WHAT IS A CREDO? A credo is a system of beliefs, principles, or opinions that guides one’s actions; in other words, it is a personal belief statement. Some people will call this your “personal philosophy about education and teaching”. Throughout your PDP experience, you will have to develop, revisit, and revise your personal belief statement, and to be continually questioning your core beliefs about teaching and learning.
For the next 10 minutes, do something physical that you enjoy. (You can do it for longer if you like, but you need to be moving vigorously for at least 10 minutes!) As you are doing this physical activity, recall in your mind’s eye, your experiences with education and schooling.
Who was your favorite teacher? Why?
My Science teacher was my favorite out of all the others, because of the way he made lessons fun and interactive. At certain times, he would show us short video clips that taught us about scientific facts of different animals, plants and human beings. Other times we would do experiments, and sometimes he would take us out of the classroom and we would have class outside
Which teaching in your school was every kid afraid of? Why?
Speech classes, where each class has a different topic and we would have only 10 minutes to prepare before we present to the entire class. Many people are afraid to speak in public, especially introverts, as they need to be fully prepared before appearing before presenting to a large crowd.
Which teachers made you feel that you mattered? Why?
Rather than one specific teacher, many teachers actually cared about me. At the beginning of the semester (the first year I transferred into a new school), I was a problem student. I did not like to study and I preferred playing sports rather than being in class. I did pass my classes; however, my grade average was around C -. Even after performing that way and misbehaving in class, many teachers offered to help me after school sessions.
Did you ever feel you got a mark you did not deserve? Why?
No, I think all the grades I was given were fair. The reason is because anytime I performed well, I marks that I got was due to my work and when I got low grades, it was due to my poor performance.
Did someone inspire you to become a teacher?
My math tutor who taught me mathematics. She would show me the fastest methods to solve a problem. More importantly, she would be very patient and take teach me step-by-step. She would often review old materials from the past, because she told me that if you do not have a strong basic then you would have a very difficult time learning Calculus. She told me that solving 50 questions without understanding why is not how you learn. Instead, read the questions carefully, pick your best solving method, and then solve it carefully.
When did you know that this is who and what you wanted to be?
During the third year of University, after I took several education courses I realized I was in the path I have always desired and one that made me feel comfortable.
After you have completed your physical activity and have considered your experiences, we want you to sit down by yourself and answer the following questions. Please do this on your own. At this point, it is important that you try very hard not to think about grammar, spelling errors, whether what you are saying is “the right thing”, etc. Try to turn off that “editor” in your head. This is a brainstorming activity. It is also important that you do this alone so that anyone else’s thoughts or ideas cannot sway you. It is about what you think and believe. Please answer these questions as thoughtfully as possible. This is for you to examine. No one will read your responses at this point, unless you choose to share …
What do you believe it means to be educated?
From my perception, education is teaching and gaining the tools necessary to be successful in a respective field. It also learning how to adjust in new environments and gaining social skills that are required to be successful in the outside world. It is not learning about algebra, but rather skills brought about by understanding algebra.
What are some of the personal concepts you have about how learning happens?
I think learning should incorporate hands-on-projects, visual tools (TED Talks), and group projects (where people share different experience, perspectives, and knowledge). You need to have the motivation to learn (learning something your passionate about is very important, if something inspired you, then learning is great), learning can be outside of school (a fieldstrip to the museum), learning can be informal (reading magazines and watching movies are good ways to practice English for second English Language Learns)
What is your understanding of what it means ‘to teach’?
I believe to teach is giving the student confidence to participate in a learning environment and to make them learn to come of out of their masks. To teach is also to give students a new perspective upon the problems they face in a class, and to give them the skills on tackling similar problems in the future.
What makes you think that you would be a good teacher?
If I were a teacher, I would give my students the power and responsibility to choose what to learn. I will make sure they are comfortable with the topic they are learning before going to the next one. I will approach every student with an open mind and spend more time listening rather than talking. I will let my students learn how it feels to be responsible in a classroom by making them choose group projects that they desire to do.
What do you feel are some of the issues facing schools and education today?
Rising dropout rates, school is decreasing values of arts, and students with ADHD. Many students are reading but very few are learning. The teachers are not engaging the students in class thus making the students not to bond with the teachers. Learning in schools is more theoretical than practical. The teachers do not use curriculum as a device for knowledge. The teachers use curriculum as a device to define exactly how everything will operate in a class. It does not allow room for creativity.
What would an observer see in your classroom related to teaching, learning, and the community of learners?
An observer would see me giving students the power to make lesson decisions in class. When it is time for creative writing, students will choose the topic they want to write. Everyone will choose his or her own unique title for an essay. The observer would also see me using other tools for educating the students e.g. showing videos and documentaries.
What would an observer in your classroom see you doing?
At the beginning of class, I will inform the students what will be taught today (handout an outline or overview to the class)
30 minutes of lecture and those 15 minutes of collaboration. I give each group a different question to work on, and then one group member from each group will need to present the answer to the class.
I will have a 10 minutes break, and then If needed, I will start the class with a short video clip. In addition, the cycle starts over with 30 minutes lecture, 15 minutes group work and 15 minutes presentations.
What makes your classroom unique? Describe it.
My classroom is unique because students have the power to make choices. I am not always the one running the show instead; students are the ones who decide how they want a lesson approached by the teacher.
How do your students engage in learning?
Using real life or personal scenarios as part of their learning process.
Practically applying the lessons e.g. through lab experiments, projects or going outdoors.
Creating teams or groups with other students and do a project based on their own choice.
What do you want your legacy as a teacher to be?
To ensure academic success or improvement for every student I teach.
To make learning fun, to motivate or inspire students
A teacher that is known to teach every student at his or her own pace.
After you have finished expressing your ideas, highlight/circle/underline the key words, ideas, and phrases. From the words and ideas you have written, come up with 10-12 “I believe” statements about teaching, schooling and education. Think deeply – these statements need to be ideas that you feel very strongly about. E.g., I believe that teachers should spend a lot of listening to what students have to say.
I believe that students need to be have classroom independence and power to choose what they want to learn.
I believe learning is not only about knowledge of content in the curriculum but learning of life skills.
I believe that teachers should make students feel like they matter.
I believe that teachers should strongly identify with students and not seen as an outsider.
I believe that a student should not fear a subject and it is up to the teacher to make the learner feel comfortable.
I believe that every mark that a student is given should be fair and not out of bias.
I believe that students and teachers should exchange laughter in a class, as it will build a bond between the two.
I believe that teachers should serve as an inspiration to any student they teach.
I believe that teachers need to create an environment where every student feels comfortable to give a right or wrong answer without ridicule.
I believe that teachers need to take into account very student’s strengths and weaknesses.
Rewrite our “I believe” statements so that you have four or five succinct sentences that capture the essential essence of your beliefs about teaching and education. Ta da! You have your credo!
I believe that teachers should create an environment where every student feels comfortable to give a right or wrong answer without mock, and the students should have their rights to choose what they want to learn. I believe that learning should include both learning of life skills and getting knowledge of the content in the curriculum activities. The teachers should identify the students and not to see the students as the outsiders, create an environment where the students feel like they matter.
I believe that the teachers should allow exchange of ideas and laughter in class to create a bond between the students and the teachers. The teachers should motivate the students; make the students feel comfortable and advice the students to have positive attitudes towards different subjects and not to fear a subject. The teachers should not be bias in terms of grading the students; the teachers should give the students fair grades to motivate the students to work hard. The teachers should have the ability to identify the weaknesses and the strength of the students to be able to help them in the areas that the students have weakness in; the teachers should serve as the inspiration to the students.
