Teaching Philosophy

 

 

 

 

My Teaching Philosophy ..

           Teaching is an artful profession that requires passion, integrity, and dedication. Teaching and learning are two interconnected processes that can never be separated. I am a lifelong learner who seeks positive change in the future and who believes that today’s work leads to tomorrow’s destination. My ultimate goal as a teacher educator is to prepare qualified teachers who are the future’s change agents. My courses are stations at which every student stops while traveling on his or her own learning train. At these stations, I strive to immerse students in real-life experiences and to provide them with essential tools. One of these tools is the critical lens with which they can view their surrounding world; a lens that helps them consider multiple perspectives while appreciating diversity. Moreover, I encourage students to be active learners and drive their own learning trains to reach a destination that we can simultaneously agree on.

 

          Each student is unique and has his or her own strengths, needs, and interests. Thus, in my courses, I use a variety of teaching methods and techniques to address my students’ uniqueness. Day one in my classes is the day I start building a community of learners and creating a warm, safe, and positive environment. Moreover, I found that in my courses or “stations”, students arrive with their luggage that is their background knowledge with which they enter the collaborative learning experience. One of the great lessons I learned is that collaboration is powerful because it invites students to learn from and help each other. Also, I endeavor to use innovative tools in my courses for teaching and learning purposes. Technology is a vital component of my classroom and it is embedded in most of the work. It’s highly recommended that my students use various technological forms, devices, and programs whenever they can, and their attempts are always appreciated. To help my students acquire needed skills and gain essential knowledge beyond the classroom walls, I refer them to the resources and services available on campus as well as some useful workshops for their professional development. To help my students gain multiple perspectives on a subject, every semester I invite guest speakers and experts from the field to my classes so that my students can have conversations and ask questions.

 

          Authentic assessment is a basic tool I use to evaluate students’ learning outcomes. I personally believe that tests and exams teach students memorization, and that’s not my intent. The teaching goals I mentioned earlier are interconnected and they connect what my students learn in class and help in application to real world settings. Based on that, the authentic assessment tasks would work best as they allow me to visualize how students comprehend and apply course content and skills. Examples of this are reflection reports, projects, field trips, etc. A student’s voice is always valued and respected. As it pertains to assessment and measurement, I always consider their feedback. In every assignment, students are able to share their thoughts about the assigned task and how it could better serve their needs. These formative assessments help me modify other course tasks based on specific needs of students. Also, in order to encourage being part of a community of learners, students are asked to assess each other on a weekly basis in small groups. Related to collaborative learning, my expectations and goals as the instructor are not the only matter that needs to be addressed. I want students to recognize their peers’ expectations for them and consider this in their work.

 

          Lastly, what attracted me to teaching is my trust in others’ strengths, abilities, and uniqueness. I learned that great teachers help their students discover who they are, decide on what they want, and explore how to achieve these objectives. Making a difference in my students’ lives is what I always hope for so that an individual can make a difference in this world. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​