Philosophy of Teaching

Glen Dawursk, Jr. MAED, BSED

Effective instructional supervision requires an appropriate understanding of the definition of teaching. My philosophy of teaching is based upon my belief that learning in a classroom is not just based upon a teacher teaching; instead, it is a relationship whereas the student actively participates in the dynamic educational process of acquiring and applying knowledge. It is a shared responsibility between the student and the teacher. It is therefore imperative that a teacher develop skills, means and processes to develop an intrinsic desire within the student to learn. A teacher can not force learning, but a teacher can create an environment conducive toward learning. This can include seeking out the needs of the student, working within the individual learning modality of the student, and creating challenging but realistic goals for the student – always offering a balance of criticism and praise. Within this shared responsibility, the teacher is still the integral component of the professional education process. The classroom teacher is responsible for developing an environment for learning, for accessing the learners, for organizing and managing the learning approach, for monitoring the process and for evaluating the outcomes of the student’s learning.

An effective teacher knows the subject matter they teach, is able to employ a variety of teaching strategies, prepares for instruction (reflecting on any contextual factors), and displays professional teaching behaviors including ethical teaching behaviors, self-evaluation, and effective communication skills. This teacher promotes a healthy, safe, motivating and supportive learning environment that encourages the exchange of ideas and has a concern for a student’s individuality including culture and ethnicity. As a life-long learner, an effective teacher works with mutual educators to role-model, create, inspire, challenge, and mentor a collaborative community of self-motivated and regulated learners toward their fullest potential. As a reflective decision-maker, the teacher understands that the learning process requires that he/she make immediate responses within the framework of a dynamic classroom and allow for the “teachable moment” within the construct of an organized lesson plan and curriculum. Through inquiry-based and problem-solving activities, teachers help students learn key concepts, methods, approaches, techniques, skills and facts.

Effective teaching is not simply a teacher lecturing and the student acting as simply an observer; rather, effective teaching works within a framework of interaction, observation and experimentation. This approach encourages the learner toward reflective thinking and a desire to be responsible for their individual learning. In the best setting, the teacher and student share control of the learning process, but it is the teacher who manipulates the plan and is accountable for the learning process.