My Teaching PhilosophyThroughout my teaching practice, I employ a combination of classical Greek educational theories with more modern cognitive and constructive approaches to the engineering classroom. My teaching practice and use of theories is much like the discipline in which I teach. Engineering is a classical subject that continues to move with modern technologies and ideologies, however the building blocks at the core of the subject, draw from the Greeks and remain unchanged over the centuries (Hill 1984). My philosophy of education is one that employs the modern understandings of psychology and philosophy within education but is rooted within the classical teachings of Aristotle.
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, and lead to great work. |
"Step by step you get ahead, but not necessarily in fast spurts" I find the strategies of Vygotsky particularly useful in my mathematical teachings. Testing prior knowledge of the mathematical topic is a great way of engaging with learners and their experiences with the subject prior to the lecture or tutorial. Mathematics can be a subject that deals heavily with negative connotations from a lot of students (Hill et al 2016) so it’s important to understand their feelings and attitudes before the topic is introduced. I’m a firm believer that nothing grows in the comfort zone and I enjoy challenging students to step out of their comfort zone by listening to the experiences of others to build on their understanding.
I also try to make sure that education of engineering should not be separate from life itself. Behaviour modification occurs when the individual can relate the behaviour to their experiences (Bates 2016). Therefore, I am required to keep my educational material up to date and interesting for student engagement. Using real world mathematical problems or engineering problems, students can share what they have learned with their peers, and I too can learn from them. |
My Teaching Philosophy | |
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