Cristina R. David
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Philosophy of Teaching

My philosophy of teaching starts with learning.  I believe all students can learn and all students should have the opportunity to enjoy or even love learning.  They should have a learning environment that is safe and comfortable, yet challenging and invigorating.  I have found that learning is not just the absorption of information – likewise, teaching is not simply the presentation of information.  Learning is about listening and understanding to gain knowledge, but it is also about applying and evaluating that knowledge, taking an interest in that knowledge, and incorporating that knowledge into their lives.  Therefore, I believe that teaching is about helping students to learn – to learn for understanding, to learn because they are interested, and to learn for the purpose of making themselves better. 

In my experience, I have found that students have grown accustomed to memorization and regurgitation; they are not used to thinking and have even developed distaste for it.  I want to change this by holding students to a higher standard and encouraging them to think independently and objectively about scientific topics.  Science lends itself to thoughtful discussion and interesting debates.  I will teach students to synthesize information to participate in such discussion and debate.  Some may think that this is too difficult or too much to ask of students.  However, I believe that it can be done by providing plenty of practice and encouragement, getting students excited about the topic, and believing in their capability.

All students learn in different ways.  Therefore, I believe that it is necessary to tap into these different learning styles by using a variety of teaching techniques.  Science is about inquiry and experimentation.  Fortunately, science lends itself easily to teaching to a variety of learning styles.  I have found that there is no better way to learn science concepts than with hands-on, activity-based instruction.  It provides a fun and memorable learning experience for the student.  To me, science is about curiosity and asking questions.  Student-centered learning is an ideal way for students to discover a topic for themselves, ask questions about the topic, and then answer their own questions. 

My goal is to be an energetic, enthusiastic and effective science teacher.  I want to be a role model for students and inspire them to become lifelong learners.  I myself am a lifelong learner.  I thrive on learning new things.  I want to be a teacher that is never complacent, always improving, and most importantly, always learning.