Zahra Rahal 1

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION SUMMARY

(In addition to the analogy outlined on my website.)
The 3 pillars -connections, inclusiveness, commitment- I have chosen to represent my philosophy of
education stem from my overarching belief in inclusive pedagogy. Inclusion can mean various things in
the world of education. I base my idea of inclusion on Fergusons (1995) definition of authentic
inclusion: a unified system of public education that incorporates all children and youths as active, fully
participating members of the school community; that views diversity as the norm; and that ensures a
high-quality education for each student by providing meaningful curriculum, effective teaching, and
necessary supports for each student (p. 286). Practicing this vision of inclusion, in any learning setting I
facilitate, is what I am committed to. I will elaborate on different examples from my teaching
experiences that relate back to the 3 pillars of my teaching philosophy.
Making Connections:
As a beginning teacher, building rapport with students can be a challenging experience. But, Ive realized
that when I spend more time getting to know my students and building genuine connections with them,
the process of teaching and learning becomes more enjoyable and meaningful for both of us. Building
rapport has informed my instructional strategies because I have spent the time to learn more about the
learning and social needs of my students. It has also reduced the occurrence of misbehaviours in the
classroom. When students are engaged, when the lessons are catered to their interests, when they built a
connection with their teachers; there is really no time for students to be bored or disengaged! Now, this
may all sound idealistic but I have found a lot of success using my character and different team building
activities to start developing those connections which should be sustained throughout the year.
Inclusiveness:
I believe that students will experience meaningful learning experiences when they participate in
inclusive learning environments. Teachers have the power to create and sustain such learning
communities. I have had the opportunity to experience this first hand during my teaching placements
and other times I have worked with children. I have worked in mainstream classroom settings with
students who had diverse learning needs; from students on IEPs to ELLs. I also worked in a selfcontained intermediate classroom setting. In both of these very different learning settings, I made sure
to foster a safe space for everyone to learn and share their concerns. One way to foster inclusion is to
ensure that diverse learning needs of students are addressed via differentiated instruction and
assessment. During an inquiry project I facilitated in a grade 7 class, I had to make sure that all students
received the support they needed throughout this process that involves a lot of planning and critical
thinking. All students felt safe to ask questions and trusted that I would try my best to address their
concerns. An option I gave to my students who were more reluctant to present in front of the class was
to present just in front of me or to use an iPAD to video record their work. These are just some of the
ways in which I have addressed students varying learning needs.
Commitment:
Without a doubt, teaching in an engaging and impactful way necessitates commitment. To ensure I stay
on track and continuously think of innovative ideas to bring into the classroom, I engage in reflective
practice. It is very important for me to spend some time after each lesson to think about what went
well, what needs to change, as well as what didnt go so well. These reflections, even if short, inform my

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teaching and challenge me to try new things the next time I visit the same lesson and unit. I also think
feedback and cooperation with other colleagues is important in the reflection process because they may
notice aspects of my instructional practices that I do not. As a committed educator, I strive to
consistently model these 3 pillars of my teaching philosophy to my students so that they may also see
the value in making connections, fostering inclusion, and being committed in any path they will take.

Reference:
Ferguson, D.L. (1995). The real challenge of inclusion: Confessions of a rabid inclusionist.
Phi Delta Kappan 77(1), 281287.

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Self-assessment rubrics:
A) Philosophy of Education:

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B) Employment dossier: