Preparing to Teach, 2.Preparing Teaching Materials: PTT2_scd

7/30/2019 Preparing to Teach, 2. Preparing Teaching Materials: PTT2_scd

1/12

2012 DJ

Preparing to Teach

Module Workbook_2

Writing a Teaching Philosophy

Contributing Lecturer

David Jennings, Tim McMahon & Paul Surgenor

UCD Teaching and Learning


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4

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)DevelopingStudentAutonomyinLearning2nd

Edition,KoganPage,

London.

EnnisRH(2004)ASuperStreamlinedConceptionofCriticalThinkingAvailableat

http://www.criticalthinking.net/SSConcCTApr3.htmlaccessed12th

January2008

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:aqualitativestudyInternationalJournalofNursingStudies44(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)ActiveLearningAvailableathttp://trc.ucdavis.edu/TRC/ta/tatips/activelearning.pdfAccessed12thJanuary

2008

Discussion

Criticallyreviewthephilosophy;whatarethekeyconceptsittackles,

canyouidentifyanyparticularstylisticstructures,inwhatwaydoestheuseofliteraryreferencessupportitetc


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Mymaingoalasateacherofisto

TherelationshipItrytoachievewithmystudentsis..

ThemostimportantthingthatIexpectofmystudentsis

Iknowateachingsessionhasbeensuccessfulwhen.

ThevaluesthatIseektoimparttomystudentsare.

Effectiveteachingis

Activity1Selectatleastthree(butpreferablyseveral)oftheincomplete

statementsandattempttocompletethem.


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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.Thusallofmycomputingclassesarelabbasedwithheavyprogrammingassignments.Receiveanassignment,thinkaboutit,work

onit,getsomehelp,thinksomemore,andgoagain.Mylectureclassesemphasize

demonstrations,studentinvolvement,andjustabitofwhatIthinkisbrillianthumor;

afeelinggenerallynotreciprocatedbythestudents,atleastifgroansareany

indication.

Mathematics,computing,andcomputersarefascinating,practical,andfun.Myhope

isthatIcanpassontheenthusiasmandloveIhaveformathematicsandcomputing

tomystudents.IwanttheexcitementIstillfeelforthesetwosubjectstobecome

infectiousandbecaughtbymanyofmystudents,sothattheymayexperiencemathematicsandcomputingasnotadry,technical,boringsubject,butaliving,vital,

exciting,practical,andtotallyabsorbingsubjectthatcanbringthemagreatsenseof

enjoymentandsatisfactionandaccomplishment.Iwantthemtonotavoida

challenge,orbeleeryofit,butwanttotryit,wanttotesttheirwings,wantto

experiencethejoyandsatisfactionofsolvingadifficultproblemorgettinga

particularlyrecalcitrantprogramtoruncorrectlyandefficiently.

Studentsarealldifferent.Ateacherwhorespectshisorherstudentsisbetterableto

helpthemlearnandsucceed.

Activity2Reviewthefollowingfourphilosophies;discussyourfindingswiththe

groupwhatfactorsmakeateachingphilosophyeffective?


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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,Godgivenpotentialandcanachievemuchofthatpotentialifindividuallymotivated,treatedwithrespectandfairness,

andexpectedtorisetowardthatpotential.Eachstudentneedstobeviewed

asanindividualwithgreatworthandpotential.Weobtainthebestresultsin

educationbyexpectingthebestfromeachstudent.

4.Tounderstandtoday'smaterialastudentmustpressaheadinto

tomorrow'smaterial.Initialexposuretonewfacts,concepts,ordecision

makingstrategiesisoften,atbest,onlyapartiallyenlighteningexperience.

Plannedrepetitionoffactualinformation,reviewofconcepts,useof

techniques,andpracticeinproblemsolvingareneededinordertofacilitateeffectivelearning.

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.


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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,andtransportationprocessesthatareprimarilyresponsibleforthisobservable

pattern.Onecanfunctionmoreeffectivelywithinhumanandenvironmental

systemsifoneisawareofandunderstandstheseprocesses.

3.Geographyprovidesitsstudentsamentalframeworkorspatialfiling

system.Anunderstandingofworldlocationsandthefunctionsofmaps

providesastudentwithaframeofreferenceforthemyriadofeventsthat

shapeourlives.Justaslanguageandhistorygiveordertothinkingand

connectionsamongeventssogeographyaddsthecriticalelementofspaceor

locationasanorganizingconcept.


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Example5(FromanelectronicTeachingPortfolioavailableat

www.cs.nott.ac.uk/~lad/work/portfolio/teaching_philosophy.html

Ifeelitisimportanttostartmyteachingphilosophywithabriefwordabout

Research.ThereasonIamanacademicisbecauseIenjoyandwishtopursueresearch.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.Lastlythereappearstobeadifferencebetweenstudentswhowishtobepresentedinformationinalinearfashionandthosewhoprefera


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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

aresomepeoplewhoafterbeingprovidedwithsomebasicmaterialcanproduceprogramsandproofswith(relative)easeandotherswhocontinuetostrugglefora

longtime.Asaresultitiscustomarytoprovidestudentswithalargenumberof

practicalexercises(bothformativeandsummative).Ingeneralitismyobservation

thatthestudentswhodoattempttheexercisesdobetterthanthosewhodon't

whichwouldsupportanassumptionthatstudentsofComputerSciencelearnbestby

"doing".Howeveritishardtobecertainwhethertheexercisesenablelearning

(whichistheassumption)ormerelyallowthestudentstodemonstratetheirmastery

oftherelevantskillswhichthey'veobtainedbyothermeans.However,inthe

absenceofstrongevidencetothecontrary,Ipursueateachingphilosophywhich

emphasisespracticalworkonexercisesastheprimarymechanismforlearning.ThisphilosophyextendsitselftotheuseoflecturesinG51SWTthatarecentredaround

theprocessofworkingthroughexamplesinasrealisticafashionaspossiblerather

thanthepresentationoffactsorelegantsolutionstoproblems.

IntermsoftheothertwocontrastsI'vepickedoutofthelearningstyleliterature.I

wouldsaythatoneoftheattributesaUniversityshouldpromoteinitsstudentsisa

movetowardsacceptingamoreopenendedapproachtolearningandobtaininga

highlevelviewofmaterial.Thatsaid,inspectionofmyownteachingatfirstyear

showsmemovingmoretowardscarefullyprescribedareasofknowledgeandtrying

toavoidasmuchaspossibledifficultproblemsandquestions.Thisispartlyinadesiretoseethestudentsmasterthebasicmaterialwhichtheyneedasthe

foundationsfortherestoftheirstudiesbutitdoesappeartohavecomeattheprice

ofmakingthematerialappearverymundanetothemoreimaginativelearner(ascan

beseenintheSET/SEMscoresformymodules).

ThelastdifferenceI'vepresentedasatensionbetweenlinearandtopdown

presentationsofinformation(orsay,betweenreadingabookandawebpage).In

bothcasestheinformationisstructured(althoughthereisasuggestioninsomeof

theliteraturethattherearelearningstylesthatfavourunstructuredinformation).I

hopeIpresentinformationinafashionappropriatetobothstyles.Lecturesprovidealinearthreadthroughtheteachingmaterial,butallinformationisavailableinamore


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topdownfashionfrommodulewebpagesandsocan,intheory,beapproachedby

studentsinanyordertheychose.

PrimaryTeachingAims

AsanidealIwantmyteachingtoinspirethestudentswithaninterestinand

understandingofthesubjectmatterforitsownsakeratherthanasaroutetoa

betterjoborhigherstatus.TothatendIstriveinmyteachingnotonlytoconvey

factsbuttoconveyasenseofwhytheyareimportantorinterestingandthe

situationsinwhichtheyproveuseful.ComputerScienceisaveryapplicationdriven

subjectandalotoflectureandteachingtimeisdevotedtotheteachingof

techniquesandskillsratherthanthestudyandanalysisofartifacts.WhenIteachI

wantwanttoprovidethestudentswithabasicgroundinginthosetechniquesand

skills.Ihopethiswilltheninformtheirowninvestigationsintothatsubjectasthey

continuethroughlife.Ialsohopemyteachingwillpromptthemtousethesubject

matterinprojectsundertakenfortheirowninterest,notbecausetheyhavebeenset

asexercises.Forinstance,ifIteachstudentsthePerlprogramminglanguageandexplainhowthiscanbeusedtoprocesstheinputfromformsonwebpagesthenI

hopethatmanyofthemwillcreateanddeveloptheirownwebpagesusingPerl,not

becauseitisanexercisethathasbeensetthembutbecausetheyaregenuinely

interestedindoingthisandIhaveprovidedthemwiththebasictoolsneededtoget

started.

WhileIhopethatmybestteachingendeavourswillinspiremystudentstotakeupa

subjectandextendtheirknowledgeundertheirownsteam.Ialsohopethatmy

worstwillnotcausethemtofail.Ifastudentfailsmymoduleandsubsequently,

perhapsfailstheyearandendsuponanordinarydegreeandfailstogetthejobtheywantthentheirUniversityexperiencehassingularlyfailedtodelivertheresultthey

hadhopedfor.Inmanycasesstudentsfailbecausetheysimplydonothavethe

abilitytodobetterordonotputthetimerequiredintotheirwork.Howeveritis

possibleforteacherstomakeastudents'lifemuchmoredifficult.Whenastudent

doesanexerciseIhavesetIwantthemtograpplewithandthinkaboutthe

intellectualcontentoftheexercise:understandingthetechnicalproblemorforming

anopiniononsomeissue.Idon'twantthemtobestrugglingtounderstandthe

questionIasked,grapplingwithtechnologythatdoesn'tworkorfightingoverthe

oneeditionoftherelevanttextbookthatexistsintheLibrary.FredBrooks[Brooks,

96]discussesessentialandaccidentaldifficultiesinsoftwareengineering.Theessentialdifficultiesarethosepartswhicharegenuinelyhardandalwaysrequire

carefulthoughtandplanning,theaccidentaldifficultiesarethosewhicharise

throughpoortoolsormanagementandarenotfundamentaltothetaskinhand.I

wanttojudgestudentsontheirabilitytoovercomeessentialdifficultiesinthe

material,nottheirabilitytoovercomeaccidentaldifficultiescausedbecauseI

phrasedquestionsbadly,orfailedtoinformthelibraryontimetopurchasenew

books(orbecausethelibraryfailedtoorderthebooksuntiltheweekbeforethe

modulestarted).Whilesuchproblemstendtobethrownintosharpreliefin

assessmentsandexercisessimilarconsiderationswillapplytolecturing,the

recommendationofreadingandotherteachingsituations.Idomybesttomakemyexplanationsasclearaspossible,toillustratethemwithwellchosenexamplesandto


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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,shouldthatpathinvolvetheskillsIamteaching,willprovidethemwiththebasicfoundations

neededtogainmasteryinthoseskills.

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.

Activity3Refertoactivity1;usingthestatements,selectandcombineasmany

asyouwishtocreateaframeworkdraftphilosophy,andbegintofill

inthegaps


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FortheNextSession

Beforethenextsession

1. ReviewthecontentsofWorkbook22. Producealistofanyquestionsyouwishhaveansweredatthe

nextsession.Youshouldalsouseittohelpyou

3. Producea(draft)teachingphilosophystatementbasedonyourviewsandbeliefsofteachingandlearning.(Guidewordcount:300

750words).Referencemustbemadetotherelevantliterature.

Bringtothenextsession

1. Bringxcopiesofyourdraftteachingphilosophytothenextmeetingwhenitwillbepeerreviewed

EndofWorkbook2

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Preparing to Teach, 2.Preparing Teaching Materials: PTT2_scd