My Personal Teaching Philosophy

My personal teaching philosophy is based on my definition of education, its purpose in society and the role of the school, the role of the student and the role of me as a teacher. I briefly mention how such a definition of roles affects my design of the curriculum and lesson planning as well as maximize learning and classroom management.

 I. Purpose of Education and role of the school

“Liberty without Learning is always in peril and Learning without Liberty is always in vain.” (John F. Kennedy).

The purpose of education is not to be a temporary preparation to get accepted into the next school, or the right university, or even a high-paying job. Education is a process, not an end result.  Education is learning about the meaning of life and one’s personal place in the world and how we can meaningfully coexist with each other. I view the role of the school in society as a safe beacon of experimentalism, and apprenticeship that nurtures creativity, democratic values, as well as social reform. Thus the role of the school is to provide the means of personal growth and transformation for students (as well as parents and teachers) that will, in turn, preserve what works in the dominant culture and transmute what doesn’t work into a more progressive society.

In order to foster personal growth educators need to be aware that different learning styles are not inferior or superior. There is no one size fits all model for an ideal student, and certainly, no one size fits all model of learning assessment. The role of the school is to assist the student’s own self-awareness of what learning style serves them best, what are the students’ strengths and weaknesses without an environment of condemnation or judgment. In a tolerant, inclusiveness society, different personalities are valued because such diversities complement and enrich the culture. This should be modeled and begun in the classroom.

At the end of the day what really matters most in life is our intrapersonal relationships, our relationships with our community and to the world for the next generations. The school and the education system have a duty to teach real core values because so often in mainstream society or in dysfunctional families, the students may not have such values like respect, tolerance and inclusiveness as a model.

II. The role of the student

“Study without desire spoils the memory, and it retains nothing that it takes in” (Leonardo da Vinci).

I view the student as being an integral part of his/her own education and personal transformation. The student has a personal and social responsibility to discover and pursue their interests and passions. I assume students value what interests them as well as value their own personal development, time and quality of life. They should exercise more voice in their education, be their own captains and less passive. The student must also come to understand that contrary to popular culture, education is a process and to not stress about end results. Meaningful personal growth is not going to happen with temporarily retaining facts to pass a test that is forgotten in the next semester. I absolutely believe this kills creativity and the desire to learn. The student has an obligation to define and charter the goals of his/her education and to question their learning environment and education system if it is not assisting them in their development.

III. The role of the teacher

“I am not a teacher, but an awakener.” (Robert Frost)

My view of the role of the teacher is consistent with my philosophy on education and the role of the student. If education is truly a process, then I too am a part of a process, I too am learning and am also actively engaged in my own self-transformation and also navigating my relationship with the community and social reform. As a teacher, I do not value end results like tests scores as the only dynamic mode of learning assessment or one type of teaching style as the only means to engage students. As a teacher, I have no desire to force-feed the truth or facts to passive students. It’s my job to assist the student to discover the truth for themselves.

In an ESL environment this translates into reading or listening to thought-provoking material, meaningful discussions, redrafting, creative writing, and poetry. It is my obligation to model my core beliefs, that we are all God’s children, and thus each of us is worthy of respect, tolerance, and inclusion. I as the teacher also have a responsibility to facilitate the student in taking a more active role in their own education and to integrate their goals with mine. My superficial goal would be improving the student’s English acquisition, self-expression in speech and pronunciation and written expositions as well as fostering a creative voice. On a deeper level, my goal is to provoke reflection, foster relationships of mutual respect and together transform society to value peaceful diversity.

IV. Curriculum design and classroom management to maximize learning

“The secret in education lies in respecting the student.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

I truly believe the student has the capacity and moral obligation to be dynamically involved in their own education. I respect the student enough as an individual on their own journey of transformation that when I design the curriculum or lesson plan, I am using their own interests in mind. In the classroom, this means fewer tests and more projects or practical assessments like role play or outside the classroom with field trips into the community. In an ESL classroom I would teach by conversation and they would teach each other by group discussion, role-play and projects. I am resourceful and can tailor lessons to students’ interests and in turn assist them in discovering their passions and strengths. I am prepared for my lessons but not stringent in executing them if it “isn’t working.” It’s good to have a plan but also be flexible, the students aren’t robots and what works one day may not work the next. At a very basic foundation for classroom management are the values of self and mutual respect. This means following social norms of politeness, being a gracious listener and allowing space for everyone to have his/her voice of self-expression.

When I design curriculums or lessons I usually center the subjects (reading, writing, grammar, speech, etc.) on a theme or intersecting themes of students’ mutual interests.  I have found this to be a more holistic approach to learning and teaching material. It engages different students with very different learning styles and is more interesting. For example, I recently taught a theme for four weeks on Foods of the World. We studied the cuisines of Italy, Mexico, the Middle East, and India. When we studied Mexican Food, for example, I introduced the native foods they were already familiar with (corn, chocolate) and new foods (tortillas, refried beans). They learned a traditional Mexican Hat Dance as well as the song “La Bamba”, their reading was a recipe for chips and salsa (which they later made and ate) and they painted 3-dimensional cactus paintings with toothpicks and red crepe paper. At the end of the week, we had a fiesta with a piñata of the Mexican flag they had made and a lunch with cheese burritos and of course chips and salsa. During all of this was group discussion and had their writing been as proficient as their speech, I’m sure they would have written complimentary compositions on what they learned about Mexican food or what the liked or disliked.

 V. The challenge

I realize that Chinese/Taiwanese culture is the dominant culture and that traditional Confucius family values are the dominant ideal. I believe in Democracy and alternate views of Democracy and am fascinated by the democratic ideals of Taiwan are integrated into ingrained ancient Chinese philosophies. I also see it as a personal challenge as a teacher to promote, give a voice to alternate subcultures and family structures in Taiwan, like aboriginal cultures and single-parent households for example, and include them in the education process. I hope society would become more diversified and those differences to be more represented and respected as a result of my place as a teacher.