Education Philosophy I believe that education is the foundation for the development of all students.

It is a teachers role to discover how a student learns to develop their curiosity for learning, and to create an environment that encourages concept development through skill building and real-life application. Students learn in many different ways and at many different rates. It is my job to identify these ways and to create opportunities for all students to have the same access to learning the key concepts and applying their knowledge. I believe that planning should begin with the standards, unit objectives, and end goals in mind. Students learn best when their expectations and outcomes are set and clearly given. As an educator, I will ensure that I understand the outcomes and assessments that I expect from my students in order to be able to clearly gauge their understanding and use it for future planning. I will plan and teach with readiness, interests, learning and interdisciplinary styles in mind. The integration of reading, writing, science, social studies, and math is essential to life long learning. A curriculum approach that purposefully draws together knowledge, perspectives, and methods of inquiry from more than one discipline to develop a more powerful understanding of an issue, person, event, or big idea. The purpose is not to eliminate the individual disciplines but to use them in combination. (Parker, 2012, p.397) All education that takes place should be focused around relevance, conceptual teaching, and real life application. Students need to be shown how to apply their knowledge in their daily lives. If they are able to apply the concepts and learn the why of what they are learning, this will help them to retain the information. Relevance and real life application not only applies to elementary aged students, but middle school as well. At the middle school level, teachers should be planning with the other disciplines in mind. I believe that teaming and cooperative planning/teaching are essential to a true middle school concept. As an elementary teacher, it is more natural to integrate disciplines; in middle school, it takes more of a conscious effort due to departmentalization. I believe that if a team of teachers can cohesively plan and co-teach, the students will have a better understanding of the content they are learning. Students should be able to apply a math formula to find their reading scores in language arts; they should be able to communicate orally and in written form to express understanding in math, science, and social studies. Students should be able to read a mathematical graph in social studies or plot on a coordinate plane in science. I believe that true learning happens when students can connect their new knowledge with their prior knowledge. It is my job as their teacher to help them make these connections. I will teach using a variety of methods in order to reach all student levels and

abilities. According to Knapp, Teachers who established orderly and enabling learning environments were most likely to teach for meaning and understanding.(Knapp et al., 1992, p.13) I will set up a structured and routine setting that will allow me to differentiate my instruction for all students. This will allow for individual, small group, and/or whole group instruction. Relationships are essential in quality education. If a student is able to trust his or her teacher, he or she is able to expand in his or her learning and allow a process that may otherwise not have been available. I will ensure that all activities have an entry level for every student, as well as an opportunity that will challenge those that are ready. I believe that all students have the ability to learn. I will be aware of my students and their needs I will create and environment for willingness and eagerness to learn.