Sophia Skorupski

Professor Aria

Behavior Observation

7 April 2024

Philosophy of Learning

As a teacher, one of the biggest questions we ask ourselves is how we can design a

classroom that facilitates the learning of our students. To answer that, we first need to consider

what constitutes learning. Simply put, learning is a journey and not a destination. Students

should not ever believe the idea that they will one day be “done” with their education. Learning

is how people develop, both physically, mentally, and emotionally. It could sound like a daunting

task in those terms, which is why I hope to be able to make the lifelong process of learning an

enjoyable experience instead of a chore that students dread. The relationship between a teacher

and their students is one of the most intimate and important bonds that can exist during the

formative years of their lives. For this reason, I find it exceptionally important for a teacher to

understand a student's personal and emotional needs in addition to their educational needs. As a

teacher, my goal is to be a backspot for all of my students with anything they may need outside

the classroom, so we can simultaneously work together to apply skills and achieve the individual

and collective goals in the classroom.

Social emotional learning is not only one of the biggest pillars of my own personal

teaching philosophy, but I find it to be one of the most critical points in a student’s education as a

whole. In my first observation that I did at Dover High School last spring during Teaching in

America, my cooperating teacher explained this idea in a way that made me realize its relevance

in every classroom activity. She simply explained that if students are struggling to get what they
need outside of the classroom, she always asks herself how she could possibly expect them to

care about the lessons she is teaching inside the classroom. High school years have a tendency to

be extremely hectic, and many students are overcoming obstacles that would be difficult for fully

developed adults to handle. Yet, they are expected to deal with whatever turmoil exists in their

personal lives while simultaneously paying attention to their classes and worrying about their

grades, and possibly even participating in extracurricular activities. It can be a lot. I want to

emphasize that clear boundaries are extremely important in student-teacher relationships, but

there does need to be some human connection in order for a successful education to take place.

This is why I believe that students need to have a personal relationship with their educators,

cultivating a sense of trust between them. Not only will the students feel safer and more

comfortable in their classroom, but when they have all their other basic needs met, they will be

more motivated to participate in the lessons outlined in the real curriculum and apply those skills

to their actual life.

Being aware of what a student needs does not only apply to their personal struggles.

While a student’s home life is important to consider, a teacher is also responsible for knowing a

student’s learning style. While this statement is not about myself as a learner, I do want to note

that as a student with primarily verbal intelligence, I excelled in classes that were lecture-based,

involving lots of note-taking, as well as essays and any other writing assignments. It was not

until I started taking education classes at the college level that I realized that there were other

ways to learn. I consider myself lucky to have had success in my public school classes that were

seemingly designed with the verbal learner in mind, but now that I have more context for

Gardner’s Theory on Multiple Intelligences, I vow to never fall into a routine that creates lesson

plans with only one learning style in mind. I want all of my students to feel comfortable in their
classroom, and more importantly I want to always ensure that they have options so that they can

be directly involved in their own education. I think that students learn best when they are

completing a task in a way that makes them feel comfortable. As a teacher, I cannot expect a

student’s best effort or output when I am forcing them to learn in a way that does not resonate

with them. Luckily, it is my experience through observing in different high school and college

classrooms that most teachers are moving away from the idea of “traditional” tests or essays, and

they are becoming more accepting of different methods of assessment. These include giving a

presentation, being a leader of a class discussion, acting out a skit, writing a song, creating a

board game, etc. I believe it is so important to know the students’ preferred methods of learning,

and then to personally take on the responsibility of catering lessons with multiple options to fit

those needs.

A student’s learning journey is never over, even after they graduate college, join the

workforce, or whatever they choose to do. As teachers, we need to be aware of the fact that the

lessons exist in every corner of the classroom, and they often build on each other. It is extremely

important to make sure that the students are reaching the standards outlined in the curriculum,

and I believe that teachers should constantly be checking in with their students to make sure they

are connecting with the material. I think that “assessment” has a negative connotation attached to

it, and most people would hear that word and automatically think of a big scary test. However, I

believe that an assessment should not be scary in the least. I want my students to always know

that I am looking for them to succeed, and that I will do whatever it takes to give them the

environment they need to do it. I think that the best way for a teacher to be able to tell if a

student is learning, is to ask them to explain the concept back to them. Even if it is in the

simplest terms, I think that is a great way to check for a student’s grasp of the information just
provided to them. Not only will it be clear to the teacher what is and is not clear, but I do think

that most students will surprise themselves in this situation, because they will be able to explain

the concept in simple terms even when they thought they did not understand it at all.

Going to school can be extremely stressful and difficult for students, especially if they

were only ever in classrooms with teachers that designed lessons that only catered to one style.

As a teacher, I think it is important to have an open-mind and to never have an ego. My own

learning style is not more valid than the student who learns best through music or movement, and

it is my responsibility to meet students where they are and allow them to be in control of their

education. First and foremost, I want to set the tone of the relationships with my students as a

trusting one, so they will first have their basic needs met and be able to focus their attention on

classroom goals. Then, I want to facilitate learning by giving students a multitude of options that

could cater to their own style of learning and ensure that they will always be comfortable in their

tasks. Lastly, I want to constantly check my students’ learning by asking them to explain what

they took away from the lesson in their own words. I care more about what my students get out

of their education than what I got out of my own, and I plan to have a classroom where students

can openly express themselves and enjoy genuine learning, instead of trying to stress to get a

good grade.