Mikeymckillipphilosophy08

Mikey McKillip

Current Address:

800 Xiuyan Road Kangqiao, Pudong Shanghai 201315 CHINA

Permanent Address:

7100 SW Shady Court Tigard, OR 97223 USA

[email protected] [email protected]

Teaching Philosophy Statement I am a life-long learner and I encourage all of my students to also be life-long learners. Thus my teaching philosophy and pedagogy come from theories of how children learn and experience the world. I am an effective educator because I believe my practices align with my philosophy, training, research and beliefs. As I continue to grow through reflective experiences, researching, learning and applying educational theory, I continue to develop a comprehensive understanding of how children develop, experience and learn throughout their lives. As an educator, I believe it is necessary for students to be allowed to interact with their environment and be given opportunity for experiential learning. Piaget believed children’s cognitive abilities develop as they progress through stages interacting with their environment. I apply this theory often allowing students the freedom to learn through hands-on, student centered, learning experiences in the classroom as well as in our local and global communities at large. I encourage the use of technology to expand the learning environment beyond the classroom communicating with and engaging others around the globe. As an international educator, I believe it is important to understand the types of scaffolding that help students to succeed. In my experience I have found that “scaffolds” differ according to student’s individual learning needs and style. The work of Vygotsky concentrated on the importance of culture and socialization for children to grow and learn. I have discovered that classrooms are filled with different leaning styles, traditions, cultural beliefs and backgrounds. I have come to realize how important it is to engage children though their own culture and style of social interaction. I engage my students with an open mind allowing for cultural experiences from each student and their family to be an intricate part of the classroom as I continue to help my students to understand, value and celebrate our differences; I believe it is important to work together to incorporate problem-solving and cooperative learning to be a part of our everyday lives. Students perceive and process information in different ways. As teacher, I provide a diverse menu of learning experiences and activities differentiating learning tasks and assessments to address students’ many different leaning styles. Applying Howard Gardner’s theory of multipleintelligence, I believe it is important to structure the learning environment for students to be able to access these multiple-intelligences and allow students to discover which style of leaning best fits their individual leaning needs though individual and group exploration, discovery, and opportunity for self-reflection. I help my students to create a learning environment where students feel safe physically and intellectually. The classroom is a place where students work together to create ownership and know they belong. Together we create a learning environment that encourages cooperation, independence and mastery of personal goals and learning objectives. I believe that in fostering these qualities and leading by example that students will become life-long learners and active responsible citizens of our global community. To be an effective educator, I continue to inspire and teach the skills students need to realize, set and achieve their goals. My teaching philosophy is a culmination of my teaching experiences, research, theory and a strong desire to encourage my students to explore and experience all that their world has to offer. I am a life-long learner and I continue to encourage those I teach to never stop growing and learning.