“Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire.”

– W. B. Yeats

Progression through my teaching degree and undertaking professional experience has influenced the development of my own personal teaching philosophy. It has allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of what being a teacher truly means and how my influence is transferred in the classroom. My teaching philosophy is underpinned by contemporary notions learnt throughout the course of my degree. The classroom is a diverse environment whereby no student is exactly the same. Every individual learner is unique with their own abilities, interests and strengths, ranging from various backgrounds and contexts (Churchill et. al., 2018). Therefore, it is my job as teacher to cater to such diversities in order to support the needs of all students (AITSL, 2017, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6). It is essential to ensure ALL students no matter their circumstances or abilities are treated equally and provided the SAME opportunity to engage in a quality education (UNESCO, 1994). I have a strong passion for History and English and hope through my teaching to build and inspire the same sense of passion within students towards something they truly enjoy. I believe connecting with students’ interests are essential to their motivation within the classroom to ensure they always give one-hundred percent effort, as education is a two-way process between student and teacher (AITSL 2017, 1.2, 4.1). 

To ensure students are actively motivated and supported in their learning, I believe a balanced humanist and constructivist approach is essential in teaching practice for all students to reach their full potential. Vygotsky’s theory of constructivism asserts that students actively learn in a social and collaborative environment (Singh & Yaduvanshi, 2015). As such, knowledge is developed through the process of interactive and interpersonal experiences, facilitated by teachers (O’Donnell et al., 2016). According to Vygotsky (1987), the Zone of Proximal Development refers to the distance between what a learner can do and achieve on their own and the extent to which they can succeed with support from others (Churchill et al., 2018). In this sense, it is my responsibility to facilitate meaningful learning experiences which students can partake in to create their own meaning by stepping out of their comfort zone. This approach is student-centred, focusing on their strengths and building on what they know to develop knowledge further through interactive activities (AITSL, 2017, 1.2, 3.2, 3.3, 3.5, 4.1, 4.2, 5.4). I will implement constructivism within my practice through group inquiry tasks, think-pair-share and class discussions, jigsaw groups, collaborative mind-maps and class debates, to encourage students to embrace vulnerability by stepping out of their comfort zone and creating their own knowledge from facilitated learning experiences.

Maslow’s ‘Hierarchy of Needs’ is a humanist approach to education which asserts that students whose basic needs are fulfilled will reach their fullest potential, as they are supported to grow in a positive environment (Maslow, 1943). In essence, all students must be supported for them to engage fully in learning experiences and contribute to the best of their ability. I strongly identify with this humanist approach as every student has the right to feel safe and encouraged to develop self-efficacy and reach self-actualisation, to become independent learners (UN General Assembly, 1989). As a teacher, it is my responsibility to facilitate this and ensure all students are supported. I make it my mission to establish strong student-teacher rapport to understand students and how to best support their needs to succeed in learning and actively partake in every opportunity offered within the classroom (AITSL, 2017, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 3.5, 4.1). By regularly checking on students’ wellbeing and offering support, I will become a teacher they can trust, fostering healthy discussion. I aim to establish a classroom environment that is safe, supportive and inclusive whereby students will strive to reach their fullest potential in an environment that enables their growth.

As such, I endeavour to nurture learners’ social-emotional development and basic needs throughout their educational journey to ensure they become confident in their own abilities and prepared for real-world experiences. To ensure this, I will become a reflective practitioner to effectively improve my teaching practice from feedback I have received, in order to develop more meaningful and engaging learning experiences for all students and cater to their specific needs, ensuring they are supported in a safe environment. As teaching is an ever-evolving discipline, I actively aim to be reflective and adaptable in my practice to ensure I provide the best learning experiences possible for all students.

Reference list

Australian Institute for Training and School Leadership (AITSL). (2017). Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. https://www.aitsl.edu.au/standards.

Churchill, S., Godinho, S., Johnson, N. F., Keddie, A., Letts, W., Lowe, K., Mackay, J., McGill, M., Moss, J., Nagel, M., Shaw, K. & Vick, M. (2018). Teaching: Making a difference (4th ed.). Milton, Australia: John Wiley & Sons. 

Education Library. (2020). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (image). https://educationlibrary.org/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs-in-education/. 

Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370-96. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0054346. 

O’Donnell, A. M., Dobozy, E., Bartlett, B., Nagel, M. C., Spooner-Lane, R., Youssef-Shalala, A., Reeve, J., & Smith, J. K. (2016). Educational psychology (second Australian edition). John Wiley & Sons. 

Singh, S., & Yaduvanshi, S. (2015). Constructivism in science classroom: Why and how. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 5(3), 1-5. https://www.ijsrp.org/research-paper-0315/ijsrp-p3978.pdf. 

UNESCO. (1994). The Salamanca Statement and Framework for action on special needs education: Adopted by the World Conference on Special Needs Education; Access and Quality. Salamanca, Spain, 7-10 June 1994. Unesco. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000098427#:~:text=We%20believe%20and%20proclaim%20that,should%20be%20designed%20and%20educational.

UN General Assembly. (1989). Convention on the Rights of the Child. 20 November 1989, United Nations, Treaty Series, 1577(3), 1-23. https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-child.

Vygotsky, L. (1987). ‘Thinking and speech’. In R. Rieber & A. Carton (Eds.). The collected works of Lev Vygotsky, Vol. 1. Plenum Publishing.