My understanding of teacher’s role and duties has greatly evolved with time passing. Now when I am pursuing a career in this field, I think that an educator should achieve a great number of objectives and none of them can be disregarded. The key goal which I try to attain is to give students the knowledge and skills that help them become excellent professionals and morally responsible people. Furthermore, I believe that learning should not be limited only to school, college or university since it must be a life-long activity and I always try to foster such attitude in my students. These tasks are of the highest priority to me and I try to accomplish them on an everyday basis.
Being a supporter of such educational approach as progressivism, I usually view myself as a guide, rather than some taskmaster or supervisor who continuously oversees the activities of the students. This theory emphasizes the importance of those activities which are directly related to the development of student’s skills (Ornstein & Levine 2007, p 180). This is why while teaching the students I usually try to give them those assignments that can be applicable to real-life situations.
The supporters of progressivism stress the fact that learning becomes much more effective when peers are able to share one’s ideas with each other (Martin & Loomis, 2007). They should not be regarded as separate entities, who interact only with the teacher but not with one another. This idea significantly impacted my teaching practices. In particular, I encourage them to work on group projects that require cooperation and teamwork.
Additionally, the theory of progressivism postulates that students must always see the usefulness of knowledge (Martin & Loomis, 2007); in other words, they must know how it can be applied. So, I set students those tasks which are connected with problem-solving. Only in this way learners will see that education is not some obligation imposed on them from outside; more likely, it is a necessity. Most importantly, such an approach allows them to derive enjoyment from learning; they no longer view it some tedious or monotonous activity.
Another part of my teaching philosophy is the necessity to question the opinion of others. In my opinion, it is of the crucial importance that students are able to critically evaluate the ideas and views, expressed by other people. For instance, while conducting group discussions with my students I urge them to evaluate the arguments of one another in terms of their validity, relevance to the topic of discussion. This is an inherent part of progressivism educational theory.
Apart from that I always warn learners against making foregone conclusions. For example, when they conduct any form of research, I always tell them that they should not twist in order to suit the initial hypothesis or theory. I hope that this approach to learning will avail them in the course of their lives. Finally, this mindset will enable them to act as explorers who are willing to discover new things.
One of the most crucial questions which I often ask myself is how to assess my work and the performance of my students. In the majority of cases, teachers use standardized tests to evaluate students’ progress. Very often I also use this method, it does not seem to be quite reliable to me, since it often fails to measure critical or analytical skills and ability to apply knowledge. Therefore, while assessing their work, I assign them the tasks that urge them to display creativity and analytical thinking. The most important thing for me is integrity. If I believe that a student underperforms, I will always tell him/her about it. The point is that the achievement of this person largely reflects my own effort. So, if I am dishonest to this person, I will be eventually dishonesty to myself.
Nonetheless, the most important question that every teacher has to answer eventually is why he/she has chosen this particular field of activity. In other words, what are the rewards of being an educator? In my opinion, a person, who has never taught students, cannot fully understand the most gratifying aspects of this job. For me the moment which makes which makes it all worthwhile is the idea of challenge. The thing is that when I give instructions to the students and tell them how they should learn or how they should behave, I have to set some example for them or even act as such an example.
I cannot say that this assignment is an easy one, but when I am able to do, I think that I am becoming a better person. To some degree, educational process is based on a dialogue where interlocutors are on equal terms. A teacher, who actually cares to listen to the students, is surely able to broaden his/her horizon. Finally, the thought of being able to help other people is rewarding in itself, especially at those points when I see that a student is really making progress.
Reference List
Coppola, B.P. (2002). Writing a statement of teaching philosophy. Journal of College Science Teaching, 31(7), 448-453.
Martin D. & Loomis K. (2007). Building teachers: a constructivist approach to introducing education. NY: Cengage Learning.
Ornstein A. & Levine D. (2007). Foundations of Education. NY: Cengage Learning.