Teaching Philosophy - First Attempt

Teaching Philosophy – Edu/Bio 705

Goals For Student Learning

Within the field of biology there are many subdivisions which all seek to better understand their specific role in the known world and beyond. My specific goal for students is teach and guide them in a way that allows for assimilation and combination of learned material. This will allow them to not only learn and discover within their own educational experience and subsequent profession, but also enable them to learn outside the classroom. Combining disciplines and creating that “big picture” teaching format not contributes directly to success in the classroom but also success beyond it.

Enactment of Goals

Imparting this philosophy upon the students in a way that is encouraging and natural for them, while still being challenging, is the most difficult aspect. In our discipline understanding the natural world is virtually equal parts in-class vocabulary and real world experience. It is much easier, for most, to understand the contribution light makes to the success of a plant when you, for example, take a plant and set it in a dark room. That is why this teaching philosophy will focus on the incorporation of traditional teaching methods combined with group projects, oral presentations, and most importantly experimental design. The final aspect of this will allow students interact in an environment similar to what scientists in their field experience on a daily basis. Students will have the opportunity to interact with their peers on a topic of their choosing and succeed or fail in their attempts to complete the scientific process.

Assessment of Goals

Measuring student learning is a subject that can be addressed differently depending on the subject. Within this discipline the ability to analyze and interpret data shows your grasp of the material in front you. Students will be encouraged to have an on going and developing understanding of the subject matter. This understanding and development will be assessed in multiple ways. Exams, papers and journals will be used. The grading of these will focus on the material they are best equipped to measure. Exams will serve to measure the understanding of vocabulary and basic coarse structure. Papers will measure the student’s ability to think critically and form an intelligent response to a not so concrete or “black and white” topic. Finally, a journal of the class experience including group projects and experimental design and development will give the best insight into the student’s specific development throughout the class. These separate assessments all work together to encourage and evaluate the progression of students through the classroom experience and enable the instructor to identify specific strengths and weaknesses within a student. Knowledge that is invaluable when determining class direction and student progress evaluations.

Creating the Proper Learning Environment

Innumerable exterior influences are brought into the classroom on a daily basis. Recognizing this and accounting for it in the class structure will determine how class discussion, group projects, and even free time influence the attitudes within a teaching environment. While it is impossible to leave all racial, gender, class, etc. identities at the door. They can be made less prevalent by accepting the strengths of each diverse group. Recognizing and respecting specific traits in each student’s identity which uniquely contribute to the class dynamic has the potential to encourage each student individually. These diverse perspectives and individual strengths will undoubtedly be both positive and negative at various points throughout the class but the will mirror real life experiences. Beyond school, student’s peers will be an even more diverse group of individual perspectives. Group projects and class discussions will prepare them to deal with the world to come. Using multiple assessment, teaching, and discussion techniques will account for the diverse learning styles that are represented within the classroom. Also course structure can be manipulated in such a why that will encourage students develop their weaker traits and sharpen their already strong traits.