Professional Statement of Beliefs
As a teacher, my main goal is to effectively help my students learn. All of the beliefs I hold and my practice revolves around this central goal. I think that all of the standards of professional practice outlined by the Ontario College of Teachers can be linked back to my main focus, commitment to student learning.
I personally think that professional development and student learning go hand in hand. There is always new research available for teachers that discusses the best methods and practice to allow students to learn effectively. It is my job as a teacher to continue to learn about teaching methods and cognition in order to achieve my main goal. In the future, I will always be looking for new ways to engage students, new ways to promote metacognition, and new ways to teach material so that students actually learn, not just memorize. I believe that PD experiences are very valuable to teachers and they should not be taken for granted. I will continue to think about my teaching and how effective I am at teaching material to students. Ongoing professional learning will allow me to learn about new strategies and teach more effectively.
Students also need more than just an effective teacher in the classroom, they need a leader and a positive role model. I believe that while fostering independence in our students there is a need to always show compassion and really get to know the students. When there is an open dialogue between the teacher and their students it allows for a more comfortable and safe learning environment. It is important to show students how much you care about them and their learning in order to gain their trust and make them feel safe in your classroom. Approachability is very important to me and I strive to always be open to students so that they do not feel afraid to come to me with sensitive topics or even just to ask for an extension on an assignment or clarification of class material. I think this is the main point that the ethical standards of teaching outlined by the Ontario College of Teachers is outlining. Students need to feel safe in their learning environment in order for real learning to occur. If students spend their whole 75 minutes with you every day just waiting for it to be over so they can get out of your classroom they will be unable to focus on the material or task at hand. A student that feels safe will not have that occupying their mind so they are better able to focus on the tasks you have given them.
I also really want to instill life skills in my students through my teaching practice. I can do this by promoting metacognition to foster lifelong learning skills. I can also relate the material I am teaching to practical life applications or news in the media. I am a huge fan of assignments involving the media. I believe it promotes awareness of the things going on around us as well as skills to be able to learn in the future. I also want my students to take away leadership and collaborative skills by doing lots of group work and encouraging each student to take on a leadership role at different times. This can be done by assigning a leader in the group, or giving every group member a specific job to do. I think that these skills will help my students regardless of their future destinations.
Works Cited
The Foundations of Professional Practice. 2nd ed. Toronto, ON: Ontario College of Teachers, Professional Affairs Dept., 2012. Print.