Dana Davis

Student Teaching
Spring 2016
Statement of Standard One Learner Development
The teacher understands how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning
and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional,
and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging
learning experiences. (InTASC, 2011, p. 10)
Name of Artifact: Personal Philosophy of Teaching and Learning
Date of Artifact: Spring 2016
Course: Student Teaching EDU-465
Rationale Statement:
For InTASC Standard One Learner Development, I have created a Personal Philosophy
of Teaching and Learning. I began with my personal background of educational experiences in
order to set the stage for the philosophy I will bring to teaching in my own classroom. I based
my philosophy on the idea that I will use multiple teaching strategies to engage a diverse group
of learners and will promote the process of challenging facts to reinforce the process of scientific
thinking. I concluded my philosophy by giving an overview of what my classroom will look like
once I have put my philosophy into action. I believe this artifact directly relates to the Danielson
Framework for Teaching in Domain 1b: Demonstrating Knowledge of Students, 1c: Setting
Instructional Outcomes, 1e: Designing coherent instruction, and 3c: Engaging students in
learning. I believe my own educational experiences, as well as the techniques I have learned
through my teacher education classes and student teaching experience have given me the
foundation for knowing how diverse the learning styles and needs can be in a classroom of
students.
While creating my teaching philosophy I learned that personal experience can and will
affect your ideas and philosophies about teaching and learning. When it came to choosing the
teaching and learning process I feel will be the best practice for my classroom, I reached into my
own experiences as a young student. As I took other experiences, such as field experience and

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student teaching into account, those experiences seemed to reinforce what I already believed in
so strongly, which is teaching to all types of learning styles and knowing how to engage your
students to promote a comfortable and effective learning environment. My personal experience
with my own education has played a significant role in defining the teaching practices I will
utilize in my future classrooms.
I plan to use this teaching philosophy as the basis for my classroom instruction. Im sure,
as begin my teaching practice, there will be some changes and additions, but I am confident that
this is a good start to what I believe will give my students the best educational experience both
socially and academically in my classroom.

References
InTASC, CCSSOs Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support
Consortium. (April 2011) Model Core Teaching Standards: A Resource for
State Dialogue. Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/Dana
%20Dwo/Downloads/intasc_model_core_teaching_standards_2011.pdf

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Personal Philosophy of Teaching and Learning
School never came easy to me. I had to work very hard for every grade I earned,
be it an A or a C. It always seemed that no matter how hard I tried, there were still some
concepts that I just couldnt grasp. I would ask questions, but the teachers always seemed to
explain things the exact same way they did the first time and I still didnt understand it. In my
early grades, many of my teachers seemed to be older, set in their ways and somewhat burned
out. They didnt seem to have an energy or passion for teaching any longer, if they ever had it to
begin with. They were more or less just going through the motions. Learning wasnt fun! As
each year went by, it seemed to get a little better, there were teachers here and there that came
closer to lighting that spark and make learning enjoyable, instead of a boring struggle. My 7th
grade English teacher read Edgar Allen Poe stories aloud to the class, rather than making us read
the stories on our own. He used to call it bedtime story time. He believed that stories took on a
different feel when you hear them read to you, as opposed to reading them yourself. Wow, what
was this? A different way of teaching that wasnt just going through the motions! To this day, I
can still remember the details of every Edgar Allen Poe story we studied. The other teacher that
sticks out to me was my 12th grade sociology teacher. He was really a history teacher, but started
teaching sociology when the sociology teacher retired. He didnt know sociology very well, so
his classroom philosophy was that we were going to learn it together. And that we did! There
were certainly other great teachers here and there, including some in college, some that I met
during my years of substitute teaching, and some that are teaching my own children. There is
something to learn from every experience, both good and bad, and I certainly did learn
something from the teachers who did not engage me well. I may not have learned the subject
matter that was being taught, but I did learn something, like what kind of teacher not to be. The
one underlying factor of what made learning fun for me, was that the good teachers found a way
to engage me, and not really just me but usually the entire class as a whole. Why shouldnt
learning be fun and engaging? I cant think of one single reason that it shouldnt! During my
service learning project and classroom observation at SMS this year, I encountered some really
great teachers and it has reinforced my desire for wanting to become a teacher. I realized that not
only do I want to bring that fire into my own classroom teaching, but I want to join forces and
learn from the veteran teachers who still possess that fire.
There are two primary learning philosophies that I plan to embrace in my
classroom: by utilizing differentiated instruction to teach to a group of diverse learners, as to
individualize their learning experience and; to get students to think about science as a process of
exploration and relate it to real-life situations. Differentiated instruction is evident as an
effective teaching strategy and is something that I could have benefitted from as a young student.
Engaging in thinking about science as a process exploration is something I learned as a student
myself.
In a classroom of 25+ students, there will exist many different learning styles. To
effectively teach to all of them, the material must be presented in a variety of ways, so that each
student will receive the individualized learning experience that they deserve by meeting their
learning style needs. This can be accomplished by utilizing four styles of learning: social and
emotional learning, cooperative learning, project-based learning, and problem-based learning.
Social and emotional learning goes beyond what is learned in books and should be addressed
beginning at a young age. This type of learning engages a students self-esteem, emotion
control, responsible decision making, the ability to face challenges effectively, development of

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care and concern for others, and establishment of positive relationships. A students social and
emotional development is directly related to their success in the classroom. It is no secret that
students who have a higher self-esteem, a positive attitude, and are surrounded by healthy
relationships will develop a positive attachment to school and achieve greater academic success.
Cooperative learning encourages group activity to accomplish shared learning goals. This can
come in the form of student study groups, group projects, group discussion, peer-to-peer
assistance, etc. When students work together in groups, they not only engage with the material
being learned but they are also engaging each other, which reinforces their social and emotional
development, by establishing positive relationships with their peers. The students in the group
are responsible for their individual success, as well as the success of the entire group. This will
encourage the stronger students to help the weaker students, which is a benefit to both. When
students work together to achieve a common goal, they benefit greatly from the experience.
Project-based learning is an important type of cooperative learning. Similar to cooperative
learning, project-based learning promotes group effort to achieve a common goal, but projectbased learning is surrounded by the act of doing some sort of project. The students will use
collaborative input and effort from every group member to complete an assigned project that
relates to a subject matter. Project-based learning is hands-on activity, which is one of the most
beneficial ways for students to put learned material to practical use. Problem-based learning is
directly related to project-based learning in that both strategies emphasize making a connection
to real life. Whereas project-based learning usually results in the construction of something,
problem-based learning usually focuses on a problem and a solution. Combined use of these
different types of strategies for teaching a group of diverse learners will likely reach out to each
students individualized learning style and meet each students needs for academic success. I will
make an effort to use these strategies to be not only a mentor, but a teacher in learning, by
providing my students with opportunities to learn in ways they are most likely to benefit from.
To engage students to think about science as a process of exploration, I will urge
my students to think about very basic questions they have, and to begin questioning all of those
facts in the textbook. I realize how precious the time will be that I will have with my students,
and I hope to help them find their love for science, just as I did. This goal cannot be achieved by
simply reading a text; it will take motivational effort to get my students engaged in the science
process; to wonder, to question, to explore. I want my students to begin understanding
the process of scientific thinking rather than learning definitions without context to real life. In
order to achieve this, I will aim to involve my students by using the variety of teaching strategies
I have outlined above.
I plan to engage my students on an academic level as well as on a social level. I
plan to have a classroom with desks arranged in a circle, rather than in rows so that the students
can directly engage each other for activities and group discussion. There will always be some
sort of activity happening, interaction, and movement. Although I am sure that there will be
times that my students must sit quietly at their desks, I hope more times than not, there is plenty
of noise (with respect to the surrounding classrooms, of course!). When a classroom is loud, it is
usually because the students are fully engaged in learning, be it a conversation, a game, a group
activity, or a lab experiment. A loud classroom to me shows that the students are excited to be
present and active in their own learning. My classroom will have a warm, welcoming
environment with a motivational atmosphere. The circle of desks says come, sit and talk with
us as a group. Motivational posters will send messages of success. Group discussion and
activity will reinforce the fun in learning. My classroom will feel inviting, safe and friendly, a

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home away from home. My students will feel lucky to have gotten me as a teacher and in
mutual respect; I will feel privileged to be a part of their academic success.
References
Koch, Janice (2012) Teach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

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TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
Dana Davis
I believe that
Each student is unique and therefore deserves a unique education tailored to his or
her own strengths and needs.
As a teacher, it is my duty to both challenge and support students according to their strengths and
needs to help them reach their full potential. I pre-assess students to gauge the instruction they
need and I modify lessons and assignments accordingly. I engage in various formative
assessments, providing multiple opportunities for students to communicate their knowledge and
demonstrate their understanding. And finally, I create summative assessments that are
considerate of individual strengths and needs.
Students learn best when provided the opportunity to explore, discover, discuss and
practice skills in authentic situations.
Students are naturally curious. They are filled with wonder and intrigue about the world around
them. Education is not the distribution of content knowledge from teacher to student, but rather
a journey of learning through the process of exploration. My instructional methods allow
students to be active contributors in the classroom and take responsibility for their own learning.
Hands-on, authentic activities and meaningful classroom discussion are essential pieces of
student exploration. There are two elements that I believe are conducive to effective student
exploration, (1) the teacher acting as a guide, and (2) allowing the child's natural curiosity to
direct his/her learning. When the teacher's role is to guide, providing access to information
rather than acting as the primary source of information, the students' search for knowledge is met
as they learn to find answers to their questions. For students to construct knowledge, they need
the opportunity to discover for themselves and practice skills in authentic situations. Providing
students access to hands-on activities and allowing adequate time and space to use materials that
reinforce the lesson being studied creates an opportunity for individual discovery and
construction of knowledge to occur.
Engaging students in developmentally appropriate, meaningful tasks and providing
a safe, caring, and respectful environment is essential to effective classroom
management.
Students need a secure, caring, and stimulating atmosphere in which to grow and mature
emotionally, intellectually, physically, and socially. By tailoring each lesson and assignment to
students individual strengths and needs, providing rich activities that are meaningful and
relevant to students lives and interests, and allowing students to generate ideas and set goals for
themselves, their work will have purpose. When students take responsibility for their own

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learning, boredom and frustration are alleviated and thus, there is less off-task behavior.
Developing a curriculum around student interests fosters intrinsic motivation and stimulates the
passion to learn.
Optimism and encouragement are powerful.
Students thrive in a positive atmosphere. Through an open sharing of ideas, students develop a
deep love and respect for themselves, others, and their environment. When the voice of each
student is heard, an environment evolves where students feel free to express themselves. It is
crucial that each student is publically recognized for their contributions and strengths. Providing
credibility and praise within the classroom, makes the classroom a safe place where students are
comfortable taking risks, often leading to brilliant discoveries.
A teacher must always be a student.
Teaching is a commitment to lifelong learning. My hope as an educator is to instill my
love of learning in my students, as I share my passion for learning share with them. The
classroom should be an exciting environment where my students and I both feel comfortable to
try and adapt new ideas. Through professional memberships and relationships with veteran
teachers, I strive to collect ideas and increase my content and pedagogical knowledge. Most
importantly, through student feedback and personal reflection, I aim to revise my teaching
practice regularly. I feel there is a need for compassionate, strong, and dedicated individuals
who are excited about working with children and who is aware of and sensitive to their
individual needs. I am such a person and will always strive to be the best educator that I can be.