On Teaching
As a life-long learner who has always been fascinated with the world around me, I am dedicated to the learning, teaching, and study of the natural sciences. Much of my interest was instilled while at secondary school as a result of the enthusiasm and dedication of my teachers and the inclusive nature of their approach to learning.
Now, in my own classroom, one of my goals is to create a comfortable and non-threatening learning environment in which students can feel free to share ideas, make mistakes, and ask questions. Being able to express ideas and opinions helps students develop both their confidence and their communication skills. I like to use humour and anecdotes in the classroom to create a welcoming atmosphere and I draw my material from my years of science research. My practical experience allows me to show students how the information they are learning can be applied in the "real world".
Like any discipline, the natural sciences possess a vocabulary that must be learned in order for effective communication to take place. However, as I teach, I also strongly emphasise critical thinking and problem solving. As learning is not restricted to the confines of the classroom or laboratory, equipping students with the attributes of critical thinking, resourcefulness, and curiosity is an essential component of the teaching process.
In this respect, I find Bloom’s taxonomy invaluable as it provides a precise language for articulating the intended outcomes of instruction expressed in terms of student learning. Bloom’s taxonomy offers facilitators in constructivist classrooms a tool for decoupling critical thinking skills from content, the primary emphasis of instruction in the traditional classroom.
As every student has a unique style of learning, I attempt to incorporate a variety of teaching styles into every lesson. This includes incorporating both visual and auditory styles of presenting material, as well as discussion and small group work (in line with Vygotsky’s "social development theory"). Labs provide the opportunity for student involvement in every aspect, incorporating group learning and fostering teamwork. In terms of teaching styles, visual and tactile stimulation can be two of the most powerful tools that the lab setting can offer.
I also employ Bloom’s taxonomy when designing evaluations of student performance, while being sensitive to the level of cognitive development of the child. I use a combination of fact-recall and higher-level concept questions on assignments and tests and often pose problems to students that require them to form hypotheses, make predictions, and design experiments to test their ideas.
In terms of classroom management, my approach very much favours fostering intrinsic motivation in my students whereby they possess the skills and understanding necessary to take responsibility for their own actions. I question the assumption that teachers must tell students exactly how we expect them to behave and then punish or reward them accordingly. Rather, I believe teachers must work with students to create caring communities where decisions are made together and where students are offered choices that lead to greater social and ethical development.
In this manner, I hope to stimulate students to take responsibility for their own learning and to discover for themselves the relevance of the material to both their personal lives and future employment. I am excited about the challenges that this approach will present and look forward to the opportunities for learning that it will provide for both my students and myself.
Quote:
"In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few."
—Shunryu Suzuki