R. N. HEADLAM
Educator Portfolio
Children are naturally curious, inclined problem-solvers with an innate desire to learn. We should foster that love for learning, that natural curiosity, in ways that help them grow and think creatively. These are the generation of children who will be solving the world’s largest problems. We’ve already succeeded in teaching them mathematics if we can show them that they can solve those problems even now.
My Teaching Philosophy
I believe that the human mind is conditioned to learn. Though, in many aspects of our lives, learning is usually subconscious, there are times when we actively participate in the learning process. When we’re curious about something, want to strengthen our knowledge, or want to advance our skillset, we embark on a journey that helps us to gather the relevant information needed for us to grow.
​
Learning should be made so that everyone is able to access information in a way that suits their needs the best. A teacher should not simply be an imparter of knowledge but a facilitator of the learning process of each person with that innate desire to learn.
My Learning Philosophy
Children should always be encouraged to think outside the box. As the innovators of the next generation, children are naturally curious creatures who enjoy problem-solving, independent growth, and learning. Their innate curiosity is not just a trait, but a source of inspiration and appreciation for the learning process.
Children naturally learn through experience and discovery, and so my philosophy naturally aligns with the constructivist and cognitive theories of learning. Both constructivism and cognitivism play a key role in the way I facilitate the learning process in my classroom, especially when it comes to learning mathematics.
My Mathematics Philosophy
I believe that we, as the human species, are natural-born mathematicians. If that were not true, we would not have been capable of the sort of technological advancements we were able to achieve throughout history. From the very beginning, our earliest ancestors used mathematics to count, sort, and measure. Our understanding, appreciation, and development of logical thinking have only grown since then.
I believe that all children already know mathematics. From the age of one, babies are already able to recognize shapes, sort colors and objects, determine size, and as they grow older, they become aware of depth, distance and space. This is all mathematics. Children, and their analytical minds, are already mathematicians.
