"Education is teaching our children to desire the right things"
"Plato"
As a teacher, It's my role to mould, scaffold and celebrate students and their impact on the world.
My teaching philosophy is largely influenced by Plato's Cave Allegory which details the struggle, the realisation and the unshackling of man through empowerment. The allegory also acts as the bridge which binds my content knowledge and teaching practice into my school. There are 3 prisoners who are incarcerated inside a cave. Their whole lives revolve around an illumination cast against the back walls of the cave, with subtle shapes and sounds that convey their day-to-day lives. One day, one of the prisoner's shackles break, and is free to roam for the very first time. He finds his footing and begins to explore the cave. Upon walking around, he realises that the illuminations cast against the walls, his life, is but a mere fire with rocks creating the shadows. Reluctant to accept the truth, he continue to explore the cave, and finds a doorway brimming with warmth and a gold light beyond his belief. He opens the door, and is instantly blinded by white light. The intense experience is painfully new, but the blinding subsides, and he is able to focus into the distance. His eyes reveal to him a new world, a plethora of new senses and a new meaning to his life; the sky is blue, warmth paints the ground and his skin in a yellow ray of light, and there are alien lifeforms scouring the land. He learns about this new world, sets into the cave, sets his fellow prisoners free, and holds their hands as they climb up stairs and experience a whole new world for the very first time. As a member of the community, as a student, as a teacher, and as a human being in this ever-changing world, it is my responsibility to unshackle, rethink and impart to the community the plethora of knowledge, the information and the stories the world has to offer. I'm the prisoner who is set free. I've been given the chance to evalute, apply and rethink the ideas of the world; breaking shakles that bind members of the community and to impart a new world to others. |
I grew up in the streets of Footscray; flats filled with migrants, the homeless and an irritable stench from decomposing fruit left out for days on end. My area was very rough. The majority of people who lived in my area were of a low socio-economic standard, and were living of welfare and government housing. School was an agent for growth, development, maturity, safety and life-long learning, but my teenage years thrived on unhealthy risk-taking behaviour and being one of the 'cooler kids' on the block.
It was a teacher, 2 in fact, that veered me into the world of education and learning. It was their charm, whit, skilfully crafted lessons and their thirst for knowledge that drew me in, 'selling'education upon each and every student who stepped into their classes in an effort to change the world. However, it was their acknowledgement of who I was, my learning style and their endearing support for not only myself, but for every single student in their classes which facilitated my attitude of the school setting which made me stay. They cared for me, acknowledged my needs and developed my sense of belonging and responsibility through great classes; they imparted the onus on me, and I welcomed my growth and development whole-heartedly. |
My experiences growing up in Footscray coupled with my teaching philosophy is what draws my personality, my energy and my passion to change the world through the eyes of an educator.
My role as a teacher is to unravel the mysteries of the world, to bond with the future of our people, and to aid in the discovery of themselves and the world around them. I am a firm believer that education is a system of unravelling relationships, knowledge and the teacher's practice. It is an opportunity to guide and extend an individual physically, emotionally and mentally, and to provide the foundation to flourish in our ever-changing world.
My teaching philosophy is influenced by 3 elements that underpin the needs and outcomes of my students; dispelling inequality in the classroom, to optimise the learning experience for students, and to foster the trust in a strong teacher-student relationship. There are 3 educational theories which resonate with my teaching methodology and my teaching philosophy: Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal development. By utilising these theories, I ensure that students are given the opportunity to utilise a wide variety of modes and rich stimulation to scaffold and streamline their experience in the classroom.
My teaching philosophy is influenced by 3 elements that underpin the needs and outcomes of my students; dispelling inequality in the classroom, to optimise the learning experience for students, and to foster the trust in a strong teacher-student relationship. There are 3 educational theories which resonate with my teaching methodology and my teaching philosophy: Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal development. By utilising these theories, I ensure that students are given the opportunity to utilise a wide variety of modes and rich stimulation to scaffold and streamline their experience in the classroom.
In practice, my teaching philosophy and 3 key theories are underpinned by the Principles of Learning and Teaching, As a teacher, It is my responsibility to provide a learning community that that adapts to the ever-changing needs of our students. There are 6 principles that work in unison to create the optimal classroom for teachers to practice, reflect and revise;
I've utilised my philosophy, my knowledge of teaching and teaching protocols during my placement, reflecting my passion for teaching. All of these elements will work together to create a learning experience like no other,
Goals For the Future
Short TermBe the first person in my family to successfully complete university
- Complete my VIT registration and become a registered teacher after my student exchange experience - Apply for positions (Both CRT and Graduate) throughout primary schools - Archive my images and pictures taken throughout my 4 years of study into an accessible portfolio to assist my teaching - Be a part of a school concert - Edge myself into arts and performance teaching - Fly over to Japan and study education at an international level |
Long Term- Teach English in Japan
- Learn and teach a trade/VET subject to VCAL students in high school - Achieve VIT registration as a Japanese teacher - To represent my faculty as a leading teacher - Buy a house for my parents - Buy my dream car, a Mazda Rx-7 |