All 27 entries tagged Philosophy

What is your teaching philosophy? – Travis Clarkson

What is your teaching philosophy? How has this originated and can you evaluate how your educational touchstones will impact on the teacher you aspire to be?

‘Learning would be exceedingly laborious, not to mention hazardous, if people had to rely solely on the effects of their own actions to inform them what to do.’ (Bandura, 1977 p. 22)

I am fortunate enough to hold fond memories of my first teacher with whom I do not share a surname. Attending a wedding in Costa Rica as the only adolescent in a close social group comprised of my parents’ peers, I immediately attached myself to one of the wedding attendees. For the duration of the trip, he acted as a capable guide into a world with which I was immensely unfamiliar. That I associate this period with particularly rapid and impactful learning is likely because, by means of guided observation, I was experiencing my acquisition of novel skills being ‘considerably shortened through modelling.’ (Bandura, 1977)

My teacher was not acting in singularity, rather he was inviting me to join a social group of my intellectual superiors as a ‘legitimate peripheral participant’ (Lave and Wenger, 1990) wherein I was expected to develop the preliminary aspects of behaviours already deeply engrained into their social fabric. I was not treated as an ‘equal’ per se (this would have been odd given that I was decades younger than the next-youngest member) but instead as though I had the potential to become an equal, if given the opportunity. That I was able to participate meaningfully as a member of this group did not necessitate a fundamental shift in social dynamics or subjects of discussion towards those that may have been more ‘common’ amongst learners of my inexperience. It was a potent demonstration that, as Bruner hypothesized, ‘any subject can be taught effectively in some intellectually honest form to any child at any stage of development.’ (Bruner, 1960 p. 33) I left Central America with cognitive skills and behaviours that I had begun to develop from the teachings of that group, and that I would return to frequently over the course of my formative years in an increasingly complex manner.

If the writings of those theorists cited above are to hold - and in my experience as a learner and as a teacher, I believe they should - then knowledge is constructed first and foremost within social contexts. My philosophy is therefore one that emphasizes authentic teacher-student relationships as being paramount to the act of learning. Meaningful learning, in other words, cannot be achieved without relationships facilitated by clear communication, mutual understanding, and principled fairness of interaction (DfE TS1, Part II). All pupils should be regarded as having the potential to reach intellectual parity with their instructors (with the teacher-student relationship acting as the vehicle to deliver learning), and students should be given every opportunity to develop such a relationship, with desired behaviours, skills and attitudes being modelled thoroughly and consistently.

Evidence that my adherence to this philosophy is bearing positive results can be found in the manner in which my superiors describe my impact on learning, as well as in communications from my students themselves. (DfE TS 5, 6, Part II). As part of my continuing strategy to make relationships central to my teaching, I am volunteering my time to co-found, with a student, an extra-curricular club dedicated to learning psychology. (DfE TS 8).

References

Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Prentice-Hall.

Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1990). Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Bruner, J. (1960) The Process of Education, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.

Abigail Ball : 14 Feb 2022 16:39 |  Tags: Philosophy Teaching Travis Clarkson |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

What is your teaching philosophy? – Doreen Chia Pei Nee

What is your teaching philosophy? How was this originated and can you evaluate how your educational touchstones will impact on the teacher you aspire to be?

“What I hear, I forget. What I see, I remember. What I do, I understand.” - This is the quote that shapes my approach in teaching and it always acts as a reminder when I plan my lessons. My teaching philosophy is to create an ideal environment where students are eager and passionate to learn. I was brought up in a small city where I attended conventional school and I was educated in a very traditional way. Throughout my learning journey, all my schools are very ‘test-heavy’ and we were asked to sit in front of our desks in rows and repeat our reading and writing after the teacher. Therefore, in my teaching now, I always take into consideration and make allowances for hands-on and fun learning activities in my lessons to engage my students in their learning. According to Hunton (2015), “fun without the learning implies a missing object and a lack of strategy supporting the use”. I do believe that ‘fun learning’ is one of the key elements to emphasise positive learning behaviours and create an engaging learning environment in class.

I also believe that Hunton’s theory links to applying ‘Active Learning’ in classrooms and the first three levels in Bloom’s Taxonomy which is ‘Remembering’, ‘Understanding” then ‘Applying’. Tabrizi & Rideout (2017) states that, “This reflects on how we learn from simple (remember) to complex (create), and from concrete to abstract”. When students are given a new concept, they explore and learn through different activities and once they understand the idea, they could then apply this knowledge in other areas. Also, Hunton (2015) argues that, “Challenge is one of the Eight Triggers mentioned by Griffith and Burns (2012) as being a great motivating technique; accepting challenge is an effective way of obtaining results”. Eventually, we are aiming that the student can reach a higher level in Bloom’s taxonomy, where they ‘evaluate and create’, by including critical thinking approaches in lessons and to challenge the more ability (TS5 – “Adapt teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils”) in class to keep on learning.

In my first Mandarin lesson, whilst it was fun and informative, it was too much learning for students to comprehend in one single lesson. Upon reflecting on my teaching, just as Hammond and Gibbons (2001) explained, “Scaffolding is the heart of effective teaching and teachers are just like builders, providing supporting structures to assist learners to develop new concepts”. In order for students to ‘internalise’ new understanding, effective scaffolding in planning and delivering lessons is what I believe a teacher should always be mindful of.

My aspiration is to be a teacher who supports and helps the children to achieve what they are passionate about by providing a secure and loving environment to grow. Just like my first school that I worked at, the school’s philosophy was “The teacher speaks softly, the children grow calmly. I promise to provide you a safe place to grow, I promise to offer you a happy place to develop.” (TS1 – “Establish a safe and stimulating environment for pupils”). This has impacted my teaching approaches and shaped my ideology in teaching.

By embracing fun learning in my teaching and bringing together what I am learning in this course, I believe I can achieve my goal to be the kind of teacher I would like to be, compassionate and knowledgeable, and my students would thrive and flourish in the future.

References

Tabrizi, S. & Rideout, G. (2017). Active Learning: Using Bloom's Taxonomy to Support Critical Pedagogy [Online]. (https://infonomics-society.org/wp-content/uploads/ijcdse/published-papers/volume-8-2017/Active-Learning-Using-Blooms-Taxonomy-to-Support-Critical-Pedagogy.pdf)

Hunton, J. (2015). Fun Learning Activities for Modern Foreign Language [Online]. (https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/warw/reader.action?docID=1977262)

Griffith, A. & Burns, M. (2012). Outstanding Teaching: Engaging Learners, Carmarthen, Crown House Publishing.

Hammond, J. & Gibbons, P. (2001). What is Scaffolding? In J. Hammond (Ed.), Scaffolding: Teaching and learning in language and literacy education. Sydney: Primary English Teachers Association.

Abigail Ball : 07 Feb 2022 10:16 |  Tags: Doreen Chia Pei Nee Philosophy Teaching |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

What is your teaching philosophy? – Zhen Wei Chew

My teaching philosophy lies in the importance of a student-centred education and so our role is twofold. At its simplest level we must:

1) develop an interest in the pupil for learning the subject

2) challenge the pupil to think and learn through ideas and problems

These two roles combine to produce an effective educator. An interested pupil with no challenge does not progress and a challenged pupil with no interest will become frustrated. My journey as a teacher so far has been one of seeking to balance these two concepts, continuously developing my own repertoire and teaching methods towards this end.

An interested student

The importance of developing a love of learning a subject in a student is obvious but often overlooked in teaching. This cannot be substituted for them having fun in the lesson or enjoying teacher interactions (though of course these are important in their own right). Instead, we must help them foster personal reasons to enjoy learning about a subject. As an IGCSE student, though I found certain subjects like Geography and PE fun, I now realise that my History teacher had instilled in me a passion for learning about historical figures and eras that made me excited to even write essays! This love of learning about the times before has stayed with me until now. Philpott, summarising Bruner, states that ‘extrinsic rewards are important yet learning will only continue if the rewards become intrinsic, when the pupils are learning because they want to’ (Philpott, 2001: 122). One obvious way to develop this is to include the students’ preferences where possible within the framework of the lesson objective. For example, for my module on The Modern Pop Song for Year 9 students, I asked them to provide their favourite pop song which I listened to and organically added to my plan for the unit. This encouraged them to engage more with the lesson, often being particularly eager to answer questions on their chosen song when it was used.

A challenged student

Challenging the student within the subject is vital both in developing their understanding and, in my particular context, demonstrating that music is worth developing their understanding of. In Malaysia, outside of international schools, music is very rarely part of the secondary curriculum, and when it is offered is often discouraged by parents. Against this backdrop, challenging students in music gives assurance that it is a subject that can be explored critically in its own right and is worthy of academic pursuit. The possibility that I could study music critically was something that only occurred to me when studying Music at A Level, as I had found IGCSE music was quite easy. I discovered that the detail and depth one could find in the different characteristics and contexts of music was very stimulating. As Pitts states ‘emphasis on outcomes other than musical ones risks distorting the place of music in the curriculum, positioning it as an enabler of other kinds of development rather than a valued subject in its own right.’ (Pitt, 2017: 161). The neglected position of music in Malaysia’s education landscape is something I look forward to overcoming one day.

References

Pitts, S. E. (2017) What is music education for? Understanding and fostering routes into lifelong musical engagement, Music Education Research, 19:2, 160-168

Philpott, C. (2001) Learning to Teach music in The Secondary School. London, RoutledgeFalmer.

Abigail Ball : 01 Feb 2022 13:10 |  Tags: Philosophy Teaching Zhen Wei Chew |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

What is your teaching philosophy? – Nina Basra

The teaching philosophy journey that has led me into a path of teaching is my interest to always want to learn new things, just as John Dewey suggested ‘learning by doing, adapt your environment to learn’ this is true for me when I started my professional career in the software licensing team at an IT reseller. During my first few years, I particularly enjoyed learning about new types of software available for businesses to use and how to support a business to license these according to various vendor’s criteria, it fascinated me for many years.

As I took a career break and started to investigate a suitable education path for my first daughter, I ventured across the Reggio Emilia approach to learning that focused on a child-centered form of learning using a different approach which interferes with a traditional approach, making the child better at problem-solving, able to engage with their community and environment, welcoming new experiences, able to express themselves better and enjoying learning with confidence. I battled with the decision to send her to a traditional playgroup as I had attended when young or a bright new concept for learning. The inspiring new way of learning was the right learning decision for her as she smartly pondered into her daycare for a few days during the week with confidence and a smile, becoming independent as a little two-year-old. It also had disadvantages for the nursery staff as my daughter had full access to the bathroom taps and sink to play with the water at any time.

This was my chance to change direction and explore a different career, having seen everything that was happening in the daycare sparked joy and passion and I knew I wanted to work with children and build a career in education. Frank Parson’s trait and factor theory develop the idea that an ideal career can be based on matching personal traits, values, and various other factors, he recorded the better the fit the higher the job satisfaction.

In 2011 I completed an NCFE in supporting teaching and learning in schools, however, my days of studying were not complete, I knew I was destined to study for my PGCE however we were seconded to Singapore putting a hold on my career path. I settled my family and me and began to investigate options on how I could pursue my path in teaching. I started working at a school which confirmed my interest and that is where I found out how to pursue this course.

During my time at school, I worked with many talented teachers and learned many concepts about teaching. This has remained with me and is part of my pedagogy as the belief in the importance of a growth mindset in order to embed learning, enjoying the love of learning, which will reflect on the impact I will make as a professional teacher. “The best gift we can give children is to teach them to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning” (Dweck, 2012. p270).

References

John Dewey suggested ‘learning by doing adapt your environment to learn’

Dweck, C. (2012) Mindset: How you can fulfil your potential. London. Robinson.

Reggio Emilia - https://www.reggiochildren.it/en/reggio-emilia-approach/

Frank Parson’s trait and factor theory Parsons, F, ‘Choosing a Vocation’, accessed December 2008, (www.leonardoevangelista.it)

Abigail Ball : 24 Jan 2022 09:45 |  Tags: Nina Basra Philosophy Teaching |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

What is your teaching philosophy? – Esme Barrell

What is your teaching philosophy? How has this originated and can you evaluate how your educational touchstones will impact upon the teacher you aspire to be?

At the heart of my teaching philosophy is ‘the development of students as autonomous, self-directed and self-regulating learners’ (Weimer, 2013, p.10). In relation to what I teach, I believe this should transcend from subject content into disciplinary skills that support students for their whole lives; empowering them to become life-long learners.

This belief derived from the advice of my A-Level History teacher to ‘think like a historian.’ To learn history, and to teach it, is not just a memorization of facts. Students personify the cognitive skill set of the discipline. Whilst, in ten years’ time, I do not expect my students to recall every piece of factual information of the historical periods studied. I hope the historical thinking skills they’ve harnessed, such as interpretation and analysis, will leave lasting cognitive legacies that they can apply independently everyday. I’ve observed how History is often inaccessible to students because it's generalised as facts and dates, which derives them from the fruits of the subject. My ambition, as a teacher, is to develop student inquisitiveness, using Ford and Kennett’s metaphor of ‘historical learning as a great symphony of facts, conceptual skills and narratives’, with myself as ‘the conductor’.

Aligned with constructivist pedagogy, I believe ‘learners are active in constructing their own knowledge’ (Bruning, Schraw, Norby, & Ronning, 2004, p.195) thus my classrooms are environments for student questioning and contention with objective truths in history. During lessons at my current school, I proactively guide students towards conceptual questioning, reflection on their cognitive processes for problem solving and use of independent judgement. In subsequent student self-reflections, students have shared how this makes their learning more meaningful and engaging. Above all, I hope to encourage their passion for studying History through this constant rethreading of subjective narratives. It is this ceaseless labyrinth of interpretation that makes History so bewitching. As a teacher, by giving students autonomy to reach their own conclusions, I hope to embed a love of learning and mental models for life.

As Weimar illuminates, these skills are ‘sometimes used within the course itself and regularly after it’ (Weimer, 2013,p.11) . To embed this, I allocate time for student reflection on a weekly basis so they can take ownership of their learning; scaffolding techniques such as journaling and target-setting, influenced by experiential learning pedagogies such as Kolb. I believe that my responsibility as a teacher is to be the architect of the learning environment, in terms of structure, objectives and modelling. However, students are all unique and should be challenged by guiding learning with their own ideas and conclusions.

Having personally studied at an international school, I believe my classrooms should be spaces to share differing viewpoints and cross-cultural awareness. Similarly, my current school also holds a diverse international student demographic. My teaching philosophy here is grounded in constructivist underpinnings that active student dialogue and sharing of beliefs and opinions help students grow into global citizens . I strive to maintain this opportunity during online learning and continually reflect on how to effectively install student-student collaboration and discussion into virtual classes. I believe an outstanding teacher is responsive, and will continually reflect on how best to meet shifting student needs.

Whilst history is associated with the past, I aspire to guide my students on how to thrive in the future.

References

Brooks, J. G & Brooks, M. G. (1993) In search of understanding: The case for constructivist classrooms. Alexandria, VA: Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Bruning, R., Schraw, G., Norby, M., & Ronning, R. (2004) Cognitive psychology and instruction Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, p. 195.

Ford, A and Kennett, R. (2018) “Conducting the orchestra to allow students to hear the symphony: getting richness of knowledge without resorting to fact overload”. Teaching History: 171. The Historical Association, 9-10.

Kolb, D. A. (1984) Experiential Learning: experience as the source of learning and development. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Inc.

Weimer, M. (2013) Learner Centred Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice 2nd Ed, San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, p.10-11.

Abigail Ball : 17 Jan 2022 09:51 |  Tags: Esme Barrell Philosophy Teaching |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

What is your teaching philosophy? – Aimee Barker

What is your teaching philosophy? How has this originated and can you evaluate how your educational touchstones will impact on the teacher you aspire to be?

Classroom environment is said to be one of the most important factors affecting students' ability to learn. According to (Dorman, Alridge & Fraser 2016) cited by (Young, 2014, p.1) students learn better when they view the learning environment as positive and supportive.

It is within my belief system that we all have the ability to learn. Humans are instinctive learners; we are continuously absorbing and organising an abundance of new information that we are exposed to each and every day. However, although learning is a natural process, I believe that for many students, they can come to fear learning, through worry of failure or disappointing the many anxious adults around them (Holt, 1964, p.1). Subsequently, I believe that it is the responsibility of the teacher to inculcate a positive relationship between a student and their ability to learn, whilst also ensuring that we are immensely supportive.

My current teaching philosophy - that learning is an intuitive human process that needs to be positively curated - derives from my own learning experiences. Historically, I believed that I was not naturally ‘academic’. Throughout primary and high school I struggled to find my strengths and always focused on my weaknesses. Therefore after completing my A-Levels, I found that my confidence to continue with further education was low, thus I decided to train as a hairdresser. Hairdressing is seen as an ‘easy’ choice for many young people and admittedly, I thought the same. It was only when I turned 21, after 3 years of working in the ‘real world’, I realised that I was capable of studying, I just needed the confidence and motivation behind me, in order to succeed.

As you can imagine, after graduating from University in 2018 with a first class honours degree, I was in complete shock at my academic capability and realised that I had in fact ‘feared’ learning. This I believe was down to the ‘old school’ educational setting that I had previously attended, where a supportive, nurturing environment ceased to exist and we were told to “get on with it”. (Moore, 2013 cited by Hargeaves, 2017) states that fear is rarely discussed within teaching pedagogy given its potential impact on learning.

To me, the classroom should be a community (whether it be in class or online), to which students feel safe and confident to learn, without fear of ‘getting it wrong’ (TS1). We all have strengths and weaknesses, it is the teacher who must endeavour to adapt teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils (TS5). It is my belief that in order for a child to flourish and fulfil their greatest potential, a teacher must create a strong classroom community. By classroom community, I mean a trusted, motivational relationship between the teacher and the student, as well as continually building a student's positive attitude towards learning and confidence in oneself as a good learner.

I have no doubt my teaching philosophy may change. However after reflecting at present, I realise the responsibility as a teacher to continually strengthen a students positive outlook upon their learning and create a safe space, where students ideas, answers, voices and opinions are heard and valued (Stead & Sabharwal, 2017).

References

Department for Education. (2011). Teachers Standards: Guidance for school leaders, school staff and governing bodies. Secretary of State for Education, pp.10-11.

Hargreaves, E. (2017). ‘Authority and Authoritarianism in the Classroom’. Children's experience of classrooms: Talking about being pupils in the classroom. UK: SAGE, p.31.

Holt, J. (1964). How Children Fail. Middlesex: Penguin, p.1.

Stead, J. and R, Sabharwal. (2017) Learning without fear: A practical toolkit for developing growth mindset in the early years and primary classroom. Wales: Crown House Publishing, p.35.

Young, J. (2014). The importance of a positive classroom. USA: ASCD Publications.

Abigail Ball : 13 Dec 2021 10:33 |  Tags: Aimee Barker Philosophy Teaching |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

What is your teaching philosophy? – Suzanne Bacon

What is your teaching philosophy? How has this originated and can you evaluate how your educational touchstones will impact on the teacher you aspire to be?

Central to my teaching philosophy is my belief that children need to have a positive, nurturing connection with their teachers and feel safe and comfortable in their environment in order to learn effectively. Many of the learners that I meet are encountering new experiences for the first time - they could be new to the country, culture, school setting or language. It is easy to forget how young they are, and behind the uniform and face masks are children who have each encountered vastly different circumstances on their individual life journey into my classroom. Building relationships and creating a nurturing environment are central to teaching these (and all) children. Evidence shows that “children with close teacher–student relationships tend to perform well academically including having higher scores on achievement tests, more positive attitudes toward school, more engagement in the classroom, less retention in grade, and fewer referrals for special education” (Bergin & Bergin, 2009, p.152).

Flowing from this core belief is my behaviour management style, which is relationship-centred and restorative. Reflecting on my recent school experience working as a classroom assistant, I have noticed an emphasis on developing relationships with the learners to promote good behaviour. The school uses a restorative approach to manage behaviour and I have found that this allows behaviour to be managed whilst maintaining and restoring the relationships between learners, and between teachers and learners. This preserves the secure teacher-student relationship, which I think is so crucial to allowing students to feel safe and comfortable in order to learn.

When I think of an inspirational teacher, I think of my secondary school geography and geology teacher. He taught with such passion that we never noticed that some of the material that we covered was actually quite dry, and his enthusiasm was infectious. I intend to promote a love of learning (UK Teacher Standard 4) using my own passions and enthusiasm. I will seek engaging, stimulating ways to develop understanding in my learners in the hope that this gives them a lifelong love of learning.

I believe that learning is so much more than just the subjects which are learnt in the classroom during the school day. When I reflect on my own education, I had a very positive experience with a strong emphasis on academic achievement at my secondary school, but the elements of my education that helped me to develop the character strengths that I now rely on such as resilience, open-mindedness, and teamwork were really developed outside of the classroom through activities such as orchestra, playing team sport, Girlguiding and joining special interest groups such as the school’s conservation club. These activities gave me access to people, experiences and challenges which I didn’t encounter in the traditional classroom. This is highlighted in Principle 8 of the TLRP Ten Principles of Effective Learning - Recognises the Significance of Informal Learning. I aspire to be a teacher who creates and encourages opportunities to learn outside the classroom for my learners during and outside of the school day, as I believe that they are crucial to developing confident, balanced children.  

References

Bergin, C. & Bergin, D. (2009), Attachment in the Classroom. Educational Psychology Review, 21 pp.141-170

Department for Education (2011). Teachers’ Standards: Guidance for school leaders, school staff and governing bodies.

Crown Copyright. M, J & Pollard, AJ 2011, 'TLRP’s ten principles for effective pedagogy: rationale, development, evidence, argument and impact', Research Papers in Education, vol. 26, no. 3, pp. 275 - 328.

Abigail Ball : 06 Dec 2021 12:42 |  Tags: Philosophy Suzanne Bacon Teaching |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

What is my teaching philosophy? – Yu

What is your teaching philosophy? How has this originated and can you evaluate how your educational touchstones will impact on the teacher you aspire to be?

My teaching philosophy strongly believes that, the core requirement of a student and the key mission of an educator is the wielding of knowledge by love. The importance of love in teaching are continuously been talk about in both Western and Eastern culture. According to Hooks (2003), Love in education empowers the recognition between the educator and the learner. Moreover, what I believe is in order for a person to be a successful educator, they need to love what they do in principle, as well as love what they do every day - Teaching.

It is through love that one can form a real and true connection with the receiver of knowledge. If love is allowed to create an open channel of communication right from the start, the reward will be throughout the entire journey and beyond. Through love, the teacher can show that they truly care about the student and therefore make them pay more attention to the lesson and the knowledge from this particular teacher. I believe that this will create a bond that will last well beyond the academic term, and therefore the lessons taught will have a better chance of retention as well.

Contrary to a lot of opinion, I believe that a “friendly” teacher can go a long way in connecting with the students. Exchanging smiles, genuine greetings and concern, enquire about extra-curricular and other activities in order to widen the scope of the relationship with the students. I fully understand that this approach suits my natural personality and I can connect to my students on a much deeper and broader level. The trust factor increases and also the willingness to accept the knowledge from me are increased.

Teaching is a selfless way of giving out the knowledge and the experience to student. On another hand, teaching has always being my passion. James(1996) mentioned that teaching without passion is only knowledge delivery and tantamount to rote or mechanical skill. Hence, I strongly agree the significance of teaching with passion. Indeed, it is a very raw and basic emotion come from our heart that allows the student to be notice and detect easily. At the same time, hopefully to get reward of a passionate learner, James(1996). As an educator, we have to accept that there are countless ways for us to show our passion, whether it is for the technical aspects of the daily lesson, or the application of the subject in everyday life after the learner left school in the future, or maybe just passion through an interest in getting to know the student individually and creating a deeper personal bond. Most important, it is educator’s responsibility to continually keep the passion, presenting the enthusiasm and build the maximum interest for all learners of my subject.

References

Hooks, B.(2003).Teaching community: a pedagogy of hope. New York, NY: Routledge.

James, W.(1996). Teaching with a passion. American economist. Education connection. Winter 1996. Page199-200. https://watermark.silverchair.com

Abigail Ball : 24 May 2021 10:06 |  Tags: Philosophy Reflections Teaching Yu Zhang |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

What is your teaching philosophy? – Jemima

What is your teaching philosophy? How has this originated and can you evaluate how your educational touchstones will impact upon the teacher you aspire to be?

At the heart of my teaching philosophy is my belief that education should be a holistic and enjoyable experience, that inspires students to become lifelong learners. The Jubilee Centre states that "To flourish is not only to be happy, but to fulfil one’s potential" (A Framework for Character Education in Schools, 2020). The school environment should be supportive and caring whilst providing opportunities that ignite students' curiosity and challenge them, so that they not only succeed academically but discover their full potential and flourish as individuals.

This view has definitely been shaped by my experience at my senior school, Malvern College. I was able to try my hand at a huge number of co-curricular activities, be engaged by memorable academic lessons and be part of a close-knit boarding community. My teachers motivated and challenged me, whilst explaining that the fear of failure should never be something that restricts you. I am a firm believer in the power of a growth mindset. Dweck explains that people with a growth mindset "believe that a person’s true potential is unknown (and unknowable); that it’s impossible to foresee what can be accomplished with years of passion, toil, and training." (Dweck, 2012) I find this way of thinking incredibly empowering. It steers away from self-criticism and reveals that strength lies in potential.

No matter the quality of teaching, I understand that learning is incredibly difficult if the student is unhappy. I started boarding school at the age of eight and struggled with homesickness. Because of this, I now believe that pastoral care is actually more important than academic. Without the necessary support, it is very difficult for a child to flourish academically, socially or creatively. I would like my classroom to be an open, trusting space in which pupils feel comfortable.

I will be specialising in English and I find studying language and literature such a fascinating way to unpick human interactions and identities. I want to demonstrate how sensitivity and a critical eye towards texts can help students in their understanding of themselves, other people, and the world around them. I feel this is especially pertinent in an international setting, where students are encouraged to be culturally sensitive and globally-minded. Whilst at university I participated in a Global Leadership Experience with Common Purpose, in Mumbai. Much of the experience was centred around the idea of better understanding Cultural Intelligence. We studied Middleton's theory of Core and Flex (Middleton, 2014) to unpick the extent we can adjust our behaviour to interact with other cultures. Despite the fact this analogy was devised for global leaders, I believe this global and social self-awareness should be taught to everyone. It is something that can be nourished through studying literature and language, being curious about others and critical of our own preconceptions.

I aspire to be a teacher who facilitates a supportive learning environment in which students can be curious, critical, and challenge themselves and others, with a view to becoming independent learners and confident and compassionate adults.

Works Cited:

Dweck, C (2012). Mindset : How You Can Fulfil Your Potential. London: Constable & Robinson.

University of Birmingham Jubilee Centre (2020). A Framework For Character Education In Schools. [Online]. (https://www.jubileecentre.ac.uk/userfiles/jubileecentre/pdf/character-education/Framework%20for%20Character%20Education.pdf). (Accessed 26 October 2020.

Middleton, J. (2014) Cultural Intelligence: The Competitive Edge for Leaders Crossing Boundaries. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. [Online]. (https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/warw/detail.action?docID=1683525) ProQuest Ebook Central. (Accessed 16 August 2020).

Abigail Ball : 17 May 2021 10:13 |  Tags: Jemima Wilson Philosophy Reflections Teaching |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

What is your teaching philosophy? – Mai

What is your teaching philosophy? How has this originated and can you evaluate how your educational touchstones will impact upon the teacher you aspire to be?

Learning is a lifetime activity. Although the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies through our experiences happens on a daily basis to people across all age groups, teachers are entitled to teach these pivotal skills of life to students in classroom settings. Teachers, in my teaching philosophy, do not merely reserve or transmit knowledge, but they ideally ‘adopt the mantle of guide, chief designer, cultural developer and leader of a classroom with a nuanced pedagogical practice.’ (Doucet 2019, p.74) Broader and more social approaches should be taken to learning when perceiving a student as a whole, as stated in Principle 1 of Teaching and Learning Research Programme’s Ten Principles (2012). Accumulation of critical skills such as foundational literacies and competencies is essential for our young people to flourish as active individuals thriving in the world of the 21st-century. (World Economic Forum’s New Vision for Education 2015)

In the context of teaching as a profession, developing expertise in the Japanese language has been crucial for me in providing a holistic approach with students. It was a life-changing encounter with my English teacher in Junior High School which triggered my further steps into the educational field. Not only was her advanced knowledge of English beneficial in improving students’ language skills, but I had also witnessed her as a diligent learner alongside students who need to make constant efforts to secure high standards of knowledge. This teacher transformed my concept of learning from receptive to productive. Using this newfound skills, I have joined Japanese Mother tongue and Heritage language Education and Research Association of Thailand (JMHERAT) to meet Japanese teachers from other international schools in Thailand regularly to improve the language skills and discuss the relevant topics and issues at their workshops.

My previous experience in studying Anthropology at university has also influenced the concept of learning to acknowledge the importance of national culture and its role, particularly in learning languages. To reflect this, I have implemented various cultural activities in my classes including, but not limited to singing Japanese songs and exploring Japanese food which noticeably improved the students’ engagement but also their interest for Japanese culture. This resulted in better knowledge retention. Having known a connection between authenticity and students’ motivation in language learning (Pinner 2019), I have intentionally adopted authenticity by using my original texts and genuine props from Japan in the class. With this technique, it is easier for students to imagine the situation in which the language will be used in a realistic context. My goal is to encourage students to observe the world from a global perspective while simultaneously engaging them with worldliness.

Equal opportunities should be offered to students regardless of individual learning abilities. When writing and reading time approached, one of my students showed signs of restlessness and irritability in the class. I urgently consulted the specialist in school and tailored lesson materials to support his writing and reading skills providing the Japanese Hiragana chart with large picture cards and the original Hiragana dictionary. This kinaesthethic approach to learning incorporates writing and reading skills effectively and beneficially as a part of a comprehensive approach. It is my intention to demonstrate through teaching that both teachers and students are on the same learning journey where individual efforts, interaction, and cooperation are crucial to achieving a goal.

References

Doucet, A. (2019). Teaching Life: Our Calling, Our Choices, Our Challenges. New York: Routledge.

Pinner, R. (2019). Authenticity and Teacher-Student Motivational Synergy: A Narrative of Language Teaching. Oxon, New York: Routledge.

Teaching and Learning Research Programme: Ten Principles (2012) [Online](URL http://reflectiveteaching.co.uk/books-and-resources/rts5/part1/ch4/).

World Economic Forum: New Vision for Education Unlocking the Potential of Technology. (2015) [Online].(URL http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEFUSA_NewVisionforEducation_Report2015.pdf). Cologny/Geneva. (Accessed 12 August 2020).

Abigail Ball : 10 May 2021 16:44 |  Tags: Mai Trerattanavong Philosophy Reflections Teaching |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem