My Philosophy of Education

Our understanding of the process of learning is constantly changing as we learn more about the developing brain and environmental influences. Therefore, I believe that a strong philosophy of education should be flexible to ensure that our values and beliefs about education are aligned with new research and theories. If we continue to use old practices and theories in a new and changing world, we will essentially become irrelevant as teachers. Particularly, having a changing and adapting philosophy of education ensures that we, as educators, remain current and relevant to the context of the learners because we know that students will not learn if the content is irrelevant to them. This belief about education stems from my lived experience of a dual educational experience in Sri Lanka and Canada. Specifically, within my philosophy of education, I believe that educators, instead of limiting themselves to one type of teaching and a rigid pedagogy, should have a flexible pedagogy that learns from the current research to collaborate with students to foster an enduring understanding that goes beyond just the curriculum.

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Due to a lack of collaboration, my educational experience in Sri Lanka fostered a fixed mindset, wherein I attempted to memorize the content for the sake of the survival of the school day. Specifically, the dialogue was seen as argumentative as opposed to a learning opportunity and information was strictly transferred from teacher to student, similar to a banking model of teaching and learning. Subsequently, there was a hidden curriculum that taught me that what I brought into the classroom was not of value. I gradually grew out of this mindset as I immigrated to Canada. There was an emphasis on dialogue for the sake of collaborative learning, which opened avenues for confidence in myself and pride in my work, ultimately cultivating a growth mindset of learning which is essential for learners as they enter the real world.

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As a result of this transition between education systems, my strongest belief about teaching and learning is that it must be a collaborative effort, especially in an age where information is easily accessible. We must assume that students have access to information at their fingertips and foster a classroom space where different kinds of information can be discussed in a way to encourage students to build their own opinions and perspectives based on their lived experience and prior knowledge. For example, to activate prior knowledge for my grade 12 Leadership class, I gave them an agree and disagree statement about leadership and governments, where they would explain their stance based on their lived experience. This diagnostic information was vital in my preparation for the remaining unit as I could appeal to their interests or challenge their preconceived notions. As such, teachers should not be the main source of information, and learners should be encouraged to be involved in the learning and planning process as a collaborative effort.

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I believe that an educator should not limit themselves to one kind of teaching as it can be restrictive to students. In fact, I believe that a strong and enriching classroom environment should welcome both student-centered and teacher-centered teaching and learning. Specifically, students should be involved in the decision-making process and learning to encourage dialogue and autonomy. However, teachers should guide, structure, and model this process to demonstrate what productive decision-making and learning look like. For example, I practiced co-creating my rubrics, and (a few) assignments, and often opened a dialogue about what the remainder of a unit should look like. As a result, not only did my students respect me as a teacher, but they also valued me as a member of the team who holds vital and key information for their success. This type of meaningful relationship-building was built through a combination of student-centered and teacher-centered learning.

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I believe in an education that teaches beyond the curriculum. Specifically, we should always center our learning to ensure that our students are learning the six essential graduation competencies to ensure that they are ready to the world beyond classrooms. This means that as an ELA and Social Studies teacher, I should be making the curriculum culturally relevant and engaging to different types of students. I can only effectively adapt the curriculum if I take the time to get to know my students, encourage them to take part in collaborative learning, and give them the space to develop their own perspectives. I focus my educational philosophy behind collaborative learning that is engaging and exciting, with students and teachers in the forefront, for the fostering of a growth mindset.