Running Head: TEACHING PHILOSOPHY 1

Teaching Philosophy Statement

By Dawn Rauwolf

Master’s Portfolio ED698

Dr. Elizabeth Hartley, Ph.D.

March 19, 2020

Philosophy Standard

A teacher can describe the teacher’s philosophy of education and demonstrate its

relationship to the teacher’s practice.

Teaching Philosophy Frame

A teacher’s outlook and attitude toward teaching and learning can make an indescribable

difference for each student in that teacher’s sphere. A teacher has the unique opportunity to

create a positive learning experience for students, one that could possibly be remembered and

cherished for a lifetime. Teachers have a great responsibility to be mindful, educated, patient,

and respectful. Young people deserve to have teachers who give their best - every day - to

provide a nurturing and supportive learning space. Ron Ritchhart believes that having an

intellectual character is necessary for teachers. He says, “In thoughtful classrooms a disposition

toward thinking is always on display. Teachers show their curiosity and interest. They display

open mindedness and willingness to consider alternative perspectives. They... model what it

means to be reflective” (2002, p. 161). Because a teacher’s outlook and attitude is so vital to a

good education, it makes sense that teachers hone their personal educational philosophy. A

prudent teacher makes the most of our current educational best practices, new brain research, and

proven teaching strategies.

I wrote this essay that highlights my theory of teaching and learning nine years ago, when

I was working toward my bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts and before I started my journey to

become a teacher here in Ketchikan, Alaska. At the time, I knew that I would apply to graduate

school and I knew that I would eventually become a teacher. I was focused and determined.

This essay rings true to my spirit, even after almost a decade. Before I was a teacher, I had the

opportunity to volunteer at my kids’ school, teach community art classes, and work as a
TEACHING PHILOSOPHY 3

substitute teacher in Ketchikan. My initial thoughts on teaching came from those experiences as

well as from my education classes. My educational philosophy has changed in a few ways over

the years. Before, I believed that once I figured out my philosophy, it would be set for my

career. Now, I understand that it makes sense for my teaching philosophy to be challenged, to

grow, strengthen, and change.

My educational philosophy has evolved to include ideas about fostering a growth or

dynamic mindset, utilizing more lessons that respect the multiple intelligences, and including

more movement and songs in my day-to-day lesson plans.

Having a growth mindset is important for my own personal learning, just as it is

important for me to develop this mindset in students. In her book, Mindset: The New Psychology

of Success, Carol Dweck (2016, p. 59) shares, “For students with the growth mindset…

adolescence is a time of opportunity: a time to learn new subjects, a time to find out what they

like and what they want to become in the future.” A growth mindset allows students to accept

that they are still growing and learning, as opposed to a fixed mindset which falsely says that a

person is born with a predetermined intelligence level. I use the word, “yet” in my classroom, to

remind myself and students that we are all constantly learning, making mistakes, getting smarter,

and gaining new skills. For example, “I don’t know how to do long division yet.” This implies

that this is a math skill that can be learned and will be mastered in the future. Adding the word

“yet” to a sentence makes that skill a possibility for a student.

This is my fifth year teaching a 3rd and 4th grade class at Tongass School of Arts and

Sciences. We use the Highly Effective Teaching (HET) model at our school. Within this HET

model, there are five learning principles derived from the neuroscience of bodybrain research

that we implement in our instructional strategies. One principle says that learning is an
TEACHING PHILOSOPHY 4

inseparable partnership between brain and body. This means that student learning is enhanced

through whole body movements. I include movement opportunities in my classroom because I

have seen the results of this principle. Students remember strategies, facts, lists, and much more

because their primary teachers used movement and songs to teach important concepts. Another

principle that comes from the HET model says that there are multiple intelligences, or ways of

solving problems and/or producing products. As Howard Gardner (2006, p. 6) writes, “human

cognitive competence is better described in terms of a set of abilities, talents, or mental skills

which I call intelligences. All normal individuals possess each of these skills to some extent;

individuals differ in the degree of skill and in the nature of their combination.” I use this

principle daily. I don’t expect all learning to be done with pencil and paper. I allow students to

build sculptures and 3D models, sing songs, write poems, create video reports, and more.

Although I am primarily a linguistic learner, I now recognize that there are nine recognized

intelligences and it is my job to help students figure out and use their own individual

competencies.

I am a lifelong learner and this is one of the most exciting joys of being a teacher. Slavin

(2009) writes, “Intentional teachers are constantly upgrading and examining their own teaching

practices, reading and attending conferences to learn new ideas, and using their own students’

responses to guide their instructional decisions… Teachers who get better each year are the ones

who are open to new ideas and who look at their own teaching critically.” I look forward to

many more years of growth.

References

Dweck, C. S. (2016). Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York: Ballantine Books.

Gardner, H. (2006). Multiple intelligences: New horizons in theories. New York: Basic Books.

Ritchhart, R. (2002). Intellectual character: What it is, why it matters, and how to get it. San

Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Slavin, R. E. (2009). Educational psychology: Theory and practice. New Jersey: Pearson

Education Inc.