1. Alyssa Seipel
Teaching Philosophy
Just as people have individual learning styles; teachers have teaching styles that
work best for them. As an educator, it is important to be aware of personal preferences
when creating and delivering overall instruction. Over the years, I have developed a
teaching style based on my specific beliefs about what constitutes good teaching, personal
preferences, children’s abilities to learn health and physical education curriculum, and
effective discipline. As a physical and health educator, I have found progressive education,
specifically romantic naturalism, to be the most effective method of instruction.
Progressive education is rooted in experience. It emphasizes learning by doing
hands-on projects and experimental learning. It strongly focuses on critical thinking and
problem solving, and encouraging life-long learning and social skills. Romantic naturalists
believe in promoting an individual’s natural inclinations, allowing students to work
personally with a teacher who will guide them to reach their own personal potential.
Romantic naturalism does not focus on shaping the student into a specific mold, instead
allowing students to value a more individual kind of education. It is essential to deliver
hands-on instruction and practice in a physical education classroom. In order for students
to develop proper motor skills and techniques, they must be engaged in the learning
process. No student would be able to learn a physical skill properly without the hands-on
aspect of learning. Romantic naturalism is also very essential in health education. Students
need the hands-on experience, and they also need to be able to practice problem solving
skills, in order to establish a sense of what improves one’s wellness and what inhibits it

2. from developing in a positive direction. With romantic naturalism as a part of instruction
for both physical and health education, students can develop natural inclinations that can
allow them to reach their upmost potential in life. Physical and health education is
something that is continually built upon in life, and knowing how to continually educate
oneself, is essential for one to continually improve upon their well-being.
It is important for me to embrace the fact that every student is different, and that
one healthy lifestyle change may be more beneficial to some than to others. I must provide
students with various learning experiences and opportunities to make quality health
decisions. Physical and health education has the role of educating and providing the tools
for students to make healthy changes, but in the end, the student has the ultimate
responsibility of making the change to live a long and healthy lifestyle. If I do not
emphasize learning by doing hands-on projects and experimental learning, and I do not
strongly focus on critical thinking and problem solving skills, students will have a hard time
engaging in life-long learning and social skills in order to live healthy, happy lifestyles.
Romantic naturalism as a part of instruction allows me to provide students with the
information and practice they need to make healthy choices on their own. This type of
teaching approach is highly personalized education accounting for each individual's
personal goals. Physical and health education emphasizes goal-setting and decision-
making skills, because students must learn how to do these properly on their own in order
to live a healthy lifestyle for a lifetime. When I use a progressive teaching approach, I
notice that students are able to develop their own personal goals and properly play them
out in their daily life. Ultimately, I want my students to be able to take what they have
learned and want to apply them in their life for an entire lifetime.