The popular quote by Aristotle reads, "those that know do, those that understand teach”. Before fixating on any teaching strategies or views on learning, I want to have a deep understanding of what I’m teaching my students. The teachers I admired and learned from the most were those who had a firm grasp on their concepts, encouraged questions, found answers, and related everything back to real-world situations. Their deep understanding in their subject matter brought learning to life and encouraged me as a student to seek that same expertise and knowledge. I aim for a similar model of teaching that stems from loving the subject matter, love of learning, and passion for others.

Another attribute that stands out to me from my previous teachers is their care for me and what was going on with my life. I will always remember my chemistry teacher who I talked to everyday after school about life and felt free to share my emotions whether positive or negative. Research on culturally relevant teaching shows that students learn best from teachers who truly care about them. Building that classroom culture of care and love results from being available before and after class, hearing students’ concerns and complaints, making the classroom just as much theirs as it is mine, and engaging in discourse that’s not just about material and success in the class. 

However when it comes to content, I believe that students learn best when actively engaged in the subject matter and are able to build on their previous knowledge and experience. Aligning with constructivists ideals from Piaget, students will construct knowledge both independently and collaboratively. By adding new information onto what’s previously known and understood, students have their own unique understanding of the material. In future careers and endeavors, they will not be able to pick a multiple choice answer or recite something off a chart. Being able to transfer knowledge from the classroom elsewhere requires a deep understanding that a constructivist classroom supports. Including several hands-on experiences like labs and projects will allow students to discover for themselves the science we talk about and address misconceptions. These hands-on experiences will be used not to confirm what they’ve already heard from instruction, but rather build their understanding.

Not only do students actively create their own understanding, but they display and extend that through working with others. I hope to create a collaborative environment where diverse perspectives are heard and every student feels welcomed and free to be themselves. Facilitating the discussion with revoicing amplifies quieter students’ voices and encourages students to politely challenge or comment on each other’s perspectives. This discourse allows me as a teacher to assess where students land on their understanding of the concepts as we build knowledge together.

Other forms of formative assessment will be present in the classroom. For example, using exit ticket questions to hear from each individual student will help me to further shape and modify lessons to match where students are in understanding and address lingering questions. I plan to rely more heavily on formative assessment, which is continual feedback throughout lessons, than unit exams where students might stress over grades and the high pressure environment. Going back to the constructivist foundation, summative assessments would come in the form of projects so students are actively creating and demonstrating their knowledge.

Being a successful teacher isn’t about having students with the best grades who go the “furthest” in life. Teaching is about stimulating constant learning, understanding, and growth in students that continues beyond the boundaries of the classroom.