Teaching Philosophy

Teaching Philosophy Amber Barks Colorado State University October 11, 2 1! "earning is a partnership bet#een the st$dent and the teacher% Some o& the best partnerships are &ormed #hen the learner has control over #hat he or she learns% 'y teaching philosophy is based o&& o& some o& the more in&l$ential and e&&ective teachers ( have enco$ntered thro$gho$t my years as a college st$dent% These teachers ta$ght me the importance o& presenting s$b)ects in a #ay that catches the learners* interests, clari&ies comple+ in&ormation so that it can be easily processed, g$ides the st$dent as opposed to lect$ring them, and makes learning relevant to the learners* li&e% ,ach o& these attrib$tes is key in being an e&&ective &acilitator o& learning% ( see mysel& as a &acilitator o& learning, not as an e+pert #ho simply div$lges in&ormation to the st$dents% -hen planning my c$rric$l$m ( consider my target a$dience and #hat the most e&&ective approach to teaching this gro$p might be% ( strive to create a learner.centered environment that challenges my st$dents to play an active role in their learning, #hich is established by o&&ering some choice in the topic and approach to the teaching style% ( also enco$rage them to learn &rom their &ello# learners* previo$s kno#ledge and e+periences thro$gh disc$ssions in

Teaching Philosophy

class% Approachability is essential/ my st$dents are enco$raged to ask 0$estions. either openly in class or d$ring a more private setting a#ay &rom the gro$p. i& they do not $nderstand or are c$rio$s to kno# more% ( $nderstand that as a &acilitator ( may not have all o& the ans#ers b$t these 0$estions b$ild a &o$ndation &or learning% -hen learners are c$rio$s to kno# more abo$t a certain topic this means that #e can e+plore it collectively and learn as a gro$p% ,ach st$dent has his or her o#n $ni0$e learning style that has developed over years o& learning, and it is vital to vary the instr$ction style to meet their needs% ( do a variety o& hands.on activities that promote discovery, strengthen st$dent motivation, enco$rage peer comm$nication, and o&ten provide a practical application o& the kno#ledge that is ac0$ired% O&ten this &orces me o$t o& my com&ort 1one to &ind ne# #ays to engage my learners% Thro$gh personal re&lection, collaboration #ith my colleag$es, and &eedback &rom st$dents ( am able to improve my teaching style to meet the needs o& the learners% Personal, individ$ali1ed contact is vital to my teaching style% 'any st$dents need to be enco$raged to talk to their teachers directly #hether that is in person or by email% ( emphasi1e that ( am available &or in&ormal disc$ssions #ith individ$al st$dents or small gro$ps, and that ( am #illing to help them #ith any problems they may come across d$ring the learning process% 'y teaching style has been greatly enriched thro$gh my

Teaching Philosophy

interactions #ith my st$dents/ they have helped me evolve into the teacher ( am today% 'y teaching philosophy allo#s me to e&&ectively teach my st$dents by providing them #ith learning opport$nities that are relevant to their lives% Thro$gh taking the time to connect #ith my learners, ( believe ( can reach them on their level and design instr$ction to help them comprehend the in&ormation and apply it to their o#n lives% Sharing in their learning process allo#s me to help them #ork thro$gh problems they may enco$nter by providing them #ith val$able insight that #ill be $se&$l d$ring a practical application process%