My Teaching Philosophy

When I look back at my high school experience, I can name a few classes that I loved that led me to pursue a biology degree. Part of the reason I loved these classes was because I was interested in the content. Another reason I loved them was because of how the content was taught to me. I want to pursue STEM education to empower students in the same way that my high school teachers empowered me. 

 

I believe in a constructivist approach in the classroom in which students construct their own understanding of material based on their previous knowledge and through collaboration with their peers. When students are passive learners forced to sit and memorize lecture material, they lack agency in their learning. When students are allowed to discuss and explore with their peers, they are given agency. Their personal identities are supported as they are allowed to be inventive, thoughtful and creative. Allowing the students to be authors of their own learning can drastically change the way they view an academic subject. It can be the difference between them considering themself a “science person” or not. Although students will be expected to take ownership of their own learning, they are not alone. A teacher's job is to guide the student’s thinking by clearing up misconceptions, explaining tricky topics and  posing probing questions that allow them to access their knowledge in a different way. With the teacher’s support, the student can reach their full learning potential. I want to allow students to have agency over their own learning discoveries while guiding them with a scaffolding approach.

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I believe in support that is catered to individual learning needs. Every student has unique experiences that impact the way they perform in the classroom. As a teacher, my job is to be attentive to individual learning needs and make a constant effort to meet students where they are. Every student can be successful with the right resources. 

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Lastly, I believe in dismantling harmful biases that lead students to believe that some people are more qualified than others to pursue STEM careers and higher education. These stereotypes and implicit biases can be internalized by students, causing them to underperform or feel that they are not meant for STEM. I believe in building a classroom environment in which students feel supported in their identity and empowered to pursue their interests. I want them to know that they have the power to change the world around them and that education is a tool to achieve change.​