Teaching+Philosophy

Revised July 2011. By learning you will teach, by teaching you will learn. Latin Proverb [|Photo by KTVee],  available under a [|Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license].

I embrace teaching as an opportunity to inspire and empower. As a teacher, it is my responsibility to shape young minds into confident and educated members of society. Learning is, of course, the main purpose of education. It is the task of every teacher to increase knowledge and understanding in the classroom. I feel that learning should be focused around three main areas;


 * **Independent thought** is essential to the development of a confident and educated child. Boud (1988) writes that student autonomy is vital to the development of a successful learner. More recently, Kremer and McGuiness (1998) found that graduate employers are seeking employees who have 'the ability to work in a team and the capacity for independent thought and action' (Kremer & McGuiness, 1998). It is my responsibility to provide students with the opportunity to become independent thinkers. Such opportunities are provided in a safe and welcoming environment where all students' contributions are valued.
 * **Group interaction** is also an important part of learning. Being able to share ideas, validate them with the ideas of others, and teamwork are important processes in social and mental development. As Kremer and McGuiness (1998) outlined, teamwork is another of the skills sought by employers. Foot, Howe, Anderson, Tolmie and Warden (1994) acknowledge the benefits of group interaction in classrooms (Foot, et.al., 1994). Teamwork skills are such that if instilled at an early age, they are likely to become second nature for students. Group interaction and teamwork skills are addressed in my classroom through developmentally appropriate group activities, where students engage with a variety of students with differing personalities and backgrounds.
 * **Student direction** gives students ownership of their learning, and encourages the development of a life-long love of learning (DET, 2003). I am prepared to lead students towards their own conclusions and answers, without always providing the solutions myself. These problem solving skills complement the students' teamwork skills and encourage students to take ownership and responsibility for their learning.

Regardless of curriculum requirements, I feel that if I can teach my students these three skills, I can teach them how to be successful learners. If I achieve this with each of my students, they then have the power to embrace learning with the same passion and conviction that I have for teaching them.

//References// Boud, D. (Ed.) (1998) //Developing Student Autonomy in Learning// (2nd ed.), Kogan Page, London.

Department of Education and Training Professional Support and Curriculum Directorate (2003). Quality Teaching in New South Wales Public Schools: A Classroom Practice Guide. Ryde, New South Wales.

Foot, H.C., Howe, C.J., Anderson, A. Tolmie, A.K. & Warden, D.A. (1994) //Group and Interactive Learning.// Computational Mechanics Pubs, Southhampton.

Kremer, J., & McGuiness, C. (1998) Cutting the cord: Student-led discussion groups in higher education. //Education & Training (40),// 44-50.

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