Teaching Philosophy
I believe that every student has the right to quality education. Therefore students in my classroom deserve to receive the best from me as a educator to help them fulfill their goals and dreams as productive members of society.
My students need to be equipped with the skills, knowledge and attitudes that will help them to live and work in a world where science plays a significant role in modern society and impacts on their daily lives. They therefore need develop a willingness to engage with scientific ideas, an understanding of the characteristics of science and a scientific approach to assess scientific information to make informed decisions. My role as an educator is to ensure that my students are provided with opportunities to develop these skills, knowledge and attitudes within the social setting of the classroom. It is my responsibility to therefore create an environment in the classroom where students are encouraged to work together, practice skills, share ideas, develop a good understanding of scientific practices, understand and apply scientific knowledge to their daily lives and develop positive attitudes towards science.
In order to achieve the above my students have to be actively engaged in the learning and teaching process through participation in the social environment of the classroom. As a teacher I use a variety of different types of activities and teaching strategies to create this environment. This is achieved through thoughtful and reflective planning that is aimed at creating stimulating and engaging lessons that cater to the diverse needs of my students. Where appropriate I use different types of group work or individual strategies so that students can access and apply scientific knowledge and develop skills and positive attitudes. Students also need to be actively involved in investigating scientific phenomena. Therefore practical work and doing scientific investigations are an important feature in my classroom. Where and when appropriate it is also important to incorporate technology into the teaching and learning process. I also employ a range of techniques from looking at science concepts students experience in their everyday life, societal issues related to science and the historical development of scientific ideas. My overall purpose with the above is to ensure students are exposed to a variety of activities and not expect the same thing day after day to stimulate an interest in science.
No matter what approach I use to develop my students’ knowledge, skills and attitudes in science my teaching is always planned around the following key ideas. Firstly, it is important to determine what they already know about science from their own personal experience and what they have learnt previously. Students may come into the classroom with many alternative ideas about science concepts and it is important to know what these are and set up learning activities that challenge these ideas and help them restructure their ideas to develop the correct scientific understanding.
Secondly, students need to be actively engaged in constructing their knowledge and the learning activities I select and use are hands-on to ensure participation and minds-on to develop their thinking and reasoning skills. Lastly, the goals related to understanding the scientific endeavor and the learning process are always explicit. This ensures that students and those that have a stake in their education are aware of my overall aims and goals to develop an understanding of science and be active partners in the teaching and learning process.
It is important that assessment in my classroom is both fair and reliable. Assessment must measure the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes dealt with the learning and teaching that happens in the classroom. Assessment should also allow students to learn from their mistakes and therefore needs to happen throughout the teaching and learning process. When assessing I ensure that students are given feedback that highlights what they have done correctly and where they have made errors and how they can improve their performance to ensure their success.
In conclusion I believe that it is my responsibility to ensure that in my planning and reasoning to teach and assess specific topics my own understanding of the content is packaged into a series of relevant and diverse instructional and assessment strategies that cater to the different needs of my students. It is my responsibility to ensure that these instructional strategies help guide my students to understand the content, develop skills, foster positive attitudes and stimulate interest that contribute to their understanding of science.
The Role of the Liberal Arts in the Twenty First Century
Throughout my career in science education I have always believed that my responsibility included preparing my students for the future. This encompasses more than knowing the science content, which in today’s technological world is no more than a click of the mouse away from accessing and learning. To be prepared for the future students need the necessary skills and attitudes to succeed in the world of work and to make informed decisions about issues in an ever increasing technological environment that have an impact on their daily lives. The liberal arts provide the platform to develop these skills and attitudes necessary to tackle the ever-changing world of the twenty first century.
Even as a science educator I have always been aware that a scientific worldview is not the only way of knowing. Many cultures have for generations lived off the land and their traditions are infused with ideas that have merit as science. Such indigenous knowledge systems can positively impact on our understanding of the natural world. Although I believe that evidence and logical argument are important in making and supporting claims I believe it is important to acknowledge the perspectives and knowledge of those who have lived in harmony with the natural world for generations.
Inquiry is also a key component of developing skills for the future. Inquiry in science involves testing claims by designing and conducting investigations, collecting data and evidence, making claims supported by the evidence and communicating these findings. However, inquiry is not only limited to the natural sciences but the social sciences too. Inquiry develops problem-solving skills that are essential in most careers. Liberal arts incorporates both qualitative and quantitative data and understanding the processes and assumptions made in each type of data is important in making informed decisions and developing critical thinking skills.
In conclusion, knowing that technology outpaces how many institutions react and respond to change and science plays a pivotal role in our society a liberal arts education is empowering. It allows people to move from one career to another because they have the necessary skills employers want. My science teaching has always been infused with aspects related to liberal arts because I believe having the necessary skills such as working as part of a team, problem-solving, critical thinking and good written and verbal communication skills is a guarantee for future success.
