I believe that – education and learning are ways of living, not bounded by the time frame of a lesson or a school year.
I believe that – learning takes place at both the individual and the group level, and that learning happens as the learner goes beyond their level of actual competency, into the zone of proximal development.
I believe that – human learning presupposes a communal process and nature by which learners grow into the intellectual life around them. Learning takes place whether the teacher intends it to or not, and therefore the role of the teacher is to facilitate a certain kind of directed learning.
I believe that – “student” is an artificial category, and that my teaching is improved by the knowledge that “students” have complicated lives, navigate multiple identities, and are doing a great deal of learning in places other than my classroom.
I believe that – whatever I spend time on in the my classroom should be useful to learners in their everyday lives; I believe, therefore, that part of my skill, experience, and wisdom as a teacher should enable me to anticipate futures and possibilities that learners have yet to see.
I believe that – learning to learn by way of locating places for inquiry is a key to education.
I believe that – reflective thinking is a crucial method that helps learners to learn, and provides a means for me to assess whether learning has taken place in the way I had hoped. I also believe that reflective teachers are the best kind.
I believe that – as a teacher, I have responsibilities to the community and the individual learner. As a reflective teacher, I believe it is important to be aware of this, and to always balance those two duties in a way that is responsible.
I believe that – evaluation of learners’ performances is a necessary component of their educational experience. I also expect my own performances as a teacher to be evaluated.
I believe that – every learner should be a participatory member in the intellectual life of the classroom community, and I should facilitate those opportunities. The conversations, exchanges, and sharing that take place in the classroom, should be shaped by all the members, not just the teacher.