Professional Goals
The process of being a teacer requires a constant evaluation of both my own goals and philosophy as a teacher, as well as a constant desire to update and learn new practices through professional development.
Below you'll find links to both my Philosophy of Education and my Professional Learning Plan, with descriptions about why I think both are important.
Philosophy of Education
Barrow and Woodside (2006) make the claim that "If we do not know what counts as being educated, how can we make judgements as to whether we are being more or less successful in ourvarious attempts to educate people? If we are not clear what constitutes education, how can we assess whether a new course in health, a new programme on road safety, or a new college for aspiring comedians shouldbe regarded as educational" (p. 10) ?
The philosophy of education, at least how I've written it, does exactly that. It aims to tell the reader what I believe is important about education - what exactly it is I believe the criteria for success is in our attempts to educate. It also suggests how we can assess educational goals and aims under my social constructivist view of the world.
Professional Learning Goals
We know that teaching practices are constantly updated, with new methods developed monthly, while new educational policies and professional documents created just as often.
To combat falling behind the times, every teacher needs a solid set of professional learning goals as a way of furthering teaching knowledge.
My professional learning goals are designed to keep me up to date on the teaching practices when acting to enhance the education of exceptional students. This lines up with my Philosophy of Education. As well, since my interests also lie in coaching extracurriculars, there is a focus on furthering my coaching skills as well.