MY PHILOSOPHY OF TEACHING
Philosophy of Teaching
Carol Donlon
ColoradoStateUniversity
EDAE 620
Dr. Jeff Foley
October 18, 2011
My Philosophy of Teaching
As a Facilitator and learner, I enjoy and continually engage in reflection and analysis, including activities to become more self-aware. I feel that this process is essential in order to live my life and practice my profession, in a way that honors my values and beliefs and guides my decisions and actions. On that same note, I feel that it is very valuable if not critical to identify and reflect on one’s teaching philosophy. In this way, we can ensure that our actions in how we teach and how we interact with learners is in line with those beliefs.
Indeveloping my philosophy of teaching, I utilized the Philosophy of Adult Education Inventory (PAEI), the Principles of Adult Learning Scale (PALS) and reflections on class discussions, my facilitation experience, and my personal thoughts on qualities of an excellent adult learning facilitator.
In taking the PAEI, Philosophy of Adult Education Inventory, I scored very high (94) on having a Humanistic philosophy. This is not surprising as it is completely in line with how I view learners, how I facilitate learning and why I have chosen adult education as my profession.According to Zinn (2004) a Humanistbelieves in the potential of learners and focuses on their personal growth and self-actualization. I am passionate about the power of education to enlighten and develop knowledge, abilities, self-confidence and self-esteem.By encouraging and empowering learners to utilize their potential,they will be able to continually grow, overcome challenges and achieve their personal, academic and career goals.
Facilitators can play aninstrumental and positive role in the learning process or they can hinder it. They can light the fire of curiosity, passion, self esteem and empowerment or they can put a damper on it. I prefer to use the word facilitator over teacher as my role is to awaken, inspire, listen, guide and empower, working in partnership with learners. In order to do this effectively learnersneeda safe and inclusive environment where they are engaged in meaningful and relevant, learner centered activities that open their minds to the possibilities and to varying points of view.
I have found that in order to provide a safe and engaging learning environment, I must be cognizant of diverse learning styles and needs and be aware of my own style. I have a preference for extraversion and as such I process information externally and love brainstorming. Extraverts are often comfortable brainstorming and thinking on their feet, which may give little opportunity for those with a preference for introversion to participate. When posing a question to groups for brainstorming, I ask learners to think about the question before responding and suggest that they might want to write their ideas down first. I then open the floor up for verbal brainstorming. This takes a few extra minutes but the payoffs are well worth it. Providing time to reflect and write thoughts down before verbal discussion facilitates a more inclusive and engaging brainstorming activity.
I encourage learners to think about their own thinking so that they are aware of their own paradigms and the impact that it has on their learning, opinions and receptivity to other opinions. I have the learners engage in regular reflection about their thinking and what makes them think or feel the way they do. I have them examine what impact their thoughts have on their feelings, behavior and interaction with others. I also ask them to think about how others could view a situation differently and why they may think that way. This allows for more engaging and lively case studies, discussions and role plays. I encourage an open exchange of ideas without judgment or criticism.
I feel that as Facilitators, we need to be cognizant and sensitive to diverse needs, experiences and learning preferences and to incorporate that in our facilitation. I believe that as dedicated professionals, we must understand how to design a variety of learning activities that are engaging and meet the diverse needs of the learners as well as learning objectives. Thoughtful and thorough planning is needed to examine how to design and use diverse learner centered activities. However, we must also be flexible and adaptable enough to set agendas aside to seize spontaneous learning opportunities and go where the learners need to go.
Learners are self-directed and seek learning that is relevant to their needs and goals. They have a wealth of knowledge and experience to share in the learning process not only for themselves but for their fellow learners and the facilitator as well. With these points in mind, I try to select learning activities that utilizetheir knowledge and experiencein a collaborative and experiential learning environment.
I believe that in order to be effective, facilitators need to be engaging. This is done through both design and delivery. I like to incorporate a variety of activities and technique such as using; ice breakers, energizers, discussion, brainstorming, group work, role play, games, problem-solving, self-assessment and self-reflection. Learners have diverse preferences and styles that need to be considered.In order to speak to various learning styles and to create interest, I like to use colorful visuals, engaging demonstrationsand powerful quotes, stories and metaphors. Humor, variety and meaningful activities as well asopportunities for movement and demonstration, can enhance energy and engagement.
I believe in the power of education for discovery, enlightenment and growth. As a life long learner and someone who aims to continually develop effective facilitation skills, I know that I have a lifetime of learning and development ahead of me. In order to effectively meet the needs of diverse learners, I plan to learn more about the many e-learning resources that are available and to incorporate them into my facilitation. As I gain more experience in adult education, I plan to revisit my teaching philosophy and make changes as I grow and reflect. Education is a process of discovery and I am privileged to be an instrument in that process. “Ï am not a teacher, but an awakener” (David Frost).
References
Zinn, L.M. (2004). Exploring Your Philosophical Orientation. In M.W. Galbraith (Ed.),
Adult Learning Methods A Guide for Effective Instruction 93rd ed., pp. 39-74).
Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company.
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