jueves, 22 de marzo de 2012

My teaching philosophy

In my first publication of my blog I would like to talk about some of my beliefs as an educator. We as teachers have our own teaching styles because of our experiences as students and the theoretical background we received during our training. We all teach in different ways, and when we plan or make a decision we do not stop to think “why am I doing this?”, “why did I choose that activity?”. However, we all have our own philosophy of teaching that guides our performance and development in the classroom. Our philosophy changes over the years because of the experience we gain and the situations we go through in life. I do not have much experience yet, and although my philosophy of teaching is not that mature, I am sure about some of my beliefs.

1) Creating a safe environment is essential: from my experience as a student and the theoretical framework that I have received at the teaching training college I can state that if the student feels intimidated by the teacher or is corrected all the time when speaking he will not participate and this will hinder learning.

2) Experience and background knowledge are part of our student: they do not enter the classroom with their minds empty. We as teachers have to profit from this prior knowledge to create an atmosphere in which learners can share what they know with the others. Consequently, this can be a very fruitful experience which changes the traditional, teacher-led model of learning.
3) Teachers have multiple roles: we should not consider ourselves as being the providers only, because in this way we will not consider that our students are autonomous and that they have knowledge to share with us. On the contrary, we should think of ourselves as having different roles depending on the moment of the class. We can assume the role of motivator, monitor, guide, instructor and a chair-person. If we constantly shift roles, we will give our students the opportunity to learn in different ways and to be independent.

I can affirm that every teacher has his or her own philosophy. These is my own and I hope that throughout the years it will evolve to help me become a better teacher!



7 comentarios:

  1. Nice way to start a blog Ann!
    Focusing on how you came to be as a teacher is very important in order to understand why we do what we do today. I´ve become what I am thanks to everything you mentioned but I also have to say that Miss Lari, my first parallel, Miss Vivi, Miss Silvia and now Miss Clau have shaped my way of teaching a lot! Besides, all the staff teachers have offered me something valuable that I copied for my own teaching experiences. Every comment we share, every talk we have to the train station is useful for our professional development!!

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  2. Ani,when you are in the middle of the lesson you may not stop and think: Am I doing fine? Is this what I have to say or do? However, it is very important to do it!! And this is one of the main reasons why we are starting our reflection blog...We, teachers need to stop and rethink of our lessons, this does not depend on our experience, we should all be reflective in every occasion. Developing this characteristic is not so easy, some people may think that this is only worthwhile for the teachers who are starting, for the ones who may not be confident enough of their acts.
    Being a reflective teacher is the best you can be because in this way you will consider each student, each group, how they learn what they need, if you talk too much or if it is fine, the way you transmit the instructions...there are many things that may work for a group but not for every child...and only by thinking about the lessons and your role will help you change and consequently grow as a teacher...

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    Respuestas
    1. Vivi,I agree with you in that we need to reflect as teachers. What I wanted to say is that many times we make decisions without finding the reason and it is because we have a phylosophy of teaching that guides our teaching practice. That is why it is great to talk with our collegues and find spaces for reflection so that we can go over our decision making and choices.

      Regards,
      Annie

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  3. Anita,
    I agree with you all. Reflecting is the only way in which we can grow, change and become better teachers as it is the case in everyday life. A person who does not reflect and learn from experience, does not grow!! I agree with you Anne. We tend not to think why we are doing things, but we should start right away. I am trying to do it whenever I plan a lesson and also WHILE I am teaching. It's the only way we can cater for our students' needs and make the most of their learning.

    Love,
    Ceci

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  4. Anita!!
    How cute you look in those photos!!
    Lovely!!!

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  5. I can see you´ve done great with your pics!
    Congrats

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