“Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.” -Albert Einstein

 

     Our world is changing faster than ever and technology has created the ultimate global society. One thing remains constant, people need to be critical thinkers in order to be successful. Thus, there will always be education, but it needs to evolve with the changing world. According to the World Economic Forum's 2016 Global Challenge Insight Report, data gathered predicts 65% of students entering grade school will be working in a job that does not exist. Albert Einstein is correct, what helps us navigate change is our ability to think critically. Facts are now at our fingertips, however, students need to be able to evaluate those facts and use those facts to solve complex problems.

It is the above profound understanding that grounds my philosophy of education. I believe that my job is to:

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• create a collaborative learning environment

• ensure diverse and multiple perspectives are the norm

• provide opportunities to solve complex problems

• facilitate and encourage rich academic conversations

• give students the tools they need to understand their own thinking

• integrate technology into all areas of learning

• continue to develop my own cultural awareness and culturally responsive teaching skills

 

     In order for all of this to work, students must first feel that they are the in charge of their own learning and know that their ideas, curiosities, and opinions are valued. I passionately feel that strong collaborative environments develop when students participate in purposefully planned activities. I believe in and use social and emotional learning practices in my classroom because it opens up dialogue for all students and honors the multiple perspectives each child brings to school. It is these experiences that create a community that is willing to work together to engage in learning together, helping each other, and navigating complex problems with one another.

 

     As students work to create new understandings, it is the expectation in my classroom that the challenges will produce some level of failure. We learn in my classroom, that failure is our opportunity for creative thinking and learning and that mistakes challenge us to form new theories and ideas. I take time to explicitly teach how our brain learns and growth-mindset strategies to help students continue to persevere and celebrate even the smallest of successes. Students are given the opportunity to practice such thinking using the core skills of academic conversation in which students evaluate facts, negotiate their ideas with those of others to create new understandings. I truly believe that a challenged mind and the will to make sense of the world is what brings out the unique gifts of each student. And when a child is able to showcase their gifts, success and learning are inevitable.