Teaching Philosophy
I believe that learning happens everywhere and that there are learning opportunities in everything we do. Meaningful learning comes from authentic experiences in which the learner can apply what they have learned in their personal life. As a teacher, I am a facilitator of learning experiences. My students are co-constructors of knowledge, and we learn equally from one another. To provide an equitable learning experience for all my students, I strive to ensure that:
All learners can access and participate meaningfully in learning. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is at the heart of my instructional design and delivery. The three UDL principles are:
Provide multiple means of engagement By clearly stating learning goals, making content relevant, and providing students with choices, I provide multiple means for my students to engage with course content. For example, in a project management lesson, I teach students about project scheduling by guiding them through creating a schedule for a vacation to a destination of their choice.
Provide multiple means of action and expression By modeling organization strategies and providing choices to demonstrate knowledge comprehension, I provide multiple means for students to express their understanding of course content. In a lesson about documenting software requirements, I start by asking students to brainstorm ideas about different ways to document requirements. I used a mind map to organize their ideas, and then let them choose an idea from the mind map to document the requirements for their favorite mobile app.
Provide multiple means of representation By presenting content in multiple ways and providing students with links to outside resources and examples, I provide multiple means of representing content. In my Diversity in Education class, I presented a lesson about the inclusion of neurodiverse students in general education settings using three content delivery formats: a video interview with subject matter experts, a graphic organizer of key concepts, and a journal article.
Learners are cognitively, emotionally, and behaviorally engaged. Comprehensive learner engagement is realized when students demonstrate that they are mentally, emotionally, and behaviorally attuned to the class. Cognitive engagement comes naturally in my classes through project-based learning that requires students to think about similar tasks that they have done, presenting problems that assist students with realizing when they need to ask for help, and modeling problem-solving strategies when helping. My favorite way of fostering emotional engagement is through social cooperation opportunities, such as jigsaw activities that ask students to learn about a topic with one group of peers and then change groups to teach the topic back to a new set of peers. Finally, I foster behavioral engagement by recognizing students’ effort, persistence, and participation positively. For example, I use "shoutouts" on chat threads and discussion boards and let them know when I have learned something from one of them.
Technology is a tool to enhance learning. Technology is a key component of every lesson I teach in person and online. It is a practical tool that adds interactivity to the coursework and facilitates communication to build a strong learning community. I regularly use cloud-based tools, such as Google docs and LucidChart, that allow multiple students to create and edit documents concurrently. Slack is my preferred student communication tool because it allows students to see each other's questions and collaborate with me and their peers whenever they want to. When students are unable to attend a class session in person, I offer the opportunity for them to join the class through Zoom and include them in group activities with a virtual presence.
Formative assessments are integrated throughout lessons. I purposefully use quick polls, reflection questions, and learning games to pause and check for understanding. This also provides me with opportunities for lesson plan improvement. Additionally, I believe in letting students make improvements to their work based on peer and instructor feedback. Learning through mistakes helps students constructively work toward understanding the mistake and develop a strategy to solve the problem in a meaningful way.
Summative assessments are learner-centered. Every learner has their own strengths, so each learner should have a choice in how they demonstrate what they have learned. A portfolio of work products with reflective essays about assignment improvements, a video essay demonstrating the personal relevance of course content, and performance during simulated or real-life contexts are three of my favorite summative assessment choices for students.
Student and colleague feedback informs my future practices. I act on student feedback offered in class discussions and course evaluations by integrating suggestions into the course design and consulting with students about what they think is an effective way to implement suggestions. Additionally, I welcome peer feedback on lesson plans and teaching through discussing lesson ideas with other subject matter experts and students to better understand different perspectives of what I am teaching and peer observations. Finally, reflecting on recorded synchronous lessons helps me to better understand student feedback and consider new ways of approaching challenges.