EDU 255 - Wk #1 - My Teaching Philosophy

Hi Gang - Here it is! Posted and toasted on the blog and in BB. I get by with a little help from my friends. OOPS. How do I attach this???...LORI!!!

My Teaching Philosophy
Amy Welden

He is able who thinks he is able. Buddha

To be a teacher, one must be interested and knowledgeable not only in content, but in the person who is learning the content. To be a true teacher, one must be a quiet observer, who holistically assesses the learner and matches the tools of the profession to the style of the learner. Since teaching involves individuals, there is never one right formula for teaching everyone. Like a blank canvass, the artist carefully chooses which colors, brushes to use to creating the best design – teachers are artist.
What you get is who you get: Most often, in the formal setting, teachers are not allowed to choose who walks into the classroom. Students come from all backgrounds. A teacher, as observer, watches her students. What is new today about this person? What is consistent about this person? Like a person in the medical profession who sees things for what they are, makes a diagnosis and designs a course of action - the teacher makes a daily assessment, adjusts her curriculum and begins today’s lesson.
Be prepared with as many tools as possible: People learn at different rates and in a variety of ways. A great teacher needs to have a wide range of teaching strategies available, be prepared to use them or change them or adjust them and be willing to back up and punt, regroup, refine, try again, accept setbacks and determined to move on, if not forward. A teacher uses teaching strategies not only skillfully but creatively as well.
Provide inspiration: Think back to the people in your life who inspired you the most. My guess is, they were ones who supported you with encouragement by finding something you did well, praised it and built from that moment. Although they recognized when a task was not completed perfectly, they were still able to find something good to say about with you completed…even when it was so small most people would have overlooked it. Most of us have observed a baby learning to talk or walk. What is the response to their first efforts? Yes, cheers and encouragement! Not scolding for mispronouncing the word daddy or mother incorrectly!

Teachers who excel in the profession are motivators and a source of inspiration. They accomplish these deeds through acceptance, by creatively applying a wide variety of experiences to match the learner’s style and by consistently using encouraging words.