Teaching Philosophy

Inspiration

When I was a student, the variable that had remained ever present and was most integral to my success were my teachers. Under the tutelage of many instructors, I experienced a myriad of instructional strategies, some of which I have identified and plan to replicate. My teaching philosophy is the product of years of experience teaching and being taught. While I will continue to refine my teaching, much credit and inspiration goes to my previous instructors who have helped me become a better teacher and learner.

Goals

As a teacher, my primary goal is to ensure that students are safe and improve upon skills they need to become successful lifelong learners in today’s global society. In addition to being a discipline I am passionate about, science is particularly effective at accomplishing my goal because it is a problem-based discipline that requires students to hone their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Scientific concepts, however, can be difficult to comprehend, especially when mathematical computations are required. I believe effective teaching methods that motivate and benefit learners of all types are critical to accomplishing my goals and being an effective teacher.

Methods

I rely on Edgar Dale's cone of learning (Figure 1) when designing and presenting lesson plans. The cone of learning incorporates learning styles by design and can be more potent by emphasizing active over passive learning. In other words, some students are perfectly capable of learning by listening to a lecture, but I recognize that the same student, along with many of their peers, would be more capable of gaining and retaining content knowledge through discussion and the act of doing. For example, I could read everything I want about how to perform a chemical experiment, but until I put my gloved hands on the beakers and work through the experiment, I cannot claim mastery over the topic.

I therefore plan to have my students learn through active means (e.g. laboratory experiments, practicing problem sets, chemical model kits) that are augmented with relatively passive instruction (e.g. working through problem sets on whiteboard, chemical demonstrations, computer animations). I also plan to incorporate inquiry-based learning projects to improve upon student motivation and comprehension; these strategies can vary (e.g. one day lesson, long term research project), but generally involve posing questions that reward higher level thinking, creativity, and perseverance.

Discipline

I could have the best lesson plans in the world prepared, but research shows that effective classroom management is key to delivering lessons conducive to student learning. I plan to have a clear and concise set of consequences that includes: discreet yet firm warnings, teacher meetings, contacting parents, and referrals. However, I find that consistently enforcing classroom discipline through the power of teacher proximity, withitness, positive reinforcement, and positive notes home are sufficient. I also plan to minimize disruptions by ensuring my students are occupied during transitions between activities, preserving momentum during transitions, and by clarifying instructions as necessary. Classroom discipline is especially important to me because misconduct during laboratory experiments can compromise student safety, which is my highest priority. I would consider my laboratory activities to be engaging and enjoyable enough for students that losing the privilege of participating in them would be another strong incentive to stay on task.

Technology

Any modern education must involve learning how to utilize the technology that students must face throughout their post-secondary education. I intend to address this by incorporating several instructional technologies such as Google Surveys, Kahoot, PhET, and Quizlet. These instructional technologies are effective at improving student engagement, being a means of formative assessment, and promoting student-teacher rapport. I also plan to rely on computer images (e.g. MolView) and videos to help students conceptualize the main learning objectives.

Expectations

I plan to have a well-defined and goal-oriented syllabus to keep students and their families updated on what is to come and ensure the course is progressing at a reasonable pace. I set my expectations high and challenge my students to exceed them by asking questions when needed, using scientific concepts to enlighten their worldview, and becoming adaptive lifelong learners. But above all, I strive to benefit my students with every interaction, so they leave my classroom each time having learned something new.