My Teaching Philosophy
_ I believe the classroom
(and its extensions) should be a place of discovery – both of self and the
designated topic. While living in Texas,
I became acquainted with Brett Williams, a high school teacher. Williams and his students built large-scale rockets. I was quickly impressed with the initiative his
students possessed. Their motivation, I
found, stemmed from their desire to solve the next problem. This microcosm of the now dormant space race
was problem-based learning at its finest.
Why were there so many students entering the sciences during the space
race? Because there were exciting
problems to be solved.
_
By motivating learning with a problem to be solved, I believe all learning topics can be made tantalizing. As a teacher, I cultivate curiosity by harrowing up challenging problems and then provide the appropriate tools, nourishment, and encouragement to allow the curiosity to overpower the problem. Though I cannot force growth, I believe that students planted in a conducive environment will most often respond and grow in curiosity, skill, and talent sufficient to tackle larger problems. My job in the classroom is to provide this environment by, first and foremost, caring about the students, and then structuring the curriculum to be challenging but not overbearing and minimizing my lecture time to afford the students the opportunity to immerse themselves in the topic through appropriate activities, problems, and exploration. I believe the Chinese proverb “I hear I forget, I see I remember, I do I understand.”
I believe that the course content should always be the servant, never the master, as it is the means, not the end of education. Content should never drive the schedule. The schedule should drive the content. There is never enough time to learn everything. In addition, learning everything in a diluted fashion does little to inspire additional learning. This does not mean that the quantity and quality of content should not challenge the students, but it should never be allowed to suffocate true learning. Content should be flexible and should be adjusted to students’ interests.
I also believe that one of the most important things to teach in the classroom is accountability. I believe many of the world’s present ailments are a result of people not being held accountable. By accountability, I do not mean simply that students need to learn to suffer the consequences of their choices. They also need to learn that in many instances they will not be able to do everything. Therefore, they need to learn the skill of prioritization and then be content in the context of their priorities. That means that sometimes they might show up to class unprepared. That is fine as long as two conditions are met: 1) they accept the consequences of their choice, and 2) their choice was not an outgrowth of laziness.
To inspire the love of learning, I have to love learning myself. This is best done by drinking deeply from the waters that I lead my students to.
My beliefs about students are optimistic. In general, I believe students are good and desire to learn. They simply have so many distractions in today’s age that many of them have not experienced the thrill of learning and the thrill of mastering a subject. If I can help them taste that thrill, I believe I can make a profound difference in their lives. I believe that if I relate to and care about my students that most of them will respond positively to the opportunity to learn and find deeper fulfillment in their lives. In short, I believe students are in many ways the customer. The customer does not always know what is best for them, but they do know when their needs are fulfilled.
Education is one of the root sources of a happy and fulfilling life. Education helps uncover truth, truth brings freedom, and freedom brings increased ability to act. Because of this, I believe that, in general, educated people contribute more to society. Education is not limited to books and schools. Likewise, education is not limited to the intellectual realm. I believe education is innately spiritual. Learning who we are and how we fit into the grand scheme of this world is as natural to a person as seeking out nutrition to sustain the physical body.
In conclusion, I recognize that my next grand theory as a researcher may someday be invalidated or fall out of use. But my positive impact on students will last beyond my life and hopefully beyond theirs. To me, such an impact – while not fully measurable – is real! I know this from personal experience. My life has been influenced by so many dedicated teachers and I value the opportunity to pay forward my debt to them.
By motivating learning with a problem to be solved, I believe all learning topics can be made tantalizing. As a teacher, I cultivate curiosity by harrowing up challenging problems and then provide the appropriate tools, nourishment, and encouragement to allow the curiosity to overpower the problem. Though I cannot force growth, I believe that students planted in a conducive environment will most often respond and grow in curiosity, skill, and talent sufficient to tackle larger problems. My job in the classroom is to provide this environment by, first and foremost, caring about the students, and then structuring the curriculum to be challenging but not overbearing and minimizing my lecture time to afford the students the opportunity to immerse themselves in the topic through appropriate activities, problems, and exploration. I believe the Chinese proverb “I hear I forget, I see I remember, I do I understand.”
I believe that the course content should always be the servant, never the master, as it is the means, not the end of education. Content should never drive the schedule. The schedule should drive the content. There is never enough time to learn everything. In addition, learning everything in a diluted fashion does little to inspire additional learning. This does not mean that the quantity and quality of content should not challenge the students, but it should never be allowed to suffocate true learning. Content should be flexible and should be adjusted to students’ interests.
I also believe that one of the most important things to teach in the classroom is accountability. I believe many of the world’s present ailments are a result of people not being held accountable. By accountability, I do not mean simply that students need to learn to suffer the consequences of their choices. They also need to learn that in many instances they will not be able to do everything. Therefore, they need to learn the skill of prioritization and then be content in the context of their priorities. That means that sometimes they might show up to class unprepared. That is fine as long as two conditions are met: 1) they accept the consequences of their choice, and 2) their choice was not an outgrowth of laziness.
To inspire the love of learning, I have to love learning myself. This is best done by drinking deeply from the waters that I lead my students to.
My beliefs about students are optimistic. In general, I believe students are good and desire to learn. They simply have so many distractions in today’s age that many of them have not experienced the thrill of learning and the thrill of mastering a subject. If I can help them taste that thrill, I believe I can make a profound difference in their lives. I believe that if I relate to and care about my students that most of them will respond positively to the opportunity to learn and find deeper fulfillment in their lives. In short, I believe students are in many ways the customer. The customer does not always know what is best for them, but they do know when their needs are fulfilled.
Education is one of the root sources of a happy and fulfilling life. Education helps uncover truth, truth brings freedom, and freedom brings increased ability to act. Because of this, I believe that, in general, educated people contribute more to society. Education is not limited to books and schools. Likewise, education is not limited to the intellectual realm. I believe education is innately spiritual. Learning who we are and how we fit into the grand scheme of this world is as natural to a person as seeking out nutrition to sustain the physical body.
In conclusion, I recognize that my next grand theory as a researcher may someday be invalidated or fall out of use. But my positive impact on students will last beyond my life and hopefully beyond theirs. To me, such an impact – while not fully measurable – is real! I know this from personal experience. My life has been influenced by so many dedicated teachers and I value the opportunity to pay forward my debt to them.