My Teaching Philosophy
I began my undergraduate studies in psychology, desperately wanting to learn more about what makes people "tick". I had already fallen in love the vocation of teaching at this point, having commenced tutoring mathematics when I was only 15, and going on to work as a teacher's aide in the year after finishing year 12. My studies quickly focused my attention on developmental psychology and the various ways people young and old learn. This psychological approach to education has been extremely influential in the formation of my teaching philosophy.
Ultimately, I aim for my students to become self-reflective learners. I believe that knowing yourself and how you work best, what your passions are, what motivates you and where your interests lie is key to successful learning experiences. I fear that some archaic approaches to education fixate all too much on what students are doing wrong, and try to correct their mistakes by going over and over the un-mastered skill. Rather, I believe students should be guided and encouraged by what they do well, and learn how to draw on these existing skills to creatively approach new challenges. My role as a teacher then is as a facilitator and mentor, rather than as master of a domain of knowledge that they too must master. I believe each curriculum area offers opportunities for students to gain various skills that can be generalised into other contexts and thus apply to life-long learning.For example, whether a student studies physics, biology or chemistry they will gain the skills of scientific inquiry, even though the specific content will vary between subjects. I am forever hearing students call for learning experiences that are relevant to their lives beyond the classroom.
This desire for relevance also calls for teachers to help students to construct their own understanding of curriculum content. Research and theory in psychology such as Gardiner's multiple intelligences and constructivist approaches stress the many and varied ways in which people learn, calling upon us as educators to get to know our students, diversify our teaching strategies and be inclusive to all students. Diversity in the classroom is sometimes a great challenge as an educator, yet it is this diversification of how people learn that inspired me to a vocation of teaching.
My diverse and inclusive classroom involves a variety of teaching strategies including an array of learning experiences that draw on audio, visual, tactile, linguistic sources of information; for example, audiovisual materials, powerpoint presentations, student-constructed revision games, kinaesthetic movement activities, verbal instruction in conjunction with visual support and information 'treasure hunts'. Essentially I monitor that I am including a balance and range of learning experiences so as to appeal to each student's preferred learning style, whilst also offering opportunities for them to practice learning in styles that are not preferred. Furthermore, this learning takes place in an interpersonal, social setting where I encourage learning from and with one another (including me learning from the students too!) but with the desired outcome being for students to gain skills from these experiences that will allow them to become self-regulating learners. As such I work with my students to create opportunities for individual goal-setting, independent work, and follow-up group discussion about how they each went regarding creating and executing their own work plan. Through this interpersonal environment I believe students learn through observation and vicarious modeling, learning more lessons than they may have alone.
Ultimately, I aim for my students to become self-reflective learners. I believe that knowing yourself and how you work best, what your passions are, what motivates you and where your interests lie is key to successful learning experiences. I fear that some archaic approaches to education fixate all too much on what students are doing wrong, and try to correct their mistakes by going over and over the un-mastered skill. Rather, I believe students should be guided and encouraged by what they do well, and learn how to draw on these existing skills to creatively approach new challenges. My role as a teacher then is as a facilitator and mentor, rather than as master of a domain of knowledge that they too must master. I believe each curriculum area offers opportunities for students to gain various skills that can be generalised into other contexts and thus apply to life-long learning.For example, whether a student studies physics, biology or chemistry they will gain the skills of scientific inquiry, even though the specific content will vary between subjects. I am forever hearing students call for learning experiences that are relevant to their lives beyond the classroom.
This desire for relevance also calls for teachers to help students to construct their own understanding of curriculum content. Research and theory in psychology such as Gardiner's multiple intelligences and constructivist approaches stress the many and varied ways in which people learn, calling upon us as educators to get to know our students, diversify our teaching strategies and be inclusive to all students. Diversity in the classroom is sometimes a great challenge as an educator, yet it is this diversification of how people learn that inspired me to a vocation of teaching.
My diverse and inclusive classroom involves a variety of teaching strategies including an array of learning experiences that draw on audio, visual, tactile, linguistic sources of information; for example, audiovisual materials, powerpoint presentations, student-constructed revision games, kinaesthetic movement activities, verbal instruction in conjunction with visual support and information 'treasure hunts'. Essentially I monitor that I am including a balance and range of learning experiences so as to appeal to each student's preferred learning style, whilst also offering opportunities for them to practice learning in styles that are not preferred. Furthermore, this learning takes place in an interpersonal, social setting where I encourage learning from and with one another (including me learning from the students too!) but with the desired outcome being for students to gain skills from these experiences that will allow them to become self-regulating learners. As such I work with my students to create opportunities for individual goal-setting, independent work, and follow-up group discussion about how they each went regarding creating and executing their own work plan. Through this interpersonal environment I believe students learn through observation and vicarious modeling, learning more lessons than they may have alone.
What About Our Students' Philosophies?
Click on the link below to see a very different learning philosophy in a video from the musical 'You're A Good Man Charlie Brown". Here, the student Sally Brown is upset after receiving a 'D' for her homework and sings about her new philosophy for school. As educators we need to be aware that just as we have our own philosophies of teaching, our students too have their own philosophies of how they approach their education!
Music video: 'My New Philosophy' from 'You're A Good Man Charlie Brown' |