TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

There are two vital pillars to my teaching philosophy:

Personalized Learning and Arts Integration.

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Personalized Learning

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I believe students ability to own their own learning. Students’ learning experiences, what they learn, and how, when and where they learn it are tailored to their individual needs, skills, and interests, and empower them to take ownership of their learning. I am comfortable with strategic technology integration and data use to increase personalization, engagement, and mastery of all essential skills for all students. I am highly in favor of non-traditional models of teaching that are unlike teacher centered lectures and assessments to a students centered learning environment in which students have increased choice over the path, time, and place that their learning happens. I continue to push for project based learning that assesses skills based learning that creates space for innovation, experimentation, and design thinking for educators and students to incorporate 21st century and real world skills (Highlander Institute).

Learners are active participants in and owners of their learning.

• Agency

• Voice

• Choice

• Personal Learning Paths

• Learner Profiles

• Goal Setting & Reflection

Learners have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions for success in college, career, and life.

• Standard Mastery

• Habits of Success

• Performance-Based Assessment

• Real-World Application

• Project-Based Learning

• Empowered Upstanders

• Digital Literacy

STUDENT-CENTERED SCHOOLS

Schools rooted in community and students.

• Equity & Access

• Family & Community Inclusion

• Socially-Embedded Learning Environments

• Culturally Relevant Teaching

• Contextualized Learning

• Mentorship & Strong Relationships

• Social Justice Education

Schools structured to meet individual student needs.

• Competency-Based Learning

• Constant Feedback

• Data-Driven Differentiation

• Teacher-as-Facilitator

• On-Demand Intervention

• Flexible Staffing

• Flexible Learning Environments

BOUNDLESS LEARNING

Learners access expansive learning opportunities.

• Anytime, Anywhere Learning

• Globally-Connected Classrooms

• Transformational Digital Learning

• Open-Source Learning

Learners are self-directed, self-evolving, lifelong learners.

• Joy of Learning

• Empowered Lifelong Learners

• Digital Citizens

• Learner Portfolios

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Arts Integration.

As an arts integration implementation coordinator for the Kennedy Center’s  Turnaround Arts program, I recognize the critical importance of the arts in deepening student understanding of content and creating a joyful space for our students, families, faculty, and staff. Based on my professional learning experience at Turnaround Arts National Conference, I’ve  outlined two big goals for my school.

One goal I set for DTA is for 90% of teachers to use and document arts integration strategies at least once a week in their classrooms. I know that these strategies deepen understanding in content areas and with consistent, high quality integration of the arts and content, I expect to see an increase in students’ abilities to think critically, problem solve, and apply their knowledge in new or unfamiliar circumstances.

The second goal for DTA is to increase community involvement and engagement so that a substantial number of stakeholders take increased interest. I intend to leverage the performances and student spotlight opportunities that DTA already has in place, as well as new exciting events,  to get more parents, partners, and stakeholders inside of classrooms and participating in the arts with their children. With more community support, I expect to see an improvement in student academic performance, a boost in parental and community support for our events, and a public perception of our school as a model for integrating the arts to develop the whole child.