Teaching philosophy
Truly rewarding and successful pedagogy requires an individual who is willing to continuously adapt with the world and their students. I believe that interacting with students as peers allows for both the teacher and student to explore and discover together at the same level. By treating students as colleagues, I aim to avoid a power dynamic that implies someone who is older does not need to learn as much at students do. Encouraging inquiry and observation by utilizing field notebooks and paying close attention to senses is crucial in understanding the systems within the world that we live. Stop, Sit, Scribble, a lesson designed by my entire Canopy Connections team, enables myself and middle school students to reflect under and in the canopy through sit spots. By sitting at a specific spot in nature and absorbing all that is around, we begin to notice our surroundings in more depth. During a sit spot I once discovered that the crocus, a beautiful flower of Oregon, blooms at least a week before other spring flowers. Another time, on a Canopy Connections field trip at HJ Andrews Experimental Forest, one of my students found a partially decomposed dragonfly wing on a log five minutes into his sit spot. His enthusiasm toward his find and witnessing him share what he found exhibited the stimulating affects that the wonder of nature brings to children. These kinds of observations are helpful in understanding the world around us and appreciate the little treasures in life. Through my experiences in Canopy Connections, I have also learned the importance in saying "I don't know" if I am unsure of a question asked. An important part of this step is not only being honest with the students, but also going back to try and find the answer so the student isn't left without one. The picture to the right shows how I follow up with some students; since we don't have an opportunity to talk with them after the field trips, I write in their field notebooks that we return to their classes a week after the field trips. I have realized through past organizing experiences the importance of never allowing oneself to think that actions and systems are set in stone. Knowing this, I hope to give students the opportunity to take action at a local scale and continue to grow beyond making positive changes in their environments. I hope to foster within every student a confidence that will enable them to feel that their voice matters and will make a difference. By creating a chance for students to take what they have learned beyond the site and into their own daily experiences, they will share this knowledge with others and be a steward of the natural world. Most importantly with teaching is being able to express passion in what you do day to day. I found in Canopy Connections field trips that when I paused the actual lesson to inquire about a species I had never seen, students were also quite interested to discover what it was. Students pick up on your enthusiasm and, in turn, will promote their inquiry and curiosity. |