Statement of Teaching Philosophy: Progressivism

John Vetter
The qualities a proficient teacher has is they are open-minded, articulate, caring, and
exciting. By having these qualities, a teacher can really catch their audiences’ attention, in this
case, their students. Students want to see an engaging teacher that is willing to reach out and
affect them personally instead of always speaking to just the class. One on one teaching is proven
to be very effective and beneficial to the student(s). The role of a teacher is to provide students
with effective information about education, whether it is regarding physical education, general
education, special education etc. The teacher also should present students with check for
understanding questions to reveal current student knowledge. Another role of a teacher is to
make sure students are grasping the material being taught to them, so exit slips, partner work, or
group work is essential in students comprehending class materials. The role of a student is to
listen to material being taught to them and ask questions when they are confused or not sure of
the information being portrayed to them. Another role of a student is to be respectful to the
teacher and to be respectful to others and treat others how you want to be treated. The adjectives
that describe my teaching style would be supportive, goal driven, togetherness, impact, and
humbling. I believe these adjectives can serve to create a successful educational setting and
impact students lives for a bright future. I believe the most effective way to motivate students is
to come into the class with positive energy and explain to the students that living a healthy,
active lifestyle can lead to living a longer, happier life. In school, students should learn to be
problem solvers, and be able to use knowledge obtained in school to be utilized in reality and/or
the outside world. The most effective way to assess student learning is to discuss one on one with
each student of how they feel about the material being presented in the class setting and how
they can improve their knowledge, as well as other peers in the class. There should always be
collaboration between students because that is how learning and growing is done. The purpose of
school is to work as a team in the classroom/gymnasium setting to achieve a desired end goal.
Every class has different goals but either way the goal(s) should involve improvement,
dedication and curiosity. I believe that progressivism will be my future teaching philosophy
because I enjoy learning by doing the activity or movement skill, and then ask questions. Trial
and error is critical in movement activities because you are trying the activity first of all and also,
you have your classmates and teacher around you to give positive and corrective feedback. The
only way I can become an expert at my teaching philosophy is to continue to work at it and never
give up. If this philosophy does not work for my future as a physical educator, then I can try a
different one. It is all about trying new things and finding which one best suits myself.