Amy Darcangelo’s Teaching Philosophy

Teaching is communication between teacher and student.  As a teacher it is my responsibility to aid students and point them in the direction towards comprehension.  It is the student’s responsibility to grasp and learn the content.  I will challenge my students to maximize their potential while making topics interesting and enjoyable.  Every student’s mind is unique and needs individual instruction to maximize learning abilities.  It is vital that I discover instructional strategies that extend beyond the textbook, allowing all my students the opportunity to learn. 

Advances in technology have created a vast number of resources available that can challenge the learning level and interest of every student.  CD-ROMs, videos and interactive internet websites are a few examples that will provide an endless supply of material.  And who can forget going back to the basics; having discussions and teaching skills outdoors utilizing the natural environment and literally getting the hands dirty. Learning can occur anywhere but whether or not it is retained, I believe, lies heavily on whether or not the student can relate the knowledge to his/her own world and/or career goals. Thus I try to connect course content directly to the career fields my students are interested in; whether though my own personal experiences, shared stories, guest speakers, field trips, or current news articles.

In order to gain an understanding of the breadth of knowledge obtained by students their progress needs to be monitored continuously.  This can be accomplished by providing several assessment techniques throughout the semester.  I feel testing is appropriate for recalling content information but other strategies need to be utilized to complete the picture of student comprehension; such as group discussions, research, and presentations.  The interactive approach that these assessments provide spark students’ interest, furthers investigation skills, enhances teamwork, and allows creativity and the use of the imagination.  I will also use these assessments to evaluate the effectiveness of my teaching strategies. 

In my classroom students will be given the skills and knowledge needed to seek solutions, draw conclusions and discover the information they need.  This will give them an understanding and solid base which they can build on to become lifetime learners and have the confidence to utilize their knowledge gained in future employment.