Professional Journey (Teacher Identity Part 1)
After a twenty-year career in scientific research that has allowed me to explore some fascinating fields of science - immunology, developmental and bone biology - and has allowed me to experience other cultures, I am now embarking on a new journey - that of becoming a teacher. These life experiences have shaped the way I think and my approach to teaching. Research has taught me to think critically about what I have heard, to persist in the face of adversity, to accept that successes are often preceded by many failures, and to appreciate the constructive criticism of colleagues. I am more receptive toward novel ideas and recognize how different routes can be used to reach the same goal. What this means for the classroom is that I am keen to try evidence-supported teaching strategies to improve my students' learning. I never give up on a student. I seek feedback and suggestions from colleagues and strive to use them to better my practice. I have also learned that there is no single definition of an effective teacher. |
Living abroad has opened my eyes to my own personal biases, it has exposed me to other cultures and mindsets and has improved my ability to listen and to communicate. This experience has helped me to create safe and inclusive learning environments where students feel valued and understood.
Educational PhilosophyEducation should not only prepare students to make a livelihood tomorrow, it should imbue them with a curiosity and appreciation of the world about them.
What should we teach?A major challenge in education is the inability to predict what society and the workplace will be like in the next decade. Within this relatively short period of time, teachers need to be able to prepare students with the knowledge and skills that will properly equip them to be productive and contributing members of society. At the same time, technology is advancing at such a rapid rate, there is a real possibility that what students learn in the classrooms today will be obsolete tomorrow. That is why, an equally if not more important goal is to help students to develop the following traits: adaptability, resilience, persistence and resourcefulness.
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How should we teach?
Teaching should begin with the student in mind. To create a relationship of mutual respect and trust, it is important to see students as individuals. I make it my highest priority to learn the names of each student as soon as possible as there is nothing more effective at creating a connection to someone than to be able to call them by name. I also consult IEPs both to see if I need to make any accommodations and to get a sense of their interests based on their other courses. In class, I pay attention to their off-subject discussions and make note of any extra-curricular interests they express.
Teaching should be built upon a student's prior knowledge. By asking questions throughout a lesson, or by giving quizzes, you can get a sense of how prepared a class is for the material you are planning to teach. Once you have this information, you need to respond to the learner's needs. Often this might mean providing extra information to them, or giving them more support. At other times, it may mean finding some enrichment material to keep them engaged.
Teaching should be built around a student's strengths. By offering students choices in how they present their work, we can allow them to display their knowledge in the best light and promote their sense of efficacy.
Teaching should be built around a student's interests. Using relevant examples helps keep students engaged and allows them to see the purpose for what they are learning.
I view my role as a teacher as both guide and expert. It is important for students to have a role in creating their own learning. At the same time such self-guided learning can have its pitfalls, and it is there that the teacher as expert plays an important part.
As a subject expert, a teacher would provide curriculum material in an engaging and meaningful way, incorporating where possible, relevant real-world examples. As a pedagogical expert, the teacher would make the work accessible by providing scaffolding where needed - heavy scaffolding such as providing examples and key phrase prompts for students that require more supports, or light scaffolding such as providing general structure. Furthermore the teacher would create working groups based on abilities and personalities to promote collaboration or allowing individual work as appropriate. For example some complex math problems can be approached in different ways and sometimes it is more advantageous to allow each student to come up with an approach that works for them and to share the different approaches among the class afterwards. In other situations, such as in science, where materials can be limited, a situation that occurs in the real world where grant money is scarce, it may be more advantageous for the students to work in a group, brainstorming ideas and coming up with a consensus as to what and how to approach a scientific questions.
As a guide, I would provide a framework for group interactions, lead students away from false leads, clearing up misunderstandings and misconceptions and ask questions that help them redirect. Here the teacher as an expert is important because a mastery of the subject matter would allow one to do all this more effectively.
Teaching should be built upon a student's prior knowledge. By asking questions throughout a lesson, or by giving quizzes, you can get a sense of how prepared a class is for the material you are planning to teach. Once you have this information, you need to respond to the learner's needs. Often this might mean providing extra information to them, or giving them more support. At other times, it may mean finding some enrichment material to keep them engaged.
Teaching should be built around a student's strengths. By offering students choices in how they present their work, we can allow them to display their knowledge in the best light and promote their sense of efficacy.
Teaching should be built around a student's interests. Using relevant examples helps keep students engaged and allows them to see the purpose for what they are learning.
I view my role as a teacher as both guide and expert. It is important for students to have a role in creating their own learning. At the same time such self-guided learning can have its pitfalls, and it is there that the teacher as expert plays an important part.
As a subject expert, a teacher would provide curriculum material in an engaging and meaningful way, incorporating where possible, relevant real-world examples. As a pedagogical expert, the teacher would make the work accessible by providing scaffolding where needed - heavy scaffolding such as providing examples and key phrase prompts for students that require more supports, or light scaffolding such as providing general structure. Furthermore the teacher would create working groups based on abilities and personalities to promote collaboration or allowing individual work as appropriate. For example some complex math problems can be approached in different ways and sometimes it is more advantageous to allow each student to come up with an approach that works for them and to share the different approaches among the class afterwards. In other situations, such as in science, where materials can be limited, a situation that occurs in the real world where grant money is scarce, it may be more advantageous for the students to work in a group, brainstorming ideas and coming up with a consensus as to what and how to approach a scientific questions.
As a guide, I would provide a framework for group interactions, lead students away from false leads, clearing up misunderstandings and misconceptions and ask questions that help them redirect. Here the teacher as an expert is important because a mastery of the subject matter would allow one to do all this more effectively.