Teaching Philosophy and Dossier - Essay Example

Teaching Philosophy and Dossier Part Approach to Teaching ment of Teaching Philosophy I have completed my certification of English in the University of New Brunswick. I completed my graduation in Saint John College in December 2012. The college is affiliated under University of New Brunswick. I desire to become a professor in my specific field because I would love to share my knowledge with students. I am very passionate about my subject and the experience I have gained from my learning experience has helped me to think in a new dimension. I encountered with a teacher in my college who had distinct teaching techniques in English and he helped me to grow my knowledge with a progression of interest. According to me my students should learn to implement theoretical knowledge in practical world. This is my most important goal because it can enhance their interest towards the subject and social awareness will be associated among my students. To make the learning environment should be appropriate for students so that they can have a positive interest towards the subject. If the learning place is not optimal a teacher will have to adapt the teaching technique in the space provided. Only material knowledge is not enough for students they should be motivated to question the implications of knowledge provided with the present circumstances. Student and teacher relations should be at par so that learning and teaching both works together and concepts delivered in class should not go waste because it is very effective. Teaching Strategies Teaching is not an easy task. It requires huge patience and concentration while delivering a speech or questioning someone about a described topic. There are many ways to deliver subjective knowledge but according to me the most important method is to make students imagine about a particular topic discussed during a class session. Knowledge should always have a practical implementation in life. There is no point in delivering materialistic knowledge without explaining its use because students might find it not necessary and end up losing concentration which is not the purpose of a teacher. There might be various arguments regarding the technical use of English in present world. According to my experience English language is used and understood in almost every part of world. I have been staying in Saudi Arabia and I have been a translator in various institutions. There have been many evidences that I have seen where people are not able to communicate properly because of language barrier. English understanding will help to reduce the barrier and bring different societies together. There are many technical use of English language because literature has itself been very significant in development of cultural life of people. Students should also be given a fair chance to implement the outstanding facts of English language in their life. There must be a proper delivery on a specific topic so that there is no room for any doubt that might arise in the brain of students. The feedback given by students is also important for a teacher because it gives a clear picture on the areas of improvement for a teacher. I truly value student’s feedback because it has helped me develop in various skills that I lagged earlier. Self-Evaluation of Teaching and Student Learning My courses are always kept up to date with the recent readings, annual revisions and evaluating new textbooks. For a teacher to understand weather knowledge has been delivered properly or not there are certain measures that must be conducted. I have always focused on self-evaluation rather than evaluating students. I conduct weekly tests and results are verified by me in order to catch up with students who might have trouble in understanding any topic. Though I strictly follow office hours but I am also available for students outside class so that students who feel shy to ask question in class can come up and ask questions and get their doubts cleared. I am also actively involved in many learning curriculums and I find it helpful because being a student in those curriculums helps me understand the problems students might face while they are attending a session that is tough. It is always the task of a teacher to make materials easy and understandable for students and successfully I have been able to make this possible. My students have a very positive response in my class and I have been able to succeed in delivering high quality speech when required. Previously in other institutions I have served in undergraduate curriculum and it has helped me to develop a personality that students feel positive about. Professional development of Teaching/Learning The job of a teacher is not a very easy task. Most people might think that being a teacher is easy and the work is not so hectic compared to other jobs. However the truth is different because a teacher has to maintain a lot of things in order to accomplish his goals. It is quite significant that the syllabus that students get change after every 2-3 years. A teacher’s job role is very important in shaping the future of students. Hence teachers need to update themselves every time there is a change I have to update myself and make myself confident enough to deliver the changes without any mistake. Internet sources and taking help from other colleagues have let me maintain a stable atmosphere in the institution. I get prepared before implementation of any change and teach students in such a way that they do-not feel any problem to overcome new syllabus introduced. I also participate in teaching development sessions where I get an opportunity to meet many teachers who share their personal experience and let us know the correct things that can be done to maintain a classroom atmosphere. Undoubtedly experience gives resolution too many hidden problems and these conferences have also helped me to update my knowledge and enhance my delivery power. I believe that knowledge can be gained when students come out of their comfort zone hence I keep bothering my students with several questions that can open their mind and also help them after their assessments. These factors have definitely helped me developing my teaching skills. Part 2: Teaching Responsibilities and Contributions Courses Taught Teachers definitely possess tremendous responsibility in shaping the future of students. The courses taught in my discipline mostly comprise of English literature and English grammar. Teaching English grammar is easy and students are given assignments by me during class hours and several tasks they need to complete back in home, because of the practice they expertise in the grammatical content (Forest & Kinser, 2002). However in literature students face problems because many students do-not have the patience to read stories and poems that are also important in course curriculum. Hence it becomes my responsibility to make my students at-par with the subject so that they can overcome the problems they face. I prefer to explain literature in my own style and take more time so that students do-not have to put much effort on the subject. Proper mentoring is required so that students can be guided in correct direction with the course materials. I prefer to give my students my personal notes that can help them before exams as well as before field placements. Supervision I have a very strong influence on my student’s preparation. Being an undergraduate level teacher I have to take many new remedies because most of my students have a tendency to lose focus during class sessions hence I prefer to let them do some practical performances through which their interest can be preserved towards the subject as well as my time can be utilized. In English literature there are many stories that can be induced as a play in classroom atmosphere. For an example on the 16th of last month I let my students act in the amphitheater of the institution where I found them performing well according to act. Moreover when I asked them subject related questions all my students were smart enough to answer them which made my life easy. I have been able to make my students devote towards my subject which makes me feel great at times. Teaching Related Contributions For a teacher it is very important to maintain contact with other teachers from the same discipline. In order to mentor my students successfully I had to update myself from various sources. The most important and helpful source was internet that gave me information about almost everything I required. Moreover I had to maintain relation with other colleagues as well so that I could receive course materials from them that might be helpful for additional support. According to me the most important day was when I gave a presentation on the literary works of William Shakespeare. The stories by William Shakespeare are known by many people but proper presentation of his art works is difficult to bring forward. However the presentation was delivered with success and I found myself at a better position than before. The most important feature in me that has developed the change is my interest towards the subject. Since my college days I had a special interest towards the subject hence teaching the same subject makes me feel happy and honored. Previously the committee in the institution had a different view towards the advancement of the subject however the image of my subject has changed in front of the institution and students. Gaining pride by delivering a subject that I know the best really feels great and so does the committee feel due to advancement of the language. Curriculum Development and Development of Innovative Teaching According to me there should be changes incorporated for the development of the subject. It has been seen that English language has become an elective subject rather than being a compulsory subject. The subject has many positive significance that relate history of world as well as the modern world hence it should be mandate for students because students would find the subject interesting and at the same time they will be able to develop their skills. There should also be some development in the materials provided by the institution. The materials used subsequently are old and does not have much relevance to the present world. In order to advancements students should be provided with text books that are comfortable understanding and contain real facts that help them develop their thoughts. English literature also helps to enhance the creativity in thinking process and it results in a thinking that is different from others. I have encountered this situation hence I make my students understand the impact of the subject in their life. The course provided should also be technical enough to provide evidence of facts rather than fictions. Teaching Awards/Recognition I have been nominated in many reward and recognition held by our institution. In the year 2013, I was nominated for Excellence in Teaching Award. This award was provided to me for my best teaching experience and I was youngest among others to receive the award. Some other events where I was appreciated were Top Ranking Teaching Assistant in 2012 and 2013. Due to my teaching skills I was recognized other universities and positive feedback were provided to me by students I taught. Research and Publications Related to Teaching I have worked on many subjects apart from discipline but English always gives me the interest I look forward to. I have been able to publish my notes in the institution and because of some outstanding works they have been prescribed in my institution and others as well. Other work forms that I have submitted are articles, presentations and conference paper. I have also hosted some conferences in the higher level because of good speech delivering capacity. For my discipline my senior has granted some courses as per my suggestion. Earlier the curriculum only focused on materialistic education that did not have much significance to realities. However my work and effort made it possible to change the subject oriented course to diversify and become modern art. Undoubtedly this has helped my students and other because they are now able to relate their subject with some real time happenings. This has given me immense strength and positive energy for continuation of my delivering power. Part 3: Appendices The information provided give out some important significance about my curriculum vitae. I have encountered some other jobs before graduating hence I understand the importance of my discipline in the world. Starting from my graduation I had a keen interest in the subject. My teacher helped me to develop my skills and implement creative thinking strategies during my studies. The teaching skills that I attained during my graduation helped me when I became a teacher. I knew the tendency of students because there was less age gap between me and my students. Motivating students towards their curriculum is definitely a tough job hence there should be certain strategies that should be implemented while teaching. The most important strategy is to make students aware about a topic and let them take interest about the topic. To gain interest of students there are various remedies like playing while teaching and being humorous while explaining a serious topic. This teaching style most of the time works for students and they try to listen to the speech delivered instead of chatting or losing their mind. The teaching style and strategies have helped me to a great extent and I have been able to improve the performance of my students in my discipline. Students should be made aware that there is a practical implication behind every subject taught in class. History and English literature are not just recreational stories they are part of the world and in modern world there are many significance of these subjects that relate from past to present. My students have never let me down fortunately in making my career goals. Due to regular assessments my students are ready of exams at any point of time. I have also observed that the results have improved a lot in my discipline after I joined the institution. This is one of the most important achievements for me because when my students earn good grades it is me who is most proud. Being a teacher is tough but the happiness and satisfaction a teacher gets against his work is tough to explain. According to reports generated in my institution my discipline shows to be at a high position. My colleagues also work in a smart way to keep track of their students and enhance the result of students. Teaching requires a lot of patience because there are students with different abilities. A teacher’s job is to recognize the difference in students working abilities and help them in the best possible way. There are some other salient features also that help a teacher to judge a student based on their performance and behavior. I am glad that I have been able to recognize my students working abilities and it has helped to generate outstanding performance in my discipline. Reference Forest, J., & Kinser, K. (2002). Higher Education in the United States. New York: ABC-CLIO. Read More