Teaching Philosophy Statement

My 3 years of teaching have taught me that learning in school should be, at the
very least, a simulation of learning in real life. Traditional style of teaching such as rote
memorization and passive lectures produce a little value to students other than having
by-the-book knowledge. I want my learners to be able to gain a real-world perspective
and apply problem solving skills to add to their intellectual growth.
I have always strongly believed in Kolbs Theory of Experiential Learning where,
according to it, learning is a four-step method concrete experience, reflective
observation, abstract conceptualization and active experimentation happening in a
cyclical process. What I like the most in this theory is that it does not only involve
students knowing something new (assimilation) but it provides them an opportunity to
mold what they already know (schema) into a new form (accommodation) through trial
and error (problem solving) and reflection (critical thinking). The learning processes
described here are what people do, almost every day, in dealing with daily situations
and when used in the classroom would equip the students with lifelong, real-world
learning skills.
I teach Science and Home Economics and Livelihood Education in school. Three
times a week I also facilitate Personal Development and Social Skills classes. Since my
class is composed of children who have mild autism, ADHD and learning disabilities, I
incorporate a lot of inquiry-based activities that produce authentic outputs. I also couple
these activities with multisensorial objects and processes, like using a variety of
materials, to be able to fully engage my students to learn the topic. I usually start my
lesson by introducing a topic through directed inquiry such as group reading or small
hands-on activity. During the lesson proper, I prefer direct instruction or interactive
discussion, often injecting mini-lessons along the way. Most of the time, I pose an
essential question or problem for the week for each topic which the students need to
answer at the end of the lesson. In this way, they are critically thinking of the answer
while I facilitate the lesson. I end the lesson cycle through guided-inquiry activities or a
differentiated output/project. Since my students have special learning needs, doing
these activities require more effort for them to accomplish so I provide a task-analyzed
instructions all the time or I model the process so they have a concrete example of what
to do.
I am, relatively, a beginner in teaching. I have a long way to go and a lot more to
learn but I always do my best to equip myself with knowledge and skills through the
same approach I use to teach my students. I have immersed myself in different learning
environments, pursued further studies and often asked for feedback from my superiors
and experienced teachers so I can understand better how to teach children with special
needs the most effective way.