A teacher is vital in developing a literate and better society for everybody. This belief comes from early experiences with mentors that taught me many of the skills and knowledge that I now sustained and helped me be a better student, teacher, and person. In addition, I have witnessed the impact that my parents have had in my community through generations as educators, and this kind of transcendence is the one I would like to have as a teacher.
Teachers are responsible for bridging the students' knowledge with the class's content. For instance, students' prior knowledge depends on their social and cultural environment, which can be enhanced through dialogues in the classroom among their peers and the teacher. I based this belief on Vygotsky's development theory, which considers cognitive development depending on culture, language, and the role of the individual in the community (Brown et al., 2003). Vygotsky's theory not only gave a frame on the student's learning potential but also allowed me to understand the role of diversity and multiculturalism in the classroom. For example, in my class, I tried to consider all points of view while discussing health disparities, providing personal and factual examples of the topic, and allowing students to work in teams to answer the prompts from the exercise.
Likewise, according to Teaching Perspective Inventory, my teaching philosophy is related to one of my top teaching styles. A developmental teaching style can help students develop a complex and sophisticated cognitive structure by effectively questioning and bridging the knowledge trough meaningful examples. Svinicki & McKeachie (2014) recommends some tips to increase participation in class, as some students can be intimidated at sharing their thoughts or answer direct questions from the teacher. For instance, I like to start with simple dichotomic questions that are easy to respond to with a yes or no. I also intend to create a trustful environment by answering more complex questions from my own experience or perspective and ask the students if they think similarly or differently. My favorite type of question is the case or problem discussion, as it helps the students to think about solving an issue according to the knowledge already built in the classroom and previously acquired. You can see this technique in my live class and the building of the activity for the Intro to Psych class this semester. I consider this teaching style is effective since the students can learn about factual information and have feedback from peers and the teacher, before formulating their own conclusions.
Considering that a successful discussion depends on the input of the students, the topic we are reviewing, and the volume of the class, I also try to consider supplemental materials that may be helpful for all students, especially for the ones that may not like to participate as much in class. Furthermore, the goal is to provide them with enough information to make them feel confident enough to reach their conclusion during and after class, which later can be translated into drafting better decisions on writing assignments or in knowledge-based tests.
Finally, as part of my teaching philosophy, I aim to help students to transfer their knowledge to their daily life, for example, at work. I believe that the transfer of knowledge from the classroom to other areas of their life is an effective way to measure how relevant and meaningful was the content of the class, a technique that lately most work trainers have used in adult learning education (Noe, 2017, pp. 168). For me, if the students learn in the classroom how to think, behave and effectively solve problems using their critical- thinking skills in the real world, then we can ensure that my teaching purpose has been fulfill.