I believe ...... a teacher needs to be passionate about their subject.
Developing academic literacy is one of my passions. Witnessing intellectual growth in students as they change their awareness on a subject through inspiring them to enjoy their education makes teaching extremely rewarding. Teaching academic skills to students allows students to develop an interest in learning. There are many ways to encourage student learning in Higher Education. My teaching philosophy is based on existing principles of good teaching. These principles use the social-cultural theories proposed Vygotsky, where 'through others we become ourselves'. These have resulted in constructivist frameworks expanded on by educators like Ramsden (2003) and Biggs and Tang (2011) .
To be an effective educator one needs to be passionate about your subject and sharing your enthusiasm about the subject with your students in a manner that will pique their interest and stimulate thinking. This will allow learners to discover for themselves how rewarding learning is. Effective teaching requires an approach to communicate concepts in an understandable way that addresses the level of the student. This approach should be experiential and facilitate students to be able to apply the acquired theoretical knowledge to their everyday experiences.
In the classroom, the teacher needs to ensure that all students are included, and the range of levels and abilities are catered for. One way of ensuring that there is equity is to communicate at the beginning of the course or the workshop the purpose of each lesson, the purpose of the assignments and how the material presented can be used to build on previous knowledge. It is therefore, also imperative that the students are able to identify what the purpose of the knowledge is. In the class it is not only the material that needs to be developed to ensure equity, but the students themselves need to be considered. A good teacher needs to treat all students respectfully and fairly as well as showing concerns for the students as individuals without bias or discrimination.
Autonomous learning is an important skill that students need to develop. This can be done by engaging students and having interactive classes where challenging and debating issues is encouraged, and where students' laughter and enjoyment are promoted to instil a positive attitude to studying. The classroom needs to be dynamic and relaxed where both the students and teacher constantly question. As, where there is questioning and response, the teacher can assess and give good quality individual feedback instantly. The constant reciprocal questioning will also enable the teacher to identify areas where there may be possible misunderstanding which will allow the teacher to adapt the class and improvise the material to ensure all the concepts have been understood. While the questioning is taking place the teacher can also use the responses to learn from the students and reflect on whether the lesson was effective or not. This reflection will be a means of identifying possible weaknesses in the teaching which can be used to change the approach and improve the teaching. Finally, it is important to encourage a life-long learning approach where continuous learning is encouraged (Ramsden 1992). The skills taught during the Academic Language and Learning Success Program workshops will develop this skill. Giving the students the necessary skills will allow them to take responsibility for their own learning.
Therefore, my teaching philosophy is to strive to be an effective teacher by ensuring that I use a constructivist approach to build on students existing knowledge and where students can use their experience to actively construct understanding in a way that makes sense to them. By doing this, I will foster a deeper approach to learning and the students’ critical thinking skills. My classes and workshops will be interesting, dynamic, interactive and adaptable to ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to learn and to develop a love of learning. Most importantly I want students to use a deep approach to learning.
To be an effective educator one needs to be passionate about your subject and sharing your enthusiasm about the subject with your students in a manner that will pique their interest and stimulate thinking. This will allow learners to discover for themselves how rewarding learning is. Effective teaching requires an approach to communicate concepts in an understandable way that addresses the level of the student. This approach should be experiential and facilitate students to be able to apply the acquired theoretical knowledge to their everyday experiences.
In the classroom, the teacher needs to ensure that all students are included, and the range of levels and abilities are catered for. One way of ensuring that there is equity is to communicate at the beginning of the course or the workshop the purpose of each lesson, the purpose of the assignments and how the material presented can be used to build on previous knowledge. It is therefore, also imperative that the students are able to identify what the purpose of the knowledge is. In the class it is not only the material that needs to be developed to ensure equity, but the students themselves need to be considered. A good teacher needs to treat all students respectfully and fairly as well as showing concerns for the students as individuals without bias or discrimination.
Autonomous learning is an important skill that students need to develop. This can be done by engaging students and having interactive classes where challenging and debating issues is encouraged, and where students' laughter and enjoyment are promoted to instil a positive attitude to studying. The classroom needs to be dynamic and relaxed where both the students and teacher constantly question. As, where there is questioning and response, the teacher can assess and give good quality individual feedback instantly. The constant reciprocal questioning will also enable the teacher to identify areas where there may be possible misunderstanding which will allow the teacher to adapt the class and improvise the material to ensure all the concepts have been understood. While the questioning is taking place the teacher can also use the responses to learn from the students and reflect on whether the lesson was effective or not. This reflection will be a means of identifying possible weaknesses in the teaching which can be used to change the approach and improve the teaching. Finally, it is important to encourage a life-long learning approach where continuous learning is encouraged (Ramsden 1992). The skills taught during the Academic Language and Learning Success Program workshops will develop this skill. Giving the students the necessary skills will allow them to take responsibility for their own learning.
Therefore, my teaching philosophy is to strive to be an effective teacher by ensuring that I use a constructivist approach to build on students existing knowledge and where students can use their experience to actively construct understanding in a way that makes sense to them. By doing this, I will foster a deeper approach to learning and the students’ critical thinking skills. My classes and workshops will be interesting, dynamic, interactive and adaptable to ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to learn and to develop a love of learning. Most importantly I want students to use a deep approach to learning.