Kelsy Kai-Yamamoto My Teaching Philosophy

I believe that teaching allows me to have an impact on the youth and to fulfill my kuleana (responsibility/role in society). Through active learning, which can happen through problem solving group activities, group discussion, teacher/student conversations and self-assessment I hope to inspire deep understanding and life long learners. At the beginning of my career, through the Health Services Core Pathway classes I was able to present real world problem solving situations through case studies as well as real world experiences through internships with health care facilities. The content material and the extension into the real world experience (internship) allowed the student to successfully apply both theoretical and daily life knowledge. This developed my own skills in creating curriculum that is relevant, engaging and rigorous. This ability has served me well and driven me to pioneer several upperclassman health pathway elective courses, which include the formation of the Academy of Law and Justice Administration at Waipahu High School. It is within this academy that I am able to offer a course in Forensic Science, the first of its kind at Waipahu High School. As a house teacher I was able to reap the benefits of the smaller learning community and hone my skills in cooperative learning, vertical alignment and peer assessment and tutoring. Instruction in my classroom is driven by formative assessment with constant feedback, which allows both myself, and my students to continually improve based on real needs and data. I believe in reciprocal teaching and try to utilize the resource of student diversity whenever possible. I strive to facilitate disciplined discussions within my classes. I believe this is a resource that all teachers must learn to tap in to as the gaps within the classroom can sometimes be quite large. This method is not only sustainable but also fosters the tenet of ohana within the classroom. One of the main goals for my students is to learn how to learn from each other as well as from me. Because of this I continue to evaluate and develop my goals and objectives as they apply to each new set of students. I strive to implement continuous improvement in content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and integration of technology in my classroom. Teaching is a dynamic career that requires teachers to continually learn as they progress through their careers. Much of what we learned as secondary students has changed and continues to do so. Students in my classroom understand that this will never end for them; they should and will always be learning.