Micaela as an Educator
Philosophy of Education
“The capacity to learn is a gift; The ability to learn is a skill; The willingness to learn is a choice.”
– Brian Herbert
I believe that all students can learn. Nevertheless, educators must be true advocates of learning by employing different theories and strategies in their teachings. In education, my philosophy is heavily based on the following theories of learning: culturally relevant pedagogy, schema theory, relational capacity, and social capital theory. Culturally relevant pedagogy is directing the teachings in a way that the content is related to the cultural backgrounds of the students. Schema theory deals with a person’s “schemata,” the knowledge and concepts a human already possess. Social Capital theory states that in this world, it is not what you know, but who you know, and how use the resources available to you. The level of trust between the educator and the student is relational capacity.
As an educator, we must be aware of the cultures of our students. Relating teachings to the backgrounds of the students makes the lessons more effective and purposeful, and they tend to remember the information better. Culturally relevant teaching also reaches the students on a deeper level. For instance, in my choral music classroom, a varied and diverse repertoire needed to be used. When I began at my school, I had a classroom that had 98 percent African American students, who before being involved in the program, only had an appreciation Gospel music. I wanted my students be as excited and appreciative of classical music, musical theatre, opera, and contemporary music as they were about gospel music. I began to expose them to the classical music world, but the repertoire I used involved a lot of folk song and spirituals. The music had substance, but wasn’t all that different from the types of music they were comfortable with. Once I got the buy-in, I was able to push heavier pieces that we’re unlike music they we’re used to. They were able to sing Schubert’s “Kyrie Eleison” from the Mass in G with the same appreciation that they had for Johnathan Nelson’s “Expect the Great,” and they were able perform the pieces with authenticity.
Schema theory and culturally relevant pedagogy are very similar, and tend to lend to each other. It’s similar to how squares are rectangles, but rectangles are not squares. Culturally relevant pedagogy uses schema theory, but a person’s “schemata” may not having anything to do with their culture. The theory states that new information is more easily learned when people can connect the new teachings to their previous experiences or prior knowledge. In a theatre setting, a person’s “schemata” would be very beneficial in choosing a monologue or portraying a character. When a student is able to connect to a character using their own personal experiences and prior knowledge, the performance will seem less like acting, and more like they are living it. Let’s say, for an audition, an actress chooses one of Rose’s monologues from Fences, because she connected to it. In her personal experiences, she could have been in a relationship where the significant other was unfaithful, seen the situation happen, or maybe even been the one to be unfaithful in the relationship. She has “schemata” about the feelings and emotions that this situation causes, and can pull from that to develop the piece and the character within it. Thus, connecting her previous experiences to the new material.
Social capital theory is vital to understand and utilize in performing arts education, especially if the students plan on pursuing a career in a particular discipline. As stated before, the theory states that it’s not what you know, but who you know, and how you use it. That is so important in the any of the performing arts businesses. Talent can get your foot in the door, but your connections can get you out there for more people to see. Students must understand the value of this, but educators also need to use their valuable resources to bring experiences to the students. In this day, students always want to know the “why” behind everything that they do. When educators use their social capital to produce real-life examples of their teachings, it helps to scaffold the “why” that the student are asking for to real-life connections. In a music program for instance, an educator can bring in collegiate or professional level ensembles into the classroom to perform for the students or take students to symphonies and recitals where classical music will be performed. An educator can use their own connections to get the students private voice lessons from their colleagues to increase their musicianship, and bring those new practices back into my classroom. In a theatre program, you can host an audition workshop. There can be professional guests brought in for master classes, clinics, and feedback on how to have the most successful audition possible. Educators can also use their connections to help further the careers of their students, whether that be helping them get into collegiate level programs, sending them to workshops, or recommending them for gigs or auditions.
The driving force in my philosophy is relational capacity. If you, the educator, have healthy and positive relationships with your students, and they know that you care about them, they will be open to learn from you. No matter the subject, if you treat you students like they are important to you, they will be more apt to retain the lessons you teach them. Students need to know that they are not just another body filling up a seat. Educators that have relational capacity have rapport with their students. In order to gain relational capacity in the classroom, it can be as simple as greeting each student at the door, asking how their day has been, and genuinely wanting to know the answer. Nevertheless, relational capacity is also about giving out the tough love as its necessary. It’s about letting the students know that you love them, but still be able to discipline and correct them if you need to. An educator that use relational capacity in their classroom will ultimately have less issues in the long run. If you develop genuine and healthy relationships with the students, they will begin to not only do better with their content, but they will also want to do better to make you proud of them. As Flip Flippen, founder of “Capturing Kids’ Hearts” states, “If you have a child’s heart, you have their head,” and I truly stand by that.