Nicole Lowry's  Teaching Philosophy

 

In my classroom I hope to foster critical thinking, facilitate the acquisition of life-long learning skills, and prepare students to function effectively in a technology driven, safe environment where they are able to take chances and expand their horizons. Primarily working under a problem based environment, students will also develop problem solving and time management skills that will stay with them and apply in the real world, long after they leave my classroom.

 

Working with students who struggle with “traditional school” has always been a passion of mine.  I feel that traditional school settings don’t work for a majority of students and wholeheartedly believe that learning should be  student centered and driven by the needs of individual students, therefore I strive to make this a reality in my classroom.  The foundation of the environment of Bowers Academy is grounded in relationships and meeting the needs of students, so this takes center stage in my classroom as well. While you may not find traditional texts and lessons commonly seen in ELA classrooms, the foundation of the four facets of English education hold true in a way that makes sense to my student population.  

If we strive to just test for facts or improve rote skills that are not relative and real world based, this is doing a disservice to students.  My goal is to have students leave my classroom above anything else with improved metacognition and the ability to think for themselves, in addition to the English skills they learn. Overall they will know that I value that their opinions, creativity, and individual voice matter to not only me, but the world.