Teaching Philosophy

Education is a right of every individual. Everyone should have the opportunity to discover and develop her or his potential. One of the primary goals of education should be to encourage students to become self-reliant, life-long learners. Students must learn how to learn and to examine critically the information and experiences they encounter.

Teachers are responsible for creating a safe, nurturing, and positive learning environment. At the beginning of any learning activity, it is important to assess students’ attributes, experiences, and needs. Based on this information, teachers can plan learning materials and activities that offer students opportunities to explore the subject matter, raise questions, take risks, express ideas, defend different points of view, propose solutions to problems, and evaluate possibilities or outcomes.

Effective instruction enables students to actively participate and critically assess themselves and their environments. Thus, students must be presented with material and problems that require them to draw from their experiences and generate alternative responses to situations they may encounter. If possible, the subject matter should be linked to their personal experiences. Learners can be actively engaged in finding, analyzing, and presenting information in an individualistic or collaborative manner.

The teacher must provide a variety of learning activities that address students’ attributes and interests. People learn in different ways and have different expectations about the teaching/learning process. Although problem-based learning or self-study methods are ideal in many situations, the teacher must also incorporate other instructional strategies or delivery modes such as discussions, simulations, student presentations, web-based activities, and blended learning. Teachers must recognize that students may not know what they need or want until they are exposed to it. Students must be introduced to information and situations that lie beyond their immediate surroundings. The ideal learning environment should be a challenging one that is a catalyst for reflection and creative thinking.

Teaching is a science as well as an art. There is no one correct way to teach, but teachers will be more successful if they have expertise in the subject matter that they teach; are enthusiastic about the material; value inquiry; are sensitive to the needs of students; treat students with respect; relate the material to students’ current and future lives; provide timely, constructive, and positive guidance and feedback; set high but achievable standards; and give students a fair and accurate assessment of their abilities. At times the teacher must be a facilitator, coach, or mentor; at other times, the instructor must be an expert and a leader.