwind of learning, implementing, and accomplishing. In order to crystallize these experiences and lessons I need to reflect. As I have written, applied and thought about my next phase of life, I have had to step back and analyze the pedagogical practices that I have been utilizing in the classroom. What does the research say about my practices? What can I do better? What have I been doing that is effective and needs to be redoubled? What I am missing and overlooking that can be added to my repertoire of practices? It is very rare that a teacher is afforded the time to ask and answer these questions and yet this type of experience is essential for real growth and development. The past year at Michigan has helped me identify areas for improvement in my teaching. I more deeply understand how and why backward design, classroom routines, leaning technologies and assessment can be used to support our students' growth. Moreover, I am growing in always extending grace to our students. Recognizing how transformative reflection has been in my own growth, I also acknowledge how important this can be for a student. Classrooms need to create room for students to stop and think about how they have been learning and progressing. Teachers need to encourage students not to just complete assignments and move on but to really discover what worked well and what did not. Empowering the student to evolve and improve performance throughout the year and their lives.
Explore: In my classroom this means students experience divergent views and narratives that expand the footprint of their collective experiences and comfort zones. Many of the electives that I have taught have been in support of the Sinai Scholarship which is given to Jewish students who attend MVS. One of my main goals in teaching these classes was to make sure that all students felt comfortable taking the class and sharing their opinion. This can be challenging in classes that focus on the Israeli-Arab conflict but is achieved by cultivating a growth mindset and encouraging discovery and curiosity rather than winning. When this breaks down I like to use a pedagogical tool I picked up during a professional development opportunity. Becoming a Better Angels Debate chair has allowed me to introduce formal parliamentary debate procedure to take the sting out of often contentious issues.
Connect: This means always relating content and lessons to the modern world and using technology to connect students to the past. I am constantly trying to link what we are learning to the lives of the students. When studying Paleolithic societies our essential question that we are answering for the unit is how Paleolithic life is relevant to our ninth grade lives. When we discuss the Enlightenment we think about who and what we take for granted and how we can break out of our self imposed immaturity. Lessons on Rome center around how income inequality eroded Roman democratic institutions and then juxtapose that to modern economic trends in America. These lessons help students understand how our lives are shaped by history and creates excitement and engagement in class.
Share: I focus on allowing students to teach other students and creating projects that give students the opportunity to share with the class and community through writing and public speaking. One such project is a speech at the end of the year that is based on research in the student’s topic of choice. This scaffolds off of shorter speeches during the semester with the last being the longest and most intensive. After giving these speeches students are encouraged and supported in applying to speak at TED x Youth Dayton. It is so gratifying for the teacher and empowering for the student to see work done in school transcend the walls of the institution and find a willing audience. I have also worked on developing a teaching assistant program that allows seniors to TA in my freshman World Civilizations class.
Reflect: I have been able to use this transition as an opportunity to go through my own process of immersive learning. The last six years have been a whirlwind of learning, implementing, and accomplishing. In order to crystallize these experiences and lessons I need to reflect. As I have written, applied and thought about my next phase of life, I have had to step back and analyze the pedagogical practices that I have been utilizing in the classroom. What does the research say about my practices? What can I do better? What have I been doing that is effective and needs to be redoubled? What I am missing and overlooking that can be added to my repertoire of practices? It is very rare that a teacher is afforded the time to ask and answer these questions and yet this type of experience is essential for real growth and development. The past year at Michigan has helped me identify areas for improvement in my teaching. I more deeply understand how and why backward design, classroom routines, leaning technologies and assessment can be used to support our students' growth. Moreover, I am growing in always extending grace to our students. Recognizing how transformative reflection has been in my own growth, I also acknowledge how important this can be for a student. Classrooms need to create room for students to stop and think about how they have been learning and progressing. Teachers need to encourage students not to just complete assignments and move on but to really discover what worked well and what did not. Empowering the student to evolve and improve performance throughout the year and their lives.
