Carl Stello

The title of this philosophy statement represents the cornerstone of my beliefs about teaching and learning, and also reflects an epiphany in my own understanding of the process of education.  Before joining the community of educators, I believed that teachers were the disseminators of knowledge and it was the student's responsibility to prepare in the best ways possible to receive this understanding.  After a lot of graduate study and 18 years of teaching, I now believe that students must be given the opportunity to explore, investigate, and discover natural phenomena for themselves if they are to obtain genuine and lasting understanding.  Teachers who impose their own sense of order on students rob them of the opportunity to create this understanding and diminish their capacity to think autonomously.  In contrast, I believe the ideal science classroom is one in which students are invited to “rediscover” scientific truths and given the freedom to “reinvent” the products of science. 

 

In order to create this climate in my own classroom, there are three goals around which I orient myself as an educator:

 

 

Maintain a consistently exploratory classroom environment

 

Students enrolled in secondary science already have a vast store of knowledge from personal experiences with the world around them.  In my classroom this pre-constructed knowledge is frequently confronted with new and meaningful science experiences through inquiry and exploration.  Rather than learning about science, students do science in a way that allows them to remove misconceptions and synthesize new, deeper understandings of the world around them.

 

 

Acknowledge the uniqueness of each learner

 

This climate of discovery I endeavor to produce must be compatible with a community of learners that have a wide variety of personal aspirations, intellectual talents and cultural backgrounds.  To be an effective teacher in such an environment, I aspire to create invitations for learning that challenge and engage as many students as possible.  Consistent formative assessments, varied instructional techniques and curriculum relevant to real-life experiences are frequently employed to tailor my instruction to the individual learner.  I firmly believe that it is my responsibility as a teacher to understand and nurture the learning and development of all my students.  

 

 

Create a positive and supportive classroom environment

 

I feel it is important for each and every one of my students to not only feel comfortable, but welcome within my classroom.  I believe that if a student feels nervous or uneasy, learning takes a back seat.  The activities that students will engage in within my class demand that everyone feel free to question, participate, and take the necessary risks to learn.

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