My teaching
philosophy
“There are two kinds of teachers: the
kind that fills you with so much quail shot that you can't move, and the kind
that just gives you a little prod behind and you jump to the skies.” ― Robert Frost
What kind of
a teacher am I? I feel this is a question that every teacher needs to ask
herself. Before embarking on writing my statement of teaching philosophy, I
asked myself this question.
In today’s day and age of schooling, there is
pressure on everyone-on the heads of schools, on the parents, on the students
and on the teachers. And the cause of this pressure is the weight of the mighty
curriculum. And added to the pressure of transacting the curriculum is the
other major irritant in a teacher’s professional life- documentation. Documentation
of lesson plans, year plans, student test scores, project grades, tracking of classwork,
homework, etc. And then there are other ‘extra-curricular’ activities, now
termed ‘co-curricular’ activities which the teacher is expected to prepare
students for, conduct and compile.
In my
opinion, a teacher’s job is nothing short of a superman’s. It is little wonder
therefore, that many of us often find ourselves bogged down by our work, and
don’t feel the sense of fulfillment that this so called ‘noble’ profession is
believed to provide. But, in spite of all the problems and pressures of this
job, I believe that there is hope, and there are solutions. In my teaching
philosophy outlined below, I wish to put forth the convictions and practices
that I strongly believe in.
Reflection - Looking back at a lesson and thinking
about how to improvise is, in my mind critical to effective teaching. Self-
reflection is key to succeeding.
I believe in
making notes in my journal about how a lesson went, particularly the ones that
don’t go the way I want them to. Before walking into the next class, I look at
these notes and prepare myself accordingly. I also encourage my teachers to do
so.
Respect- Mutual respect between the teacher
and the taught is essential to the creation of a productive learning
environment in the classroom.
I always
address children respectfully, welcoming both correct and incorrect responses.
I consciously use appropriate, polite language in class. I try to deal with disciplinary issues
outside the class after the lesson, rather than haranguing an offending student
in front of his peers.
Prioritizing- It is very important that a teacher
goes into the classroom with clear learning objectives and keeps her focus
clear on achieving these. Also, when there are many responsibilities, one needs
to list them out in the order of priority.
In a class
full of eager, often boisterous children, it is very easy to go off track. I ensure
that the learning objectives are clearly stated on the board, and deliberately
keep going back to them every time there is danger of digression. Similarly,
when I mark students’ work, I look for the actual understanding from the
student response, overlooking grammar, spelling, handwriting errors,
presentation, etc. In all school related work, I list out the tasks for the day
in the order of priority at the beginning of the day in my journal, and try to
accomplish them by the end of the day.
Look beyond the curriculum- The text book and the prescribed
curriculum should only serve as a guideline and not become the bible.
I have a
colleague from whom I have learnt this incredible strategy. She collects all
possible information on a given topic from a variety of sources and creates
worksheets for children based on this information. This not only makes the
teacher more knowledgeable, but also broadens the children’s outlook and gets
them to look beyond the text book. I also make it a point to ask learners to
get additional information on any subject by looking up newspapers, internet,
etc.
Differentiate- In a class room, equality does not
really work. I believe in the maxim ‘treat different children differently’.
However, every teacher will agree that this is one of the most difficult things
to achieve.
I create
worksheets for every lesson which have a wide variety of questions, progressing
from the simple to slightly complex to extremely tricky. All students are given
the same worksheets but I keep my expectations different. In this way, I do not
only differentiate by task, but also by outcome. And then, again I differentiate
while assessing by grading students according to their ability rather than by
the quality of their answers alone.
Reading and research- Oscar Wilde once famously remarked-“Everybody who is incapable of learning has
taken to teaching”. This is a telling comment on how teachers are looked
upon.
I believe that a teacher should keep reading,
researching and learning not only about the subject she teaches, but also about
new developments in the field of pedagogy. In our school, teachers are
encouraged to borrow books from the school library and share their learnings in
the weekly meetings.
And finally,
I come to the question that I asked myself at the beginning of this piece. I
feel that I can comfortably say that I have moved on in my journey from the
first category given by Frost. I also
firmly believe that I am well on my way to the second category, and that I will
get there some time soon.
