Jacklyn Darding

Teaching Philosophy

Teaching is only successful when learning is occurring. Learning occurs in an

environment where students are comfortable, engaged and open to new information. Students
must be engaged and interacting with the material presented to them. There must be creative and
developmentally appropriate activities and lessons to allow focus. There must be differentiation
to ensure the success and focus of all students.
The responsibility of ensuring student learning falls on the teacher. A child will only feel
comfortable when the teacher creates a safe and open environment. Without comfort within the
classroom, no student will be able to learn. The teacher must be open to the students, provide
open communication, and build community in the classroom to provide comfort. The
differentiation and appropriate lessons must be created by the teacher. He/She must be able to
accommodate all students and promote learning in the classroom. It is the responsibility of the
teacher to make learning interesting and fun to students. The teacher must give learning
relevance with the students. The teacher will lay the foundation for student learning and attitude
towards learning.
It is also important that the teacher engage the parents/guardians/caretakers in the
learning process. All those who influence students should, ideally, understand how their student
learns and how each person can make a difference in the childs learning. Teachers can also gain
valuable information about the childs habits and attitudes from those influential figures. The
teacher can also gain important understanding for how the child thinks and how they are
influenced outside of the classroom. It is essential to have all parties work together to ensure the
success of the students learning.
Management of the classroom is vital to student focus and learning. Chaos, disrespect
and disorganization can impede the success of all of the aforementioned. The lack of respect for
the teacher or other students by any student will reduce the comfort level and effective learning
time in the classroom. If students are unable to work well with the teacher or with peers, students
will struggle to develop the important social/emotional areas that aid in learning.
Social/emotional development is equal in importance to cognitive development; the two go handin-hand. Without a comfortable and organized class, students will struggle to focus and engage in
active learning. The teacher is primarily responsible for ensuring the classroom in well managed.
Overall, the teacher is responsible for the learning of all students in the class. The teacher
controls the environment and lessons that lead to learning. The teacher can always learn and
grow. A teacher can gain knowledge of his/her students every day that enables a better
understanding of the needs of those students. Students are always changing and growing, which
means, that the teachers approach must change with them. If a teacher refuses to learn and grow
with the students, then he/she is doing a disservice to those students and does not allow for the
best learning environment possible. The teacher must manage the classroom and the
environment that is ultimately created within that room. This environment is affected by the
lessons, the student engagement, respect, and comfort. Ultimately, the teacher must ensure that
all students are comfortable and engaged in the learning environment.