My teaching philosophy revolves around the desire to teach students the critical thinking skills they will need to navigate the world. Students should leave secondary education with the ability to solve real-world issues, believe in their values and knowledge, and construct their own knowledge in a plethora of different situations and environments. This philosophy is largely derived from the ideas of Piaget and constructivism. In a constructivist classroom, the teacher should develop an environment where student’s take control of their learning and construct their own knowledge based on their prior experiences and backgrounds. 

​

   Every student, no matter their background or upbringing deserves to be in the classroom and can excel in STEM. By focusing on group work, students can learn from and interact with the diverse experiences of their peers. This is the basis behind a knowledge building classroom, in which students focus on understanding concepts through exploration of real-world issues. The goal of my classrooms will be to expand student’s schemas by putting them in a constant state of disequilibrium, and allowing them to learn through hands-on activities and exploration. I want to design instructional activities using the productive failure approach - in this approach the teacher designs challenging activities that students are competent enough to explore and fail. Despite failing, students should generate multiple different approaches to the question at hand, and when the correct solution is introduced at the end, will have a more complete conceptual understanding of a topic. Students learn best when they have agency in their learning and are able to explore something hands-on, and productive failure is a great way to accomplish this.

​

   I will not rely on a traditional lecture-based style of teaching, which often emphasizes grades over learning. Rather, using the strategies discussed prior, students will focus on the learning process itself. Consequently, grades should not be a major part of the classroom. When possible, formative assessments are the best method to assess student learning and progress. Through projects centered on real-world and abstract issues, students will be able to showcase their knowledge. After receiving feedback or extending their knowledge on a concept, students will be able to resubmit their work to exhibit what they have learned. In this situation, the teacher is simply the scaffold or more-knowledgeable-other, as described by Vygotsky, who helps students realize their academic abilities instead of relying on lecture-based learning.

​

   Similarly, teaching students social justice in the classroom is very important. There are many misconceptions regarding STEM as a field and STEM concepts that are rampant in today’s society. By educating students on the history of STEM and giving them a more holistic view on the countless diverse scientists who have contributed to our current conceptions of science and math, we can help students understand that they can succeed in STEM no matter their background. STEM is a constantly changing field with huge implications for society. Therefore, teacher’s play an important role in educating students so that they can not only contribute to the ever-changing STEM field, but also to society.