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1. Teaching Philosophy
Interestingly, how I teach now is strongly influenced by my life journey and the experiences along route
prior to returning to academia. It is only through engaging with the teaching and learning community
that I have become aware of the complexity of both the learner and the teacher and their roles in the
education process. Rather than inspirational quotes from theorists I have found myself more connected
with what I would term explanatory quotes for example:
"You are the sum total of everything you've ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot - it's all there.
Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive."
Maya Angelou
You will see that I am a contradiction both in terms of what influences me and how I practice, however,
this is not something I apologise for as I am still exploring the educational landscape and like any
strategy my teaching philosophy will always leave room for growth and be forever an evolving
philosophy.
Where I am now?
Teaching for me is an opportunity to engage with
Training Needs
learners to help build on their current knowledge to Analysis
New to me on my return to academia was all the research around learning and teaching including the
different learning styles (Honey and Mumford, 1986; Fig 2) and various learning theories (Piaget, 1968;
Skinner, 1976; Vygotsky, 1978; Perry &William, 1999) and the learning cycle itself (Kolb, 1976,1984; Fig
2). This has not only improved my ability as an educator through facilitation but brought about a
heightened awareness and understanding of the learners different needs and how I could/can improve
my teaching moving forward preparing them for employment.
Concrete experience
(doing/having and
experience)
Activist
Active
Reflection
experimentation
(Reviewing,
(Planning/trying out
reflecting on the
what you have
experience)
learned)
Reflector
Pragmatist
Abstract
Conceptualisation
(Conluding/learning
from the experience)
Theorist
Fig. 2 Kolbs Learning Cycle and the Honey and Mumfords learning styles (red).
Unconscious
informed decisions is why I love teaching.
Incompetence
Fig. 3. The Skill Development Model illustrating the path from unconscious
incompetence through to unconscious competence, following time and practice.
Teaching Theories
Putting my teaching into the context of the teaching theories, then I would claim to be a Constructivist
based on a number of my current practices. Although, I think evidence will show that I practice a
mixture of theories depending on the context, environment and available resources that would work
best in the scenario. If I do as I say then I base my teaching on the constructivist learning theory (e.g.
2
Piaget, 1968) where learning occurs as learners are actively involved, so rather than being influenced by
others the learner are driven to developing themselves.
The Socratic Learning Method (SLM), a constructivist learning approach, is the methodology I would
like to think that my current style epitomises i.e. a Socratic teaching approach which engages both
student centered learning and critical thinking i.e. presenting the students with questions as opposed to
answers e.g. Flipped classrooms or providing provocative statements. I feel this works very well for
educating the next generation of scientists. In addition, I like to keep in mind the Kolbs learning cycle
(Kolb, 1974) and how I can take different and improved approaches each time through seeking feedback
from the students in an adapted version of the feedback tool Two stars and a wish.
I have learned how different college years and individual learners need different focuses to stimulate
their engagement and get the most out of their ability and journey through the educational system.
Different forms of timely feedback I have found can improve the speed to which students reach the
goals I have set and the learning outcomes for the modules.
References
Bruner, J. S. (1978). The role of dialogue in language acquisition. In A. Sinclair, R., J. Jarvelle, and W. J.M.
Levelt (eds.) The Child's Concept of Language. New York: Springer-Verlag.
Gould, D., Kelly, D., White, I., Chidgey, J., 2004. Training needs analysis. A literature review and
reappraisal. Int. J. Nurs. Stud. 41, 471486.
Honey, P. and Mumford, A. (1986). Using Your Learning Styles, Maidenhead, Berkshire: Peter Honey.
Kolb, D.A. (1976). Learning Style Inventory: technical manual, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: PrenticeHall
Kolb, D.A. (1984). Experiential Learning: experience as a source of learning and
development, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: PrenticeHall.
Kolb, A.Y. & Kolb, D.A. (2005). Learning Styles and Learning Spaces: Enhancing Experiential Learning in
Higher Education. Source: Academy of Management Learning & Education, 4(2), pp.193212.
Perry, William G. (1999). Forms of Ethical and Intellectual Development in the College Years. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers
Piaget, J. (1968). Quantification, conservation, and nativism. Science, 162(3857), 976-979.
Piaget, J (1968). Six Psychological Studies. Anita Tenzer (Trans.), New York: Vintage Books.
Skinner, B. F. (1976). About Behaviorism. New York: Vintage Books.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978) Mind in society: The development of higher mental processes, ed. and trans. M.
Cole, V. John-Steiner, S. Scribner & E. Souberman. Harvard University Press (original work published
19301935).