Omoi
Omoi is a Japanese concept that translates roughly to the concept of "thinking," but it encompasses more than that word would suggest. The concept of omoi is more akin to a worldview, but it is also informed by a person's thought processes, feelings and memories. Omoi is rooted both in a person's perception of self and that person's perceived place in society.
A driving point of my omoi is my role as an educator. I teach because that is the way I perceive myself and what I believe my role to be. There are other personal and professional aspects to my omoi because there are other personal and professional aspects to my identity. Part of my job as a teacher is to teach the content and citizenship. However, my great purpose is to help each student discover, craft and refine her omoi. It is, to me, the most important part of my job.
A driving point of my omoi is my role as an educator. I teach because that is the way I perceive myself and what I believe my role to be. There are other personal and professional aspects to my omoi because there are other personal and professional aspects to my identity. Part of my job as a teacher is to teach the content and citizenship. However, my great purpose is to help each student discover, craft and refine her omoi. It is, to me, the most important part of my job.
Pedagogy
I believe my pedagogy to be defined by a three pronged approach to teaching: self, knowledge and community.
My work as an educator begins at the most basic level at the individual. Teaching is a highly interpersonal endeavor, and I work to build relationships with each student. I use humor and shared experiences to reach students, but I build relationships so I can prompt students to believe in themselves the way I believe in them.
The primary description for my job is to pass knowledge to my students. My students use inquiry and exploration in order to discover knowledge as much as I teach. I feel that real learning happens best when students are allowed to construct that learning themselves. As such, I have made the exploration process a key component of my curriculum.
No man is an island, but the average middle schooler disagrees with that. Middle school students are often narcissistic and individual-oriented. Teamwork and community is a key of my classroom. My students work collaboratively to thrive as teammates, and they are most successful when they are able to do this.
My work as an educator begins at the most basic level at the individual. Teaching is a highly interpersonal endeavor, and I work to build relationships with each student. I use humor and shared experiences to reach students, but I build relationships so I can prompt students to believe in themselves the way I believe in them.
The primary description for my job is to pass knowledge to my students. My students use inquiry and exploration in order to discover knowledge as much as I teach. I feel that real learning happens best when students are allowed to construct that learning themselves. As such, I have made the exploration process a key component of my curriculum.
No man is an island, but the average middle schooler disagrees with that. Middle school students are often narcissistic and individual-oriented. Teamwork and community is a key of my classroom. My students work collaboratively to thrive as teammates, and they are most successful when they are able to do this.