MY TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
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Teaching in the 21st Century
LEARNING 101
How Learning Happens
Learning is an active process that requires involvement from both students and teachers in order to be successful. Knowledge can only be gained when instruction is designed to actively engage participants in experiences that promote inquiry and application. These experiences must also involve multiple learning modalities to ensure that the new knowledge can be retained. Teachers play a pivotal role in this process by being the curators of instruction that will lead to student mastery of new knowledge. The best teachers use their expertise to provide students with an option of experiences that they can embark on to meet their learning goals.
THE BEST TEACHERS
Facilitators of Learning
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The best way for someone to teach is from the sidelines. Teachers need not stand in the center of the classroom lecturing and driving instruction. Instead, effective teachers design learning experiences in which students are given the resources to guide their own learning (Schcolnik, Kol, and Abarbanel, 2015, p.15). This type of learning is impactful because it is student driven since the pace and method of learning are controlled by the student (Doolittle, 2014, p. 486). In essence, the role of the teacher has shifted to the background and the student has become the focal point in the classroom.
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While the role of the teacher has shifted, they are still an integral part of the learning process. They put in tremendous work behind the scenes by curating resources, designing the learning experiences, and developing assessments that students will use to meet the desired learning goals. They ensure that all of the items are available for students to be successful at acquiring the new information (Schcolnik, Kol, and Abarbanel, 2015, p.15). While the learning process may seem that it is student led, it is the work of the teacher beforehand that makes the learning possible. Ultimately, teachers who identify their role in the classroom as a facilitator of learning, are those who should be identified as master teachers.