Educational Philosophy
An outstanding classroom is one that is founded on students questioning, helping others and trying their best. It is important to have realistic goals, objectives and standards that students can attain. These standards also change depending on the student and depending on their progress in the classroom.
Group work is vital for students to grow as individuals. This allows a student to compare their own understanding against others’. Moreover, if taught from a perspective of collaboration, it becomes an exercise in communication skills for all those involved. If students are explicitly told that the group work will be focused not just on the outcome but on the process, then students are more willing to collaborate.
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The teacher’s responsibility is to recognize this and assign roles so that the process becomes just as important. One of the difficult aspects of teaching is the simple fact that not all students learn the same way. This is also a very interesting opportunity for a willing teacher to take risks, differentiate, try something new to engage all learners. Assessing students using different methods, incorporating ICT, introducing a guest speaker, using another course’s examples or format are all effective strategies to engage students. Students should be taught how to learn, an aspect of teaching that many educators overlook.
As such, there are some important skills that need to be reinforced so that students meet expectations, and they can be challenged to go beyond their own limits. Students are able to use the strategies I have taught them and can use very high order thinking skills to challenge their own thinking and questioning, as if they were the teacher. Varied instruction is the key for all learners, however, direct instruction has been shown by educational research and pedagogy to be most linked to outstanding progress and outcomes. ​