| Alex
Guenther
Philosophy
of Education
 Teaching
and Learning
I believe that teaching is
not the exclusive domain of the professional educator. If
properly facilitated, teaching and learning form a complex
fabric of interaction and feedback wherein the teacher is
not the only source of teaching but rather where students
can teach themselves, each other and the teacher. The educator’s
role involves creating an environment where shared teaching
and learning is made possible. I believe that the best learning
is accomplished when students are empowered to create their
own meaning, own what they learn, and teach themselves and
each other through discovery and making connections.
Learners
Learners are not empty vessels to be filled up with knowledge,
but rather are active, critically thinking agents who strive
for their own improvement through processes such as guided
inquiry and self-assessment. I believe that all learners have
unique strengths, positive individual qualities and intrinsic
worth. I believe that all learners have the capability and
the drive to learn, and have the right to learn in a safe
and encouraging environment.
Teachers
I believe that one of a teacher’s most important
roles involves guiding students to what has been called the
"zone of proximal development", the state where further development
is possible with the aid of peer or teacher assistance. In
this way, learners themselves can discover and create their
own meaning, and thus a teacher’s position as scaffold
builder and learning facilitator is crucial. I believe that
teachers should not only excel in teaching about certain topics,
but should be able to point out the essential connections
linking all curricular areas, as well as connections between
the curriculum and the world beyond the school walls. I believe
that teachers must be dedicated to the profession and their
own excellence within it. Teachers must themselves recognize
their own status as lifelong learners and tireless discoverers
of better practices.
Student-Teacher
Relationship
I believe that teachers and students should have a relationship
which is more complex than simply that of provider and receiver
of information. Teachers should model exemplary social, moral
and civic behavior and act as a positive shaping influence
on students’ socialization into a larger world. Teachers
should encourage student learning with compassion, empathy,
forbearance, flexibility and humor – but all without
confusing the role of teacher with that of friend or parent.
I believe that teachers must guide and support students in
their efforts to become independent, self-regulated learners
and effective critical thinkers.
Teaching
Methods and Evaluation
I believe that being an effective teacher means employing
a variety of teaching methods, selected with input from research,
personal experience, collaboration with other educators –
and adapted to the needs of individual learners. Teachers
need to set clear learning goals, expressed through a curriculum
with lucid standards and benchmarks. I believe that teachers
must develop assessment tasks that will guide and foster student
achievement, using a variety of assessment tools, including
performance tasks. I believe that all learners deserve education
which speaks to their current level of development, and that
this level is not merely dependent on age or the result of
standardized tests, but should be discovered through a balanced
mix of, for example, authentic assessment, consultation with
parents, and consideration of socioeconomic and cultural background.
Professional
Development
I believe that learning is a lifelong process, that commitment
to the teaching profession is something which must be periodically
renewed and refocused, and that new developments demand a
teacher’s continual attention to the latest research
and theory. Therefore, ongoing professional development is
a crucial part of the teaching profession.
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