Category Archives: My educational philosophy
Maths
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Throughout primary school I generally enjoyed maths, I understood it and I found it fun being able to work out all the problems. I looked forward to the mental maths test on a Friday morning and had an overall good feeling towards maths. As I entered into high school and maths got gradually harder my liking towards maths began to decrease, especially when it came to higher maths in S5, I hated it. I dreaded going to class, and not because of my teacher, I had had the same teacher since first year and she was great! I just hated the subject. I was in a class of very high achieving pupils and I always felt that I just wasn’t as good as any of them, I felt as though I was the only one who didn’t understand and always felt like I was falling behind in class. Although I hated this at the time I did somehow manage to pass my higher and I am now in some ways glad that I have had this experience. I know what it is like to truly struggle with something, to look at a piece of work and just feel like you are looking at some sort of foreign language, to try so hard but inevitably always hit a brick wall. I believe that after having experienced this myself I will be able to sympathise with pupils in my class who are struggling and understanding how they may be feeling and what they are going through.
I believe that interactive learning is the reason I enjoyed maths in primary school, we were always using physical objects such as counters and blocks. Being able to use these objects to improve my understanding made maths seem like a bit of a game, it made it fun and an enjoyable subject to be participating in. As a trainee teacher and further on when I become a fully qualified teacher I hope to be able to use interactive learning in my maths lessons as much as possible, to try and encourage my pupils to physically get involved with maths and see what is happening when you are adding and subtracting etc. and also making maths different to other subjects, adding variation to their learning, making it fun and intriguing for the pupils.
Characteristics of a Professional
Roles of a Professional
Patience
It is extremely important for a teacher to be patient. When teaching your class a new topic it will take time for the pupils to understand what they are being taught, what they are being asked to do and how to carry it out. Some pupils may be able to understand what it is they are doing quite quickly where as others may take a bit longer. It is important that the teacher is able to be patient and understanding with the pupils who may be struggling a bit more than others. If the pupil sees that the teacher is getting fed up or impatient with them they may begin to believe they are doing something wrong or are being ‘bad’. It will also discourage the pupils if they feel as if their teacher can’t be bothered with them anymore or doesn’t have the time for them. If a pupil is left feeling like this they may start to misbehave, muck about and give up altogether which can have implications for their entire learning, not just that one topic.
Empathy
Being able to show empathy is an important trait for a teacher to have. Pupils who are struggling may need extra support from their teacher and if the teacher is empathetic towards them it will make the pupil feel less nervous and more comfortable about asking for help. Showing empathy towards pupils will also make them feel more appreciated and recognised in the classroom, an environment which may seem quite daunting, especially to pupils who may find it harder to speak up or ask for help. Pupils who are struggling may find it comforting to know that they are not the only person with this issue with the work, which it can sometimes feel like if you have no-one to talk to, so the teacher being patient with the pupil and showing an understanding for how they are feeling and what they are going through could be very useful and encouraging for them and may allow them to proceed further with encouragement and a little assistance.
Self – Control
Teachers need to be able to demonstrate and carry out self – control. If a teacher has had a bad day outside of the classroom they need to be able to put these issues aside and not take the feelings of upset or anger into the classroom. It is also vital that teachers do not hold grudges with pupils due to their past behaviour, it is important to start every day as a new day and not hold feelings of anger or dislike towards their pupils for incidences which have past. Finally teachers must be careful not to get annoyed at pupils for something another pupil in the class has done. For example, a teacher must not get impatient and angry at a pupil who is simply struggling with a piece of work because another pupil in the class has been being disruptive and misbehaving all day.
Tolerance
Much like patience, it is extremely important for a teacher to have a high level of tolerance. Teachers need to be tolerant of pupils who find it harder than others and struggle more as getting angry with them or becoming impatient may cause them to become upset, worried (more than they already are), or start to misbehave as it is easier for them to refuse to do the work they are struggling with than sit and look their work and be able to make no sense of it when they are getting no help from a teacher. Teachers must also be tolerant of pupils who are misbehaving, it is ok to tell them off and teach them that what they are doing is wrong by taking away certain privileges such as minute of golden time etc. but if a teacher is constantly screaming and shouting at pupils for misbehaving it may act as encouragement for those misbehaving as they might find this funny or entertaining, and it will also create an unpleasant classroom environment meaning that even those who are behaving and trying hard will not enjoy their learning either.
Justice
I believe that one of the most important traits of a teacher is to be just and treat all pupils as equals. Singling out pupils and treating them differently to others for any reason will promote inequality within the classroom and pupils may pick this up and then go on to treat people outside of the classroom unequally and unjustly which will build up an unpleasant and unhappy society. Treating pupils differently for reasons such as their academic status may also make pupils feel unhappy or uneasy as it singles them out as different to others and may cause them to be teased or bullied by their classmates and could also make them unhappy at school and stop them from trying with their work or even coming to school atall, which will severely impact their learning.
Why Teaching?
For as long as I can remember I have always wanted to be a teacher, even from four years old when I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up my answer was always “a teacher” and not much has changed since. When I was younger I really just wanted to be a teacher because, personally, I thought it sounded and looked quite fun but, over time, my reasons have grown. In my opinion, teaching is one of the most important jobs in the world. Without teachers how would people learn the skills needed to help them proceed through education and onto life in the working world. The thought of being the first step in a person’s journey into education is something that both excites me and also makes me feel slightly nervous, but it is something I definitely want to do and am ready and willing to learn.
I feel very strongly about all pupil’s being treated equally and being given equal opportunities within their learning, no matter what the ability of the child, this is something I hope to be able promote and carry out during my career as a teacher. I would love to be a teacher that pupils respect and look up to, but most importantly someone they feel comfortable around and could easily go to for help and guidance without feeling nervous or worried because feeling safe, secure and happy in your school and class environment is something which I feel is key to being successful in school.
