Teaching Philosophy
Life is no brief candle to me; it is a sort of
splendid torch which I’ve got to hold for the moment and I want to make it burn
as brightly as possible before handling it on to the future generations.George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
The ingredients of my teaching philosophy have
included many undergraduate, graduate and current readings, as well as motivational
instructors that I have had in both the on campus and on-line environments. My
teaching philosophy is rooted in the belief that the teacher needs to be a
passionate facilitator about the discipline they teach, as well as being an
instructor that has the skills to teach students how to apply the course into
their everyday lives. My teaching emphasis is to inspire students to “light
their candle,” rather than just “fill their bucket.” In my first day of
freshman Contemporary Social Problems, when the instructor introduced himself
and professional expertise, he gained my attention and respect by telling the
class that all instructors start where we are seated. He took the time to tell
the class why his teaching discipline was his passion; he brought motivation
and inspiration to the class on the very first day. I am filled with excitement
that I will be able to do the same as those in whose shoes I once walked. I
remain an on-going learner and teacher in multiple disciplines, including
management, business, liberal arts, and leadership.
From the onset of creating and sharing
teaching objectives with a class, I think of the end of the course to what the
student can take away from my course. One way to gain an insight about my
students is through the posting of course objectives. In my first class, I
would ask each student to add at least one course learning objective to the
ones already provided in the course syllabus. Each student’s learning objective
should be a reflection of what they want to cover and apply to their own unique
lives. This helps me gauge what resources, assignments, discussion questions
and other real life application examples I can add to the class. I bear in mind
that students, especially in the business and liberal arts, may have uniquely
different goals and professions they want to succeed in; this feedback provides
me with what the students need in order to apply the course material into their
lives. My teaching philosophy is thinking first and foremost about the
knowledge or skills students should learn in the course, and then thinking
about the best ways for the students to learn those knowledge or skills. It
illustrates teaching through the lens of learning, instead of focusing on
teaching and letting students learn as they can.
Teaching “Real World” Application
Another influence in my teaching philosophy is from one of my favorite
authors on college teaching, James M. Lang. I am in agreement with his
philosophy on course learning objectives, “You want to push learning objectives
as far as you can towards the highest cognitive levels of the list; you
certainly want to move beyond simply asking students to memorize definitions or
engage in other activities that just test their ability to memorize the facts
and formulas of your discipline.” (Lang, 2008). While students must understand the content of the course, it is equally
important that students acquire the skills of learning, including
self-discipline, time management, problem solving and self-motivation to apply
to the current class they are in and their professional lives.
I like to incorporate active
learning assignments and project-based learning experiences to reinforce
learning. My philosophy of education incorporates an inquiry-based,
constructivist approach, helping students learn the material, as well as how
to learn. I plan to use
discovery learning methods to keep the class engaged and relevant to each
student’s life. Assignments should engage the interest of the students by
allowing them to apply the study to their life, but also allow the teacher to
provide feedback in a contextual, non-threatening manner. Class forum
discussions are an integral instructional method to accomplish this.
Teaching with Diversity in Mind
Class forum discussions and reflection papers are the
heart of the class for another reason, as well. After assignments, I assess the
students to see if they can show a correlation between the material and their
lives to gauge if students need extra help on grasping the material. I also
encourage discussion by posting encouraging feedback and follow up questions to
help each student be aware of other perspectives influenced by their
generational or cultural diversities. By being supportive and respectful, I want
to influence my students to be open-minded and respectful individuals as well.
Also, starting every class with class introductions provides evidence of how
the class is composed of many people of different generations, cultural differences and professions, helping to bring new
ideas and perspectives to the class.
Teaching with Learning Styles in Mind
Both for ability and learning styles, I see the importance
of differentiation in the classroom. I employ the use of visual,
auditory, and kinesthetic assignments to create a balance for all learners in
the class. Each lesson should be diverse enough for
all students to be able to learn in an environment in which they can prosper. I
love the chance to use technology in the class to aid in assisting all
students’ learning styles and engage further exploration. For students with
learning disabilities, I will seek to find ways to provide alternative
assignments tailored to their disability or reach out to the campus
disabilities specialist to find ways to provide the same equal opportunities
for learning as other students.
Student and Teacher Self Assessment
In addition to assignments that offer the
students to blend their discipline learning with their lives, discussion forums
will also allow me to see if students are frustrated or not interacting.
Constant observation, providing encouraging feedback and adding review quizzes
help to see if the student needs more help or if the teacher needs to
confidentially reach out and offer assistance. Gauging the effectiveness of
teaching requires constant observations and assessment of my teaching, as well.
One of the most important issue on which I focus from day one is, “Do the
course objectives and goals echo through the course assignments?” As in many of
my classes, I will have a confidential class exit assessment survey for
students to complete to show areas in which I may need improvement in
mentoring, instructional design or the material given in the class.
Conclusion
I have been shaped by great professors inspired by great authors and
even motivated by a long line of business owners and managers in my family. I
have the experiences of working in my grandfather’s and parents’ businesses, as
well as running a freelance artist business before deciding to go to college.
Experience is an asset that teachers bring to the class, either by themselves,
or by adding resources to the class. This reflects back to my Contemporary
Social Problems teacher, who sparked that torch for my eagerness to teach. I
proud to say, I am now ready to hand off my splendid torch.
Reference
Lang, J. M. (2008). On course: A week by week
guide to your first semester of college teaching. Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press.
Instructional Design Tools