Statement of Teaching Philosophy

Larry Schankman
Who dares to teach must never cease to learn John Cotton Dana
Learning is the soul and sole mission of teaching. As the quote above suggests, I
believe the most effective educators inspire students with the adventure, excitement
and empowerment of learning. I also believe that all students are capable of
learning, regardless of ability or preferred learning style, as long as they are
motivated and properly supported.
My vision of successful learning represents the highest ideals and best practices of
learning theory, instructional design and reflective practice. As the cornerstone of
effective teaching are the learners themselves. The most successful studentsat
least at the secondary and tertiary levelsassume responsibility for their own
learning. Though teachers and other educators need to support students throughout
their programs of study, successful college students need to meet or exceed
academic standards as self-directed learners.
Besides instructing students on domain content, effective teachers encourage and
inspire their students to continuously explore, reflect on, and self-assess their
progress toward the attainment of learning outcomes. Ultimately, my mission as a
teacher, as well as an instructional designer, is to create transformative learning
experiences, reinforced by authentic assessments and engaging hands-on activities.
Instructors in my ideal classroom elicit effective learning by facilitating highly
engaging student-to-student, student-to-instructor and student-to-content
interactions. To support attainment of learning outcomes, effective teachers set high,
yet attainable, expectations for both themselves and their students.
As a foundation for my vision I am inspired by Chickering & Gamsons Seven
Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education (1987). To support faculty,
in my role as instructional designer, I share the following guiding questions to help
instructors align measurable learning outcomes with appropriate assessments and
learning activities.
1. Good Practice Encourages Student-Faculty Contact
What specific teaching strategies and technologies (e.g. Web 2.0
applications, social media, multimedia presentations, etc.) will you employ to
strengthen and enhance strong student-to-faculty interaction, feedback and
teacher presence?
2. Good Practice Encourages Cooperation among Students
What specific teaching strategies and technologies will you employ to elicit
and support strong student-to-student interaction, collaboration and social
presence?
3. Good Practice Encourages Active Learning
Describe all learning activities and assessments (other than exams and
quizzes) that elicit, support and motivate students to engage in active
learning (i.e. activities that require students to explore course content, create
mental models of course content, and demonstrate their understanding with
authentic assessments).
4. Good Practice Gives Prompt Feedback
Describe your course policy for providing constructive, formative feedback for
each assessment or learning activity. Will you share that expectation with
your students and commit to maintaining strong teacher presence? Do your
assignments support assessment FOR learning (i.e. will students build
expertise as a result of assessments, or simply demonstrate that they
memorized facts, principles and procedures?).
5. Good Practice Emphasizes Time on Task
Elaborating further on assessments and learning tasks, describe how
students can expect to build proficiency and skill with course content.
6. Good Practice Communicates High Expectations
To describe your strategy for communicating clear expectations for deep
learning activities, share rubrics, checklists or instructions for a variety of
assignments.
7. Good Practice Respects Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning
What teaching strategies will you employ to acknowledge individual
differences and learning styles (e.g. choice of assessments, use of a learning
contract, allowance for student-recommended assessments, and
presentations that appeal to textual, visual, auditory and kinesthetic
learners)?
Source:
Chickering, A. & Gamson, Z. (1987). Seven principles for good practice in
undergraduate education. AAHE Bulletin, Mar 1987, 3-7. Retrieved from
http://teaching.uncc.edu/articles-books/best-practice-articles/instructional-
methods/7-principles.