My philosophical value is primarily one of respect; respect for the educator, respect for the students, the equipment and above all else for the subject itself, engineering. It is a principle that guides professional action through the events and issues I face daily not only in teaching but professionally as an engineer as well.
I resonate most with the teachings of Piaget and Vygotsky and consider myself using the best of both cognitive and constructive techniques in the classroom and laboratory. Aristotle’s self-fulfilling prophecy resonates with me as it shows a great representation of respect between a teacher and a learner, resonating my own educational values of respect and trust. I think believing and trusting that a student can achieve and succeed can instil a work ethic in the student to the push beyond their zone of proximal development. Click the link to download my PD Philosophy Statement. |
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Aristotle - Domains 1, 2 and 3
Aristotle’s method of teaching is based in the teacher guiding the student to reach their potential through the wisdom of others. Aristotle’s self-fulfilling prophecy resonates with me as it shows a great representation of respect between a teacher and a learner, resonating my own educational values of respect and trust. Balancing classical theories of education with real life engineering problems and examples forms the basis of my teaching practices all while remaining a good engineering role model to the students. Being a good role model is important to me to encourage more student's particularly those whom identify as female to take up study in the field. It is probably why I enjoy science communication so much! This image on the left was take in Summer 2022 with a group of second level students at a biomedical engineering taster event. |
Piaget - Domains 2 and 4
Piaget's theory of cognitive development helps add to understanding student intellect and growth. It says that students are not merely passive recipients of knowledge, but instead are constantly investigating and experimenting as they constructed their understanding of how the world works. This image on the right was taken during Maths Week 2022 and I think it depicts this theory well. The students were given spaghetti and marshmallows and tasked to build a tower as high as they could in 40 minutes without any prior information. This was the result of two students who developed essential skills and knowledge through play and trial and error as they built their understanding of structural engineering and problem solving. |
Vygotsky - Domains 2 and 5
Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of the 1930’s was a precursor of constructivism, and it states that social experiences shape a learner’s thinking and views of the world. I find the strategies of Vygotsky particularly useful in my mathematical teaching. Mathematics can be a subject that deals heavily with negative connotations so it’s important to understand their feelings and attitudes before the topic is introduced. I enjoy challenging students to rethink their views on mathematics. This image here was taken on my final mathematics class of 2022 with the apprentices. Typically, these students find maths daunting and in September they shared with me their mostly negative experiences with mathematics. Here we are celebrating a Maths Xmas party and challenging the norm that maths can be fun! |