Philosophy of Teaching

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

― Nelson Mandela

Being a good model of respect, loyalty, assertiveness, and motivation is imperative to lead others to achievement. It is my position that the purpose of teaching is to create a positive and productive learning community for diverse underrepresented learners using collaborative learning best practices and meeting students where they are. I create an education rich with critical thinking and cater to their different learning styles. As many of our undergrad programs are increasingly becoming more populated with Millennial and NeoMillennial students, it is imperative to incorporate technological advances in the classroom in a blended or flipped modality (Karlsson & Janson, 2015).

In order to have a positive impact on my students, and instructional faculty, I use and provide every resource available to me and because I am a life-long learner, I stay abreast with the latest educational research. I incorporate the LMS of any given institution using apps (Socrative, Google Education...), online study tools (Quizlet, Expresso...), E-Portfolios (Google Sites, Bright Space...), Wikis, Blogging, and other tools to help students with their educational goals. I am not an individual who settles in life. I have worked hard to get to where I am and expect my students to work hard for what they would like to achieve. Giving students the tools needed to improve their self-worth and interpersonal relationship skills; especially in higher education is a central theme in my classroom. Becoming Distance Education certified has given me even more opportunities to help students with their success.

In everyday life there are numerous instances for an opportunity to teach. Life, in itself is a perpetual embedding moment. By discovering knowledge in its authentic form through life examples, modifying the environment, and asking questions we are able to learn in a concrete method (Szenes, Tilakaratna & Maton, 2015). Memorization is imperative in some instances, but having students learn from their own cognitive levels of thinking in their current learning environment creates a culturally responsive learning environment (Charles, 2015). Training others to teach and within my own pedagogy and andragogy, I believe it is more effective and results in a sense of ownership for the student in their own education. When you engage students in the classroom, cognitive function increases (Kwan & Wong, 2015). Vygotsky and Wollock (1997) believed that human activities take place in cultural settings and cannot be understood apart from these settings. We build character throughout our childhood and our social interactions are the foundations of problem-solving skills. Problem-solving and reasoning are influential models to be demonstrated to students through the way we use language, signs, and symbols. When I demonstrate self-confidence it will show through by my actions, therefore teaching students in an indirect way.

Awareness of the individual, not just the group is important as well. It is vital for me to see Tommy as Tommy and not an 18 year old Caucasian man. My goal is to continue to grow in personalizing my students, not just by learning their names, but who they are developing into. This includes advanced, ESL, special education, and students that require differentiated instruction. I intend to do the additional tasks that help them feel safe. This is not only from physical harm, but from emotional harm as well. Something as simple as making eye-contact or getting down to their level will make my students feel like they are a priority to me. There is power in stopping what you are doing in order to focus on them. As a direct result, as a teacher, you are giving them back their power because you are showing them they are a priority.

Everyone’s truths may not be the same as mine, nor should it. Leading other instructors to create their own pedagogy and andragogy while continuously evaluating student learning outcomes should inspire them and myself to create ever more diverse and innovative best practices, applying techniques from the forefront of educational research. Understanding each other's strengths and having a team working environment creates a sense of harmony and community. Interdependence and goal setting is imperative to teaching students how to become active members of society, thus becoming more globally marketable. Having goals and motivation can be taught with practice and a great student/instructor communication plan. Periodic student conferences will help a student stay on track and also fulfills institutional strategic plan retention initiatives. A future full of hope is one of the greatest gifts we can give to a student; being educated, open, and utilizing interpersonal relationship skills can aid in student academic success.

References

Charles, N. D. (2015). Culturally responsive instruction: Accelerating academics through student engagement.

Karlsson, G., & Janson, S. (2015). How to create blended learning: Guidelines for improved teaching with flipped classroom and active learning.

Kwan, Y. W., & Wong, A. F. (2015). Effects of the constructivist learning environment on students’ critical thinking ability: Cognitive and motivational variables as mediators. International Journal of Educational Research, 70, 68-79.

Szenes, E., Tilakaratna, N., & Maton, K. (2015). The knowledge practices of ‘critical thinking’. Critical Thinking in Higher Education. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Vygotsky, L. S., & Wollock, J. (1997). The Collected Works of LS Vygotsky: Problems of the theory and history of psychology (Vol. 3). Springer Science & Business Media.

My inspiration and an innovative article regarding technology in the classroom is "Minds on Fire" by: John Seely Brown and Richard P. Adler