Revised Personal Teaching Philosophy After the Principles of Teaching and Learning Course
When I developed my teaching philosophy for the first time, I paid much attention to the explanation of the learning process because it is critical for education. Initially, I focused only on the necessity to develop a positive relationship with the students because I considered it to be an element that ensures successful collaboration with students and increases their willingness to work hard. Even though I still believe that interactions between learners and educators are significant, this course made me realize that the learning process is focused on knowledge sharing.
Now I know that it is possible to have wonderful relationships with students but fail to ensure the development of their knowledge and skills. To my mind, this aspect is the most critical because it is possible to learn even without tight interactions with educators. Of course, positive relations and environment facilitate learning, but those students, who are interested in becoming professionals value information more and can benefit from it even if they have some problems with their educator. In this way, individual approaches to teaching and the development of positive relationships are more important for teaching practice than for learning, and they determine one’s professionalism.
Due to this course, I also realized that it is vital for a nurse as an educator to be a mentor, which is something between an instructor and a friend. Relationships between teachers and students should remain professional even though some personal connection and assistance are possible because learners may stop perceiving their educator as an authority because they become too close. Unfortunately, initially, I thought that friendship could improve collaboration and failed to consider the possibility of associated complications.
The information I have obtained during the last eight weeks altered my teaching goals significantly, as I realized that I need to focus on my professional traits instead of personal ones. First of all, I am to share my knowledge and skills with students so that they receive the possibility to become knowledgeable professionals who are able to provide the required care to their clients. Secondly, I aim to inspire students and motivate them to continue learning, emphasizing how they can affect practice and benefit patients, as well as using my own example (Louws, Veen, Meirink, & Driel, 2017).
Thirdly, I intend to become a mentor who can help students to cope with education and some personal issues (for instance, develop positive relationships between learners). Fourthly, I am to help them to speak up and follow their values. Fifthly, I want to use the most appropriate teaching strategies and methods to benefit learners.
Even though the elements of my teaching philosophy altered significantly, it remains coherent with the constructivist approach to learning because I recognize the necessity to make education focused on students and believed that an educator should be a facilitator of learning who provides students with everything needed to improve their knowledge and skills (Heik, 2018). In this way, I recognize that learners develop their understanding of different information on the basis of their background and personal perceptions (Onyesolu, Nwasor, Ositanwosu, & Iwegbuna, 2013).
In this way, when a teacher discusses phenomena, students may understand them a little bit differently. Thus, it is critical for a professional to create an appropriate environment and provide information that can assist learning. Thus, the focus on direct instruction and facts that are to be taken for granted is not the best approach to be used.
While working with students, evidence-based teaching strategies should be utilized because they are proved to be advantageous. I believe that it is important to develop students understanding of the course through the discussion of learning goals so that they realize what should be achieved eventually. The major questions should be outlined and answered to ensure that everyone knows the most important facts. The use of appropriate visuals is required because it improves student understanding and facilitates learning (DET, 2017). In addition to that, it is significant to ensure that learners have an opportunity to practice the knowledge and skills they obtained during the course in class (Killian, 2015).
In this way, educators can identify gaps and issues and modify the teaching process to overcome them. Finally, much attention should be paid to the provision of appropriate feedback (DET, 2017). Students should realize whether they manage to achieve expected learning outcomes or not, as this information can affect their knowledge and desire to study. Constructive feedback should include not only the identification of drawbacks or achievements but also suggestions of the ways a work can be improved. As a result, this technique can help students to enhance their performance.
I believe that I can enhance both teaching and learning experiences if I alter my original philosophy so that it meets my understanding of teaching developed after this course. In particular, I should pay more attention to knowledge sharing and the possibility of becoming an effective mentor. Even though it is difficult to find the golden mean between professionalism and friendship, I need to reach it to become a successful educator because my previous perceptions of the role of a teacher in the learning process could not provide me with this opportunity.
Evaluation Discussion of Teaching Philosophy
Initially, I believed that the effectiveness of the learning process is based mainly on the development of collaborative and friendly relationships between students and educators. However, this course made me realize that the quality of the provided information and the motivation of students to study can turn out to be even more important. I understood that students should receive assistance in learning, and interactions with an educator are important for this purpose, but it is not right to avoid other vital elements. As a result, my goals altered so that they became focused on the possibility to encourage students to learn themselves, ensuring the presence of the required environment and using associated teaching methods and strategies.
My teaching priorities and perspectives altered as I realized that educators should not become friends with their students. Even when working with them individually and assisting with those issues that are not tightly connected to learning, it is vital for teachers to remain professional. They should be mentors who support students and facilitate studying but not friends who are equal to them. Educators should always remain an authority for learners, and now I know that friendly relationships may affect it adversely.
When comparing my original teaching philosophy with the one I have developed after this course, I noticed that some of its elements were altered. These changes are greatly associated with the knowledge I have obtained during eight weeks of studying. In particular, they deal with my teaching perceptions and goals, as I have changed the majority of them. Nevertheless, I still believe that it is significant to use evince-based teaching and to give students an opportunity to practice in class and to provide them with constructive feedback.
References
Department of Education and Training (DET). (2017). High impact teaching strategies: Excellence in teaching and learning. Web.
Heik, T. (2018). The difference between constructivism, constructivism, and connectivism.
Killian, S. (2015). Top 10 evidence-based teaching strategies.
Louws, M., Veen, K., Meirink, J., & Driel, J. (2017). Teachers’ professional learning goals in relation to teaching experience. European Journal of Teacher Education, 40(4), 487-504.
Onyesolu, M. O., Nwasor, V. C., Ositanwosu, O. E., & Iwegbuna, O. N. (2013). Pedagogy: Instructivism to socio-constructivist through virtual reality. Pedagogy, 4(9), 40-47.