Personal Philosophy of Teaching

As a Composition 101 instructor here at The University of South Florida, and as a graduate of another large state-run University, The University of Virginia, I can appreciate the value of individual care for and attention to students by their instructors. I agree with the common statement, "People won’t care how much you know until they know how much you care." In my efforts to be personable, accessible, and immediate in my teaching, I strive to learn each of my students' names and faces within the first few class periods and I sometimes mentally review my class roster while commuting to campus.

Having spent time and service in other, non-academic, occupational contexts, I bring to my teaching some of my leadership philosophy. I believe that good teachers are leaders, asking of their students only what they know themselves able and willing to do. I practice this principle in my teaching by working through the assignments I give to my students from a student perspective.

I believe in any formal educational setting there are always two curricula: the formally defined and official curriculum, and what I call the "subconscious curriculum," the curriculum of everything taught and learned without the teacher's awareness. Knowing that the students are learning more from me than what I am aware of teaching them motivates me to strive to be the best person I can be in every way, not only in ways that promote my career as a teacher.

In my teaching I strive to be transparent, not pretending to know all the answers, and willing to demonstrate through my own learning process what it means to be a good student. I also strive to empower students by switching roles in certain circumstances, guiding students to their own answers by asking intelligent questions. I am willing to be taught to a certain extent; letting my students teach helps them to ingrain knowledge within themselves. We know best what we have taught.

By being accessible and making time for as many teaching moments as possible, I recognize that teaching moments–-or "teachable moments" as they are sometimes called–-are often spontaneous and happen during unstructured as well as structured time. By being accessible, making time for as many teaching moments as possible, by catering my teaching style to respond to different learning styles and abilities, and by translating each lesson and assignment into interesting, relevant and interactive sessions, I strive to speak my students' language.

AKatrinaStory

Comments:

I like this statement: Good teachers have the ability to be transparent, not pretending to know all the answers and willing show themselves as model students as well as teachers.

Expand upon each thing that "good teachers do." How do you do each of these things?

-AP

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