DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

My philosophy of teaching is simple:

  

        Commit- Know your subject well and don’t stop learning it.

        Care- Know that each student has different learning needs and create a 

        learning  environment that each student can be successful in.

        Connect- Show students the joy of learning and the relevance the subject  

        material will have on their lives.

 

It wasn’t until I began teaching that I noticed the world unfurling before me. I began to make connections between classes and link the information I was learning to my own life. Learning suddenly became, not a task, but a sincere joy. As a reward, I felt more aware of myself and the world I existed in. I firmly believe that encouraging students, as early as possible, to be lifelong learners is one of the most important values that a teacher could leave a student with.  Over the years I have entertained many interests and pursued them through education and training. My ability to be an engaging teacher will only continue, as I am committed to lifelong learning.

 

Through my learning and teaching experience, it became clear to me that students learn in different ways and that each student was coming into my classroom with their own significant back-story. I learn in a variety of ways and therefore teach in a variety of ways. Implementing a plethora of teaching methods in the classroom ensures that each student has an equal opportunity to learn in a style that is most suitable for each individual.

 

Students notice when a teacher notices him or her. Effective teachers are so much more than droning sources of information. I make it a habit to know the interests and pursuits of as many students as possible in my classes so that I may cater the material to each student in a familiar and meaningful way. Students need to know why they are being taught something and how this information could possibly be relevant to their lives. I understand this.  Prior to undergraduate school, I often struggled through classes with the same question. When students understand how to apply the knowledge they have acquired then it becomes meaningful. This takes a considerable amount of trust in your students, not only believing that they will make the correlations themselves, but also providing opportunities to do so.  When this happens, students are much more likely to remember what they have learned, since they had an active role in the discovery of it.

 

These three words: commit, care and connect are the foundation of my teaching philosophy and my guide for teaching effectively. Students know when their instructor exhibits these three qualities from the first day of class to the last.

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.