I have learned in life that there is
uniqueness in all of us and that teaching is a way of identifying and sharing
that uniqueness. By helping others acquire knowledge and experience in areas
that I have a passion, I am passing on a part of myself. I am also helping
students that I teach explore and identify their uniqueness.
Personal and intellectual growth enables and strengthens one’s identity and help to gain a better perspective on an area of study. Research involves a re-examination of ideas that help develop personal and intellectual growth. Teaching provides the opportunity to participate in this development in students whom path crosses with mine and a connection to another individual is formed.
Embedded within me is a yearning to reach out to others and connect. That connectedness is part of why I teach. When I think of educational goals for the students I connect with, my objective is to focus on facilitating student learning and thinking. I wish for students to think critically and to apply concepts introduced in the lessons. These objectives can then be applied in a classroom and in life. In other words what I introduce and hope students gain is a “quest” for knowledge and learning throughout their life.
It seems to me that all of active learning would be viewed as “outside the box” where you challenge students to look for other solutions or try different methods for the subject matter. Methods and strategies to meet my teaching objectives would be met where there is active engagement with an approach of pedagogy that includes a holistic approach. That seems to be the polar opposite of what I feel I have observed in classroom settings, where you were taught to stay on task and not lose focus on the subject matter. My approach is to inspire and challenge the notion to strive for knowledge both in books as well as personal learning experiences.
I see a need to create a learning
community that can fully embrace multiculturalism as an approach in the
classroom. Rather than passive listeners in the classroom, students could be
active participants and share their beliefs, thoughts, and viewpoints that add
to the topic of discussion. This sounds like a richer and more
rewarding learning experience for a truly multicultural class setting.
I want to provide students with opportunities to connect and
interact in classroom discussions where they perceive the topic pertains to
them specifically. This seems a logical approach to me as in normal
conversations, your reaction and response would be based upon your interest in
the subject matter as well. I feel that student
experiences can make an impact on the learning process, and I want
to remove any racial tension by inviting students to share their memories in a
non-threatening way.
Learning styles vary and it would be advantageous to incorporate a learning
style test into the first class session so that students may have the
opportunity to gain a better understanding of what works best for them. I believe that educational goals you set for your students may require
re-assessment. In life, most goals require realignment at some point, since our
viewpoints and life lessons take different shape.
The development patterns and the four stages in Baxter Magolda’s Model for
Epistemological Reflection: absolute knowing, transitional knowing, independent
knowing, and contextual knowing. The stages and how they relate to college
years can be valuable for understanding how a student’s quest for knowledge is
developed. Absolute knowing, in which Magolda states that knowledge is viewed
as certain and associated with the freshman year, can be useful to cultivate a
positive impression on academia to first year students. So by the senior year,
there is contextual knowing, showing that the development has grown to a stage
where viewpoints and perspectives need supporting evidence. Understanding
developmental stages and the student’s year in college will enable me as an
instructor to adapt my teaching style to accommodate the student.
“Learning to Live,” by Thomas Merton,
illustrates what all teachers need to reaffirm. Merton states that
“the purpose of education is to show students how to define themselves, both
authentically and spontaneously in relation to the world.” This
creates a capacity for teachers to best teach students. Interesting
how those thoughts seem to reflect on the inner self and “knowing” who we are
and our purpose.
I pray that my teaching can be defined as with integrity and identity, showing that I am willing to be open and honest and pass those traits along to the students I meet along the way.
Denise E. Hile
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Notes: In examining and reviewing the information to prepare
a teaching philosophy for a teaching portfolio, I felt a little
overwhelmed on the content available and ideals for creating a successful
teaching philosophy.
I found the rubric for composing and evaluating a statement of
teaching philosophy helpful and would recommend using this as a starting point if you
are planning on using the Electronic Teaching Portfolio as your final project.
Areas for the rubric include: Goals for student learning, Enactment of goals (teaching methods), Assessment of goals (measuring student learning), Creating an inclusive learning environment, Creating an inclusive learning environment, Structure, rhetoric and language.
I can see that a teaching philosophy will require a lot of
reflection. I may learn something about myself along the way!
Below is the link to the rubric. Check it out.