Becoming and remaining an effective teacher is a lifelong journey. The guiding principles explored in my teaching philosophy are driven by my personal beliefs, experiences, attitudes, and thoughts. Realistically, I understand I will never be the perfect teacher or establish the perfect classroom environment, so I am willingly accepting that this is a highly adaptable plan and will serve as a foundational framework that I can build upon in the future. The primary focus of my teaching philosophy is how I can implement a progressive teaching model that prepares learners for the 21st century. The ideas I address are based on constructivist principles and choice theory; they take learning from a noun to a verb and align with The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Process Standards. Further, by blending progressive pedagogy with modern tools and resources my learners will become innovate, highly effective members of society.

Every school has some sort of established curricula; however, it is my job as an educator to explore my resources and spend time researching to ensure that I am giving my learners the opportunities they deserve. The content covered in my classroom will be meaningful and highly reflective. I will engage my learners by having them explore relevant topics that interest them that coincide with the content area, a connection I hope my learners will make. This will help convince the learner that the task is worth exploring, and by choosing a topic they enjoy they will gain a sense of ownership and attain confidence. We will bring their ideas to the mathematical forefront and explore them using multiple representations. We will use calculators, textbooks, journals, computers, etc as resources without relying on one main source, unless the learner chooses to do so. I will provide inquiry-based activities that differentiate the instruction and scaffold learning.

Instead of teaching rules without reason, I will support the learner by asking challenging, open-ended questions that require reasoning and critical thinking. Essentially, the learners will discover the rules by building on previous knowledge and new concepts rather than having them handed to them. The main goal is to help the learner see that math is a process and finding the answer is not the most important feature. In fact, the ability to identify the problem and formulate a plan that is meaningful requires higher order thinking skills whereas computational, answer-finding problems require little application. The mathematical process is essential because it helps the learner achieve real world problem solving skills and address 1 issues where the answer may not exist or hasn’t been established, which in turn drive connections and reflective thinking. Moreover, because we will be working with open-ended questions, learners have the ability to respond to the challenges at their own level of development. Essentially, I can monitor growth using several different approaches --quizzes, problem writing, think-alouds, sit-ins, etc. By planning in advance I will have already established a clear understanding of where the learner will be starting and through my classroom activities I can observe where they are headed. By having the learners reflect each day in a journal, they can organize their thoughts and make their thinking more permanent. This reflection process is also a reflection process for me as an educator. I can use their thoughts to decipher were each learner may need more help as well as examine the progress they have made.

As a class and as individuals, we will set goals and make plans. We will have an organized agenda for the learners who require structure, but the process of how each student reaches their goal will be unique. Ultimately, each learner is responsible for his or her own learning; they decide how they approach the problem. However, as a facilitator it is my job to offer support and set the parameters in the classroom. I can monitor each individuals learning by listening to them communicate and adjust the problem to reflect a more appropriate level of challenge if needed. The learning environment is a key factor in student learning and understanding. Students benefit from hearing how one another is thinking and can then build off each other for support. I expect my learners to take ownership of their learning and utilize the resources they have been given. If a learner fails to recognize the opportunity they have been given by disrespecting the teacher, themselves or other learners, they will be given the opportunity to discuss their behavior with me after class and in the worst-case scenario they will be removed from the class. In a private meeting, we will work together to make adjustments to the current set up that will help the learner avoid future problems. The goal is the have each learner working on something they are passionate about, so hopefully behavioral problems are minimal.

The most rewarding thing that a classroom like this has to offer is seeing the creativity learners bring to mathematics. Learners will approach math from completely new angles and viewpoints; they will give refreshing new insights to their classmates and also the teacher. Together, the learners can gain conceptual understanding by discovering math with one another in a way that it makes sense to them. Additionally, they become original thinkers that possess the skills necessary to be successful in the 21st century.