2012 DJ

UCD Teaching and Learning

Preparing to Teach
Module Workbook_2 Writing a Teaching Philosophy

Contributing Lecturer David Jennings, Tim McMahon & Paul Surgenor

AnExampleofaTeachingPhilosophyStatement
TeachingPhilosophyStatement. Ibelievethatitisimportantforteacherstoguidestudentsintobeingableto distinguishbetweenwhatisvital,whatisimportant,whatisuseful,whatis peripheralandwhatisirrelevant.Consequently,Itrytoensurethatmyteaching strategiesareappropriatelyfocussed.Ivaluequalityoverquantityandevidenceof criticalthinkingovermerememorisation(Ennis2004,Norris1985).Thereis considerableevidencetosuggestthatengagingstudentsinactivelearningrather thanpassivelisteningimprovesboththespeedandqualityoftheirlearning. (McKinney2008,Prince2004,Felder1992,TAConsultantsundated).Consequently,I trytomakemyclassesasactiveandparticipativeaspossibleand,asateacher,seek tocreateaclassroommilieuthatencouragesactiveparticipationbywayof discussion,roleplayandstudentpresentations. When,however,themostpressingneedofmystudentsistoreceivevital informationasquicklyandeffectivelyaspossible,Iseektousepresentationaidsthat helpthemtoidentifythekeylearningpointsandpromptthemtoconsiderkey questions.Ialsotrytoensurethatkeyinformationisavailableonline. Iexpectandencouragestudentstocontributetotheoveralllearningofeverybodyin theclassbytakingpartinclassroomactivitiesandbeingwillingtoactasacritical friendtotheirpeers(Loke&Chow2007,Boudetal2001).Ialsoexpectstudentsto arrivepunctuallyatclassandtomeetallassignmentdeadlines. Aboveall,Iexpectstudentstotakeresponsibilityfortheirownlearningbyapplying themselvestothegoalsofthecourseandtoworkingwiththeirfellowstudents (Aviram&Yonah2004,Boud1988).
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References: AviramR&YonahY(2004)FlexibleControl:towardsaconceptionofpersonal autonomyforpostmoderneducationEducationalPhilosophyandTheory36(1):3 17. BoudD,CohenR&SampsonJ(2001)PeerLearninginHigherEducationRoutledge, London. Boud(1988)DevelopingStudentAutonomyinLearning2ndEdition,KoganPage, London. EnnisRH(2004)ASuperStreamlinedConceptionofCriticalThinkingAvailableat http://www.criticalthinking.net/SSConcCTApr3.htmlaccessed12thJanuary2008 FelderR(1992)HowAboutaQuickOneChemicalEngineeringEducation26(1):18 19Availableat http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Columns/Quickone.html Accessed11thJanuary2008 LokeA&ChowF(2007)Learningpartnershiptheexperienceofpeertutoring amongnursingstudents:aqualitativestudyInternationalJournalofNursingStudies 44(2):237244 McKinneyK(2008)ActiveLearningavailableat http://www.cat.ilstu.edu/additional/tips/newActive.phpaccessed12thJanuary2008 NorrisSP(1985)SynthesisofResearchonCriticalThinkingEducationalLeadership 42(8):4045. PrinceM(2004)DoesActiveLearningWork?AReviewoftheResearchJournalof Engineering.Education,93(3):223231)Availableat http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Papers/Prince_AL.pdf Accessed12thJanuary2008 TAConsultants,(UniversityofCalifornia,Davis)(undated)ActiveLearningAvailable athttp://trc.ucdavis.edu/TRC/ta/tatips/activelearning.pdfAccessed12thJanuary 2008 Discussion Criticallyreviewthephilosophy;whatarethekeyconceptsittackles, canyouidentifyanyparticularstylisticstructures,inwhatwaydoes theuseofliteraryreferencessupportitetc

Activity1

Selectatleastthree(butpreferablyseveral)oftheincomplete statementsandattempttocompletethem.

Mymaingoalasateacherofisto

TherelationshipItrytoachievewithmystudentsis..

ThemostimportantthingthatIexpectofmystudentsis

Iknowateachingsessionhasbeensuccessfulwhen.

ThevaluesthatIseektoimparttomystudentsare.

Effectiveteachingis

Activity2

Reviewthefollowingfourphilosophies;discussyourfindingswiththe groupwhatfactorsmakeateachingphilosophyeffective?

TeachingPhilosophyStatements SomeFurther(Real)ExamplesofPortfolioEntries

Example2(LecturerinUSLiberalArtsCollege)
Ibelievethatifaninstructortrulyenjoyswhatheorsheisdoing,andisenthusiastic andexcitedaboutthesubject,thenthatenthusiasmcanbeinfectiousandwithany luckmanyofthestudentswillcatchittoo.Also,thebestteachersIvehadhadagift forknowingjusthowmuchinformationtogiveandhowmuchtoaskthestudentto findout.IdontthinkIhavethatgift,butitissomethingIcontinuallyworkon.The keyistohelpstudentsgetexcitedthemselvesaboutthesubject,towanttolearn more,topushbeyondwhatiscoveredintheclassroom. IfeelprivilegedtoteachataliberalartsinstitutionbecauseIstronglybelieveinthe valueofaliberalartseducation.Yes,wewanttohelpdevelopcompetentcomputer scientistsbutwealsowanttohaveourstudentsknowthatthereisfarmoretolife thanbeingabletomovebitsandbyteshitherandyon.Asaliberalartsschool,weat XXXCollegebelieveinthepracticalroleofpreparingitsstudentsforacareer,butwe alsosupportthetraditionalroleofprovidingfortheexpansionoftheintellectual, imaginative,andsocialawarenessofitsstudents. Ibelievestudentslearnbestbydoing.Thusallofmycomputingclassesarelabbased withheavyprogrammingassignments.Receiveanassignment,thinkaboutit,work onit,getsomehelp,thinksomemore,andgoagain.Mylectureclassesemphasize demonstrations,studentinvolvement,andjustabitofwhatIthinkisbrillianthumor; afeelinggenerallynotreciprocatedbythestudents,atleastifgroansareany indication. Mathematics,computing,andcomputersarefascinating,practical,andfun.Myhope isthatIcanpassontheenthusiasmandloveIhaveformathematicsandcomputing tomystudents.IwanttheexcitementIstillfeelforthesetwosubjectstobecome infectiousandbecaughtbymanyofmystudents,sothattheymayexperience mathematicsandcomputingasnotadry,technical,boringsubject,butaliving,vital, exciting,practical,andtotallyabsorbingsubjectthatcanbringthemagreatsenseof enjoymentandsatisfactionandaccomplishment.Iwantthemtonotavoida challenge,orbeleeryofit,butwanttotryit,wanttotesttheirwings,wantto experiencethejoyandsatisfactionofsolvingadifficultproblemorgettinga particularlyrecalcitrantprogramtoruncorrectlyandefficiently. Studentsarealldifferent.Ateacherwhorespectshisorherstudentsisbetterableto helpthemlearnandsucceed.

Example3(MajorUSStateUniversity)
GeneralTeachingPhilosophy 1.Educationistheabilitytorapidlyrelearnfamiliarthingsandtomaster newthings.Themaingoalistoteach"howtolearn"ratherthantoteach factsorevenconcepts.Factswilllikelybecomeoutdated;conceptswillbe forgotteninmanycasesormaybesupercededbynewresearch.New informationwillberequiredinaneverchangingworld. 2.Theprocessofcriticalthinkingisparamount.Studentsneedtoacquirethe abilitytoconfront,evaluate,assimilate,andsynthesizenewinformationand thentoapplythatinformationcritically,practically,andeffectivelyto decisionmakingandproblemsolving.Thedevelopmentofcriticalthinking requires"activelearning"andhandsonanalysis. 3.Allstudentshavetremendous,Godgivenpotentialandcanachievemuch ofthatpotentialifindividuallymotivated,treatedwithrespectandfairness, andexpectedtorisetowardthatpotential.Eachstudentneedstobeviewed asanindividualwithgreatworthandpotential.Weobtainthebestresultsin educationbyexpectingthebestfromeachstudent. 4.Tounderstandtoday'smaterialastudentmustpressaheadinto tomorrow'smaterial.Initialexposuretonewfacts,concepts,ordecision makingstrategiesisoften,atbest,onlyapartiallyenlighteningexperience. Plannedrepetitionoffactualinformation,reviewofconcepts,useof techniques,andpracticeinproblemsolvingareneededinordertofacilitate effectivelearning. 5.Learningisoftenbestachievedinacollaborativeeffort.Thereneedstobe clearandcomfortablechannelsofcommunicationbetweenthestudentand theinstructorandbetweenthestudentandotherstudents.Thereneedsto betheattitudeof"we'reallinthistogether."Apluralityofperspectives, diverseexperiences,andvariedexpertisecancollectivelybebroughttobear onthelearningendeavor;therebyalmostalwaysmakingthatendeavor richerandmoresuccessful. 6.Enthusiasmiscontagious.Ateachermustbeenthusiasticnotonlyabout teachingbutaboutlearningandmustconveythatexcitementtoher/his students.Enthusiasmforlearningis,ofcourse,demonstratedbyone's demeanorinthetheclassroom,butalsobyexplorationandapplicationof newdevelopmentsinthediscipline,byexplicitapplicationofcoursecontent tocurrentevents,andbyappropriateuseoflearningstylesresearch,active learningtechniques,andinstructionaltechnology.

Example4GeographyTeachingPhilosophy
1.Theprimarybenefitfromstudyinggeography(thescienceoflocation)is attainmentofa"spatialperspective"ontheworld.Everythinghappens somewhereforreasonsandwithconsequences.Mosteventsimpactother events.Studentscanbetterunderstandlocal,national,international,and environmentalsituationsbylearningtoevaluatethespatialrelationshipsthat contributetothosesituations. 2.Thereispredictableordertomostspatialdistributions.Amajorgoalin geographyistoidentifyandunderstandprocessesorforcesthatproduce thatorder.Eventsandfeaturesoccurhowandwheretheydoforreasons.It isasifhumanandnaturalsystemswererespondingto"unwrittenrules."A geographerseekstodiscoverthose"rules."Forexample,withinagiven regioncitiesofagivenpopulationareaboutthesamedistancefromother citiesofapproximatelythesamesize;therearemarket,political,and transportationprocessesthatareprimarilyresponsibleforthisobservable pattern.Onecanfunctionmoreeffectivelywithinhumanandenvironmental systemsifoneisawareofandunderstandstheseprocesses. 3.Geographyprovidesitsstudentsamentalframeworkorspatialfiling system.Anunderstandingofworldlocationsandthefunctionsofmaps providesastudentwithaframeofreferenceforthemyriadofeventsthat shapeourlives.Justaslanguageandhistorygiveordertothinkingand connectionsamongeventssogeographyaddsthecriticalelementofspaceor locationasanorganizingconcept.

Example5(FromanelectronicTeachingPortfolioavailableat www.cs.nott.ac.uk/~lad/work/portfolio/teaching_philosophy.html
Ifeelitisimportanttostartmyteachingphilosophywithabriefwordabout Research.ThereasonIamanacademicisbecauseIenjoyandwishtopursue research.InmyfieldofComputerScienceIcouldrelativelyeasilygetahighlypaid jobasaprogrammerifIwishedanditisquiteclearinmyownmindthatIwould prefertobeahighlypaidprogrammerthanapoorlypaidfulltimeteacher.Onthe otherhandIwouldratherbeapoorlypaidresearcherwithsometeachingduties thanahighlypaidprogrammer. IstartedthisphilosophywithastatementaboutresearchbecauseIstronglybelieve thatthesimplestandmosteffectivewaytodeliverabetterlearningexperienceto studentsistodevotemoretimetothem.InparticularIbelievestronglyinthevalue ofsmallgroup(lessthan5students)teaching,ifnotindividualmeetingsbetween studentsandlecturers.Allmybestlearningexperienceshaveinvolvedonetoone interactionswithateacherandIhavehadsomekindofapersonalrelationshipwith everyteacherwhohasmadeasignificantimpactonmylifeintermsofinspiration andmotivation. Ialsobelieve,however,thatwithmoretimemylectures,practicalsandassessments wouldbemorepolished,woulddrawonawiderrangeofmaterialsand,whereIam notanexpertinasubject,wouldallowmetogainabettergraspofthematerialItry toteach.Thiswouldmakeexplanationsofcomplexconceptsclearer,wouldremove "accidental"difficultiesfrompracticalsandassessmentswherethetaskisnotmade clearenoughtothestudentsandwouldequipmetodeliverinformationinwhichI hadsomeconfidenceandallowmetoanswerunexpectedquestionsonthat material. Thisleadstoarealtensioninmyapproachtoteaching.Itismybeliefthatmore investmentoftimewoulddramaticallyimprovethequalityofmystudents'learning experiencebutthisistimeIamunwillingtoinvestbothasaresultofpersonal preferencebutalsointermsofmycareerwhereIbelievemypromotionprospects andgeneralsuccessdependfarmoreheavilyonthequalityofmyresearchoutput thanonthequalityofmyteaching. ApproachestoLearning Therearemanyclassificationsoflearningstylesandthewaylearnerslearn(e.g. [HoneyandMumford82,WolfandKolb84,Bulter87]asdescribedin[Fryet.al. 99]).Ingeneralthereseemtobethreeimportantsetsofcontrastingstylespresent inthiswork.Firstlythedifferencebetweenstudentswhoprefertolearnby"doing" insomesenseandthosewhoprefertolearnbycontemplatingorthinkingaboutthe materialinamoreabstractfashion.Secondlythereisadifferencebetweenstudents whowanttobepresentedwithopenendedmaterialandunansweredquestionsand thosewhowishtolearnwithinacarefullyprescribedcurriculumwithclear boundariesandanswers.Lastlythereappearstobeadifferencebetweenstudents whowishtobepresentedinformationinalinearfashionandthosewhoprefera

higherlevelviewandpossiblytheopportunitytoskipfocusfromoneareatothe next.Obviouslythisisgrosslysimplifyingsomecomplexworkbutthesethree contrastsappeartometobethemostimportantonestobeawareofwhen approachingteaching. Ingeneral,asadiscipline,ComputerScienceadheresstronglytoapractical paradigm,evenifitisnot,strictlyspeaking,alabbasedscience.Practitionerspretty muchuniversallybelievethattheonlywaytolearnprogrammingisthroughpractice, oratleastthattheonlywaytoeffectivelydemonstratethatlearningisthroughthe productionofrealprograms.Thiscontrastswithanecdotalevidencefromother cultureswhereitcan,apparently,beverydifficulttogetbrightstudentstoactually engagewithprogrammingactivity.Similarlyinoneoftheothermainareasofmy teaching,mathematics,theonlywaytotrulydemonstratethatyoucando mathematicalproofsisbyactuallyproducingsomemathematicalproofs. Interestinglyinbothareasalotofbasictalentappearsalsotobeinvolvedandthere aresomepeoplewhoafterbeingprovidedwithsomebasicmaterialcanproduce programsandproofswith(relative)easeandotherswhocontinuetostrugglefora longtime.Asaresultitiscustomarytoprovidestudentswithalargenumberof practicalexercises(bothformativeandsummative).Ingeneralitismyobservation thatthestudentswhodoattempttheexercisesdobetterthanthosewhodon't whichwouldsupportanassumptionthatstudentsofComputerSciencelearnbestby "doing".Howeveritishardtobecertainwhethertheexercisesenablelearning (whichistheassumption)ormerelyallowthestudentstodemonstratetheirmastery oftherelevantskillswhichthey'veobtainedbyothermeans.However,inthe absenceofstrongevidencetothecontrary,Ipursueateachingphilosophywhich emphasisespracticalworkonexercisesastheprimarymechanismforlearning.This philosophyextendsitselftotheuseoflecturesinG51SWTthatarecentredaround theprocessofworkingthroughexamplesinasrealisticafashionaspossiblerather thanthepresentationoffactsorelegantsolutionstoproblems. IntermsoftheothertwocontrastsI'vepickedoutofthelearningstyleliterature.I wouldsaythatoneoftheattributesaUniversityshouldpromoteinitsstudentsisa movetowardsacceptingamoreopenendedapproachtolearningandobtaininga highlevelviewofmaterial.Thatsaid,inspectionofmyownteachingatfirstyear showsmemovingmoretowardscarefullyprescribedareasofknowledgeandtrying toavoidasmuchaspossibledifficultproblemsandquestions.Thisispartlyina desiretoseethestudentsmasterthebasicmaterialwhichtheyneedasthe foundationsfortherestoftheirstudiesbutitdoesappeartohavecomeattheprice ofmakingthematerialappearverymundanetothemoreimaginativelearner(ascan beseenintheSET/SEMscoresformymodules). ThelastdifferenceI'vepresentedasatensionbetweenlinearandtopdown presentationsofinformation(orsay,betweenreadingabookandawebpage).In bothcasestheinformationisstructured(althoughthereisasuggestioninsomeof theliteraturethattherearelearningstylesthatfavourunstructuredinformation).I hopeIpresentinformationinafashionappropriatetobothstyles.Lecturesprovidea linearthreadthroughtheteachingmaterial,butallinformationisavailableinamore

topdownfashionfrommodulewebpagesandsocan,intheory,beapproachedby studentsinanyordertheychose. PrimaryTeachingAims AsanidealIwantmyteachingtoinspirethestudentswithaninterestinand understandingofthesubjectmatterforitsownsakeratherthanasaroutetoa betterjoborhigherstatus.TothatendIstriveinmyteachingnotonlytoconvey factsbuttoconveyasenseofwhytheyareimportantorinterestingandthe situationsinwhichtheyproveuseful.ComputerScienceisaveryapplicationdriven subjectandalotoflectureandteachingtimeisdevotedtotheteachingof techniquesandskillsratherthanthestudyandanalysisofartifacts.WhenIteachI wantwanttoprovidethestudentswithabasicgroundinginthosetechniquesand skills.Ihopethiswilltheninformtheirowninvestigationsintothatsubjectasthey continuethroughlife.Ialsohopemyteachingwillpromptthemtousethesubject matterinprojectsundertakenfortheirowninterest,notbecausetheyhavebeenset asexercises.Forinstance,ifIteachstudentsthePerlprogramminglanguageand explainhowthiscanbeusedtoprocesstheinputfromformsonwebpagesthenI hopethatmanyofthemwillcreateanddeveloptheirownwebpagesusingPerl,not becauseitisanexercisethathasbeensetthembutbecausetheyaregenuinely interestedindoingthisandIhaveprovidedthemwiththebasictoolsneededtoget started. WhileIhopethatmybestteachingendeavourswillinspiremystudentstotakeupa subjectandextendtheirknowledgeundertheirownsteam.Ialsohopethatmy worstwillnotcausethemtofail.Ifastudentfailsmymoduleandsubsequently, perhapsfailstheyearandendsuponanordinarydegreeandfailstogetthejobthey wantthentheirUniversityexperiencehassingularlyfailedtodelivertheresultthey hadhopedfor.Inmanycasesstudentsfailbecausetheysimplydonothavethe abilitytodobetterordonotputthetimerequiredintotheirwork.Howeveritis possibleforteacherstomakeastudents'lifemuchmoredifficult.Whenastudent doesanexerciseIhavesetIwantthemtograpplewithandthinkaboutthe intellectualcontentoftheexercise:understandingthetechnicalproblemorforming anopiniononsomeissue.Idon'twantthemtobestrugglingtounderstandthe questionIasked,grapplingwithtechnologythatdoesn'tworkorfightingoverthe oneeditionoftherelevanttextbookthatexistsintheLibrary.FredBrooks[Brooks, 96]discussesessentialandaccidentaldifficultiesinsoftwareengineering.The essentialdifficultiesarethosepartswhicharegenuinelyhardandalwaysrequire carefulthoughtandplanning,theaccidentaldifficultiesarethosewhicharise throughpoortoolsormanagementandarenotfundamentaltothetaskinhand.I wanttojudgestudentsontheirabilitytoovercomeessentialdifficultiesinthe material,nottheirabilitytoovercomeaccidentaldifficultiescausedbecauseI phrasedquestionsbadly,orfailedtoinformthelibraryontimetopurchasenew books(orbecausethelibraryfailedtoorderthebooksuntiltheweekbeforethe modulestarted).Whilesuchproblemstendtobethrownintosharpreliefin assessmentsandexercisessimilarconsiderationswillapplytolecturing,the recommendationofreadingandotherteachingsituations.Idomybesttomakemy explanationsasclearaspossible,toillustratethemwithwellchosenexamplesandto

directthestudentstowardstextbooksandliteraturewhichareuptodate, accessibleandappropriatetothelevelofthestudent. IhavehighlightedthesetwoextremesbecauseIbelievethatpragmaticallyIdelivera betterlearningexperiencetoawiderrangeofstudentsbyconcentratingonavoiding mistakesthanIdoinstrivingtoinspire.Workingwithinthepragmaticsoflimited time,ability(SET/SEMsuggestthestudentsdon'tfindmylecturingstyleparticularly inspiring)andexperiencemyattemptstoinspirearelikelytotouchonlyhighlyable studentsorthosealreadymotivatedbyaloveofthesubjectmatterwhereasthe presenceof`accidental'difficultiesinteachingmaterialaffectsallstudents irrespectiveoftheirsourceofmotivation,learningstyleortheirinnateability. FortheaveragestudentIhopetoconveyanunderstandingofwhytheyneedto knowtheinformationinthemodule,whenandhowtouseitandthelocationof furtherinformationshouldtheyneedit.Thiswillbesufficientforthemtopassthe courseandfollowwhateverpaththeyintendbeyonduniversityand,shouldthat pathinvolvetheskillsIamteaching,willprovidethemwiththebasicfoundations neededtogainmasteryinthoseskills. Activity3 Refertoactivity1;usingthestatements,selectandcombineasmany asyouwishtocreateaframeworkdraftphilosophy,andbegintofill inthegaps

ReferencesfromFurtherTeachingPhilosophyStatements [Brooks,96]FrederickP.Brooks.TheMythicalManMonth,20thAnniversaryEdition, AddisonWesley,1996. [Bulter,87]KathleenA.Butler,LearningandTeachingStyleinTheoryandPractice, TheLearner'sDimension,Columbia,CT. [Fryetal,99]H.Fry,S.KetteridgeandS.Marshall,AHandbookforTeaching& LearninginHigherEducation:EnhancingAcademicPractice,KoganPage,1999. [HoneyandMumford,82]P.HoneyandA.MumfordAManualofLearningStyles, PeterHoney,Maidenhead. [WolfandKolb,84]D.M.WolfandD.A.Kolb.Careerdevelopment,personalgrowth andexperientiallearning,inD.Kolb,I.RubinandJ.McIntyre(eds)Organisational Psychology:ReadingsonHumanBehaviour,4thedition,PrenticeHall.

FortheNextSession
Beforethenextsession 1. ReviewthecontentsofWorkbook2 2. Producealistofanyquestionsyouwishhaveansweredatthe nextsession.Youshouldalsouseittohelpyou 3. Producea(draft)teachingphilosophystatementbasedonyour viewsandbeliefsofteachingandlearning.(Guidewordcount:300 750words).Referencemustbemadetotherelevantliterature. Bringtothenextsession 1. Bringxcopiesofyourdraftteachingphilosophytothenext meetingwhenitwillbepeerreviewed

EndofWorkbook2