MAT Experience

As I am reaching the end of my MAT experience, I have been able to reflect along the way thanks to my classroom field experience. It was near the end that I was able to finalize my teaching philosophy while making it personal. In my teaching philosophy, I paid homage to a few theorists who have helped shape me as an educator. The first theorist I feel most connected to in my personal teaching is Carol Dweck and her idea of a growth mindset. It was important for me to work with my students on having a growth mindset because a lot of them came into class thinking that they were awful in science so it was pointless to even try. After a few weeks of building rapport and finding activities that made learning science relatable, I feel as if my students changed their mindset for the better. Another theorist I credit for my teaching style is Howard Gardner and his Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Most recently, I had my students create a DNA model using a kit and I did not offer any guidance. It was interesting to see who was able to complete the structure and who struggled immensely. My mentor and I were able to get a sense of which students had great spatial intelligence. The students who finished the model first generally were not the best scoring students which was surprising. As I am creating lesson plans with objectives, I frequently use Bloom’s Taxonomy so I cannot forget to mention Benjamin Bloom. Using his taxonomy helps make my teaching practice purposeful and ensures students have activities require increased levels of thinking. The last theorist I feel most connected to is Jean Piaget and his theory of Cognitive Development. My students are going through the adolescent stage so it is important for me to be knowledgeable of that stage in order to make sure instruction is in line with their developmental level. Without these theorists, I would not be the teacher I am today.

While these theorists have provided a set of guidelines for me, I am able to take my own spin on things to make learning fun for my students. As I mentioned above, a majority of my students did not come to 9^th grade with a growth mindset. My positivity and use of positive reinforcement has helped me create a classroom environment that is inviting so that students are not afraid to be wrong or ask questions. Their change in attitude is due to having a growth mindset. By acknowledging that each student has varying levels of different intelligences allows me to get creative in the activities I choose. In each lesson, I make sure to incorporate tasks that auditory learners prefer while also having kinesthetic portions mixed in to keep learning different and engaging. Going along with lesson planning, I like to create objectives that require some form of progression throughout the unit. I like to match my lessons to NGSS standards and incorporate activities that assess the objectives I create. The amount of growth I have had these past few months as an educator is due to my classroom field experience while my ability to differentiate instruction is due to my MAT program.