Below is an excerpt from that particular section:
Teaching
Philosophy: Why Do You Need One?
Every teacher should have a teaching philosophy. Think of
the teaching philosophy as your mission statement. Sure, everyone wants to be a
good teacher, but “good” can mean different things to different people (as can
“teacher”). For example, to think that you’re going to come into one of the
first classes you’ve ever taught and become a best friend, mentor, guru, and
life coach to all of your students is a bit unrealistic. That’s not what you
should be striving for, and I’m not sure if any teacher should be attempting to
be all of those things. Student attitudes like those are likely a by-product of
what the teacher actually accomplishes, like encouraging students to make
connections between the material and their own lives, fostering critical
thinking, and creating a welcoming classroom environment. So, put out of your
mind for the time being visions of students chanting “O Captain! My Captain! (a
la the film Dead Poets Society), and
let’s discuss some concrete things you should be instituting in your classroom
communication.
While everyone’s teaching philosophy will read differently
(you can read mine[1] and get the basics of a Teaching
Philosophy at http://www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching/philosophy.html),
there are some basic things you should keep in mind for your classroom
communication with students. Each of these is explained below.
Frame Class Discussions and Activities
First, you can ask them to read the syllabus and assignment
descriptions, but don’t assume they will. So, plan on providing summaries or
overviews of the course policies and assignments. The same holds true for the
textbook; we may assign them readings, but don’t assume they’ve read it. Any
discussions you have on the textbook chapters should be preceded by a brief
summary of the chapter. Don’t worry, you’re not doing their work for them
because good discussion questions should prompt them to address things in much
more detail than your summary (1-2 minutes) will provide.
Lesson Plans, Goals, and Assessments
Second, you should have a lesson plan for every class
meeting. Experienced teachers may tell you they don’t need them, but they have
likely internalized the important parts of the lesson plan and are
incorporating them into their classroom communication. We’ll go over writing
lesson plans in more detail later in the handbook. But for now, you should keep
the following things in mind for each class meeting: what you want to
accomplish, how you’re going to accomplish it, and—perhaps most importantly—how
you will know you accomplished what
you want.
This last part is one many teachers overlook. It requires
some kind of assessment on your part.
When most teachers hear the word “assessment,” they likely think of statistical
measurements. What I mean is that you need some way to assess your students so
that you know you’ve accomplished what you intended. If not, you can tweak the
lesson plan for next time. This assessment could come in the form of a group
discussion with carefully written questions that pertain to your objectives, a
speech or some other classroom activity, or a written component (maybe some
combination of these). Remember that we have assessments at the course level as
well: graded speeches, exams, and quizzes in particular. But you need to
approach your classes with assessment in mind, too.
Strive for Clarity and Transparency
Third, you should strive for clarity and transparency. We
present the students with detailed rubrics for each speech assignment at the
beginning of the semester. We also provide them with study guides for each
chapter and sample exam questions. We have course policies regarding classroom
conduct, treatment of classmates, absences, and so on. So, you already have a
structure of clarity and transparency within which to work. The one thing we
can’t provide the students with beforehand is grades, obviously. And this is
where you should strive for clarity and transparency. This means provided
substantial comments on grading rubrics that allow students to understand why
they received the grade they did; they may not agree with you, but they should
understand. It also means grading and posting grades, activity points, etc. in
a timely fashion on their BlackBoard.
Create a Welcoming Environment
Finally, consider the ways in which you might create a safe
and welcoming environment. Learning student names by the second week, altering
seating arrangements when possible (for example, in a circle rather than rows),
and being encouraging in your written and oral feedback to the students are
ways you can create a welcoming environment. We’ll address more of these issues
in the classroom management chapter and in our weekly orientations.
To Lead or To Manage?
In time, you’ll develop your own teaching philosophy. But
here are some important questions to ask yourself: What does it mean to manage a class? What does it mean to lead a class? Are there different
communication behaviors you must do for each? On what occasions might it be
necessary to manage your class? When should you lead your class? These are all
questions you will answer in your own way, in time.
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