Teaching Philosophy

 

Philosophy of Teaching Statement

I plan on utilizing social reconstructivism as my primary form of teaching. I believe that education should be used to make positive change in the world, and from what I’ve witnessed and experienced in my life in this society, we are in desperate need of positive change. During my first semester in college, I took a sociology class that really broadened my field of vision. There are things going on in the background of our lives that I was completely unaware of until Dr. Salerno taught us. My goal is to shed a similar light on these problems and guide my students to come up with modern solutions. Some of the areas I would like to discuss with my class can be broken up into four groups: social inequities, the environment, government impact, and community outreach.

When discussing social inequalities, I will task my students with visiting the Richmond.edu redlining map and research a major city of their choice to determine the effects of redlining on that area from the 1930s to the present day. I would also like to show a YouTube recording of Jane Elliot’s 1968 Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes experiment and have the class write about the impact that experiment might have had on the lives of those kids. Racism is still present in our society, even though there have been massive steps in the right direction, it’s important that we keep implementing legislation for equality and work towards inclusion for all.

The environment can be covered in many different ways, most of which would be engaging and fun for the students. Beach cleanups, school gardens, or raising and releasing butterflies, are all simple ways to get students directly involved in nurturing the environment. For a more research-based assignment, students will investigate the Everglades and the overall impact of its ecosystem on our lives and agriculture. They will answer questions about the different animals and plants that live there and try to identify why some of them are endangered. It would also be great to include a field trip to Everglades National Park because they have an informative visitors center, along with airboat tours that focus on the ecosystem and wildlife.

The government impacts our society in many ways that both directly and indirectly affect us every day. Instructing the students to do a research project and presentation about a topic of their choice would be a great way for the class to get a broader perspective about the changes made to our society. Another way to address government policies could be to have a state representative come and do a Q&A at the school or on Zoom. Students would need to prepare any questions they want to ask in advance, and the result will be them feeling heard by speaking up. It would also show that representatives are meant to represent everyone, including young voices. Weekly current events assignments are another great way to keep students up to date with movements made by the president and congress, as well as things happening at the state and local level.

            Community outreach is a great way to get hands on with the world directly around us, without focusing so much on the big picture. Having the students organize food drives or soup kitchens will be high on my list as an educator. I will also encourage students to volunteer at assisted living facilities, doing things like reading to visually impaired elderly folks, or spending quality time with those in need of company. I will also have students research a nonprofit and help them organize a fundraiser for them. Fundraising teaches students that working together for a cause can help people in need in simple ways, such as selling chips or a bake sale.

There are many ways to support change in our society at a local level, and opportunities to provide feedback at the state or national level. It’s very important to remain informed, and the responsibility falls on the educator to meet these needs for their students. Acting as a guide for research and opening the floor for discussion and analysis of current issues is what social reconstructivism is all about. I very much look forward to the opportunity to facilitate discussions about our world and hear how the next generation plans on implementing their ideas to make positive change.