Philosophy of Education and Teaching
Ashley M. Boutin
​
Six years ago, I moved from Canada’s east coast to Manitoba’s northernmost community, Sayisi Dene First Nation, to begin my teaching career. Instrumental to my development into an effective educator, this experience and its accompanying challenges allowed me to reflect on how I, a student who faced tremendous academic challenges in childhood and adolescence, became an educator and lifelong learner. While it may seem cliché, I think every teacher has a story of a teacher who inspired them to want to become an educator. For me, it was my high school English teacher Mr. Hamel. A writer himself, he recognized my talent as a creative writer, read my short fiction to the class, and helped me earn acceptance to the New England Young Writers’ Conference at Breadloaf. For the first time in my life, I saw my potential and I flourished. Ultimately, I seek to give my students the same sense of empowerment that Mr. Hamel gave me.
​
Self-Actualization
​
Self-actualization is fundamental not only to students’ learning, but to their success as inquiry-driven learners and good citizens in their school and community. When students are surrounded by compassionate educators who empower them through a recognition of their interests and strengths, they are more likely to accept challenges and recognize that making mistakes is simply part of the learning process. I seek to empower my students through compassion and empathy. I believe that we must meet students as individuals, recognize and celebrate their strengths, and provide equitable opportunities for them to work towards finding their potential. School is a safe place for students to explore who they are and what they want to become, so it is our responsibility as educators to help nurture these opportunities through choice, differentiated instruction, and Universal Design for Learning.
​
Inclusion
Inclusive education is equity in education. It is the recognition that students are individuals with unique identities, abilities, and needs. Inclusive classroom teachers approach diversity in a meaningful way that embraces and acknowledges students’ unique identities while ensuring that there is space for each student to be affirmed. Within inclusive classrooms, students with complex needs are supported rather than segregated; they are part of the classroom community. This can be achieved through student-centered strategies such as differentiated instruction and universal design for learning, which can ensure that all students receive an equitable education that challenges them and helps them achieve self-actualization.
​
Behaviour Management and Discipline
Inclusive practices in behaviour management and discipline are essential to building a positive and productive school environment. Aside from regularly communicating with students’ families about their progress and accomplishments, my current school administration introduced restorative justice as a means of behavioural management and intervention this year. Within this framework, both teachers and administrators encourage students to reflect on their negative actions and how they affect others while also considering how they can mend damaged relationships. Through conversations intended to help students reflect on and recognize the effects of their behaviour on others, we ask our students to think of actions they can take to repair the broken relationships. Restorative justice has allowed our school to reduce suspensions while teaching students reflective practices.
In addition to restorative justice, I believe students thrive in environments that recognize their positive contributions to their classroom and school through both verbal praise and tangible incentives. In both my grade 4 and grade 7 classrooms, I implemented programs that allowed students to earn points they could use to redeem prizes. Though students initially worked to earn points for prizes, their effort, engagement, and kindness became intrinsic.
​
Assessment
​
Assessment for, assessment of, and assessment as learning guide my philosophy of education and my teaching practice.
-
Assessment for learning is a symbiotic process that allows me to adjust my instruction according to the degree to which students are meeting the learning goals. I generally employ informal and engaging methods of assessment of learning through classroom discussion, student-led conferences, Kahoot!, exit slips, group work, turn-and-talk, and short journal prompts.
-
Assessment of learning is a summative measure of students’ overall learning. Recognizing that students have different strengths and interests, I generally assign project-based assessments that offer a variety of choices as to how students can provide evidence that they have met the intended learning targets.
-
Assessment as learning gives students ownership over their work and encourages them to reflect on their progress and what they can do to improve. I regularly provide students with copies of their updated grade reports. Once they have had an opportunity to review their reports, I ask them to write a paragraph on the back of the page in which they discuss their strengths, challenges, what they think they need to work on to improve (if applicable), and what I can do to better support them in class.
​
Extracurricular Activities
Extracurricular activities are integral to students’ social and emotional growth. By promoting learning outside the classroom in sports and arts programs, students are given opportunities to engage in informal and sometimes cross-curricular learning, build leadership skills, and learn how to work as a team. Educators who facilitate extracurricular activities become part of not only the school community but the surrounding community as well. Through after-school programs, educators can also build stronger relationships with their students and their students’ families. These positive interactions that occur outside the formal learning environment help students build trusting relationships with their teachers, which are fundamental to students’ overall success in school.
​
Conclusion
My philosophy of education and teaching is situated within the belief that educators must strive to empower their students to become inquiry-driven learners. Through an emphasis on reflective practices in both assessment as learning and restorative justice as a framework for behavioural intervention, I believe that it is the role of the teacher to show students how to become good citizens by taking ownership of their learning, behaviour, and actions. With compassion and empathy, educators must meet students where they are and recognize them as individuals with unique strengths, challenges, and needs. By using choice in assessment, differentiating instruction, and employing Universal Design for Learning, classrooms can be equitable and inclusive spaces where students feel safe to make mistakes and guide their own learning through inquiry.