Teaching Philosophy

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As a teacher, I have thought about what I most value in my teaching. It was relationship. One of my students was hesitated to come to the school at first time, but at the end of the school, he hesitated to leave his friends and me. Curriculums can be changed, technologies can be changed, and systems can be changed, but I believe relationship connected with spirit, mind, and heart can stay unchangeably.  Also, I believe all the words that we speak, all the action we do, and all the thoughts we think are the fruits of our inner system made with all the inputs added to one’s unique systems and processes inside. Learning knowledge is important but building a good foundation to know how to use the knowledge properly and well. A good foundation can be built within relationship. If there is no good relationship between students and teachers, students might not want to learn from the teachers. However, if they have good relationship, students will be more likely to learn something from her. Teachers can be nurturers, mentors, and friends to students. A teacher can give them not only knowledge but also her or his belief system, values, and heart will be delivered. Therefore, as a teacher, I call myself to be a path of good nutrition to my students so that they can grow well to find their true identity and their potential, whether it is tangible or not.  

 

            Additionally, I want to make a supportive learning environment for my students, which can be called a scaffolded learning. The term scaffold came from Wood, Bruner, and Ross (1976). Scaffolding refers to assisting techniques used to move students progressively toward greater independence in the learning process. Scaffolding can be a bridge between what students already know and something they do not know. In the practice of scaffolding in my classroom, I am trying that my response and help to students should be collaborative rather than evaluative. Also, in a scaffolded learning, giving feedbacks are so influential so it has to be supportive based on learners’ level. It is my responsibility to know who my learners are. And the feedbacks should not be spoon-feeding. It should be help for them to figure things out by themselves so that the learning can really be internalized. Therefore, I try not to help them right away when they ask me help. Rather than instant help, I try to use questions and give them references that can help them to solve the problems by themselves.

 

            I can say learning is like developing the muscles in our body. If we do exercise what we can do easily, we can never increase muscles in our body. To make muscles in our body, we should push ourselves to the cliff to use muscles more and to use muscles that we have never used before even though it is hard and painful. Therefore, it is natural for learners to go through some challenges and difficulties to figure something new that they have never learned before. Based on this fact, learning has to be neither too difficult nor too easy for learners. Vygotsky (1978)’s the zone of proximal development (ZPD) can be applied to find out the appropriate help for learners. ZPD is the gap between what learners can do with help and what learners can so without help. To know this gap, I sometimes use assessments with some tests, surveys, and interviews.

 

            In conclusion, my teaching philosophy is based on relationship and learner-centered teaching. I want to be a good helper to my learners by knowing and loving them and by respecting their uniqueness and differences. Also, encouragement and delivering motivation with clear directions and goals are essential factors that I consider for my teaching to foster learning. I believe that all these help that educators make can be like the light that shine on learners so that they can see their hidden potentials and ability in learning. Every child is precious and important so they should have equal chances to learn. Also, every child can have a different role to make a harmonious society to live together in the future. Therefore, I also want them to know wisdom before learning knowledge or with knowledge to use the knowledge appropriately and wisely to make some good changes and to help others. I believe that educators are helpers that make learners even greater helpers to the society.