11
About the
teacher
Your beliefs, values and approaches drive the design of your teaching materials and your behaviour with
students inside and out of the classroom or lecture hall. Some of these you may have articulated in
writing a teaching philosophy for purposes of tenure and promotion or for a job application. They
include how you believe learning happens, how you believe you can intervene in the learning process, the
goals you have for students, and the actions you take as a teacher.* In addition, you make day-to-day
decisions about who you are in the classroom that influence both what you model for your students and
the classroom atmosphere. It is useful to think of yourself, as well as your philosophy of teaching and
learning, as a work-in-progress as you develop as an educator over the years.
The following are typical questions that
people might ask themselves as they
consider who they are as teachers:
•
What motivates me to learn about the subject I
am teaching?
•
What are the ideal conditions for my own and
others’ learning?
•
What code of ethics guides me?
•
What values do I impart to my students and why?
•
How does what I do in my teaching make a
difference in the lives of others? Why is it relevant?
•
To what extent am I comfortable in a position of
relative power and ability to influence others’
views and actions?
•
What theme(s) pervade(s) my teaching?
•
What are my favorite statements to make about
teaching? Why are they favorites?
•
How have I grown as a teacher over the years?
What are my challenges? What are my long term
goals?
Dostları ilə paylaş: