What is your Teaching Philosophy?

What is your teaching philosophy? This is a question that all teachers should answer, be they first-year newcomers, experienced teachers, or new-to-the-drama-classroom educators. What are your core values? What goals are you striving for? What do you strongly believe should happen in the classroom? 

Here are some statements to consider. You may agree with some, all, or none! And that’s okay. 

Click below for a Teaching Philosophy Questions Sheet. Answer the questions to determine your own beliefs about teaching and learning. 

1. It’s not about YOU, it’s about THEM.

This is especially important in the drama classroom where you often have students who didn’t choose to be there. What excites you about theatre isn’t necessarily going to excite your students. 

Ask yourself: What is going to help this particular group of students learn? What do they need? How will they learn best? Every group, every class, every year is going to be different. 

Think about: When you were in school, who was your favourite teacher? Why were they your favourite? How did they define your learning environment? 

2. Build trust.

Your class needs to be a place where students feel comfortable and confident to take risks. Theatre asks students to be vulnerable, expressive, and sometimes uncomfortable. None of that happens without trust. For example, students trust that you will be consistent, fair, and respectful. Students trust that if they make a mistake, they won’t feel ridiculed by you or by their fellow classmates.

Ask yourself: What does it mean to build trust with your students? How do you define your role in the classroom? How would you define your classroom environment? 

Think about: How quickly do you learn students' names? Do you welcome mistakes in exercises? Are you a consistent teacher? Are you a fair teacher? Why or why not? 

3. Find a place for everyone, even those who don’t enjoy acting.

Not every student who walks into your classroom dreams of being on stage. In fact, many are just there because they needed an elective or were encouraged to try something new. The great thing is that there are so many different roles that a student can fill in a drama class: technical theatre, design, stage management, dramaturgy, marketing, music, movement. The list goes on! It may mean that you have to redefine what effort and engagement look like in your classroom, but it will also mean that those who don’t enjoy theatre may find a purpose. 

Ask yourself: For your students who don’t necessarily enjoy acting, what skills do they bring to the table? How can they apply these skills to other theatrical roles? How can you encourage your students to take ownership of their role in your class? 

Think about: The classroom is not a theatre, it’s a learning environment. What do you want students to learn in your class? How can you teach this to students who don’t enjoy acting? 

4. This class is a collaborative ensemble. 

Theatre is inherently collaborative, and that’s one of its greatest strengths as an educational tool. No production or classroom scene work succeeds because of a single star. It succeeds because everyone works together toward a shared goal. 

With this mindset, every role, onstage and off, is important. Encourage students to shift their focus from individual recognition to collective success. When someone doesn’t show up or is disengaged it impacts the entire group. Understanding this helps build empathy, accountability, and respect. 

Ask yourself: How do your students understand the concept of ensemble? Do they see shows as a collaborative effort or as a hierarchy? How do your students demonstrate empathy, accountability, and respect? 

Think about: Community and collaboration are key in any drama classroom. What ensemble building exercises do you incorporate into your curriculum? How do you promote ensemble ideals in the classroom?