Hi there!

My name is Míriam and my philosophy of teaching can better be described as a philosophy of learning. In order to be an effective teacher, I must focus on my students’ learning and adjust my teaching strategies in response to the pace and depth of my students’ understanding. I view teaching as an interaction between an instructor (guide) and a student; thus, the impact of this interaction on learning, rather than my activities as an instructor, is of primary importance.

I strongly believe in everyone’s potential to learn. It is human nature to create as many neural interconnections as possible during the first stages of life - connections that will become highways of knowledge during those individuals lives and that will likely determine their future and quality of life. Babies and children's brains are like seeds seeking fertile soil. Their little brains are hungry of knowledge. Thus my job as an educator is to find the best soil for them.

By utilizing flexible teaching strategies, rather than strict adherence to a particular teaching style, I am able to adjust my instruction to match the abilities and preexisting knowledge that each student brings to the classroom. My primary role as an instructor is to create interactions which foster interest and understanding for individual students. Not everyone learns the same way. I am very aware of my students' needs, not just thinking of Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences theory at the time of planning my instruction, but also of the diversity of cultures, backgrounds and socioeconomics that cohabit my classroom.  

This approach to learning emphasizes a cognitive developmental perspective. As highlighted by developmental theorists and Maria Montessori, students learn best by actively exploring their environments. This type of “trial-and-error” learning can then be fostered by having a support structure in place to facilitate understanding. The self-paced nature of exploratory learning relies on the notion that effective learning environments actively engage students with the material and promote meaningful associations between new material and information already known. As an instructor, it is my responsibility to help students generate their own context for meaning through the application of new material to their everyday lives. It is an approach that values the human spirit and the development of the whole child, from the physical, social, emotional to the cognitive.

In this blog I will share some resources I've used or and created during my eleven years as a teacher.