Philosophy of Teaching for Psychology

Advantageous to high level, quality teaching for Psychology is the ability to develop and maintain supportive, positive and productive relationships with not only students, but also, parents and other members of the whole school community. I firmly believe that to get the best out of someone they must feel that they are understood, are recognised for being an individual of worth, are treated with respect, and are given opportunities to express themselves. Students and to an extent, parents, must feel that they can relate to their teacher and have the capacity and desire to work with them towards attainable goals.

            I believe that activities / learning tasks that are fun, interesting, and where students can "see the point of them”, are more engaging and better able to insight in them, the desire to learn. This view is supported by S. Groundwater-Smith and R. Ewing (2003, pg 75) who claim that learning is fundamentally experiential. J. Dewey (1990, pg 187) also states that learning is an active process that involves the reaching out of the mind as opposed to a passive one where the mind is simply filled with knowledge. He claims that one typical fault of teaching is where the material being taught fails to connect with the real world for the student (J. Dewey, 1990, pg 202). R. Gilbert contends that when learning activities are closely related to the everyday situations students encounter beyond school, authentic learning for Psychology will be facilitated (2004, pg 5).

I feel that teachers ought to be scaffolders, that is, the facilitators of the learning process - where support is given and then gradually taken away as the student becomes more and more independent in their learning, as opposed to a living, breathing, textbook of knowledge (S. Groundwater-Smith & R. Ewing, 2003, pg 79-80).

            I also believe that knowledge is in fact social and therefore teaching and learning practices for Psychology should reflect this. As R.W. Connell (1993, pg 30) suggests, the social aspect of learning cannot be separated from the process as knowledge is and of itself is socially and culturally constructed. J. Bruner (1996, pg 64) suggests, gathering knowledge and perfecting skills are not enough for students, it is imperative that they be as aware of how to go about their learning and thinking as they are about the topic being studied.

Above all though, education and learning for Psychology students needs to be relevant to their experiences and link with the real world – for both engagement purposes and deeper understandings. I believe that gone are the days when the teacher was considered to know it all, and act as a living textbook to students. Rather, we are living in a time when students themselves are seen to be the drivers of their own education. I hope to learn with my future Psychology students, rather than learn for them, and acknowledge that each of them has a unique perspective on the world that has come to the classroom with their own set of experiences and knowledge’s to contribute. This is confirmed by R. Gilbert (2004, pg 5) who contends that the majority of what students learn happens outside of school, however, it is what they learn inside of school – through such subjects as Psychology – that assists them in understanding those outside experiences.

In line with POLT, as a Psychology teacher I intend to create a learning environment for my future students that is both supportive and productive, build positive and understanding relationships with each of my students that caters for their individual learning needs, teach in a way that is relevant to students experiences and links with the real world, and facilitate learning as opposed to simply transmitting knowledge.

REFERENCE LIST

Bruner. J. (1996) The Culture of Education. Chapter 2. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Connell. R. W. (1993) Schools and Social Justice. Chapter 3. Pluto Press, Australia.

Dewey. J. (1990) The Child and the Curriculum. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

Gilbert. R. (2004) Studying Society and Environment: A Guide for Teachers. Thomson Learning; South Melbourne, Victoria.

Groundwater-Smith. S. and Ewing. R. (2003) Teaching: Challenges and Dilemmas. Chapter 4. Thomson Learning; Southbank, Victoria.

Victorian Department of Education. (2005). Principles of Learning and Teaching P-12.

Retrieved on September 27 2007 from http://www.education.vic.gov.au