Teaching philosophies often concentrate on the high level skills that teachers believe should be provided to students. In addition to that, I believe that before the skills can be taught, an appropriate environment needs to be created. Thus my teaching philosophy centers on the concept of providing students with challenging material in an environment of respect.
I believe that both challenge and respect is required for an effective learning environment. Without challenge, a student will finish a course with a vague feeling of dissatisfaction, as if nothing was learned during the course. Without respect, a student will finish a course having resisted truly learning the subject and with the desire to forget the experience promptly. Regardless of the skills the teacher aims to provide, without challenge and respect, the skills will not be maintained upon completion of the course.
I will endeavor to incorporate both of these concepts into all of my teaching. I will try to challenge students to learn quickly, to question what is presented to them, and to search for information beyond what is presented in the classroom. I have high expectations of their performance.
General Classroom Approach
I believe in showing respect for students through simple gestures, such as learning their names, being pleasant and helpful, and listening to what they have to say. The result of showing respect is that students are more open to discussing their ideas, and are more likely to seek help when they need it, thus improving their overall performance.
I also believe that the teaching environment extends far beyond the classroom, and that it is not confined to teacher-student relationships. Teaching can not only take the form of formal classes, but can also occur during informal conversations. I will demonstrate my commitment to this belief by maintaining an open door policy, allowing students the opportunity to stop by to talk at any time. In my previous administrative position in Student Affairs, I discovered by maintaining an open door policy, students brought issues to my attention about their learning experiences in the classroom. By having an open door policy, students will be able to relay matters and issues that may not necessarily be related directly to the course material, but also discuss issues that may have had a negative impact on the learning environment in general.
In my classes, I view student-teacher and student-student collaboration as essential to successful learning. Thus, I will seek every opportunity to encourage collaborative experiences. This does not imply that there will be no traditional lecture formats. Some lecturing is necessary either to clarify complex informational ideas or to present material not readily available. But students will experience a variety of instructional methods and they will be actively involved in the learning experience.
I believe students are best served when they are actively and rigorously engaged in the pursuit of knowledge. A teacher may inspire, but students should be actively engaged in the learning process for it to be successful. In an effort to give students greater ownership of the knowledge they encounter, I use cooperative and active learning strategies as well as lecture in my classroom and try to develop assignments that foster both analytical and critical thinking and opportunities for creative application. As I mentioned, I have high expectations of my students. Of course, high expectations of a class come with a price --- the professor must be prepared for every class and must demonstrate the same commitment to teaching the material that the students are expected to demonstrate in learning the material. Additionally, this is a difficult requirement to maintain because students often do not immediately appreciate being challenged, as they often view it as “extra work”!
In summary, then, I am very committed to providing a learning environment that is both exciting and rigorous, one that empowers both student and teacher in pursuing learning. I devise various assessment strategies that allows me to fairly assess student learning regardless of the student's learning styles. Above all, I treat my students with the utmost respect, creating an environment where students feel safe to candidly discuss topics which they might otherwise be hesitant to address. For all my classes, regardless of size, I pride myself on learning the names of all my students and treating each student as an individual. Students reward my commitment to them by committing themselves to the class as a whole as well as to the furtherance of their own education.
I believe that both challenge and respect is required for an effective learning environment. Without challenge, a student will finish a course with a vague feeling of dissatisfaction, as if nothing was learned during the course. Without respect, a student will finish a course having resisted truly learning the subject and with the desire to forget the experience promptly. Regardless of the skills the teacher aims to provide, without challenge and respect, the skills will not be maintained upon completion of the course.
I will endeavor to incorporate both of these concepts into all of my teaching. I will try to challenge students to learn quickly, to question what is presented to them, and to search for information beyond what is presented in the classroom. I have high expectations of their performance.
General Classroom Approach
I believe in showing respect for students through simple gestures, such as learning their names, being pleasant and helpful, and listening to what they have to say. The result of showing respect is that students are more open to discussing their ideas, and are more likely to seek help when they need it, thus improving their overall performance.
I also believe that the teaching environment extends far beyond the classroom, and that it is not confined to teacher-student relationships. Teaching can not only take the form of formal classes, but can also occur during informal conversations. I will demonstrate my commitment to this belief by maintaining an open door policy, allowing students the opportunity to stop by to talk at any time. In my previous administrative position in Student Affairs, I discovered by maintaining an open door policy, students brought issues to my attention about their learning experiences in the classroom. By having an open door policy, students will be able to relay matters and issues that may not necessarily be related directly to the course material, but also discuss issues that may have had a negative impact on the learning environment in general.
In my classes, I view student-teacher and student-student collaboration as essential to successful learning. Thus, I will seek every opportunity to encourage collaborative experiences. This does not imply that there will be no traditional lecture formats. Some lecturing is necessary either to clarify complex informational ideas or to present material not readily available. But students will experience a variety of instructional methods and they will be actively involved in the learning experience.
I believe students are best served when they are actively and rigorously engaged in the pursuit of knowledge. A teacher may inspire, but students should be actively engaged in the learning process for it to be successful. In an effort to give students greater ownership of the knowledge they encounter, I use cooperative and active learning strategies as well as lecture in my classroom and try to develop assignments that foster both analytical and critical thinking and opportunities for creative application. As I mentioned, I have high expectations of my students. Of course, high expectations of a class come with a price --- the professor must be prepared for every class and must demonstrate the same commitment to teaching the material that the students are expected to demonstrate in learning the material. Additionally, this is a difficult requirement to maintain because students often do not immediately appreciate being challenged, as they often view it as “extra work”!
In summary, then, I am very committed to providing a learning environment that is both exciting and rigorous, one that empowers both student and teacher in pursuing learning. I devise various assessment strategies that allows me to fairly assess student learning regardless of the student's learning styles. Above all, I treat my students with the utmost respect, creating an environment where students feel safe to candidly discuss topics which they might otherwise be hesitant to address. For all my classes, regardless of size, I pride myself on learning the names of all my students and treating each student as an individual. Students reward my commitment to them by committing themselves to the class as a whole as well as to the furtherance of their own education.