Teaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy highlights student autonomy and self-determination both inside and outside of the classroom. To foster these traits teachers must emphasize knowledge development, implement engagement techniques in the classroom, and identify expected standards and learning objectives with their students.
Knowledge Development
To emphasize the importance of knowledge development teachers must reframe students’ perspectives regarding unintended outcomes in the classroom. This can be achieved by assisting students in viewing their mistakes or shortcomings as opportunities to learn, expand and build upon their current knowledge base. This is also achieved by allowing discussion and exploration of the material in the classroom to assist students in obtaining an in-depth understanding of difficult topics. Teachers should also provide constructive feedback to students in an effort to enhance writing and critical thinking skills. Student autonomy and self-determination are promoted by highlighting the importance of the development of students’ current knowledge base rather than replacing or dismissing previously acquired knowledge.
Engagement in the Classroom
Maintaining the interest of the students is vital in the learning process. Teachers can attain this by promoting a safe and positive learning environment that allows students to focus their attention on the course material. Preserving student interest can be achieved by incorporating various teaching techniques across lessons. Engagement is also maintained by sharing with students the importance of the course material and the ways in which the information relates to the unique life experiences of the students. Teachers promote student autonomy by providing a sense of material relevancy to each students’ unique lifestyle.
Setting the Standard and Learning Goals
Teachers must strive to increase the knowledge of students by setting high, yet attainable, expectations and goals for meeting classroom learning objectives. To aid in achieving these goals instructors should encourage autonomy and self-determination among students. Instructors must implement a student-centered approach to teaching by understanding the complexities associated with student life. Students should be encouraged to set goals and take responsibility for achieving those goals.
Teachers should prepare students to be responsible, open-minded, and contributing members of the profession.
“Earned sense is better than bought sense” – Nathan Logan
(New knowledge is maintained best when it is grappled with rather than served on a platter)
Shanae Shaw AHE 603 
Shanae,
I enjoyed your post and believe your philosophy of teaching is well established. I begin to wonder how prepared our students are for autonomy and how determined they are coming out of high school. Can you expand on your thoughts on how you believe students are prepared on day one of college to begin learning in this environment which promotes autonomy and requires self-determination?
Thanks
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Thanks for sharing this teaching philosophy. In reading it, I find many connection to my own thoughts of teaching. The section that resonates the most with me is on having the students set high standards through self-determination. I had a music history professor in college who taught me the value of that skill. She was (grading wise) one of the most difficult teachers in the school, but she displayed belief in her students and held them to a higher standard then they held themselves. It was through this belief in her students that many challenged themselves to set goals or meet requirements that they had never considered before. When she passed last year, it was amazing to get together and speak with so many individuals whose lives had been changed because she helped them realize that they could achieve more.
I also greatly appreciate how you mention transferring the skills the students have learned to outside the classroom. It has always been a thought of mind that good teachers make change in the classroom but great teachers make change outside the classroom. It is so easy in the day to day to forget that students lives outside the classroom are just as important(if not more so) than what is being learned inside the classroom. Thanks for the reminder!
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Hi, Shanae,
Knowledge development, engagement in the classroom and setting the standard and learning goals are excellent traits because you provide students a basis to grapple with finding their voice.
How might identifying the fluidity of life inside and outside of the classroom bolster the learning process for your students?
Best regards,
Tony
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Shanae – I enjoyed your teaching philosophy. I, too, think it is important that students are able to synthesize what is happening inside the classroom with what is happening outside of the classroom. I love all of your points on knowledge development, engagement in the classroom, and setting the standard and learning goals. Your points on autonomy and self-determination are integral for teaching and learning. It is important that students take ownership over their learning and are intrinsically motivated in order to persist. If we can encourage them to do that as instructors, that’s important! Practicing that through discussions and setting expectations in the classroom is a way to help students develop those traits of self-efficiacy, determination, motivation, etc. I need to work on setting higher expectations for my students – I tend to be lenient sometimes (when you care TOO much to the point where they aren’t learning)…I’m challenging myself to do better with supporting students, but also challenging them (out of love) – this may help with students taking ownership over their learning.
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Shanae,
Thanks for sharing your teaching philosophy with us. You are the first person’s blog that mentions the “reframing of unintended outcomes” in the classroom. I wonder how do you think those unintended outcomes are accessed, and can some of that be attributed to the classroom environment itself? Its an interesting idea that I haven’t thought about. One thing that I would add is the role of motivation to your teaching philosophy. You allude to it in your engagement paragraph when you talk about student interest and having course materials relating to student’s experiences. Do you think motivation is the responsibility of the teacher or the student. I look forward to your thought and great job on the assignment.
– Carolina
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Hi Shanae,
Thank you! I loved your 3rd point: Setting the Standard and Learning Goals. Setting high expectations in conjunction with student autonomy, I agree, is key to effective outcomes for students. At the end of the day (or semester, or academic year, etc.) what students retain/remember are certain key lessons that they had to sort through in their own minds. Lectured information, handed to them on a platter, is not so easily retained.
Looking forward to further discussion this year.
Neil
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Hi Shanae,
I like the organization of your teaching philosophy and your emphasis on student success inside and outside of the classroom. Education should promote the skills that allow learners to take what they get from the classroom and apply it to their world outside of the classroom. The biggest complaint I hear from some of my friends in the K-12 arena (teaching and research) is about teaching to the test. Teaching for a test does allow us to assess learning,but the classroom is only one part of the student’s life. Showing students that the classroom content can relate to their outside lives is such an important part of teaching/learning.
Thank you for your post!
Erin
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