My (always in progress) Teaching Philosophy

1. Assessment

Despite the nervousness I feel toward the topic of assessment, I have become aware that it is a critical part of teaching and learning, allowing us to plan lessons with intention in response to how students are progressing. The anxiety I feel around assessments is resultant of harmful assessment practices in my past as a secondary student - practices which I am working to unlearn so that students in my future classroom can have a more positive relationship with assessment than I did.


Grant Wiggins’ Assessment Bill of Rights guides my assessment philosophy. For example, it articulates the need for assessment to move beyond traditional testing strategies, the importance of making assessment meaningful for students and teachers alike, and the value of active student engagement in every step of the assessment process. As a teacher, I hope to make assessment as rewarding (and even fun!) as possible for myself and my students.

2. Technology

Technology can be used to boost lessons, adding a unique and important level of interaction and engagement that would be unachievable without technology; however, technology in lessons can be ineffective when it is incorporated thoughtlessly, excessively, or solely for the sake of digitization. I believe in using technology to create opportunities for student-teacher, student-student, student-text, and student-world interaction, to support students in making projects of which they are proud, and to facilitate students’ delving into curiosity-fueled research projects.

3. Differentiation

During my early childhood education I was exposed to two vastly different styles of teaching and learning. There was the rigidity of school life at a Dubai International School, in which the hierarchy of student below teacher was highly valued, and as such teachers have complete authority while students are expected to sit up straight and be silent in order to show respect. Then I experienced the almost polar opposite style of learning during homeschooling; every day my mom would check in with each of us (my siblings and myself) to have conversations about how our studies are going and what direction we want to head in next. We made decisions about my education as a team, and I was given a great deal of flexibility about the pacing of my classes; the environment was calm and supportive. Between my classroom at the Pakistani International School and my desk during homeschooling, my personal educational philosophy falls more on the latter end of the spectrum. As a teacher, I intend to tune into my students as individuals by checking in with them regularly to see what growth they have made and what I need to do to support continued forward movement. Differentiation is most effective when I have built an awareness of the minds in the room, and can shift my teaching to fit their particular needs and assets.

4. Classroom Ecology

Within the classroom, creating a caring and supportive atmosphere is resultant of positive body language, words of affirmation, sharing stories (from the teacher and the students), and through making an authentic effort to connect with each student, building meaningful relationships. I intend to be mindful of the ratio of positive-negative interactions/conversations I have with each youth, so that I can maintain positive energy in my classroom between myself and the young people I work with. I do not want to end up redirecting the same students repeatedly, especially without counteracting those difficult interactions by affirming their effort, growth, and success. Also key to a supportive classroom is building student-student relationships so there can be a sense of camaraderie among them. In such an environment, they are more likely to feel comfortable sharing their opinions and experiences, learning from each other, and practicing building friendships with a variety of personalities.

Support needs to reach beyond the teacher-student relationship as well, into a network of support across the school - between teachers, teachers and administration, administration and students, parents and staff, etc. Experientially, I know that comprehensive and effective support networks can be rare, but that doesn’t change my belief in the importance of working toward them. When students work with adults who are supported, they will feel the ease and compassion that such a supportive environment provides.